Devils Win Wild Slugfest Over Blackhawks 8-5
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Kyle Palmieri and Blake Coleman each scored twice, and the New Jersey Devils had their biggest offensive game of the season, an 8-5 victory over the struggling Chicago Blackhawks on Monday night.
Travis Zajac, Sami Vatanen, Kevin Rooney and Brett Seney also scored as the Devils won consecutive games for only the third time since opening the season with four straight wins. Rookie goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood won for the fifth time in seven decisions.
Patrick Kane scored twice and set up two others for the Blackhawks. Brent Seabrook, Dominik Kahun and Brandon Saad also scored for Chicago, which left goaltenders Cam Ward and Collin Delia defenseless most of the game in giving up at least seven goals for the fifth time this season. The eight goals against tied the most given up by the Blackhawks this season.
After Kane tied the game 1-all with a power-play goal at 3:07 of the second period, Palmieri and the Devils took over.
Palmieri beat Ward on a breakaway to put the Devils ahead a little more than two minutes after the Kane goal. He stretched the lead to two goals 3:11 later with a shot Ward didn't seem to see. The goal originally was credited to Brian Boyle but later was awarded to Palmieri for his 22nd of the season.
Zajac tapped in a rebound, Vatanen tallied on a power play and Rooney tallied on a rebound for his first NHL goal to stretch the lead to 6-1.
Kane closed the gap with his second goal and set up Seabrook's 100th career goal in the final 1:41 of the second period, but the Blackhawks never threatened until Saad scored late to make it 7-5.
Chicago pulled Delia, but Coleman, who had scored the Devils' first goal on a breakaway, tallied into an empty net.
NOTES:
New Jersey placed F Stefan Noesen (lower body) on injured reserve and recalled D Egor Yakovlev from Binghamton earlier in the day.
Chicago will play host to New Jersey on Feb. 14. Kane has 14 goals and 22 assists on the road this season. Chicago's Alex DeBrincat had a four-game goal-scoring streak snapped.
UP NEXT:
The Devils visit the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday.
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