This is how the Devils are designed. Knowing they do not have the overall skill to dominate opponents, particularly offensively, they will look to play tight games and use defensive structure and smart execution in the offensive zone to squeak out wins.
Right now, the formula is working for the Devils, who have earned five of six potential points on this four-game road trip after a 2-1 overtime win over the Canucks on Sunday at Rogers Arena.
“Yeah, we have to be a team that wins the low-scoring games,” said Taylor Hall, who was ruled offside to negate a potential third-period goal but scored at 1:28 of overtime for his second straight game-winner after his second-period power-play goal was the difference in Friday’s 2-1 victory at Calgary.
“We have to get comfortable playing those games,” Hall added. “I think that’s starting to come, especially for a guy like myself. It’s not natural for me to play in a 20-shot-for-each-team game. It’s getting us results and that’s the main thing. We’ve got to stick with it.”
Hall, rushing up the right in the three-on-three extra period, beat Jacob Markstrom (20 saves). But the key play was made by Travis Zajac, who rushed back to break up a two-on-one after the Devils turned the puck over, then fed Hall.
Cory Schneider made 21 saves for the Devils (18-18-9), who are now 2-0-1 on the trip after playing three games in four days.
“It might have been a slower-paced game or a more tighter-checking game but that’s not necessarily a bad thing for us,” said Schneider, now 2-1-1 at Vancouver since the Canucks traded him. “I think we’re comfortable in those games. When we all buy in and play defense, it’s easier to win games 2-1 than 5-4, that’s for sure.”
This marked the 12th straight game the Devils have not surpassed three goals and they’ve scored three goals or less in 20 of their last 21 games.
The Canucks (20-19-6) had won five straight at home.
The Devils, who now have at least two straight wins for just the fifth time all season, conclude the trip on Tuesday night at Minnesota.
“It’s just getting traction on how you want to play and now we have to remain consistent in that and that’s our big challenge,” Devils coach John Hynes said. “The wins are really important because you want to get the points but the other side of it is you have a little more conviction in how you play. You feel like you worked for it, you deserved it.”
The Devils moved within five points of the Flyers, who are tenuously holding on to the second and final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. But there are also three teams ahead of the Devils in the race for that last postseason berth.
So the Devils still have a ways to go to recover from a 4-12-4 slump from Nov. 17-Dec. 27.
“We went through a stretch there where we weren’t playing the way we wanted to, we knew it wasn’t good enough,” said defenseman Kyle Quincey, whose shot from the left point tied the game at 1 at 16:57 of the second period. “We’ve finally put a couple together here and really given ourselves a template on how to play and have success. We know how to do it now. We’ve just got to do it every game.”
The Canucks took a 1-0 lead at 6:31 of the second period as Loui Eriksson put the puck in, leaving the Canucks confused when the goal was waved off. However, a short video review confirmed the puck fully crossed the goal line.