NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Damon Severson took a ribbing from his teammates as the unlikely shootout star for the New Jersey Devils.
Severson scored in the sixth round Tuesday to give the Devils a 3-2 victory over the Boston Bruins.
Severson beat Jaroslav Halak with a backhand and Mackenzie Blackwood clinched the win by stopping Patrice Bergeron.
After the first eight shooters were stopped, Jack Hughes for New Jersey and Chris Wagner of Boston both scored in round 5 to set the stage for the defenseman who was taking only the sixth shootout appearance in a six-year career.
“There were a lot of accusations after the game that I didn’t know what I was doing out there,” Severson said.
Far from it. By closely watching, Severson saw that Halak was flashing a strong glove in the shootout. It was time for a change of pace.
“I figured if I could make a good fake and go backhand and get it upstairs, I’d have a better chance to score,” Severson said. “Ultimately it went in. That was a big one. It felt good.”
It was his second career shootout score, and it lifted the Devils to a second straight win as they rallied from a two-goal deficit.
Blake Coleman and Jesper Bratt scored for New Jersey in regulation and Blackwood stopped 28 shots.
“Everyone competes all the time.” Blackwood said. “Whether we get down a goal or two, everyone plays the same way. I think we’re really starting to learn how to win, and what it takes to play the right way.
Brad Marchand and Joakim Nordstrom scored for Boston and Halak stopped 42 shots. The loss snapped the Bruins’ winning streak at three but they did extend their points streak to eight games (4-0-4). Boston is winless in six shootouts this season.
“You get a 2-0 lead on the road; typically we’ve been able to handle those situations well but not tonight,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. “So we leave with a point but no one is satisfied in there. It just looks better tomorrow in the standings.”
The Bruins took advantage of an early opportunity when Devils defenseman P.K. Subban was whistled for interference 1:17 into the game.
David Pastrnak unloaded a heavy shot from the left dot that Blackwood partially blocked. Marchand cleaned up the rebound in the crease at 2:03 for his 20th goal, reaching that mark for a seventh straight season.
That lone tally of the opening period extended Pastrnak’s point scoring streak to eight games with three goals and 10 assists.
Boston extended the lead to 2-0 at 4:27 of the second as Nordstrom jammed the puck past Blackwood in a goal-mouth scramble.
Falling behind by two goals seemed to spark the Devils, who matched the Bruins chance for chance the rest of the period.
The renewed energy paid off as Coleman, polishing off a give and go with Nikita Gusev, scored at 8:58 to cut the deficit to one.
The Devils had several other good chances in the middle period, especially a shot by Sami Vatanen that rang off the post. They continued to push hard into the third and it paid off.
Bratt pulled New Jersey even at 13:11, deflecting Subban’s wrist shot from the point to tie the score at 2-2.
The Devils outshot the Bruins 19-5 in the third.
“We’re playing a team that usually plays hard and gets their chances by working hard and getting to the net,” Bergeron said. “We knew what we were facing. We spent too much time in our zone, and energy there, and you can’t do that. That’s where it hurt us.”
Boston defenseman Matt Grzelcyk fired a shot off the crossbar, the best opportunity for either side in the overtime.
NOTES: Injuries are piling up for the Bruins. D Connor Clifton (upper body) and C David Krejci (lower body) were scratched after suffering injuries in Sunday’s 3-2 win over Buffalo. They join D Charlie McAvoy (lower body), D Torey Krug (upper body) who are also out injured. … Boston D Zdeno Chara played in his 1,525th game and moved past Brendan Shanahan into 18th place on the career list. … Devils D Will Butcher (lower body) returned after missing one game.
UP NEXT:
Bruins: Host Columbus on Thursday
Devils: At New York Islanders on Thursday
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