National Hockey League
New Jersey 5, Toronto 4
When: 7:00 PM ET, Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Where: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Referees: Tom Kowal, Frederic L'Ecuyer
Linesmen: David Brisebois, Scott Cherrey
Attendance: 13752

NEWARK, N.J. -- Michael Cammalleri returned to the New Jersey Devils at precisely the right time.

With the team struggling to score goals and coming off a shutout loss for the first time this season, Cammalleri provided a spark on Wednesday night, accounting for four goals in a 5-4 New Jersey shootout win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Prudential Center.

Jacob Josefson scored in the shootout for New Jersey and goaltender Cory Schneider stopped all three shootout attempts from Auston Matthews, Mitchell Marner and Nikita Soshnikov.

The Devils fell to the San Jose Sharks 4-0 on Monday, ending a Western Conference road trip at 1-3-0.

Matthews, the 19-year-old rookie sensation, broke out of a scoring slump, connecting for two goals and an assist for the Maple Leafs. Matthews had failed to score in 13 straight games after scoring six goals in the first six games of the season.

This was Cammalleri's first game back with the Devils after missing the last five to be with his five-year-old daughter who had complications from pneumonia. His daughter is out of the hospital and improving.

The 34-year-old left winger had three goals and three assists in his first 12 games before taking his leave of absence.

The Devils are still without forwards Taylor Hall (left knee), who missed his fifth game, and Kyle Palmieri (upper body), who was out of the lineup for the second straight game. Hall and Palmieri account for eight goals for the Devils, who average just 2.2 goals per game.

"He (Cammalleri) looked great," Devils coach John Hynes said. "He was making plays, he was really confident in his shot and having him come back was a boost.

"His personality, leadership and impact on the team. ... He has some moxie to him as a player and a person and that's all positive. His personality and presence was a big factor tonight."

Beau Bennett scored the Devils' first power play goal in 10 games for the Devils (10-6-3), who trailed 3-0 after one period. New Jersey is the only team without a regulation loss at home (7-0-1).

"Being down 3-0 after the first period, you have to give the guys a lot of credit," Hynes said. "There was talk about we can't win without certain guys. There was wavering, but we pulled it out."

The Maple Leafs are 8-8-4 and 1-5-4 on the road.

Toronto's James van Riemsdyk hit the post with a wrist shot with less than a minute to play in regulation.

New Jersey defenseman Yohann Auvitu's second goal of the season at 6:50 of the third, a blast from the high slot, tied it at 4-4. Cammalleri and Travis Zajac received the assists.

The Maple Leafs regained the lead at 4-3 on a goal from left winger Matt Martin that trickled through Schneider's pads at 9:26 of the second period.

The Devils tied it at 3-3, scoring three times in the first 5:30 of the second period, with Cammalleri factoring in all three.

Cammalleri scored his fourth goal of the season at 5:30 from the slot.

New Jersey ended an 0-of-29 power-play drought when Bennett scored his first goal since April 3, knocking in a rebound from Cammalleri at 3:10 in the man advantage.

Zajac's fifth goal of the season on a nice feed from Cammalleri cut the Leafs' lead to 3-1 only 32 seconds into the second period.

Matthews took three of Toronto's eight first-period shots on goal, scoring on two. He muscled in a backhander from in close at 10:33 and fired a wrist shot in at 18:52.

He assisted on Kadri's power-play goal at 13:31, sending the puck across the goal-mouth.

"It's disappointing," Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said. "We came here trying to find a way to win a game and we were unable to do it. It's evident how young we are. You are up 3-0 and then the next two plays you make in the second period are a big free gifts.

“The first 20 games we are 500. We have 20 points, gives a chance which is real positive for our group. We have a young group that is going to get better.”

NOTES: John Hynes coached in his 100th game in the Devils' 4-0 loss to San Jose on Monday. It was the first time the Devils were shut out this season. ... The Maple Leafs play four of their next five and five of the next seven on the road. ... Maple Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello was the Devils GM for 28 seasons from 1987 to 2015, guiding New Jersey to three Stanley Cup championships. .. Devils D Andy Greene skated in his 330th straight game, the third-longest streak in team history. ... Toronto is third in the NHL in shots per game.
Top Game Performances
 
Toronto   New Jersey
Auston Matthews 3 Points Michael Cammalleri 4
Auston Matthews 2 Goals Michael Cammalleri 1
Zach Hyman 2 Assists Michael Cammalleri 3
Nazem Kadri 1 Power Play Goals Beau Bennett 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Jhonas Enroth .867 Save Percentage Cory Schneider .871
Jhonas Enroth 26 Saves Cory Schneider 27
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Toronto 31 4 1-3 2-3 8 32
New Jersey 30 5 1-3 2-3 8 36
Upcoming Games
  • New Jersey will play their next game at home against Detroit. The Devils have a W/L % of .556 after a win and .500 after a loss.
  • Toronto will play their next game at home against Washington. The Maple Leafs have a W/L % of .375 after a win and .417 after a loss.