Down by a goal and late in a four-minute power play in the closing minutes of the third period, Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville took a chance and pulled his goaltender with more than two minutes to play.
It didn't take long for Marian Hossa to make the gamble pay off, setting the stage for Artem Anisimov to be a hero in overtime.
Hossa tied the score with 2:11 remaining in regulation and Anisimov scored on a rebound at 1:15 of overtime as the Blackhawks rallied to beat New Jersey 3-2 on Friday night, handing the Devils their first home loss.
"Time was running out and 6-on-4 is a pretty dangerous look," Quenneville said. "Fortunately, we had a quick little play at the net. We had an ordinary 5-on-4 and it was running out, and I still figured with 2 1/2 (minutes) or two and change, you'd like that 6-on-4."
Hossa was the player who came off the bench with about 35-to-40 seconds left in the four-minute high-sticking penalty to Vernon Fiddler, and it only took about 10 seconds for him to score.
Jonathan Toews sent the puck from the right circle through the crease and Richard Panik and Hossa swept their sticks at it simultaneously with Devils goaltender Keith Kinkaid on the other side of the net.
"It was a free lane at the far post and I put everything I had just to make sure I put it in the net," Hossa said. "I know Richard put his stick there also, and we just shoveled everything into the net. It doesn't matter who got the goal as long as it was the tying goal."
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Artemi Panarin, who also scored for Chicago, took a shot from the right circle on Anisimov's fifth goal of the season. Kinkaid, who made 26 saves, stopped the shot but he no chance on the rebound.
"The puck came to me in the right position, and I just put it in," Anisimov said.
Crawford had kept the Blackhawks in the game in the first two periods, stopping 25 of 26 shots, including all 16 in the second period.
Chicago outshot New Jersey 17-4 in the third period and overtime.
PA Parenteau and John Moore scored for New Jersey, which was 3-0 at home. Kinkaid made 26 saves in his first start of the season.
"If you break this game down, we controlled the play, we played hard, dictated the play of the game," Devils coach John Hynes said. "We played hard enough to earn a point, and didn't play smart enough to earn two points."
Moore had given the Devils the lead early in the third period with a slam dunk in front.
Taylor Hall did all the work on Moore's first goal of the season. He carried the puck into the Blackhawks zone, skated into the right circle and sent a backhand pass toward the net. The puck hit off the skate of Devils forward Kyle Palmieri and went right to a wide-open Moore.
Panarin, who hit a goalpost in the first period, tied the score 1-1 in the second period with a power-play goal just 13 seconds after Devils defenseman Damon Severson was called for hooking.
Patrick Kane found last year's rookie of the year in the left circle and he beat Kinkaid with a shot to the top corner with Anisimov screening the goaltender.
Parenteau had given New Jersey the lead with a power-play goal with 4:28 left in the first period. Crawford stopped defenseman Yohann Auvitu's point shot, but the puck popped in the air, hit off Devils forward Devante Smith-Pelly and Parenteau swatted in the rebound for his third goal.
Crawford was the difference in second period, stopping all 16 shots by New Jersey. His best were a snapping glove on a Hall power-play chance with New Jersey ahead 1-0 and point-blank rebound stop of Beau Bennett with the game tied 1-all.
NOTES: Blackhawks assistant coach Kevin Dineen turned 53. ... Nick Lappin, a Geneva, Illinois, native who grew up a Blackhawks' fan, make his NHL debut for the Devils. ... The Devils were 2-0 against Chicago last season. ... Anisimov leads the Blackhawk with 10 points.
UP NEXT
Blackhawks: Host Los Angeles on Sunday night to start a three-game homestand.
Devils: Host Tampa Bay on Saturday night to finish a four-game homestand.
