Devils Fall to Canadiens in Shootout Despite Late Comeback Efforts, 4-3

Published: Sunday, April 5, 2026

by Michela DiLorenzo

NEWARK, N.J. – The New Jersey Devils (39-34-3) fell to the Montreal Canadiens (45-21-10) at the Rock on Saturday night, after a back-and-forth battle ended in a shootout.

The Devils marched into this Saturday’s matchup against the Canadians, hungry to keep their winning streak rolling after a 7-3 victory against the Washington Capitals last Thursday. With the end of the regular season coming fast, the Devils playoff odds were slim to none, with a 0.2% chance of making the playoffs, but despite this, they still hope to end the season off strong with some momentum.

New Jersey led in shots in what was a slow opening to the first period, with no goals scored from either teams for the first 15 minutes of play. An interference penalty from Montreal’s Ivan Demidov sent the Devils off to the first power play of the game, but Montreal silenced New Jersey’s power play unit.

Shortly after, Montreal's Jayden Struble fired one past New Jersey's netminder Jake Allen with 4:02 left in the first, with this being his second goal of the season, handing a pair of assists to Cole Caufield and Arber Xhekaj.

With the first coming to a close, Montreal possessed a steady 1-0 lead while New Jersey led 14-6 in shots on goal.

The Devils sought a comeback in the second, but two power plays in the period for the Canadiens gave the opposing team a steady advantage.

A penalty from Jonas Siegenthaler gave Montreal an extra man on the ice. Ivan Demidov scored on the power play with just under 13 minutes to go, upping their momentum early in the period. The Canadiens raised the deficit to three with an unassisted goal from Lane Hutson less than 90 seconds later.

With five minutes left in the second, New Jersey ultimately found the back of the net with a goal from Dawson Mercer, assisted by Timo Meier and Nico Hischier. Following the Devil’s goal, a double minor penalty from Brenden Dillon for high-sticking sent Montreal to the power play with 4:22 left to play in the second.

Despite their disadvantage in the power play, the Devils threatened Montreal’s advantage with a shorthanded goal from Jack Hughes, with assists from Jesper Bratt and Siegenthaler. This was Hughes’ 25th goal of the season. The second period ended 3-2, with the Devils creeping in on Montreal’s possession of the lead.

Tension tightened in the third period as both teams struggled to find the net, with no goals scored from either teams in the first ten minutes of the last period. Montreal was steady in their lead as the Devils battled for possession.

With just two minutes left in the period, New Jersey tied the game with a snap shot goal from Meier, handing assists to Hughes and Dougie Hamilton. The Devils late comeback goal sent the game to overtime, where New Jersey possessed an 8-2 record in the extra frame this season.

After a chaotic overtime, the game entered a shootout. The Devils’ top performers in the shootout featured Hughes and Bratt, who both scored for New Jersey. As for the Canadiens, it was Cole Caufield, Ivan Demidov, and Oliver Kapenen. Kapenen scored the game-winner, wrapping up the night in a 4-3 win for Montreal.

The Devils will seek revenge on the Canadiens this Sunday in Montreal, with puck drop set for 7:00 p.m.

Michela DiLorenzo can be reached at michela.dilorenzo@student.shu.edu.

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