New Jersey Devils defenseman Damon Severson (28) reacts as Edmonton Oilers goaltender Mike Smith (41) lies in the net after Jack Hughes (not shown) scored the winning goal during the overtime period of an NHL hockey game Friday, Dec. 31, 2021, in Newark, N.J. Looking on are Oilers center Connor McDavid (97), right wing Kailer Yamamoto (56) and defenseman Tyson Barrie (22).Bill Kostroun/The Associated Press
Jack Hughes scored 2:55 into overtime and New Jersey beat the Edmonton Oilers 6-5 on Friday after Devils coach Lindy Ruff tested positive for COVID-19 hours before the game.
Hughes finished with two goals and an assist. Nico Hischier, rookie Dawson Mercer and Janne Kuokkanen also scored for the Devils, who earned their second straight win after dropping six in a row.
New Jersey was down before Yegor Sharanovich scored on a deflection with 32 seconds left in regulation.
Connor McDavid and Kailer Yamamoto had two goals apiece for Edmonton, which dropped its second straight. Devin Shore also scored.
Oilers goaltender Mike Smith overcame a shaky start to finish with 35 saves. He probably would have liked the game-winner back because Hughes’s shot from the top of the left circle seemed to squeeze through his pads.
Smith had stopped Hughes on a breakaway early in the overtime.
The Oilers rallied to take a 5-4 lead when Shore and Yamamoto scored in a 72-second span against Mackenzie Blackwood in the third period. Yamamoto’s goal irked the Devils because they felt they controlled the puck to allow the officials to call a delayed penalty.
Alain Nasreddine, who ran the Devils with Ruff out, challenged the call. The officials studied the replay for more than five minutes before announcing the goal could not be challenged.
McDavid tied it at 3 when he scored on a breakaway at 7:57 of the second period. McDavid was set up by a pinpoint pass from defenceman Duncan Keith.