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Taylor Hall’s shorthanded winner puts Devils on verge of playoffs

Carey Price, Taylor Hall

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price gives up a goal to New Jersey Devils’ Taylor Hall during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Montreal, Sunday, April 1, 2018. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)

AP

The score was tied 1-1 and the Montreal Canadiens had themselves a 5-on-3 power play late in the third period vs. the New Jersey Devils Sunday night. That’s the kind of good fortune you want to have when trying to win a game, right?

Well, the Habs failed to score as the first power play expired, which let loose Taylor Hall from the penalty box. Adding to Montreal’s troubles was that Jeff Petry’s one-timer from up top was blocked by Travis Zajac, who then proceeded to send an unmarked Hall in on Carey Price for a game-changing opportunity.

Oh, what a Hart Trophy conversation we’ll be having over the next few weeks...

A huge, huge win for the Devils as they moved one step closer to clinching a playoff spot. With three games to go in their regular season, New Jersey sits in the Eastern Conference’s final wild card spot with 93 points, seven points ahead of the Florida Panthers, who have five games remaining.

The Devils’ magic number now sits at four. So, yeah, you can put that “x” next to their name in the standings because it’s only a matter of time before it’s written in pen.
[The 2018 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs begin April 11 on the networks of NBC]

The win, by the way, was the eighth time this season the Devils have taken two points after entering the third period trailing.

The Devils, who own a top-10 penalty kill, now lead the NHL in shorthanded goals for with 12. That goal was also Hall’s first shorty of his 527-game NHL career. He now has six goals and 13 points during an eight-game point streak.

New Jersey could punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a victory Tuesday against the New York Rangers.

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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy