NEWARK, N.J. _ Neither Taylor Hall nor Adam Larsson, each facing his former team for the first time, figured in the scoring. Actually, the best return belonged to Devils goalie Cory Schneider, bouncing back with a strong performance 24 hours after his worst of the season.
Still, it wasn't enough as the Oilers, on Mark Letestu's power-play goal at 3:59 of overtime, beat the Devils, 2-1, on Saturday night at Prudential Center.
The Devils (16-17-8) played the majority of the game with just five defensemen for the second time in three games as Yohann Auvitu, recalled from Albany (AHL) earlier in the day, exited after his first shift with a lower-body injury. The Devils are already without defensemen Andy Greene (left arm) and John Moore (concussion).
Schneider stopped 41 shots while Cam Talbot made 19 saves for the Oilers (21-13-7).
Hall's first visit to Edmonton now comes quickly as the Devils play there on Thursday.
The teams pulled off their summer blockbuster on June 29 and Hall, who spent six seasons playing for the Oilers, immediately said he was a "bit bitter" and that he was motivated to prove the Oilers wrong for trading him.
"I'd say I'm still a bit bitter," Hall said. "If a player gets traded and says he's just OK with it, maybe you have to question his integrity a little bit. In saying that, I'm happy here and I feel a part of the team."
Actually, what bugs Hall, 25, the first overall pick in the 2010 NHL draft, the most is that the Oilers are battling for playoff position while the Devils still haven't found long-term consistency this season. It's what Hall kept thinking was right around the corner during his six seasons in Edmonton.
Now, he's part of another rebuild.
"I got traded for a player that's completely different than I am," Hall said. "Maybe not this year, maybe not next year, but it's going to be interesting to see how it plays out."
Hall had several scoring opportunities. Talbot turned aside his shot as he led a two-on-one with P.A. Parenteau at 12:46 of the first period. In the second period, Hall made a perfect feed to a cutting Parenteau, but Talbot made another strong save at 11:11. Then, at 15:14, Talbot got a pad on Hall's rip of a shot from the slot.
Larsson, 24, the fourth overall pick in 2011, spent five seasons with the Devils, blossoming into a top-pair defenseman last season as he had three goals and 15 assists in 82 games. The Devils honored his return with a video tribute, ending with "Thank you, Adam," during a stoppage at 8:01 of the first period. From the bench, Larsson waved to the cheering crowd.
"As soon as I got traded, I turned the page and looked forward," Larsson said. "It's been a lot of fun with the Oilers. The Devils are in the past, but I bring a lot of good memories from that."
Schneider, after getting pulled on Friday after allowing three goals on five shots in 14:20, proved quickly he would have a better night, stopping all 16 shots he faced in the first period. The Maple Leafs, who went without a shot in the third period against Keith Kinkaid, had 14 all game.
While it was the Oilers' 19-year-old captain, Connor McDavid, who was the most noticeable in the first period as his well-above-average speed often caught the Devils' flat-footed, it was speedy Devils rookie left wing Miles Wood who used his skating ability the most effectively.
Wood, taking the puck from Travis Zajac at the Devils' blue line, skated the puck up ice, easily getting around defenseman Eric Gryba in the offensive zone and backhanding a shot past Talbot at the crease for a 1-0 lead at 9:44.
Oilers defenseman Matthew Benning, with his first NHL goal, tied the game at 16:27 of the third period on a shot that went through the legs of teammate Matt Hendricks and Devils defenseman Ben Lovejoy.
