VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) - Skating up the ice on a 2-on-1 with Damon Everson in overtime, Taylor Hall decided to keep the puck and came through with the winning goal.
Hall scored 1:28 into the extra period, beating Vancouver goalie Jacob Markstrom through the legs to lift the New Jersey Devils to a 2-1 victory over the Canucks on Sunday.
“On that 2-on-1, when both guys have a lot of speed, it’s tough for Damon to pivot and open up for a one-timer there,” Hall said. “So I thought the play was to shoot and I just tried to get a shot off as quickly as possible and luckily it looked like I surprised him a bit.”
Kyle Quincey scored the tying goal with 3:03 left in the second period and Cory Schneider stopped 21 shots to help the Devils win their second straight after losing four in a row.
“It’s nice when you can get the wins where you feel like you’ve been in a competitive hockey game,” Devils coach John Hynes said. “It wasn’t a situation where, maybe, a goaltender stole the game. I thought both teams played really well. We were fortunate to get the extra point.”
Loui Eriksson scored for the Canucks and Markstrom finished with 20 saves for the Canucks, losers of four straight after winning six in a row coming out of the holiday break.
The Canucks got a point and moved two points behind Los Angeles for the last wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
“We’re getting points, we’re staying in the race,” captain Henrik Sedin said. “If you would have told us we would be in this spot a few weeks before Christmas we would have taken it, so we move on and prepare for next game.”
Markstrom was pressed into action early when a giveaway near the blue line led to a breakaway for Adam Henrique, whose hard shot Markstrom deflected off his stick. At the other end, Alex Biega’s blast ricocheted off the post, behind Schneider in the crease and out.
Vancouver made it 1-0 at 6:31 of the second with Sedin passing from behind the net to Eriksson streaking in and the winger banged it past Schneider for his 10th. The assist moved Sedin two points away from 1,000 in his career.
The Devils tied it late in the second as Quincey’s blast from the blue line caromed off Markus Granlund’s stick and over Markstrom’s left shoulder.
After a hooking call on Daniel Sedin in the third put New Jersey on the power play, Vancouver’s Brandon Sutter sprung in on a short-handed breakaway that Schneider made a big save on.
The Canucks squandered their own power-play opportunity at 7:51 of the third, with Blake Coleman off for cross-checking, failing to get a shot on goal during the advantage.
Vancouver finished 0 for 3 on the power play to fall to 1 for 17 over its last four games.
“None of those guys are happy with the way (the power play) is going,” Canucks coach Willie Desjardins said. “We’re all frustrated. From the top of the organization all the way through.
“I said at the start of the year that if we wanted to make the playoffs we needed our power play. I believe that.”
Coleman looked to have scored soon after by banking it in off Markstrom’s pad. But Desjardins successfully challenged the play for offside and the goal was called back to stay 1-1 with just over three minutes left.
Eriksson had a great chance from the slot in the final minute, while on a 4-on-4, but he shot wide, sending the game to overtime.
NOTES: Henrik Sedin now has five goals and 10 assists in 19 career games against New Jersey. … Eriksson has eight goals and six assists in 18 games vs. the Devils. … New Jersey, which won the teams’ first meeting 3-2 at home on Dec. 6, swept the season series. … Schneider has given up just 11 goals on 183 shots (.934 save percentage) over his last seven starts.
UP NEXT
Devils: At Minnesota on Tuesday night in finale of a four-game road swing.
Canucks: Host Nashville on Tuesday night in the middle game of a three-game homestand.
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