The New Jersey Devils continued a remarkable trend Tuesday night, protecting a slim lead to defeat the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 and remain flawless when ahead after two periods.
Arseny Gritsyuk and Cody Glass each recorded a goal and an assist as New Jersey improved to 17-0-0 in games where it leads through 40 minutes. The victory was the Devils’ fourth in their last five contests and followed a 2-1 overtime win in Calgary the night before.
Goaltender Jake Allen withstood heavy pressure in the third period, finishing with 21 saves to secure the win. At the other end, Tristan Jarry turned aside 15 shots in his first home start for Edmonton.
The Oilers briefly pulled even when Matthew Savoie found the net, but New Jersey responded quickly. Just 90 seconds later, the Devils capitalized on a sloppy line change, with Glass snapping a clean shot past Jarry to restore the lead for good.
Defenseman Dougie Hamilton added an assist, extending his point streak to six games. The stretch includes seven points and comes after Hamilton was a healthy scratch earlier this month.
Edmonton saw its two-game winning streak come to an end — the ninth time this season the Oilers have been unable to push a streak beyond two games. Veteran forward Curtis Lazar reached a milestone by playing his 600th NHL game, fittingly against a Devils team he once suited up for.
One notable storyline was the quiet night for Connor McDavid, who entered the game with points in all 17 of his previous career meetings against New Jersey. The Devils kept him off the scoresheet, snapping that streak.
Up next
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Devils: Visit Vancouver on Friday night.
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Oilers: Host Pittsburgh on Thursday night.
