National Hockey League
New Jersey 2, Minnesota 1
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, October 22, 2016
Where: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Referees: Steve Kozari, Kendrick Nicholson
Linesmen: Scott Cherrey, Greg Devorski
Attendance: 16514

NEWARK, N.J. -- What the New Jersey Devils have lacked in offense this season, they have supplemented with outstanding goaltending and resiliency, and both were on display Saturday night.

Cory Schneider made 28 saves and left winger Taylor Hall scored 29 seconds into overtime as the Devils rallied from a third-period deficit to clip the Minnesota Wild 2-1 at Prudential Center.

Right winger PA Parenteau erased the 1-0 deficit with 8:04 remaining in the third period when his slap shot off the rush eluded the reach of Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk. The Devils had gone nearly three full games without a 5-on-5 goal before Parenteau's blast helped force overtime.

The Devils (2-2-1) have yet to score three goals in a game this season but are finding ways to stay afloat as a slew of new faces try to jell in October.

"You could feel the guys felt they played well but couldn't put the puck in the net," Devils coach John Hynes said of his team's mindset after two periods. "Something we talked about in between the second and third period was making sure that our process to score a goal was going to be right. I thought our group tonight had some toughness and some resiliency."

The one goal Schneider allowed wasn't exactly a thing of beauty, as he flubbed a fluttering wrist shot from right winger Jason Zucker, which allowed left winger Joel Eriksson Ek to deposit the rebound for a goal in his NHL debut. But after that goal one minute into the second period, Schneider held the fort.

Wild center Eric Staal got loose on a breakaway but Schneider was there with a blocker save. Wild left winger Mikael Granlund skated around Devils defenseman Damon Severson but Schneider snared the wrist shot with his catching glove.

With the clock winding down in regulation, Schneider answered a chance from Wild left winger and former Devil Zach Parise, who got lost in coverage on an odd-man rush.

Those saves allowed for Hall to score his third goal of the season, a quick shot that beat Dubnyk between the legs.

"You almost rely on him too much because he's so good in there," Hall said of Schneider. "When I'm on the bench sitting down, and I can't really see the end result of a shot, I don't even panic because I know he's going to make the save. He's been our backbone. He's the best player on our team. The way he's been able to give us stability back there is awesome."

The Wild (3-1-1) extended their points streak to four games but had their winning streak halted at three games. They were held to fewer than two goals for the first time this season but lamented a painfully slow start.

Through 20 minutes, the Wild had just three shots on net; two came seconds after a power play expired, otherwise they would not have had an even-strength shot in the first period. They responded with 18 shots in the second period but the sluggish opening period was a point of contention afterward.

"We had a lot of really good looks, (but) we can't rely on winning a 1-0 game," Parise said. "It's really frustrating for us to only come out with one point."

"I'm going to have to start telling them the game starts at 6:30," Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said, referring to the 7 p.m. local time start. "We've got to be prepared to play."

The Devils are looking to avoid a problem they had last year, which was long stretches of alternating wins and losses instead of stringing together victories. The inconsistency left them with 84 points and last in the league in scoring, two feats they can begin avoiding with their next three games at home.

"It feels good but we can't get on a cycle here of win one, lose one," Schneider said. "We have to try to get a couple going here, especially while we have a few at home."

NOTES: The Wild were without two key players, D Jared Spurgeon (upper body) and LW Erik Haula (lower body). Both sustained injuries against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday. ... The Wild scratched D Mike Reilly. ... Devils C Sergey Kalinin made his season debut after missing the first four games due to an illness. ... The Devils, during the first TV timeout, paid tribute to former captain and three-time Stanley Cup winner Scott Stevens, now an assistant coach with the Wild. ... Former Devils G Martin Brodeur was on hand after the unveiling of his statue outside the arena earlier in the day.
Top Game Performances
 
Minnesota   New Jersey
Joel Eriksson Ek 1 Points Taylor Hall 1
Joel Eriksson Ek 1 Goals Taylor Hall 1
Jason Zucker 1 Assists Michael Cammalleri 1
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Devan Dubnyk .938 Save Percentage Cory Schneider .966
Devan Dubnyk 30 Saves Cory Schneider 28
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Minnesota 29 1 0-3 3-3 6 30
New Jersey 32 2 0-3 3-3 6 30
Upcoming Games
  • New Jersey will play their next game at home against Arizona. The Devils have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .500 after a loss.
  • Minnesota will play their next game on the road against NY Islanders. The Wild have a W/L % of .500 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.