Graves goal with 1.4 seconds left lifts Devils past Blue Jackets

COLUMBUS --Ryan Graves scored with 1.4 seconds remaining to give the New Jersey Devils a 3-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday.

Michael McLeod cut around Andrew Peeke and got goalie Elvis Merzlikins out of position before sending a pass into the crease, where Graves redirected it into the open net.
"You have an idea how much time is left when you step on the ice," Graves said. "There were 25 seconds when I got on the ice. It goes up and down the ice, so you have an idea it's getting low, so you can take the risk of going [toward the net] because they don't have time to get back.
"Normally, I wouldn't be there. I was driving the net and I saw it pop through a hole. It was a great play by [McCleod]."

The play started after Blue Jackets forward Kirill Marchenko turned the puck over at the offensive blue line.
"He's coming over the wall, and he's got Johnny (Gaudreau) to his left, and it's the right play," Columbus coach Brad Larsen said. "If he lays it over there, Johnny probably gets to the bottom of the circle, and maybe we win the game. But you've got to make the play.
"That's the one thing we talked about right from the first period on, you don't get pucks through the neutral zone and through passing to the corner to the top of their circles. They're just deadly. They're so quick in transition that you have to be so careful."
Yegor Sharangovich and Jesper Bratt also scored, and Vitek Vanecek made 31 saves for the Devils (35-13-5), who extended their point streak to five games (4-0-1) and are 11-1-2 in their past 14.
Adam Boqvist had a goal and an assist, and Merzlikins made 29 saves for the Blue Jackets (16-34-4), who have lost five of six (1-4-1).
"Zero problem with the effort. I thought we played excellent," Larsen said. "The third period it got a little away from us as far as turnovers, the puck management, but we still only had three chances against until that goal.
"It's disappointing we lost. You can look at a lot of positive signs against a high-end team in the NHL."

Sharangovich gave New Jersey a 1-0 lead at 10:46 of the first period, scoring five-hole on a one-timer from the right circle off a cross-ice pass by Fabian Zetterlund.
Gaudreau tied it 1-1 with a power-play goal with two seconds left in the period. He finished the rebound of Patrik Laine's shot with a backhand inside the right post.
Bratt scored seven seconds into the second period to put the Devils back in front 2-1. He received a stretch pass from John Marino as he split the defense before beating Merzlikins on a breakaway with a backhand-to-forehand deke.
"Sometimes we just kind of want to surprise the other team," Bratt said. "Maybe you don't always expect it from the first face-off in the second or third period. We just wanted to kind of surprise them a little bit and put them on their heels, and it worked out this time."

Boqvist tied it 2-2 at 4:41 with a wrist shot from above the circles. It was his first goal of the season (22nd game).
"We want to be playing like this all season long," Gaudreau said. "Unfortunately, we didn't do that at the start of the year. It's nice to see our team fight in these games.
"If we keep working hard, having fun at the rink together, getting better together, that's what's most important now."
NOTES:New Jersey is the first team in the NHL this season to win 20 road games (20-3-3). … Vanecek is 11-0-1 in his past 12 starts. … Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton had his seven-game point streak end. … Blue Jackets defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov was a healthy scratch for "trade-related reasons."