Devils 4, Ducks 3 (OT)
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Center Travis Zajac scored in overtime as the New Jersey Devils rallied for a 4-3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks before a crowd of 14,306 at the Honda Center on Wednesday night.
Zajac's game-winner occurred at 1:58 of the extra session and allowed the Devils (7-8-6) to snap an eight-game winning streak at home by the Ducks (15-6-3). The Ducks were the last NHL team with an unbeaten record at home. New Jersey also has won the last four meetings between the two clubs.
Anaheim held a 3-2 lead before right winger Jaromir Jagr scored his eighth goal with 1:01 remaining in the third period to force overtime.
Center Ryan Getzlaf gave Anaheim the lead late in the second period by gathering an errant pass and ripping a shot past goaltender Martin Brodeur on a power play for his 12th goal and a 3-2 advantage with 4:20 left in the second period. But the Ducks couldn't hold the lead.
New Jersey pushed the tempo in the third, registering 11 shots on goal more than 12 minutes into the period without the Ducks recording any, but goaltender Jonas Hiller stopped them all until Jagr delivered.
Brodeur finished with 22 saves while Hiller finished with 21.
Left winger Matt Beleskey gave the Ducks a 1-0 lead at 11:31 of the first when he fielded a behind-the-back pass from rookie defenseman Hampus Lindholm and slipped the puck past Brodeur for his first goal of the season.
But a hooking penalty on right winger Corey Perry 16 seconds later led to a pair of power-play goals for New Jersey. The first one came courtesy of defenseman Mark Zidlicky, who converted on a pass from left winger Patrik Elias at 15:44 of the first to tie the score.
Defenseman Eric Gelinas gave the Devils a 2-1 lead on a goal with 2:50 remaining in the period.
The Ducks, though, took advantage of a 5-on-3 situation when high sticking and hooking penalties sent Gelinas and defenseman Peter Harrold to the box within 15 seconds of each other. Bonino rebounded a miss by left winger Dustin Penner and scored at 2:28 of the second to knot the score at 2.
NOTES: With Devils RW Jaromir Jagr (688 goals) and Ducks RW Teemu Selanne (678 goals) facing off, it marked the first time in 10 years two NHL greats with more than 675 goals met. The last time it occurred was Oct. 25, 2003, when Detroit's Brett Hull (717 goals) and Mark Messier (678 goals) of the New York Rangers clashed at Madison Square Garden. ... It took New Jersey more than 12 minutes to record a shot on goal in the second period -- and they didn't get another one in the period. ... The Devils play the second game of back-to-back contests Thursday night when they visit the Los Angeles Kings. ... Anaheim caps its two-game homestand with a game Friday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
