Devs increase hold on a playoff spot

MONTREAL — Taylor Hall couldn’t have picked a better time to get his first career short-handed goal.

Hall scored on a breakaway late in the third period to lift the Devils to a 2-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night.

The 26-year-old forward came out of the penalty box after serving a penalty for too many men — in which Montreal had a 5-on-3 advantage for 51 seconds — took a pass from Travis Zajac and beat Carey Price on the blocker side with 4:07 remaining.

“I’m not much of a shorthanded threat but it’s nice to get one there,” said Hall, who extended his point streak to eight games. “Two minutes feeling shame and trying to think about what you’re going to do when you get out, and then you get a breakaway chance like that after a great kill by our guys.”

The goal was Hall’s fourth in his last three games and 37th on the season, giving him career highs in goals and points (89).

“You’re always thinking this is the time I’m going to get a breakaway out of the box,” Hall said. “Usually you go in for a defensive zone shift and you’re hemmed in for a while. Just a great kill by our 5-on-3 group.”

Nico Hischier tied the score early in the third and Keith Kinkaid stopped 25 shots in his sixth consecutive start for the Devils. New Jersey increased its lead to seven points on Florida for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Devils, vying for their first trip to the postseason since reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2012, have three games remaining — two fewer than the Panthers.

“We’re excited about it but it’s about our game,” Devils coach John Hynes said. “You can’t get too wrapped up in those situations. We need to make sure that our focus level is our game, and where we’re going, and making sure we’re ready to continue to play.”

Daniel Carr scored for the Canadiens, who have already been eliminated from playoff contention. Carey Price finished with 30 saves while playing his 556th game with Montreal, pulling into a tie with Jacques Plante for most games by a goaltender in franchise history. —Associated Press