Egor Shrangovich’s OT goal gives Devils 2-1 win over Bruins

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Egor Sharangovich scored his first NHL goal in the final seconds of overtime to propel the New Jersey Devils to a 2-1 victory over the Boston Bruins on Saturday.

MacKenzie Blackwood made 27 saves and picked up his first victory of the season. Miles Wood also scored for the second consecutive game for New Jersey.

“You could win a lot of different ways, but I really felt it was a total 60-minute game,” Lindy Ruff said after collecting his first win as head coach of the Devils. “Everyone really played well for us. We got great play out of our forwards, our defense had a really good night, and Blackwood gave us a couple of great saves when we needed them. To win like that, it was great.”

Boston’s Patrice Bergeron scored and Jaroslav Halak made 29 saves, including two critical stops in the final minutes of the third period to force the extra session.

Devils defenseman Damon Severson beat Bruins forward Charlie Coyle to a loose puck just outside the offensive zone before he made a nifty backhand pass to set up the 22-year-old Sharangovich with 1.7 seconds remaining in overtime.

“I think it’s the best moment in my hockey career,” Sharangovich said.

Bergeron evened the score with a shorthanded goal at 17:16 of the second period. Brad Marchand won a puck battle against Devils forward Kyle Palmieri before setting up the new captain of the Bruins.

“When he (Marchand) has a step on a guy, he is going try and make that play and he is going to find you,” Bergeron said of his teammate. “It’s about trying to find a lane for him and getting open.”

Boston appeared to tie the game shortly before Bergeron’s strike, but the game officials ruled Blackwood was unable to make a save due to incidental contact. Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy unsuccessfully challenged the play, which led to the bench minor.

Wood opened the scoring with a redirection at 16:15 of the first period. Jack Hughes maintained possession of the puck while the rest of his teammates completed a change before Ty Smith’s shot from the point was tipped past Halak.

“I thought early on, we were not fast enough, not closing hard enough to get that sustained pressure in their zone,” Bergeron said.

Wood netted his first of the season in a shootout loss Thursday. He was also penalized twice for goaltender interference in the contest, which preceded a fight with Bruins defenseman Kevin Miller 19 seconds into the game on Saturday.

“Inside our division we have a lot of teams we see as rivals,” Devils forward Kyle Palmieri said. “It’s going to get chippy anytime you play a team multiple times, especially consecutively.”

Craig Smith made his debut with Boston after signing a three-year, $9.3 million contract this offseason. He missed the opener due to a lower-body injury. The 31-year-old forward played the prior nine seasons with the Nashville Predators

HELMET DECALS

The Bruins are honoring the life and legacy of Travis Roy with a commemorative TR 24 emblem on their helmets this season. Roy was paralyzed from the neck down 11 seconds into his first shift with Boston University in 1995 and created the Travis Roy Foundation to support spinal cord injury survivors in 2012. Roy passed away in October at the age of 45.

SMITH EXTENDS POINT STREAK

Rookie defenseman Ty Smith recorded his first NHL assist on Wood’s goal in the first period. The first-round pick from the 2018 NHL draft also notched his first goal in the Devils’ season-opening loss.

HISCHIER SIDELINED

Nico Hischier missed his second straight game with a leg injury. The 22-year-old center sustained the injury while training in Switzerland in December but did not require surgery. The Devils selected Hischier with the first overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft.

MATINEE GAMES

Saturday marked the first of 11 afternoon games for the Devils this season, seven of which are scheduled to be played at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.