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Moore Goal Helps Devils Top Stars in OT

Happy 2016 everyone!

The Devils’ challenge was simple: In order to win their third straight and put together a winning streak of more than two games for only the second time this season, all they had to do was defeat the top team in the National Hockey League. The Dallas Stars are the top team in the Western Conference, the top offensive team in the NHL and lead the entire league overall with 60 points. They have Jamie Benn, the reigning Art Ross Trophy winner as the NHL’s top scorer. They have a lot of offensive firepower with Patrick Sharp and Tyler Seguin. This was a challenge.

But challenges are made to be overcome and the Devils would do just that.

Tyler Kennedy was back in the lineup for the Devils due to an as yet undisclosed injury to Mike Cammalleri. Add that to the Devils’ list of challenges, as they would now be going into a game against the NHL’s best offense without their own leading scorer. Eric Gelinas and Tuomo Ruutu were healthy scratches for New Jersey.

Getting the start in net for the Devils would be Cory Schneider once again. He would make 29 saves off 31 shots on the night and have his shutout streak of 114:12 broken in the third period of this game. Opposing him would be Antti Niemi, the Stars goaltender sharing almost equal time with Kari Lehtonen. He made 27 stops on 30 shots.

But that only tells part of the story. Cory was brilliant again for the Devils, making some great saves and standing on his head at times. During the second intermission, MSG+ analyst Stan Fischler was discussing Schneider as a possible Vezina Trophy candidate and I do not think many at this point in the season can really argue that point. He has at the very least been the Devils’ MVP this season to date.

The first period began with a Devils power play just 24 seconds into the frame, with Dallas’ Antoine Roussel going off for interference. In regulation, overall, the Devils’ power play had four chances, when 0-for-4 on the night with four shots.

The scoring kicked off in just 1:02 into the second when David Schlemko kept the puck in the Stars’ zone and moved it down low to Kyle Palmieri, who scored on the wraparound. Just like that, the Devils were up 1-0. Adam Henrique had the secondary assist.

The Devils would double their lead at 6:02 of the second when Jordin Tootoo kept the puck in deep on the cycle. He dished off to Bobby Farnham who fired from the far faceoff dot and beat Niemi. Stephen Gionta had the secondary assist. The Devils now had the unlikely 2-0 lead.

But Dallas is a great third period team who has simply blitzed the NHL in the third stanza. And, of course, the Devils were no different.

First, at 10:54 of the third, Patrick Sharp cut the lead in half, beating Cory with a snap shot with John Klingberg and Mattias Janmark getting the assists. This is the goal that ended Schneider’s 114:12 shutout streak, dating back to the loss in Carolina the night after Christmas.

At 14:29 Colton Sceviour scored from Jason Spezza and former Devil Johnny Oduya to tie the game up at two. Dallas had struck again and the game was headed right for overtime. New Jersey, although they have a fantastic overtime record, did not really want to go toe-to-toe with the Stars three-on-three.

But they would get some help. Just 1:07 into the extra session, the Devils would develop a two-on-one odd man rush with Travis Zajac driving towards the net. He was impeded by Jamie Benn, but kept his legs moving in order to draw the penalty. With the delayed call, the Devils got Cory off the ice and kept up sustained extra man pressure for almost one minute. When Dallas finally touched the puck, Benn went off for hooking and the Devils called their timeout to give their power play unit a breather.

After that, all it took was 40 seconds for John Moore to fire a failed Dallas clearing attempt, beating Niemi with the slapshot. The goal came unassisted and gave the Devils the two points against the league’s top team.

By beating Big D, the Devils had slayed the beast and show that they continue to rise to the occasion when they face the NHL’s top teams. They can beat the Rangers, Canadiens and Stars of the world, but seem to have trouble with the weaker teams in the league.

Which brings us to the Devils’ next challenge: The Detroit Red Wings, who share an Eastern Conference wildcard spot with the Devils currently, are coming back to town on Monday. The Devils have two wins over the Wings, one in overtime and one in regulation. Can they keep that streak alive and overtake the Rangers for third place in the Metropolitan Division (they are only one point behind after the Blueshirts lost to Florida tonight). The Devils are in striking distance, now is the time to make things interesting.

