Newark, N.J. — The New Jersey Devils rallied late and sealed the victory in a shootout Wednesday night, defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 after a dramatic finish at Prudential Center.
Connor Brown sparked the comeback for New Jersey, scoring the tying goal with just 2:21 remaining in regulation to force overtime. In the shootout, Paul Cotter delivered the decisive moment, lifting the Devils to their third straight victory.
Timo Meier and Arseny Gritsyuk also found the net during regulation for New Jersey, which improved to 25-8-1 this season when scoring at least three goals. Goaltender Jacob Markstrom turned aside 24 shots to help secure the win.
Toronto received goals from William Nylander, Matias Maccelli, and Matthew Knies but fell short despite a standout performance in net from Anthony Stolarz, who stopped 44 shots. The Maple Leafs have now dropped their first two games since returning from the Olympic break, their last win coming in a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Feb. 3.
After a scoreless overtime, the Devils quickly took control of the shootout. Cotter opened the tiebreaker with a smooth backhand finish past Stolarz. When Markstrom denied Nylander’s attempt, Jesper Bratt followed with another backhand goal to give New Jersey a 2-0 advantage. Markstrom then sealed the game by stopping Auston Matthews’ wrist shot attempt.
Toronto appeared poised to secure the win earlier in the third period. With the score tied at two, Knies capitalized on a rebound from a John Tavares shot, batting the puck past Markstrom to give the Maple Leafs a 3-2 lead with just over six minutes remaining.
The Devils refused to back down. Late in regulation, Gritsyuk led a rush toward the net and fed Brown, who snapped a quick shot under the crossbar to even the score and send the game to overtime.
New Jersey controlled much of the action offensively, outshooting Toronto 47-27 in regulation.
The Devils were also dealing with a short-handed blue line after defenseman Brett Pesce exited Tuesday’s game against Florida with a lower-body injury and did not play.
Up Next:
Toronto continues its road trip Thursday night against the New York Rangers, while New Jersey returns home to host the Rangers on Saturday.
