On Saturday, Nov. 8, the New Jersey Devils hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins for their first of four matchups of the season. Both teams were coming off a win in their latest game, the Devils beating the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 in overtime and the Penguins beating the Washington Capitals 5-3. In this game, though, it was the Devils who beat the Penguins 2-1 in a shootout to increase their winning streak to two games.
Game Recap
With just seconds on the clock in the first period, Kris Letang skated the puck into the Devils’ zone. He tried to pass to one of his teammates, but instead passed it straight to Arseni Gritsyuk. He skated up to Arturs Silovs uncontested. Gritsyuk’s shot banked off Silovs’ pad and into the net to put New Jersey on the board first.
Halfway into the second period, Sidney Crosby skated the puck around the back of the net. He passed the puck to Bryan Rust at the faceoff circle, who, in turn, passed it to Ryan Graves at the blue line. He took a shot, which bounced off Ondrej Palat’s chest and past Jake Allen to tie the game.
While each team had a power play opportunity in the third, neither capitalized nor scored at 5-on-5. This game headed into overtime to decide the winner.
The Penguins dominated overtime, taking four shots to the Devils’ one. After five minutes of 3-on-3, the score remained tied at one; this game would be resolved in a shootout.
Paul Cotter was up first for the Devils, and his shot went past Silovs. Bryan Rust was up next, but Allen made the save.
Jesper Bratt made the second shot and once again scored on Silovs. Crosby was up next. His shot was saved by Allen, ensuring the Devils’ win.
Next Up
The Penguins will be back in action tomorrow, Nov. 9, when they host the Los Angeles Kings. The Devils will host the New York Islanders on Monday, Nov. 10.
