Devils Do It Again, Lose Multiple-Goal Lead in OT Loss to Canucks

Maybe the New Jersey Devils should try coming back from a deficit one of these days.

This business of taking the lead—or rather, holding onto it—hasn't worked out too well so far in western Canada.

One night after blowing a three-goal third-period advantage en route to a 5-4 shootout loss at Edmonton, the Devils squandered a 2-0 second-period lead, ultimately dropping a 3-2 overtime decision to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night.

“Tough result,” said Devils head coach Pete DeBoer on MSG-Plus afterwards.

Jason Garrison’s wrist shot from the right point through a screen at 2:18 of the extra session completed the Canucks' comeback from the two-goal deficit and also spoiled former Vancouver netminder Cory Schneider's homecoming. The Boston College product and former first-round draft choice made 29 saves as New Jersey fell to 0-2-2 on the season. Roberto Luongo, Schneider’s former goaltending partner with the Canucks for the last few years, stopped 21 shots in the win.

It started off well again for the visitors in the second outing of their five-game road swing. In the first period, Patrik Elias set up Jaromir Jagr for his second goal as a Devil and second in as many nights, before Elias himself scored for the second straight game, putting New Jersey up 2-0 in the second stanza on a shot down low to Luongo’s left.

Unlike the previous night, though, the hosts didn’t wait to come storming back in a seven-plus-minute span of the final period. By the time the buzzer sounded after 40 minutes, Daniel Sedin and Alex Edler had connected for the Canucks in just under five minutes to make it a 2-2 affair.

“We had our hands full,” said Schneider, who was welcomed back by the fans at GM Place, if not by his former teammates. “They played hard.” (h/t The Hockey News)

Both teams had chances in the third period, but in overtime it was David Booth chipping the puck back to Garrison, who skated to his left and whipped a shot on net that Schneider likely never saw go in on his glove side, with Vancouver native Mike Santorelli standing in front.

Combined with a 4-3 shootout loss to the Islanders in the home opener in Newark on Friday, the Devils have been downed in extra sessions in three straight contests, earning three out of a possible six points.

“We look at them as character-building losses,” said DeBoer. “We’re getting better and doing a lot of good things.”

Just not enough of them to win—and with Calgary looming on Friday, the Devils don’t want to go down to the Flames as well. There may be 78 games to go between now and April—but if the Devils come up short again in the playoff race after missing by just seven points last year, they can look back to the beginning at another lost opportunity.

Or two. Or three.