PITTSBURGH _ The hallmark of a sports movie is the touching, if not tear-jerking ending. The quarterback throws the touchdown and he's lifted on the shoulders of his teammates. The American Davids beat the Soviet Goliaths.
Crash Davis hits his final dinger and runs off into the North Carolina sunset with Annie Savoy.
A little more than a year after being diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia and about a week after announcing that leukemia was in remission, Brian Boyle, the Devils' emotional leader, registered the first hat trick of his career in Pittsburgh on Hockey Fights Cancer Night.
It couldn't have been scripted any better.
Behind Boyle's natural hat trick, the Devils ended their three-game skid with a 5-1 win over the Penguins on Monday night at PPG Paints Arena. It was a big win for the scuffling New Jersey squad but an even bigger win for one of the good guys in the game, Masterton winner Brian Boyle.
The veteran fourth-line forward twice got his stick on two shots in front of the net, redirecting them past Pittsburgh goalie Matt Murray. He broke a 1-1 tie at 12:27 in the first period when he deflected Ben Lovejoy's point shot past Murray and gave the Devils a 3-1 advantage when he deflected Kyle Palmieri's power play shot off the crossbar at 7:38 in the second.
A melee of sorts broke out late in the second with Miles Wood and Mirco Mueller in the middle of the fray. Mueller went to the box for throwing a punch at Sidney Crosby but once the penalties were sorted out it was the Devils who received a power play.
Boyle threw a shot at Murray that came out to Taylor Hall, who set Boyle up once again.
This time, he beat Murray with a one-timer from the right circle, providing the feel-good moment of Hockey Fights Cancer Month.
Will Butcher opened the scoring with a blast 2:24 into play. Jamie Oleksiak tied the game for the Penguins seven minutes later.
Travis Zajac scored 19 seconds into the third period to close the scoring for New Jersey.
Joey Anderson tallied his first NHL point with the primary assist on Butcher's goal. He also set up Boyle's first goal with a wraparound attempt. His rebound went off the stick of Jean-Sebastien Dea and right to Lovejoy, who fired from the point.
Keith Kinkaid was challenged with a few odd-man rushes in the first two periods but turned in another strong performance stopping 35 of 36 shots faced.
Meanwhile, Murray (23 saves) was pulled after allowing four goals over the first two periods. Casey DeSmith's relief effort yielded Zajac's goal and 11 saves.
