Ryan Graves scored with two seconds remaining in the third period as the New Jersey Devils ended a seven-game road losing streak to the Columbus Blue Jackets with a 3-2 victory on Tuesday night.
The Devils ended their lengthy skid in Columbus on their final shift and improved to 13-2-3 in their past 18 contests thanks to Graves’ first career game-winning goal.
After a giveaway by Columbus forward Kiril Marchenko, Ondrej Palat carried the puck into the offensive zone, spun around before making a pass to Michael McLeod. McLeod raced by Columbus defenseman Andrew Peake to the right side of the crease and slid the puck to Graves, who easily scored into the vacated left side of the net.
Yegor Sharangovich and Jesper Bratt also scored for the Devils, who held a pair of one-goal leads and withstood getting 22 shots blocked and missing the net 20 times.
Johnny Gaudreau scored a power-play goal and Adam Boqvist scored for the Blue Jackets, who haven’t posted consecutive wins since Dec. 9-11.
New Jersey goalie Vitek Vanecek made 31 saves and improved to 11-0-1 in his past 12 games.
Columbus goalie Elvis Merzlikins stopped 29 shots.
New Jersey opened the scoring with 9:14 remaining in the first when Sharangovich stopped below the right circle, got a cross-ice pass from Fabian Zetterlund and sent the puck under Merzlikins before Columbus defenseman Nick Blankenburg could block the shot.
Gaudreau tied it with two seconds left in the opening period by swooping across the crease and backhanding the rebound of Patrik Laine’s shot into the slightly vacated left side of the net.
New Jersey scored off the opening faceoff of the second.
After Nico Hischier won the draw from Boone Jenner, Graves moved the puck to John Marino, who hit Bratt with a cross-ice pass. Bratt sped through the slot, cut to his right on a partial breakaway and slid a backhander into the net for his 21st goal.
Columbus tied it again at 4:41 of the second when the Blue Jackets made several passes before Boqvist got possession. He controlled the puck by batting it to his stick and then sent a quick wrister shot from near the left point past Vanecek.
–Field Level Media
