Bratt's breakaway bails out the Devils after a 4-1 lead vanishes against St. Louis
New Jersey let three third-period goals in 3:08 erase a three-goal cushion, then won it 5-4 when Dougie Hamilton turned defense into Jesper Bratt's overtime winner.
The New Jersey Devils got two points and a warning in the same game. They beat the St. Louis Blues 5-4 in overtime on Thursday at Prudential Center — a sixth straight home win that pushed them to 11-5-0, second in the Metropolitan Division behind Carolina — but only after a 4-1 lead evaporated in a frantic third period, per NHL.com.
Built, then blown
New Jersey outshot St. Louis 16-4 in the first and led on Luke Hughes' point shot at 7:34, his sixth of the season after going goalless through his first 15 games a year ago. Anthony Mantha finished a give-and-go with Jack Hughes in the second, and after Robert Thomas answered on the power play, Jesper Boqvist and Mantha scored 19 seconds apart to make it 4-1. Mantha ended the night with two goals and an assist; Jack Hughes' two helpers gave him eight points in his last five games and a team-leading 21.
Then the third: Mason McTavish banged in a rebound with 8:14 left, Philip Broberg scored off the rush, and Dalibor Dvorsky cashed a Devils miscue behind the net 18 seconds later — three goals in 3:08 to tie it, per ESPN.
The turning point
In overtime, Dougie Hamilton broke up a Blues odd-man rush and sprang Jesper Bratt the other way; his breakaway finish 1:26 in was the fourth overtime goal of his career. Connor Hellebuyck made 28 saves and is now 4-0-0 since arriving from Winnipeg in late October; Jordan Binnington stopped 31.
What it means
Nobody in the home room pretended it was clean. "We made our own bed in this one and got what we deserved," coach Sheldon Keefe said, while Bratt admitted the Devils "weren't really emotionally engaged in that third period." Hellebuyck framed it as useful: "These are the lessons that you want to learn early." St. Louis, 7-7-2 and 3-5-1 on the road, closes its trip Saturday in Nashville; the Devils visit the Islanders the same night.