Bruins Defeat Devils in Prospect Challenge, 4-3

Coming off of their thrashing of the Sabres prospects on Saturday at the 2016 Prospect Challenge, the Devils prospects came into their game against the prospects of the Boston Bruins on Sunday looking to build on what they did against the Sabres.

Kevin Zalaznik of thealbanydevils.com reported on the game, played at HarborCenter in Buffalo, and said that Blake Speers scored two goals and Brandon Gignac had the third for the Devils as they fell to Boston. Zalaznik quoted Devils’ coach Rick Kowalsky as saying “I thought Boston had pretty good jump. For two periods, they won more battles. I thought their speed game was a little different than Buffalo last night. They made some plays. We were really chasing.”

Zalaznik said that the Bruins went on an offensive bonanza in the second period, scoring shorthanded at 9:55 of the second when Anton Blidh beat Devils goalie Mackenzie Blackwood (who made 22 saves in his two periods of work – Evan Cormier played the first period and made 22 saves as well). The Bruins then went on a 5-on-3 power play late in the period and Jake DeBrusk converted during that advantage.

After Gignac scored to make it 3-2 in the third, Zalaznik said that the Bruins’ Rob O’Gara scored about twenty seconds later to make it 4-2. Speers’ second goal made it 4-3 late in the third

According to Zalaznik, the Bruins, who outshot the Devils 39-25 for the game, had a 12-1 shot advantage to begin the game.

Speers got his first goal in the first period when he and Boston’s Colton Hargrove exchanged goals. The Devils’ goal came on a 5-on-3 power play.

The Devils prospects came away from this mini tournament 1-1, with a win against the Sabres and a loss to the Bruins. Training camp begins later this week, and most of the players will be in New Jersey for that, according to Zalaznik.

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