The Devils' 4-2 lead dropped to a precarious 4-3 when New York Rangers forward Vincent Trocheck scored a power-play goal with 6:42 remaining the third period. The Madison Square Garden crowd roared with approval and the Rangers continued to pressure the Devils in search of the tying goal.
With 2:53 left on the clock, John Marino stepped onto the ice. His first order of business was blocking a shot from defenseman Adam Fox. Marino remained on the ice until the 2:04 mark when the puck went out of the play.
The Rangers called a timeout and as play resumed, Marino was once again on the ice.
His next order of business was blocking a shot from forward Mika Zibanejad. The puck ended up in the netting again at 1:45. And again, Marino remained on the ice.
At 1:25 left on the clock an icing briefly stopped play. When play resumed, Marino remained on the ice. His third order of business was blocking another shot by Zibanejad.
Marino and the Devils battled on the ice for an uninterrupted 69 seconds with play only halting when Yegor Sharangovich sealed the game with 16 seconds remaining on an empty-net goal.
And with victory assured, Marino came to the bench. His final tally, 2:37 straight minutes with the game on the line and three blocked shots. Not too shabby.
Marino Proving his Worth for Devils | FEATURE
The 25-year-old defenseman has been a steady and solid addition to the New Jersey blue line
© Joel Rubinfeld