Devils Secure 4-3 Shootout Victory Over Maple Leafs

The New Jersey Devils picked up their third consecutive victory on Wednesday night, with a shootout win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Prudential Center. Captain Nico Hischier and rookie Arseny Gritsyuk each picked up two points. Goaltender Jacob Markstrom made 24 saves on 27 shots.

The Maple Leafs took an early lead when Matias Maccelli‘s wrist shot beat Markstrom five minutes into the first period.

Two minutes later, Timo Meier tied the game with his 17th goal of the season. His linemates, Nico Hischier and Dawson Mercer, picked up the assists. The Swiss power forward was credited with five shots on goal in the opening 20 minutes.

At the 16:43 mark of the second period, Auston Matthews won a face-off against Hischier, leading to a perfectly executed play and a 2-0 Toronto lead. William Nylander scored, extending his point streak against New Jersey to three games.

Arseny Gritsyuk tied the game for the Devils off a beautiful setup from Jesper Bratt. The rookie reached the 25-point mark with his 11th goal. Hischier was credited with the secondary assist, picking up his second helper of the night.

In the third period, the Maple Leafs took the lead with Matthew Knies’ 16th goal. Former Maple Leaf, Connor Brown, tied the game, scoring New Jersey’s third goal with 2:21 remaining in the third period.

“They got a two-on-one, and they scored on that one, so it was huge for (Brown) to strike and get a big goal for us with a few minutes left,” Markstrom told NJD.TV.

“We are a team that hasn’t won many games from behind, so that is a good sign,” Brown told NJD.TV. “You put up 40-plus shots, it should give you a good chance to win and I thought we played a good game, all in all, so a lot of positive things.”

Paul Cotter and Bratt scored in the shootout for New Jersey while Markstrom stopped William Nylander and Matthews. 

The Devils will continue their homestand on Saturday afternoon when they host the New York Rangers in their first meeting of the season. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's New Jersey Devils site for THN's latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.