Bruins drop one to Devils, 1-0

The New Jersey Devils apparently have the Bruins’ number.

It doesn’t matter who is in net for the Devils, or how they’ve been doing lately. The Bruins simply have their hands full with this team.

Backup goalie Scott Wedgewood stopped all 40 Boston shots, with a few of his best saves coming in the final minute when the B’s had the goalie pulled for the extra skater, to lift the Devils to a 1-0 victory at the Garden on Sunday.

It was just the Devils’ second win in their last 10 games, but third in four tries over the B’s this year. Wedgewood had come into the game with a 1-3-1 record and .901 save percentage.

After the Bruins could not break the ice with a third period power-play, the Devils finally snapped the scoreless stalemate with 4:37 left in regulation. P.K. Subban shoveled a pass into a pile in front of Tuukka Rask. The loose puck squirted out to Kyle Palmieri and he lifted it over Rask for the 1-0 lead.

With the unusual 5 p.m. start time and the emotional game with Washington still in the back of their minds, coach Bruce Cassidy was wary of his team not being ready for the opening faceoff. The B’s legs were certainly there in the early going and they carried the play, but they could not put anything past Wedgewood and the Devils did a decent job of limiting any second chances.

Through the first two scoreless periods, the Devils got all three power plays given out but they could not do much against the B’s top-ranked penalty kill.

For a brief half-second, it appeared that the Devils may have taken the first lead of the game when Jack Hughes put the puck past Rask but it was immediately and correctly waved off because of a hand pass.

The B’s held a 22-19 shot advantage through two periods.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3ehoQJu