Hamilton's OT goal helps Devils recover against Blues

NEWARK, N.J. -- Dougie Hamilton scored his first game-winning goal for the New Jersey Devils at 1:12 of overtime to give them a 3-2 victory against the St. Louis Blues at Prudential Center on Sunday.

Hamilton took a pass from Pavel Zacha, who won an offensive-zone face-off, and scored from the slot.
"I was just trying to read [the play] and see where the puck was going and jump by my guy, if possible," Hamilton said. "I was able to do that, and 'Pav' made a great pass and I just put it in."
Jack Hughes had two assists, and Nico Daws made 19 saves for the Devils (20-31-5), who were playing the first of a four-game homestand and seven straight against Western Conference opponents.
"We have good speed and we have good skill, and that's a good combination when you're playing 3-on-3 (in overtime)," New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff said. "Give Zacha a lot of credit for going in and winning that face-off for us. We got two or three defensemen with Damon Severson, Ty Smith, Hamilton, who have good offensive instincts to help us out, too."

Jordan Kyrou had a goal and an assist, and Ville Husso made 30 saves for the Blues (32-16-7), who lost their final three games of a four-game road trip.
"We have to get it sorted out," St. Louis captain Ryan O'Reilly said. "We just aren't doing it the right way right now, and we have to get back to where we need to be. They dominated us in the first two periods."

Smith scored to give New Jersey a 1-0 lead at 9:47 of the first period on a shot from the right face-off circle. He returned to the lineup after missing the previous three games as a healthy scratch.
"It's never fun sitting out; it was a time to reflect a little bit," Smith said. "Just know that you have to compete harder and keep working on your game. It's something I don't want to have happen ever again."
Dawson Mercer made it 2-0 at 9:26 of the second period. Hughes took a pass from Jimmy Vesey at the blue line and skated down the middle of the ice before feeding Mercer in the right circle.
"We're young, fast, skilled-type of forwards," Mercer said. "You just know when those passes are coming. You want to make those plays and I just had that feeling. Jack drew two defensemen to his side, and I called for it. He knew I was there; I just wanted to be sure. He sent it over and I just had to make sure I put that one in the back of the net."

The line of Yegor Sharangovich, Hughes and Mercer combined for three points (one goal, two assists) and 10 shots on goal.
"I really enjoy playing with those guys," Mercer said. "Sharangovich has a great shot and Jack uses his feet, his mind, and he kind of finds us. I like playing fast but also don't mind getting in the dirty areas, playing a tough game when I know I got to get into that open area to get those shots off quickly like I did tonight."
St. Louis tied it with two goals in a span of 3:36 in the third.
Torey Krug cut it to 2-1 at 2:08. Kyrou then scored after taking a pass from Brayden Schenn at 5:44 to make it 2-2.
"We didn't have the puck enough; we have to make plays and execute," Blues coach Craig Berube said. "We weren't moving the puck very well and you end up defending all the time."
Husso made nine saves in the third, including a pad save against Nico Hischier on a wrist shot from the slot at 12:36. He also stopped Sharangovich on a Devils power play with nine seconds remaining.
NOTES:Kyrou has scored 10 points (four goals, six assists) in a seven-game point streak. ... Blues forward David Perron had one shot in 14:15 in his return to the lineup after missing a 2-1 loss at the New York Islanders on Saturday with a non-COVID-19 illness. ... Zacha had one assist in 13:18 after the forward missed a 3-1 loss at the New York Rangers on Friday with a non-COVID-19 illness. ... Hughes has scored 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in his past 10 games. ... Devils defenseman Ryan Graves had two shots on goal in 17:15 of his 200th NHL game.