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Cammalleri Returns, Devils Steal Shootout Win from Toronto

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

The Devils returned from a brutal western road trip looking to snap a three game losing streak at home, a place where they have been almost unbeatable this year. They have not dropped a game in regulation at Prudential Center yet and, despite Maple Leaf super rookie Auston Matthews’ best efforts, that streak would continue tonight. New Jersey took a shootout victory from the Leafs, 5-4.

Good news right off the bat for the Devils was that Michael Cammalleri was returning from his personal hiatus. He had left the team in Buffalo to return to New Jersey where his daughter had come down with a bad case of pneumonia, was hospitalized and needed surgery. She is better now and resting at home and Michael had spent time practicing with the Princeton University Tigers hockey team during his time off to keep in game shape. He would go on to play a huge part in tonight’s game.

The Devils also got Yohann Auvitu back, as he said he was hurt for about 48 hours after a puck hit his index finger in the Dallas game. He was a healthy scratch for the other two games he missed in California. To accommodate him in the lineup, Jon Merrill would be sitting. Kyle Palmieri was also a scratch for the Devils as he is still dealing with an injury.

Coming into this game, the Maple Leafs had exactly one road win this year and were following up a loss at the Air Canada Centre last night to Carolina on a late shorthanded goal. The Devils would be able to leapfrog Boston in the standings with a win tonight and take a playoff spot for the first time since their losses in California.

The Sharks game was also John Hynes’ 100th game coached in the NHL. So congratulations to him on that milestone.

In goal for Toronto was Jhonas Enroth, who made 26 saves on 30 Devils shots for the night. He finished the night with his goals against average at 4.21 and just a .866 save percentage in just 215 minutes played. Rough numbers for sure.

The Devils sent out Cory Schneider to oppose him. He made 27 saves on 31 Leafs shots. He also came up big in some major spots for the Devils.

The Maple Leafs came out firing in the first period. Auston Matthews scored his first of the night at the 10:33 mark, with an assist to Zach Hyman. He was able to chip a shot by Cory on only Toronto’s second shot of the game. The goal ended Matthews’ 13 game goal drought. However, Toronto has yet to win a game that Matthews has scored in this season. That includes his opening night four goal performance against Ottawa.

But the Leafs were rolling with a 1-0 lead. At 11:36 of the first frame, PA Parenteau would take a slashing call against Morgan Rielly and sit for two minutes. With time expiring on that penalty kill, Nazem Kadri buried one from Matthews and William Nylander to make it 2-0 Leafs.

About five and a half minutes later, at 18:52, Matthews netted his second of the period and his third point of the night from Hyman and Connor Brown to put the Maple Leafs comfortably ahead 3-0.

Things looked dire for New Jersey. But all it took was 4 minutes and 58 seconds and the Devils would climb back into things.

First, at 32 seconds, Nick Lappin kept the puck in the Toronto zone, getting it to Kyle Quincey, who passed to Michael Cammalleri at the far circle. Cammalleri connected with Travis Zajac, who found room to beat Enroth and cut the deficit to 3-1.

Then, at the 1:12 mark, Martin Marincin was called for high sticking Pavel Zacha. The Devils were on the power play. Now, for the last 29 tries with the extra man, this had really meant nothing. Beau Bennett had also not scored a goal yet as a New Jersey Devil through the first month and a half of the season. This time was different this time, however.

At 3:10, Andy Greene passed point-to-point to Cammalleri. He fired and the puck bounced off of Devante Smith-Pelly’s backside right to the stick of Bennett. Bennett put the puck behind Enroth and then looked skyward, mouthing “Thank God!” It was not pretty, but Bennett’s goal scoring drought was over and the Devils’ power play futility was done all in one fell swoop. It was 3-2 Toronto.

The game tying goal would come off of the stick of Cammalleri, who, after this goal, had three points on the night – equaling Matthews. It came at 5:30 when Greene slid the puck to Zajac at the far circle. He shot from the top of the faceoff circle and the rebound came right out to Cammalleri, who promptly corralled it and shot it by Enroth. The game was knotted at three.

Toronto coach Mike Babcock elected to use his timeout at this point in order to settle his young team down. That decision would go on to play an important role in the outcome of the game.

Things would remain that way despite some tries from Toronto. Nylander hit the post on a power play opportunity late in the second. Finally, the Leafs broke through when Matt Martin scored his first of the year at 9:26 from Nikita Soshnikov and Nikita Zaitsev. Toronto had retaken the lead, 4-3.

But the Devils were not done. In the third period, they would tie things up again when, at 5:50, the Devils held the zone and Cammalleri kept the puck in for Zajac, who passed to Yohann Autvitu. The French defenseman fired on net and the puck went in to tie things up. Nick Lappin in front had initially gotten credit for the goal, but replays showed that he did not touch the puck on the way in.

What he did touch was Enroth’s stick blade with his skate, dragging it away from Enroth being able to make the save. Toronto could have challenged goalie interference on this – and probably have been successful – had they not used their timeout earlier in the second period. A break for the Devils and the game was now tied once more. Cammalleri, with the assist, also had a hand in each of the Devils’ goal scored so far.

Things would get tense for the Devils late in regulation. Middletown, New Jersey native James van Riemsdyk would nail the post with less than a minute left in the third period. But things stayed tied and we were headed for overtime.

