Hall extends points streak in Devils’ win
NEWARK, New Jersey — Taylor Hall extended his point-scoring streak to 19 games, Travis Zajac scored two power-play goals and the New Jersey Devils snapped a three-game skid with a 6-4 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.
Hall’s consecutive-points streak is the longest in the NHL this season. Hall, who had two assists, has recorded points in his last 26 appearances dating to Jan. 2. He missed three games before the All-Star break with a thumb injury during that span.
Stefan Noesen, Blake Coleman, Patrick Maroon and Brian Boyle also scored for the Devils. Keith Kinkaid made 29 saves.
Jacob de la Rose scored twice for the Canadiens, who had picked up at least one point in their previous seven games (3-0-4). Brendan Gallagher and Byron Froese had the other goals.
The Devils dominated the opening period, taking a 4-0 lead while outshooting the Canadiens 17-5.
Noesen got the Devils rolling, deflecting Will Butcher’s point shot past Charlie Lindgren at 8:25. New Jersey then broke it open with three goals in a span of 3:15 late in the period.
Butcher, back on ice after a brief locker-room visit for medical attention after suffering a facial cut, played a hand in New Jersey’s second tally with 3:27 remaining in the period.
Lindgren stopped Butcher’s initial shot, only to have Coleman steer home the rebound.
Zajac polished off the first period with his tallies. Kyle Palmieri fired a shot from the left circle that Zajac tipped in with 1:52 left. Hall got the point that extended the streak with 12 seconds remaining when Zajac slammed home his rebound.
Gallagher cut the Devils’ lead to 4-1 midway through the second period. Maroon scored his first goal as a Devil about a minute later. He has points in all four games since coming to New Jersey in a trade with Edmonton. It was New Jersey’s third powerplay goal of the game with Hall assisting. Boyle made it 6-1 later in the period with his first goal in 24 games.
Jets 3, Rangers 0
NEW YORK — Patrik Laine got his fourth hat trick and set a career high with his 38th goal, lifting the Winnipeg Jets over the New York Rangers 3-0.
The 19-year-old star had been the youngest ever with three hat tricks — getting there at 18 years, 302 days — but it had been over a year since his last three-goal game. He joins Jimmy Carson and Dale Hawerchuk as the only players with four hat tricks before turning 20.
Laine has at least a point in nine straight games (13 goals, six assists) and has scored multiple goals in four of his past five contests. He is two goals behind Washington’s Alex Ovechkin for the NHL lead this season.
Laine is the first visiting teenager with a hat trick at Madison Square Garden since Toronto’s Ted Kennedy on Dec. 27, 1944, according to Sportsnet Stats.
Steve Mason made 31 saves as the Jets extended their winning streak to three. Winnipeg has earned points in seven straight road games (6-0-1) and improved to 14-6-5 against the Eastern Conference.
Henrik Lundqvist made his 798th career appearance and stopped 31 shots as the Rangers lost for the first time in four games.
Laine opened the scoring by putting a wrist shot past Lundqvist at 19:05 of the first period