Devils edge Vancouver, stay hot at home
NEWARK, N.J. -- Defenseman Ben Lovejoy's first goal of the season proved to be the winner as the New Jersey Devils defeated the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 at Prudential Center on Tuesday night.
The Devils improved to 8-0-2 at home and are the only team that has yet to suffer a regulation loss at home this season.
Left winger Taylor Hall and right winger Kyle Palmieri also scored for the Devils as goaltender Cory Schneider stopped 22 shots.
Center Henrik Sedin and left winger Daniel Sedin had the goals for the Canucks. Goaltender Jacob Markstrom made 19 saves.
Hall scored his seventh of the season at 3:42 of the first period. Kyle Quincey fired a shot from the point that was stopped, but Hall was able to gather the loose puck, move to an open spot and rip a shot off the post and into the net to make it 1-0.
With 31.2 seconds left in the period, Devils center Travis Zajac was forced from the game after he went hard into the boards and began bleeding on the ice. He returned in the second period, but the brawl following his injury left Vancouver with a 5-on-3 power play for two minutes and the Canucks converted early in the second period.
Daniel Sedin was setup for a one-timer by center Brandon Sutter, and he ripped a shot through Schneider's legs to make it 1-1 at 1:10.
About four minutes later, a devastating hit from Hall left Canucks defenseman Philip Larsen prone on the ice for several minutes. Larsen was taken off the ice on a stretcher and did not return.
A melee that broke out after that hit left the Canucks short-handed, and Palmieri responded on the power play with a short-side shot from the left faceoff circle that put the Devils ahead 2-1 at 7:08.
Lovejoy pushed the lead to 3-1 with his first goal of the season at 11:09 of the second period. Zajac teed up Lovejoy for the blast from the point that eluded Markstrom and gave the Devils some breathing room.
Henrik Sedin drew the Canucks to within 3-2 at 3:58 of the third period. A seemingly harmless pass ricocheted to the right post and allowed him to snap a perfect shot high to the glove side for his seventh goal of the season.
NOTES: Canucks RW Derek Dorsett will have surgery to repair a degenerative disc condition. There is no timetable for his return. ... This was the first contest of a five-game road trip for the Canucks. ... The Canucks scratched D Alex Biega and C Joseph LaBate. ... Devils C Sergey Kalinin was back in the lineup after missing two games with a lower-body injury. ... Devils C Pavel Zacha was out of the lineup after being hit in the mouth with a puck against the Nashville Predators on Saturday. Zacha is listed as day-to-day. ... The Devils scratched D Jon Merill and C Jacob Josefson.