The three-on-three period was back and forth intensity. Cory had had some miscommunication with his defensemen throughout the night at various times and nearly gave one up to Mitchell Marner when he tried to move the puck to a d-man and instead turned it over. Marner shot in close, but Cory was equal to the task.

Once the five minute OT had expired with things still not settled, it was time for the shootout.

Parenteau went first for New Jersey. He was stopped by Enroth. Cory Schneider then stopped Auston Matthews; Jacob Josefson scored for the Devils and then Cory stopped Marner. In two rounds of the shootout, Schneider had stopped two of the most offensively gifted young guns in the NHL.

After Cammalleri was stopped, it all came down to Nikita Soshnikov. Cory stopped him too and the Devils had pulled victory from the jaws of defeat and picked up two points.

The Devils remained without a regulation loss at home as they begin their mini home stand. Next up is Detroit at home for the Devils on Friday. I will be attending that game, so the report will be a little bit late. Until then, I hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

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Elias Nets Goal, Two Assists in What Could Be His Final Game as a Devil

If this is goodbye to Patrik Elias in New Jersey Devils black-and-red, then what a farewell it was. In a 5-1 defeat of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Devils played a game for the ages that may well have summed up Elias’ time as a Devil: reliable, unselfish, a leader by example.

With nothing really to play for, the team would see two players reach the plateau of 30 goals and play an all-around strong game.

Three Devils made their NHL debuts last night: Steven Santini, Miles Wood and the much-touted Pavel Zacha. Zacha, a native of the Czech Republic, played primarily on a line with Patrik Elias and Devante Smith-Pelly. He would gain two assists on the night and show some good chemistry with the veteran Eilas.

In goal, Cory Schneider was back in net for the Devils. He made 19 saves on 20 shots, including some while practically standing on his head. Opposing him for the Leafs was Garret Sparks. He made 31 saves on 35 Devils shots.

But despite Cory’s stellar play, this night was not about the goaltenders. It was all about what the guys up front were doing.

The Devils fell behind early when former-Islander PA Parenteau scored his 20th of the year from Brooks Laich and Andrew Campbell at 2:53 of the first period. During the first TV timeout after Toronto took the lead, the Devils showed a video tribute to Lou Lamoriello on the jumbotron and Lou was shown acknowledging the crowd in his first official trip back to Prudential Center as general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The crowd on hand gave him a standing ovation.

And from there on, it was all Devils.

Devante Smith-Pelly knotted things up at 9:10 of the first when Zacha won the offensive zone draw and pushed it forward to Smith-Pelly, who buried it behind Sparks. It was Zacha’s first NHL point and Smith-Pelly’s 14th goal of the season. It was 1-1 going into the first intermission.

The Devils came out roaring in the second period, with Adam Henrique scoring his 29th of the year at just 58 seconds into the second frame when Adam Larsson, who was set up at the point, took a pass from Patrik Elias. Larsson fired on net and Henrique gathered the rebound and stuffed it home. It was now 2-1 Devils and Henrique was one goal closer to the 30 goal mark.

That 30th goal would occur about 10 minutes later when John Moore hit Tuomo Ruutu with a nice breakout pass and both Ruutu and Henrique converged on the Toronto net. The puck went in off of Henrique’s skate and was in fact reviewed to make sure there was no kicking motion. There was not and Henrique got credit for his 30th of the season at 10:42. It was now 3-1 Devils.

The time spent in the penalty box was skewed towards the Maple Leafs, as they had twice as many penalties as the Devils did. The Devils were 0-for-6 on the power play while the Leafs were 0-for-3 with the man advantage.

The Maple Leafs pulled Sparks with about three minutes left in the third period in a Hail Mary type attempt to salvage the game. What occurred was something special. Pavel Zacha dug the puck out of the near corner in the Devils end of the rink. He pushed it up to Patrik Elias, who had a clear shot at the empty net, but passed it up to give it to Kyle Palmieri. Palmieri potted the puck and had his 30th goal of the season at 17:04 of the third period. It was a show of Patrik Elias’ unselfishness and class. He passed up a clear shot at a goal for himself to give his teammate a chance to hit a personal milestone.

But he was not done. At 19:44 of the third, Palmieri would return the favor by forechecking hard and causing a turnover behind the Toronto net. He centered the puck to Elias in the slot, who beat Sparks cleanly over the glove. With just about 15 seconds left in what could be his final game in a Devils uniform; Patrik Elias netted his third point of the night and passed into legend. And that was it: 5-1 was the final score.

On a night that could only be described as magical, the Devils had played one of their best games of the season, gotten to a final record of 38-36-8 for 84 points. Although they did not have a whole lot to play for here, except for pride, they really came up big.

In the end, Kyle Palmieri was named third star of the game, finishing with a goal, an assist, six shots and a plus-2 rating on 19:15 of ice time. Adam Henrique was the second star with two goals, 4 shots, a plus-1 in 17:22 on the ice. And, of course, Patrik Elias was the first star on one goal, two assists, three shots, one hit, a plus-4 rating all in 14:27 time on ice.

Time will tell if this was Elias’ last game as a Devil. He may retire, he may sign on to play elsewhere or he may decide to resign with New Jersey for next season. All of that is to be decided, though. For now Patrik Elias had the night of a lifetime and made New Jersey Devils fans everywhere smile even in the midst of the finale of a season where they missed the playoffs.

That, my friends, is one hell of a feat.