Boyle scores first goal in Devils’ OT loss to Edmonton

Brian Boyle’s first goal since being diagnosed with cancer wasn’t enough to break the Devils out of their slide.

Leon Draisaitl scored with 16.3 seconds left in overtime to lift the Oilers to a 3-2 win over the Devils at Prudential Center on Thursday night.

Boyle opened the scoring as he jammed a loose puck through Talbot, his one-time teammate with the Rangers, to give the Devils a 1-0 lead just 5:33 in.

Boyle had been diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid/Myelogenous Leukemia during training camp, and he had missed all of the preseason and the Devils’ first 10 games of the regular season while receiving treatment.

“Usually I can separate it but that wasn’t the case. It was a wave of different things. My family, my wife has been through the ringer. She’s had to deal with a lot more than I’d say I have gone through,” Boyle said of his reaction to his goal. “I try to separate it but it’s a little bit bigger tonight than probably ever.”

The Oilers (6-8-1) have now won consecutive games for the first time all season. Edmonton had defeated the Islanders, 2-1, Tuesday night when Draisaitl set up Connor McDavid for the gamewinner 38 seconds into overtime. The Devils on the other hand have lost four straight to fall to 9-4-2.

Cam Talbot made 32 saves and Anton Slepyshev and Lucic also scored for Edmonton.

“You have to create some kind of momentum any way you can. Sometimes it takes wins like these to get you to start feeling confident and get rolling,” Oilers forward Milan Lucic said.

Whereas the Oilers spoke in hopeful terms about building positive traction, the Devils are in the midst of their first sustained losing streak of the season.

Cory Schneider made 29 saves and Drew Stafford also scored for the Devils.

“We had some chances,” Schneider said. “Tough to get one, not two.”

Edmonton never led in until Draisaitl’s game-winner.