Tyler Toffoli scored 2:35 into overtime to complete his second hat trick of the season, lifting the New Jersey Devils to a thrilling 6-5 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday night.
Curtis Lazar added two goals, and Nico Hischier scored for the Devils, who had been struggling with three losses in their last four games. Simon Nemec and Nathan Bastian each recorded two assists, while Vitek Vanecek made 28 saves.
“I told Toff before overtime to go out and finish it, and he did,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said about Toffoli, who leads the team with 20 goals. “He’s a good listener.”
Jonathan Marchessault scored twice, and Nicolas Roy contributed a goal and two assists for the Golden Knights, the defending Stanley Cup champions. Pavel Dorofeyev and Chandler Stephenson also found the net, while Logan Thompson stopped 32 shots.
“We basically played a beer league game out there tonight,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We thought it was preseason, I guess. We didn’t defend to our structure or principles at all. The plays we made were disrespectful to the game… Poor execution and poor attention to detail.”
The Devils trailed 5-3 late in the second period before Toffoli scored with 16 seconds remaining, and Lazar netted his second of the night at 9:14 of the third to tie the game.
“You’ve got to give the guys credit. We dug in and found a way to win a game,” Ruff added. “Every guy in that room has to feel good about what happened in the third period and overtime.”
Toffoli sealed the victory midway through overtime, earning his sixth career hat trick. The 31-year-old forward, playing his first season with the Devils, also scored three goals on Oct. 24 against Montreal. Luke Hughes assisted on the game-winner.
“We knew we needed to be desperate, and we found a way against the Stanley Cup champions,” Toffoli said. “We’re trying to build for the next couple of games heading into the break.”
The Devils have upcoming games at Carolina and Tampa Bay before the All-Star break.
With New Jersey ahead 3-1 midway through the second period, Marchessault scored two goals within 2:21, followed by Stephenson’s goal at 10:48 to put Vegas ahead. Roy made it 5-3 late in the middle period.
Dorofeyev scored with his seventh goal at 6:12 of the first period.
Hischier tied it off a pass from Timo Meier with 4:38 left in the opening period. Jesper Bratt also assisted on Hischier’s 13th goal, his team-leading 31st assist.
Lazar put New Jersey ahead with his fifth goal 22 seconds before the end of the first period, and Toffoli extended the lead to 3-1 at 1:37 of the second.
Marchessault responded at 7:39 and then quickly netted his team-leading 22nd of the season at the 10-minute to tie the game. Stephenson gave Vegas the lead with his eighth goal 48 seconds later, and Roy added his eighth with 52 seconds left in the period, making it 5-3.
The Devils, however, rallied from the deficit, securing perhaps their most meaningful win of the season.
“We’re dangerous when we stick to our guns,” Lazar said. “Everyone feels better after a win like that.”
The Devils continued to play without injured top forwards Jack Hughes, who missed his eighth-straight game, and Ondrej Palat, absent for a 10th straight contest.
UP NEXT
- Golden Knights: At the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.
- Devils: At Carolina on Thursday night.
