Advertisement

Ducks score early and hold off Devils, 2-1

Ducks center Rickard Rakell tries to beat Devils center Tyler Kennedy to the puck during their game Saturday.

Ducks center Rickard Rakell tries to beat Devils center Tyler Kennedy to the puck during their game Saturday.

(Elsa / Getty Images)
Share

Chris Stewart and Ryan Kesler scored first-period goals and Frederik Andersen stopped 21 shots as the Ducks defeated the New Jersey Devils, 2-1, on Saturday night to end a two-game losing streak.

Mike Cammalleri scored late in the third period to spoil Andersen’s shutout bid. Keith Kinkaid made 16 saves for the Devils, who dropped a second straight game, both at home. The defeat also ended New Jersey’s stretch of alternating wins and losses at 11 games.

The Ducks came into the game with a league-low 55 goals and had scored only five goals in their previous five games this month.

Advertisement

The early goals by Stewart and Kesler helped them relax into a solid defensive effort on the road.

The Ducks, starved for offense all season, gladly accepted a lucky deflection as Stewart scored at 7 minutes 39 seconds on a centering feed from behind the net that glanced off Devils defenseman Eric Gelinas.

Kesler doubled the lead with 15.2 seconds remaining in the period. The sequence started when Devils defenseman Adam Larsson wound the puck around the boards in an attempt to clear the zone. Corey Perry stepped in for the interception and flung a shot toward the net, where Kesler corraled the loose puck for an easy tap-in of his own rebound.

New Jersey outshot the Ducks, 10-5, in the scoreless second period. The Devils’ best chance was a one-timer by Cammalleri from the right circle denied by Andersen’s sliding pad save.

Cammalleri finally dented Andersen with 4:34 remaining, converting a cross-ice, tape-to-tape feed from Lee Stempniak.

The game featured two goalies who had not seen much recent playing time.

Andersen made his first start since Nov. 21. He missed six games in that span with flu-like symptoms. Kinkaid last got the starting nod on Dec. 3.

Advertisement

Kyle Palmieri faced Ducks for the first time since they dealt him to the Devils for a pair of draft picks over the summer.

The Ducks will end a four-game trip with games against the New York Islanders on Monday and the New York Rangers on Tuesday.

Advertisement