NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - When the New Jersey Devils plucked PA Parenteau off waivers, they knew he was going to help them in shootouts.
He’s done much more than that.
Parenteau scored his fifth goal of the season and also connected in the shootout to give the Devils a 3-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night.
Before the start of the season, New Jersey grabbed Parenteau from the New York Islanders.
“It was just a matter of not seeing eye to eye with the Islanders,” said Parenteau, who had 20 goals for Toronto last season. “They gave me two or three games in camp. I’ve turned the page and I am just happy to be here.”
Parenteau would not have had a chance in the shootout had not rookie Nick Lappin tied the game in third period. Cory Schneider also stepped up with 31 saves for the Devils, including an outstanding glove stop on Sebastian Aho with 1:48 left in the third period.
Parenteau scored over Ward’s shoulder in the opening round of the shootout, and Taylor Hall finished it after Schneider stopped Jeff Skinner and Jaccob Slavin on the Hurricanes’ first two chances.
“They never told me I was going to go,” Parenteau said after converting for the 20th time in 43 career shootout attempts. “But I have been doing it in my career quite a bit, so I was happy to be the first guy going, and it was nice to get a goal there.”
Jordan Staal and defenseman Klas Dahlbeck scored for Carolina. Cam Ward was outstanding in making 39 saves, including a 1-on-1 stop against Travis Zajac in the waning seconds of the 5-minute overtime.
“We can take some good things out of it,” Staal said. “There are still little things to work on to get better, and that’s what we are going to do.”
Lappin tied the game 2-all at 3:51 of the third period with his first NHL goal. Ward stopped Sergey Kalinin on a power move to the net, but Lappin swatted the rebound under the goalie.
Carolina appealed the goal because Vernon Fiddler was in the crease and his skate prevented Ward from blocking the net with his stick. The goal stood after a long review.
“It was an unbelievable feeling,” Lappin said. “I got a little nervous when they started reviewing it. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. Thankfully, they called it a good goal.”
Outplayed badly and down 1-0 after 20 minutes, the Hurricanes woke up in the second period, getting a power-play goal from Staal and a rare one from Dahlbeck.
Staal tied the game at 4:23 with Mike Cammalleri in the penalty box for hooking. Slavin carried the puck into the zone and skated into the right circle. He somewhat whiffed on a pass, but the puck found Staal alone at the corner of the net.
Dahlbeck, acquired on waivers from Arizona before the start of the season, gave Carolina a 2-1 lead with 2:29 left in the period on a wrist shot from the left boards that found the top of the net. It was his first goal of the season and first in 69 games, dating to Oct. 26, 2015.
Ward kept the Hurricanes in the game in the first period, stopping 18 of 19 shots. Parenteau beat him with a shot under the crossbar after taking a backhand pass from Zajac on an odd-man rush.
NOTES: Hall got his 200th career assist on Parenteau’s goal. … Carolina has played nine of its 12 games on the road. … This was the second of four games between the teams this season. … Play was stopped twice in the first period by inadvertent horns. … Kalinin and Fiddler picked up their first points of the season on Lappin’s goal.
UP NEXT
Hurricanes: Host Anaheim in the opener of five-game homestand on Thursday night.
Devils: Play in Buffalo on Friday night.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.