Blackwood’s shutout powers Devils

Rookie goalie Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 37 shots for his first shutout and Pavel Zacha scored short-handed as the Devils beat the Hurricanes 2-0 on Saturday in Newark, N.J.

It was the second straight victory for Blackwood, giving the Devils their first two-game winning streak since Nov. 13-15. Andy Greene added an empty-netter to seal the win.

Curtis McElhinney made 28 saves for the Hurricanes who have lost four of their last five.

Zacha broke a scoreless deadlock with 36 seconds left in the second period. He poked the puck away from Justin Faulk and sped into the Hurricanes’ zone. McElhinney made the initial stop and Zacha stayed with the play to collar the rebound and flip it into the net.

The Hurricanes pressed for the equalizer in the third but couldn’t beat Blackwood.

Maple Leafs G Frederik Andersen sat out against the Islanders because of a groin injury. He’s day to day. The Leafs acquired G Michael Hutchinson from the Panthers for a fifth-round pick in the 2020 draft . ... The league fined Canadiens F Phillip Danault $5,000 for a dangerous trip against Panthers D Aaron Ekblad on Friday night.