Devils take 4-3 OT decision from Sharks

The New Jersey Devils tied the San Jose Sharks with ten seconds left and later defeated the Sharks in a shootout at the SAP Center in San Jose on Mon Jan 16, 2023 (@NJDevils photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Monday, January 16, 2023

Jack Hughes scored the game-tying goal with 10 seconds remaining in the third period, and New Jersey prevailed in the shootout to earn a 4-3 win over the San Jose Sharks Monday at SAP Center.

Following a scoreless overtime period, Tomas Tatar scored the only goal in the shootout, as the Devils (29-12-3, 61 points) won their fifth straight game and seventh straight on the road,

Devils captain Nico Hischler had a goal and two assists, and Ondrej Palat had a pair of assists for New Jersey. Goaltender Vitek Vanecek made 29 saves.

Timo Meier and Erik Karlsson each had a goal and an assist, and Michael Eyssimont had two assists for San Jose (13-29-9, 35 points), which has a 2-6-2 record over its last 10 games.

James Reimer stopped 38 of New Jersey’s 41 shots on goal.

Hughes tallied the equalizer when his shot from the left face-off circle redirected off Karlsson’s stick for his 29th goal of the season.

New Jersey took a 1-0 lead just 29 seconds into the first period on a Ryan Graves wrister, coming on a 2-on-1 break during New Jersey’s first shift.

The game was held up with 3:59 left in the first period when the kickplate on a door behind the Sharks’ net needed repair. The teams left the ice, took an early intermission, completed the first period, then switched ends to begin the second period.

Meier tied the game at 1-1 with a one-timer at the side of the net at 16:44, and Karlsson gave the Sharks a 2-1 lead with a power play goal at 19:56 with a shot from the point through traffic. Karlsson’s assist on Meier’s goal was his 44th this season.

Hischier scored at 11 seconds of the third period with a one-timer from between the circles, tying the game at 2-2.

Nick Bonino put the Sharks back ahead at 3-2 at 5:56 of the third period, four seconds after a San Jose power play expired. Bonino’s spinning shot came on a rebound from Eyssimont’s original shot.

San Jose forward Kevin Labanc was a healthy scratch.

The Sharks host Dallas on Wednesday.