Ducks continue to struggle on road

NEW JERSEY 2, DUCKS 1

Anaheim is still winless after the first four games of its five-game trip.

NEW JERSEY 2 DUCKS 1

NEWARK, N.J. — It didn’t take Taylor Hall long to become a fan favorite in New Jersey.

Hall scored two powerplay goals in a 4-minute 11second span in the second period in his regular-season debut with the Devils and New Jersey posted its first win, a 2-1 decision over the penalty-plagued Ducks on Tuesday night.

“If you had gotten three or four it could have been better,” Hall said with a big smile. “It was a fun night, from the red carpet to the starting ovation, it was a great night. As a team we really wanted to get that first win, get that off our chest. Now we can play as a team. We played a game tonight that is repeatable, and that’s the best part about it.”

Having Hall step up was big for the Devils, who had lost five in a row against the Ducks. It takes the pressure off Hall after the Devils made a big trade with the Edmonton Oilers in the offseason to get him.

“Obviously a big night for him,” said goaltender Cory Schneider, who had 23 saves and forced the Ducks’ Chris Wagner to lose control of the puck on a second-period penalty shot. “That’s great because when he is going, it’s good for us.”

Sami Vatanen scored on a power play for the Ducks, who are 0-3-1 on their season-opening five-game trip. John Gibson made 26 saves for the Ducks, who played short-handed seven times.

“We didn’t play a very disciplined game,” Vatanen said. “In the second period and the third, we took way too many penalties. We killed it off pretty well. We had our chances and just couldn’t bury [them].”

Hall, the No. 1 pick in the 2010 draft, tied the score at 1-1, putting the rebound of a shot by Mike Cammalleri into an open net at 12:35. It came after the Ducks killed off the opening part of a twoman advantage only to see New Jersey score five-on-four.

Hall’s second goal came on a great deflection of a point shot by defenseman Damon Severson at 16:41.