Brown’s Late Goal and Shootout Magic Lift Devils Past Slumping Leafs in Newark
New Jersey Devils edged the Toronto Maple Leafs 4–3 in a shootout at Prudential Center, erasing a late deficit on Connor Brown’s tying goal before Paul Cotter and Jesper Bratt finished the job in the skills contest. For Sportsphere24, it was a gritty comeback win that deepened Toronto’s skid to five straight losses.
Leafs waste strong night from Stolarz and top six
Toronto actually started well and got scoring from up and down the lineup. Matias Maccelli opened the scoring at 5:26 of the first, finishing a feed from Dakota Joshua and Simon Benoit to make it 1–0. After Timo Meier tied it for New Jersey minutes later, William Nylander restored the lead early in the second with a power‑play tally, deflecting a shot in off his lower back at the left post from an Easton Cowan and Auston Matthews setup.
In the third, Matthew Knies looked like he might have delivered the game‑winner when he batted a puck out of the air at 13:50 to put Toronto up 3–2 off a John Tavares feed. Behind them, Anthony Stolarz turned in a massive performance with 44 saves, repeatedly bailing out defensive lapses and giving the Leafs every chance to snap their skid. Instead, late breakdowns cost them again.
Devils’ depth and resilience turn the tide
New Jersey stayed in touch thanks to timely goals from their supporting cast. Meier’s first‑period equaliser off a feed from Nico Hischier and Dawson Mercer steadied things after Maccelli’s opener. In the second, Arseny Gritsyuk tied it 2–2 with his second goal in as many games, ripping a one‑timer just after a Leafs penalty expired off a Jesper Bratt and Hischier setup.
The key moment came late in the third. With Toronto up 3–2 and protecting the lead, Gritsyuk and Luke Hughes combined to spring Connor Brown in the slot. Brown buried his 11th of the season with 2:21 remaining to make it 3–3 and send the game to overtime. Overtime itself was scoreless, but the Devils carried the momentum into the shootout.
Cotter, Bratt and Markstrom own the shootout
In the shootout, New Jersey’s skill and goaltending finished the job. Paul Cotter led off for the Devils and scored with a slick backhand move. After that, Jesper Bratt added another backhand goal, giving New Jersey a 2–0 edge in the tiebreaker.
At the other end, Jacob Markstrom came up huge. He denied Nylander’s opening wrist shot, then sealed the win by stopping Auston Matthews’ attempt, leaving Toronto 0‑for‑2 in the shootout. The combination of Cotter and Bratt’s finishes plus Markstrom’s saves turned Brown’s late equaliser into a full two points instead of just an emotional moment.
Leafs’ slump and Devils’ boost
With the loss, Toronto fell to 27–24–11 and extended their winless streak to five games (0‑3‑2), having dropped 11 of their last 14 overall. They got goals from Maccelli, Nylander and Knies and a stellar effort from Stolarz, but defensive miscues, penalty issues and a failure to close out leads continue to haunt them. For Sportsphere24, this game fits a pattern: the Leafs often play well for long stretches but can’t finish the job in tight, late‑game situations.
New Jersey improved its position with a much‑needed home victory, highlighting depth scoring from Brown and Gritsyuk while still getting key contributions from stars like Hischier, Meier and Bratt. Markstrom’s steadiness and the Devils’ refusal to quit after falling behind three separate times will be encouraging signs as they chase a playoff spot in a crowded Eastern Conference race.