NEWARK, N.J. — Yegor Sharangovich scored his first NHL goal in the final seconds of overtime to propel the Devils to a 2-1 victory over the Bruins on Saturday.
MacKenzie Blackwood made 27 saves and picked up his first victory of the season. Miles Wood also scored for the second consecutive game for New Jersey.
“You could win a lot of different ways, but I really felt it was a total 60-minute game,” Lindy Ruff said after collecting his first win as head coach of the Devils. “Everyone really played well for us. We got great play out of our forwards, our defense had a really good night, and Blackwood gave us a couple of great saves when we needed them. To win like that, it was great.”
Boston’s Patrice Bergeron scored and Jaroslav Halak made 29 saves, including two critical stops in the final minutes of the third period to force the extra session.
Devils defenseman Damon Severson beat Bruins forward Charlie Coyle to a loose puck just outside the offensive zone before he made a nifty backhand pass to set up the 22-year-old Sharangovich with 1.7 seconds remaining in overtime.
“I think it’s the best moment in my hockey career,” Sharangovich said.
Bergeron evened the score with a shorthanded goal at 17:16 of the second period. Brad Marchand won a puck battle against Devils forward Kyle Palmieri before setting up the new captain of the Bruins.
Yegor Sharangovich and Kyle Palmieri celebrate today’s win. AP“When he [Marchand] has a step on a guy, he is going try and make that play and he is going to find you,” Bergeron said of his teammate. “It’s about trying to find a lane for him and getting open.”
Boston appeared to tie the game shortly before Bergeron’s strike, but the game officials ruled Blackwood was unable to make a save due to incidental contact. Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy unsuccessfully challenged the play, which led to the bench minor.
Wood opened the scoring with a redirection at 16:15 of the first period. Jack Hughes maintained possession of the puck while the rest of his teammates completed a change before Ty Smith’s shot from the point was tipped past Halak.
“I thought early on, we were not fast enough, not closing hard enough to get that sustained pressure in their zone,” Bergeron said.
Wood netted his first of the season in a shootout loss Thursday. He was also penalized twice for goaltender interference in the contest, which preceded a fight with Bruins defenseman Kevin Miller 19 seconds into the game on Saturday.
“Inside our division we have a lot of teams we see as rivals,” Devils forward Kyle Palmieri said. “It’s going to get chippy anytime you play a team multiple times, especially consecutively.”
Craig Smith made his debut with Boston after signing a three-year, $9.3 million contract this offseason. He missed the opener due to a lower-body injury. The 31-year-old forward played the prior nine seasons with the Nashville Predators
