MONTREAL _ The Devils were able to steal a road game on Saturday afternoon in arguably the toughest road environment in the NHL, thanks to two of the kids.
Much of the game was played in the New Jersey zone but Mackenzie Blackwood was outstanding in a 37-save performance. Nico Hischier tied the game in the third period and scored the overtime goal and Blackwood kept it knotted to put the game into overtime in a 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens (28-18-6, 62 points) at Bell Centre.
The depleted Devils (20-24-7, 47 points) were without the services of three of their best players in forwards Taylor Hall (lower-body), Travis Zajac (lower-body) and defenseman Sami Vatanen (concussion). Hall has now missed 16 games, so the team has learned to adjust without him but it was obvious right from the start that the team missed Zajac and Vatanen, two players instrumental in moving the puck and keeping it in the offensive zone.
The key moment came when Hischier tied the game at 2-2 right after the Devils killed off a roughing penalty taken by Blake Coleman 11:26 into the third period, snapping one past Antti Niemi
Before that, it looked as though the turning point in the game had come at 16:33 in the second. Nicolas Deslauriers took a run at Blackwood, which drew the ire of Kurtis Gabriel, an enforcer playing in his second NHL game this season. The big winger tried to drop the gloves but found Deslauriers to be an unwilling participant. He got one punch in before he was whistled for roughing, leaving the Devils shorthanded for two minutes.
Blackwood made a handful of saves on Grade-A chances to help the Devils kill off the penalty. But just as time expired and Gabriel exited the box, Phillip Danault got positioning in front of the net and defenseman Andy Greene for an easy tip-in of Jeff Petry's point shot to give the Habs a 2-1 lead.
But it seemed like that goal was a foregone conclusion the minute the period started. The Devils failed to carry over any momentum from their successful 5-on-3 power play over to the third period and were outshot 17-4 in the second when all was said and done.
Will Butcher tied the game in the final minute of the first period with a power-play goal from the slot after a pretty passing sequence started by Marcus Johansson.
Artturi Lehkonen set up Jesperi Kotkaniemi for the Habs' first goal 5:22 into the game.
