Devs score four in 3rd, top Tampa

TAMPA, Fla. — Mackenzie Blackwood stopped a penalty shot in the third period for one of his 31 saves, Yegor Sharangovich scored his second goal of the game in New Jersey’s four-goal third period, and the Devils beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3 on Saturday.

New Jersey also got goals from Dawson Mercer, Jimmy Vesey and Tomas Tatar.

“We didn’t like where we were at after two periods, and we came out with a lot more fire,” Vesey said.

Jan Rutta, Pat Maroon and Victor Hedman scored for the Lightning, who had a nine-game point streak end. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 22 saves.

“The (other) team outworked us.” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. “It’s simple. It’s the National Hockey League, when you get outworked, you’re playing with fire. A sense of arrogance. When we got up 3-1, this is going to be easy. We got what we deserved.”

Sharangovich, who also had an assist, got the Devils’ third straight goal to start the third from the low left circle to put New Jersey up 4-3 at 9:34. Tatar had an empty-net goal.

Rutta opened the scoring 5:49 into the game, but Sharangovich tied it with six minutes left in the first when the center stopped a 16game goal drought. Then Maroon put the Lightning up 2-1 during Tampa Bay’s third power play with 1:45 left in the first.

Tampa Bay took a 3-1 lead at 6:17 of the second when Hedman skated in alone from the blue line and scored from the left circle off a pass from Boris Katchouk.

Mercer got the Devils within 3-2 with a nifty goal 1:12 into the third by starting to skate around the net but reached back with his stick and stuffed the puck past Vasilevskiy.

Shortly after Blackwood made a glove save on Alex Killorn during a two-man breakaway, Vesey made it 3-3 on a breakaway at 5:39.

“Just trying to follow the puck,” Blackwood said. “I don’t think a lot of people expect you to make saves in that situation, so you really have nothing to lose.”

Maroon agreed with Cooper that his team got what it deserved.

“We just didn’t come out and play the way we’re capable of playing,” Maroon said. “Obviously, the goalie made huge saves there, they kind of capitalized on it.”

DEVILS 5 LIGHTING 3