260119_CGYvsNJD

A game of inches, a game of bounces.

And in extra time, the extra bounce went the Devils' way, as Simon Nemec scored 1:18 into OT as New Jersey handed the Flames a 2-1 overtime setback.

Nazem Kadri had the lone Calgary marker, while new defenceman Zach Whitecloud - who arrived in town hours before the contest - logged 22:33 of ice-time in his Flames debut.

The two sides rarely see each other, and as a result the first 20 minutes involved a bit of a feeling-out process. Devin Cooley made a pair of nice stops - one off Jack Hughes after the Devils centreman cut from the wall to the right circle, the other on a partial breakaway back-hand attempt from Arseny Gritsyuk.

Adam Klapka tried to leave his stamp on the game in the opening frame, too. First, he decked Nemec with a hard open-ice hit in the neutral zone, before ringing a snapshot off the crossbar with about two minutes left.

The Devils opened the scoring 7:51 into period two when a Dawson Mercer re-direct from the side of the net trickled past Cooley and across the goalline.

But the lead was short-lived, the Flames responding on a quick rush up the ice less than two minutes later. Matvei Gridin head-manned the puck to Kadri, who sprinted down the right wing into the New Jersey zone, then found a trailing Kevin Bahl in the high slot. Bahl froze netminder Jacob Markstrom as traffic formed in front, then flung the puck to the bottom of the right circle for Kadri to one-time home his ninth goal of the season.

No. 91 steps into one-timer to tie game; Gridin gets first NHL assist

Cooley made one more big stop before the period was through, sliding to his right to snag a Hughes attempt from the left side after a three-way passing play in the Flames defensive zone.

Markstrom and Ryan Lomberg almost came together late in the period two, the pair racing for a loose puck inside the New Jersey zone. The two nearly collided, then Markstrom and a trailing Klapka clipped wings in the left circle, Markstrom's catching mitt flying off his left hand, but play continued without further incident.

In the third, Cooley stopped Nico Hischier on an early breakaway. The Devils captain sought to place the puck five-hole, but the Calgary netminder made a slick stick save to keep the puck at bay.

The Flames' best chance of the third came just past the midway mark. A broken play allowed Morgan Frost to secure the puck on the right flank, he set up linemate Joel Farabee net-front, but Markstrom got a glove to the winger's backhand attempt.

In overtime, the Devils got possession, then made it count =when Nemec chopped his eighth of the season past Cooley.

Gridin's second-period helper was his first career NHL assist.

Cooley made 29 saves in goal for the Flames.

The Lineup:

FORWARDS

Yegor Sharangovich - Mikael Backlund - Matt Coronato

Connor Zary - Nazem Kadri - Matvei Gridin

Jonathan Huberdeau - Morgan Frost - Joel Farabee

Ryan Lomberg - Justin Kirkland - Adam Klapka

DEFENCE

Yan Kuznetsov - MacKenzie Weegar

Kevin Bahl - Zach Whitecloud

Joel Hanley - Hunter Brzustewicz

GOALTENDERS

Devin Cooley - starter

Dustin Wolf

They Said It:

"Unfortunate not to get the two but we'll take one"

"At the end of the day, it’s OT. Breakdowns happen"

"I was very impressed with his first one"

“Excited to be here and contribute"

The Numbers Game:

Shots: CGY 22, NJD 31

Powerplay: CGY 0-4, NJD 0-2

Faceoffs: CGY 36.6%, NJD 64.4%

Hits: CGY 22, NJD 16

Blocked Shots: CGY 14, NJD 11

5-on-5 Scoring Chances: CGY 14, NJD 22

5-on-5 High-Danger Scoring Chances: CGY 6, NJD 8

Up Next:

The homestand continues Wednesday night with a visit from Sidney Crosby and the Penguins. Puck drop at the Scotiabank Saddledome is set for 7:30 p.m. MT. GET TICKETS