Taylor Hall scores twice in Devils win

NEWARK, N.J. -- Left wing Taylor Hall scored two power-play goals in the second period to help the New Jersey Devils to their first win of the season, a 2-1 victory against the Anaheim Ducks at Prudential Center on Tuesday.
Hall, acquired by the Devils in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers for defenseman Adam Larsson on June 29, got his first two points with the Devils in New Jersey's home opener.
"It's fun to not only get the first win, but to get our power play going," Hall said. "The energy in the rink was great. Everyone was in red and every chance they got, they were on their feet.
"As a player sometimes you don't feel 100 percent and sometimes it's not clicking out there, and the crowd can get you into it; sometimes you rely on that at home."

Anaheim was whistled for four consecutive penalties in the second period, sparking the Devils offensive surge during which they outshot the Ducks 12-4. The Devils, who entered the game 0-for-6 on the power play, finished 2-for-7 against the Ducks.
Goaltender Cory Schneider made 23 saves for the Devils. New Jersey was forced to deny an Anaheim power play late in the third period after defenseman John Moore was called for delay of the game at 16:56.

Defenseman Sami Vatanen scored for the Ducks and goaltender John Gibson made 26 saves.
"There's a lot of hockey left but we've dug ourselves a bit of a hole," Gibson said. "Obviously we all care in here and want to turn it around but it's got to come from within."
Hall tied the game 1-1 at 12:35 of the second period when he scored off a rebound. Michael Cammalleri took the initial shot but the puck deflected to Hall in the right circle and he scored just inside the right post past Gibson.
Hall scored his second of the game at 16:46 of the second when he deflected in a slap shot from the slot. Defenseman Damon Severson took the initial shot from the point that Hall deftly redirected to give the Devils their first lead.
"The thing we're most proud of right now is not that he scored two goals, but the work ethic and buy-in he's had since he's gotten here; it's been fantastic," Devils coach John Hynes said. "If he continues that, he'll continue to have success for us."
The Ducks had a chance to tie the game with 1:11 left in the second when center Chris Wagner was given a penalty shot after being hooked from behind by Adam Henrique on a breakaway with the Devils on a power play. Wagner failed on his attempt, however, as the puck bounced over his stick after forcing Schneider to stretch to his left.

Goal of the game

Hall broke a 1-1 tie on a nifty deflection in front of Gibson 16:46 into the second. Severson took the initial wrist shot from the point that Hall redirected to give the Devils their first lead.

Save of the game

With 5:12 remaining in the first, Severson took a slap shot from the right point that eluded Gibson underneath his right pad and trickled toward the goal line before the Ducks goaltender did a 180-degree spin to his left to knock the puck out of the crease with his right catching glove.

Highlight of the game

Hall, who received a tremendous ovation during player introductions, scored his first goal with the Devils 12:35 into the second to tie the game. After controlling a rebound low in the right circle, he skated in and beat Gibson just inside the right post.

Unsung moment of the game

Wagner had a chance to tie the game 2-2 with 1:11 left in the second when he was awarded a penalty shot off on a shorthanded breakaway attempt. He was able to force Schneider to go down and had a wide-open net, but mishandled the puck.

They said it

"[Hall] competes in all areas; he's hard on the puck, he checks when he doesn't have it, he's not timid in confrontations and he's responsible in the defensive zone. He brings energy to your team and plays with passion. It's easy to coach a guy like that because, while he's a high-end offensive player, he's also a reliable guy every shift." -- Devils coach John Hynes
"We play again in two days. In this League when you win the games you can't think about it too long and when you lose you just got to put it behind you until the next one. We just can't put the puck in the net. When we open the ketchup bottle, it will start to go in." -- Ducks defenseman Sami Vatanen

Need to know

Schneider has not allowed a goal on the last five penalty shots he's faced dating back to last season. He has stopped 13 of 15 in his NHL career. … Devils forward Vernon Fiddler engaged in a fight with Ryan Kesler 30 seconds after the opening faceoff.

What's next

Ducks: At the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; CSN-PH, PRIME, NHL.TV)
Devils: At the Boston Bruins on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; NESN, MSG+, NHL.TV)