Blackwood leads Devils past Jets in shootout

Nikita Gusev and Jesper Boqvist scored in a shootout, Mackenzie Blackwood made a sprawling pad save on Patrik Laine to end the game as the visiting New Jersey Devils snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Winnipeg Jets with a dramatic 2-1 victory Tuesday night. A month after blowing a 4-0 lead in a 5-4 home loss to Winnipeg in their season opener, the Devils improved to 2-0-0 on a five-game road trip and improved to 4-1-2 in their past seven games.

Gusev scored in the first round of the shootout by slowly weaving up the ice and ripping a wrist shot through Connor Hellebucyk's pads. Boqvist made a similar move, and his shot bounced off Hellebucyk's pads, off the post and into the net. Blackwood made a stick save on Kyle Connor's backhand attempt in the first round of the shootout and then clinched New Jersey's win by getting his right pad on Laine's shot. The Devils previously were 0-4 this season in games that went beyond regulation.

The Jets fell to 3-1-1 in their past five games. With several family members in the crowd, Blackwood made 28 saves in regulation, then four more in overtime. He denied Laine on consecutive shots early in the opening period, made a sprawling glove save while falling to the ice on Mark Scheifele during a power play in the second and made a point-blank stop on Josh Morrisey nine seconds into overtime.

Hellebuyck made 31 saves, including a point-blank stop on rookie Jack Hughes late in the second period. He also withstood a power play during the final 38 seconds of overtime when Blake Wheeler tripped Boqvist to prevent a potential breakaway. The Devils took the lead 4:44 into the game. Taylor Hall was unable to put two short wrist shots into the net, but the second rebound went to Nico Hischier, who backhanded the puck from near the crease into the vacated right side of the net.

Hischier also committed an errant clearing pass that resulted in a turnover that set up the Jets' game-tying goal with 11:22 remaining in the second period. Hischier turned it over near the neutral zone, and Morrissey fired a slap shot from the right point that Andrew Copp deflected over Blackwood. 

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