Damon Severson's shootout goal gave the visiting New Jersey Devils a 3-2 comeback victory over the Vancouver Canucks in NHL action Friday night.
Severson, New Jersey's seventh shooter in the shootout, was falling down as he beat Vancouver goaltender Jacob Markstrom with a wrist shot from the doorstep. He decided the contest after Vancouver's Elias Pettersson and Drew Stafford had exchanged shootout goals.
The Devils posted their second straight win following seven consecutive losses. The Canucks took their 14th loss in 19 games.
Kevin Rooney and Stefan Noesen scored in regulation time for the Devils, who rallied from a 2-0 deficit.
Pettersson and Tanner Pearson scored for the Canucks in regulation time.
New Jersey goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood earned a win in his first career shootout appearance. Markstrom blocked 31 of 33 shots, while Blackwood stopped 25 of 27.
Pettersson opened the scoring on a power play 3:18 into the second period as he fired in a pass from Brock Boeser during a rush. The goal was the first in 12 games for the 20-year-old rookie sensation, who leads the Canucks in scoring despite his drought.
"I've been passing way too much, and thank God I shot (the puck) this time," Pettersson told Sportsnet.
Pearson doubled Vancouver's lead at 1:42 of the third period on a shot that Blackwood misplayed. The shot was going well wide of the net, but Blackwood tried to steer the puck into the corner and it went in off the inside of his stick.
Less than three minutes later, Markstrom stopped Blake Coleman on a short-handed breakaway. But Rooney cut New Jersey's deficit at 5:41 as he put in Connor Carrick's rebound. Noesen created a 2-2 deadlock at 13:34, converting Eric Tangradi's rebound to force overtime.
The Canucks lost defenseman Chris Tanev in the first period after he took a Kyle Palmieri shot off the ankle. Tanev went to the dressing room, returned to take a spin on the ice and left again. He was playing only his second game after missing a month with a leg injury. Fellow rearguard Ashton Sautner also left the game briefly but returned.
Loui Eriksson, Vancouver's highest paid player with a $6 million annual salary cap hit, returned to the lineup after sitting out Wednesday's win over the New York Rangers as a healthy scratch.
Despite getting the win, the Devils were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs earlier Friday after Columbus beat Carolina 3-0.
--Field Level Media
New Jersey | Vancouver | |
Stefan Noesen 1 | Points | Bo Horvat 2 |
Stefan Noesen 1 | Goals | Tanner Pearson 1 |
Kenny Agostino 1 | Assists | Bo Horvat 2 |
N/A | Power Play Goals | Elias Pettersson 1 |
N/A | Short Handed Goals | N/A |
Mackenzie Blackwood .926 | Save Percentage | Jacob Markstrom .939 |
Mackenzie Blackwood 25 | Saves | Jacob Markstrom 31 |
Team | Shots | Goals | Power Play | Penalty Kill | Penalty Mins | Face Offs Won |
New Jersey | 33 | 3 | 0-1 | 4-5 | 10 | 36 |
Vancouver | 27 | 2 | 1-5 | 1-1 | 2 | 32 |