NEWARK, N.J. — Jesper Bratt needed just 93 seconds of overtime to send Prudential Center into celebration mode. The New Jersey Devils’ forward intercepted a pass, raced down the ice on a breakaway, and slipped a backhand shot between goaltender Jakub Dobes’ pads to give the Devils a 4–3 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.
The victory snapped a rough stretch for New Jersey, which had dropped three of its previous four games after an eight-game winning streak.
Balanced Scoring Leads the Way
Ondrej Palat, Timo Meier, and Cody Glass also found the net for the Devils. Goaltender Jacob Markstrom finished with 16 saves as New Jersey improved to 2–3 over its last five contests.
Glass, returning from a seven-game absence due to injury, opened the scoring less than two minutes into the game. Collecting the puck at the blue line, he skated into the left circle and ripped a shot past Dobes for his third goal of the season.
Montreal answered quickly as Kirby Dach redirected a long shot from defenseman Noah Dobson just 66 seconds later to even the score.
Momentum Swings Through the Middle Frame
The Devils regained the lead midway through the second period when Palat buried his first goal of the season at 8:05. Rookie defenseman Simon Nemec created the play, recovering his own rebound behind the net and feeding Palat in front for the finish.
The Canadiens battled back again early in the third as Jake Evans knotted the game 2–2 just 59 seconds into the period, sliding a low shot past Markstrom.
Later, Oliver Kapanen capitalized on a rebound in front and lifted a backhander home at 9:27 to give Montreal its first lead of the night.
Late Drama Sets Up Overtime
New Jersey refused to fold. With Markstrom pulled for an extra skater, Meier cleaned up a loose puck from the side of the crease to tie the game 3–3 with 1:10 remaining in regulation.
That set the stage for Bratt’s overtime magic — a steal, a sprint, and a smooth backhand finish that sealed the Devils’ comeback.
“Jesper made a great read and just took over,” said head coach Lindy Ruff. “That’s what we need in tight games like this.”
Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton exited midway through the second period and did not return.
For Montreal, Dach, Evans, and Kapanen provided the scoring, while Dobson notched two assists. Dobes stopped 24 shots in the loss as the Canadiens’ four-game point streak (3-0-1) came to an end.
Next UP:
Canadiens: Host Utah on Saturday to open a four-game homestand.
Devils: Continue their own homestand Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
