In Newark, the New Jersey Devils’ Jack Hughes scored the game-winner in overtime on Friday for a 6-5 victory over the visiting Edmonton Oilers.
“I kind of shot it through the screen, through [Connor McDavid’s] legs, and once I got around him, I saw the puck trickled in,” Hughes said. “We were pretty pumped up.”
New Jersey needed a goal from Yegor Sharangovich with 32 seconds left on the regulation clock to get the game to the extra session.
“I had one point with 40 seconds left in regulation so it happens fast,” said Hughes, who assisted on the tying goal. “Maybe a few days back home in Michigan was just what I needed. But we knew we were struggling (six straight losses before the holiday break), but we got the break and we’ve come out pretty good in our first two games, so we’d like to keep it going and try to battle out way up the standings.”
Mackenzie Blackwood made 32 saves in the New Jersey win.
Connor McDavid scored and Kailer Yamamoto hit for a pair of goals each in the loss for Edmonton.
“Obviously fighting back is never the way we want to be playing, but it’s better to fight back then just kind of roll over,” McDavid said. “I like the way we responded. We need to find a way to make that a two-point game.”
The Oilers dropped to 18-12-1.
Hughes also scored a power play goal in regulation for New Jersey.
“I’m trying to shoot the puck more and the more you shoot it, the more it’s going to go in the net,” said Hughes, who had seven shots on goal.
Nico Hischier also scored for New Jersey.
“It’s good, a better mood in the locker room,” Hischier said. “But I feel like we earned [the past two] wins. It’s going to be fun for the rest of the season.”
Dawson Mercer and Janne Kuokkanen added single markers for New Jersey.
“It was a roller coaster game,” Oilers head coach Dave Tippett said. “I thought we started well, took a penalty, and boom, it’s in our net. We get one right back, get one back again, and then between a challenge that wasn’t a challenge … I think four of the six goals against us were at some point deflected and bounced the right direction (for the Devils).”
Devin Shore also scored for the Oilers, his strike tied the game, 4-4.
Mike Smith made 35 saves in the loss.
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