NEWARK, N.J. _ The Devils just can't beat the Blues.
The Blues overcame a one-goal deficit late in the second period and stifled the Devils' power play for a 3-1 win on Tuesday night at Prudential Center, extending the Devils' losing streak to a season-high three games.
The Devils (9-4-1) opened a three-game homestand after returning from a 1-1-1 road trip to Western Canada, including Sunday night's 5-4 shootout loss at Calgary and a 6-3 defeat at Edmonton two nights earlier.
Still missing top-six wings Marcus Johansson (concussion) and Kyle Palmieri (injured reserve/left foot), the Devils played a smart game against the potent Blues (12-3-1) but after a strong start in the first period were unable to generate enough shots on net or traffic on Blues goalie Jake Allen (21 saves).
Cory Schneider stopped 36 shots for the Devils. It marked the seventh straight game the Devils have been outshot.
The Devils have now lost eight straight to the Blues, with an aggregate score of 26-9. In the four losses the previous two seasons, the Blues outscored the Devils, 16-5.
Overall, the Devils are 1-10-1 against the Blues since March 20, 2010 and their last win in the series was a 7-1 victory at The Rock on Jan. 21, 2014.
The Blues went ahead 2-1 just 32 seconds into the third period on Jaden Schwartz's power-play goal off Vladimir Tarasenko's cross-ice feed. Blake Coleman had been called for high sticking Joel Edmundson with 9.6 seconds left in the second period.
Schwartz just missed a second power-play goal _ this time with Steven Santini off for tripping Tarasenko as he raced to the crease _ as he ripped a slap shot off the crossbar at 4:49.
The Devils, with a crucial penalty-killing effort, held the Blues to just one shot on net in those two minutes and then got their own chance to tie the game on the power play when the Blues were caught with too many men at 7:10. But they, too, were held to one shot, though Pavel Zacha just missed a chance at the side of the net.
The Devils, 0 for 4 on the man advantage, also couldn't convert when Vladimir Sobotka tripped Jesper Bratt at 12:15.
Brayden Schenn clinched it with an empty-net goal with 56.6 seconds remaining.
The game turned into a territorial battle in the second period, with the Devils behind held without a shot between John Moore's blue-line shot at 10:10 and Santini's wrister at 17:31.
Allen then denied Taylor on a rush up the right at 18:05 and Schneider smothered Vince Dunn's shot from the left 15 seconds later as play opened up.
And the Blues tied it at 1 at 18:57 as Tarasenko deflected Schenn's initial shot, beating a surprised Schneider to his short side with the puck also deflecting off Devils defenseman Mirco Mueller's shin pads.
Schneider had been helped earlier in the period by Andy Greene as the captain got his stick on Schenn's shot from the left, deflecting the puck just wide as Schneider scrambled into place.
Coleman, with his third career goal and second of the season, had given the Devils a 1-0 lead at 3:35 of the first period as he established position at the crease and knocked in the rebound of Moore's point shot.
Brian Boyle tipped the initial shot for an assist, his first point with the Devils as he made his home debut after signing a two-year, $5.5 million deal as a free agent but being diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia at the start of training camp.
Boyle made his Devils' debut as the Devils opened their Western Canada swing with a 2-0 win at Vancouver.