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Devils Come Back to Defeat Carolina, Despite Two Goals from Staal

The Devils needed two points tonight. There was no other option, they were falling out of the playoff race rapidly and had tough opponents like Ottawa and Dallas coming up.

They got just what the doctor ordered with a late comeback against the Carolina Hurricanes, giving them their two points with a much needed victory.

Going into the game, coach John Hynes said that the team is “in a state of mediocrity” and decided to shake up the entire lineup. Forward lines were shuffled up and down and defensive pairings were shifted. In addition, Bobby Farnham was back in the lineup off of injured reserve and Patrik Elias was placed on injured reserved today. Farnham was placed on the fourth line, energy unit with Stephen Gionta and Jordin Tootoo.

Healthy scratches for New Jersey in their final home game of the 2015 calendar year were Eric Gelinas, Jacob Josefson and Tuomo Ruutu.

With back-to-back games coming (the Devils travel to Ottawa after this game for tomorrow’s tilt), Keith Kinkaid made the start for New Jersey. He would make 26 saves on 28 shots. Facing him across the rink was Carolina’s workhorse Cam Ward. He was equal to 21 of 24 shots faced.

This was a tight one early, as there was no scoring in the first period. Of the three penalties called in the game, two came in the first (a Ron Hainsey holding call on the Hurricanes and a Jordin Tootoo hooking call for the Devils). The other penalty was a Carolina penalty (John-Michael Liles for interference) in the second period. Neither team scored on the power play (New Jersey 0-for-2, Carolina 0-for-1).

The first goal of the game came from Eric Staal at 2:52 of the second, off assists from Kris Versteeg and Elias Lindholm.

Although Carolina had the 1-0 lead, it did not take long for the Devils to equal it. Bobby Farnham, back in the lineup, used his energy to tie the game. The goal came with Tootoo providing a strong forecheck, keeping the puck in the ‘Canes’ zone behind Ward’s net. Farnham picked up the puck and jammed it near side at 6:06, unassisted.

The teams would not go into the first intermission tied, though, as at 9:46 of the second, Eric Staal netted his second of two on the night when he and Versteeg connected again, 2-1 Hurricanes. A little under five minutes later, though, the Devils nearly tied it again. They had seemingly tied it when the whistle was blown with the net off its moorings.

The Hurricanes continued to respond, right after the first Devils’ goal, Carolina’s Jordan Staal hit the post on a rush, nearly giving the ‘Canes a 3-1 lead.

The Devils had their chances, though. On their lone power play of the second period, which was drawn by Farnham, Sergey Kalinin inadvertently blocked a Damon Severson one-timer in front of Ward. The Devils would go into the third period down a goal.

But the Devils have been a good third period team this year and they responded big time. At 7:14, Travis Zajac, with the puck deep in the Hurricanes’ zone, sent it back to Jon Merrill at the right point. He fired the puck on net, where it was tipped in by Kyle Palmieri. Palmieri had his team-leading 16th goal of the year and the game was all tied up at two.

That goal was challenged by the Hurricanes’ bench, as they charged goalie interference on Palmieri. On the review, it was a clean goal and Carolina lost their timeout (which would be crucial late in the game, when they could not get anything set with Cam Ward pulled, trying to tie the game).

The Devils game winner came off the stick of David Schlemko, who fired from an odd angle, through the legs of the Hurricanes defenseman and cleanly beat Ward to give the Devils a 3-2 lead at 16:55 of the third.

The Hurricanes pulled Cam Ward late and were able to apply pressure, but Kinkaid and the Devils fended them off. The Devils did not use their timeout late, as it would have given the Hurricanes a chance to get their bearings. The Devils, being the home team, were able to get the late changes and did not have to worry about that. Carolina took the chance on trying to challenge the Devils’ second goal and it came back to bite them.

With the Devils victory over their Metro Division rivals, they pulled back into the playoff race and are now only three points behind the idle Rangers for third place in the Metropolitan Division.

Next up, they go north of the border to the Canadian capital. Both the Devils and the Senators will be playing the second games of back-to-backs (the Senators had the Bruins tonight in Beantown – they lost 7-3). Can they build on this win and put together a winning streak for the first time since November? We will find out tomorrow.