Hall scores in OT as Devils edge Canucks
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Taylor Hall's goal at 1:28 of overtime gave the New Jersey Devils a 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday night.
Hall beat Vancouver goaltender Jacob Markstrom with a shot through the legs during a two-on-one in which he elected to keep the puck.
The Devils (18-18-9) picked up their second straight win. But it was only their second victory in the past six games. The Canucks (20-20-5 or 20-19-6) suffered their third consecutive loss.
Kyle Quincey also tallied for the Devils, while Loui Eriksson scored for the Canucks.
Both teams recorded 22 shots. Ex-Canucks goaltender Cory Schneider recorded 21 for his 13th win of the season, while blocked 20 shots in a losing cause.
Eriksson opened the scoring 6:31 into the second period as he roofed Henrik Sedin's pass from behind the net on a bang-bang play. The puck went in and out of the net so quickly that the goal judge did not turn the red light on, but the marker was confirmed by a video review. The goal was Eriksson's 10th as a Canuck. He has struggled to score at times after signing a six-year, $36-million contract with Vancouver in the offseason.
Quincey created a 1-1 tie at 16:57 of the second period as his point shot deflected off Canucks winger Markus Granlund's stick and fluttered in over Markstrom. It was Quincey's first goal since Nov. 17. He had gone 26 games without one.
New Jersey had a goal disallowed at 15:53 of the third period on an offside call against Hall after Vancouver made a successful coach's challenge. As a result, Devils rookie Blake Coleman, who had slid the puck between Markstrom's pad and the post while coming round the net, was denied his first NHL career goal.
Schneider preserved the 1-1 deadlock with less than three minutes left in the third as he made a diving glove save on Luca Sbisa's shot. Eriksson shot well wide on a perfect setup by Bo Horvat in the closing moments of the third.
NOTES: Canucks RW Reid Boucher did not get a chance to play against his former Devils squad, with whom he spent two stints over four seasons. Boucher was a healthy scratch. He has yet to play for the Canucks after being claimed off waivers from New Jersey on Jan. 4. Boucher was also with Nashville earlier this season before being waived and picked up by the Devils. ... Sunday's game was the second and final regular-season meeting between the Canucks and Devils this season. New Jersey took the first game 3-2 at home on Dec. 6. Before then, they went more than a year without facing each other. ... With the Canucks having no heavyweights in their lineup right now, Devils LW Luke Gazdic was a healthy scratch for the fourth straight game. ... Canucks RW Anton Rodin, who has had ongoing knee issues since lacerating a tendon while playing most valuable player honors in Sweden last season, was among Vancouver's scratches.