Devils edge out Sharks

In Newark, the Devils’ Mackenzie Blackwood made 36 saves and New Jersey beat the San Jose Sharks, 2-1, on Thursday night.

Blackwood is 6-0-1 in his last seven games.

“It’s just hard work,” Blackwood said. “I’m fortunate to practice with [goalie coach Roland Melanson] and be able to work on my game. He’s technically great, so he’s helped me with my game, and I think I’ve been fortunate that we’ve been getting the results.

“Some days the results are good and some days they are bad, but the process has remained the same.”

P.K. Subban picked up the game-winner i the third period.

“I’m happy to contribute in a way that helps our team win. I’ve never been a guy in my career that just looks as the numbers,” Subban said. “I want meaningful points and to produce when the game’s on the line and when things matter. Today I was in that position to shoot a puck and it went in for me.”

Tim Heed potted his first goal of the year for the Sharks.

“They are a skilled team and we just kind of limited their time and space with the puck,” Heed said. “We gave up that goal at the end of the second and Blackwood played well. We only scored one goal, so we need to score more goals, but we created some chances.”

Jesper Bratt struck late in the middle frame to tie the game at 1-1.

“It was a good response by Bratt tonight [after he was a healthy scratch in a 3-0 loss at the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday],” Devils coach Alain Nasreddine said. “It was a great play from a breakout and a good stretch pass by [Zacha]. Bratt has that move and did a great job; his speed created that breakaway and it was a really nice goal.”

[WATCH: All Sharks vs. Devils highlights]

Martin Jones made 23 saves in the loss.

“I think we played hard. I think we took too many penalties (seven) and put a lot of pressure on ourselves that way,” Sharks head coach Bob Boughner said. “Those are the games where you sort of see the lack of offense, that lack of skill that is out of our lineup. You can get by some nights with a power-play goal or a couple of bounces, but on nights like this you don’t have those guys who chip in those one or two extra pucks a night.”