Hall's streak ends, Devils lose to Jets

NEWARK, N.J.--Taylor Hall had his point streak end at 26 games when the New Jersey Devils lost to the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 at Prudential Center on Thursday.
Patrik Laine, Joel Armia and Nikolaj Ehlers scored and Connor Hellebuyck made 41 saves for the Jets (41-17-9), who have won four straight and are four points behind the Nashville Predators for first place in the Central Division.

Hall had 38 points (18 goals, 20 assists) during the streak, dating to Jan. 2; he missed three games from Jan. 22-25 with a thumb injury. The 26-year-old left wing had a point in a New Jersey record 19 straight games (13 goals, 13 assists), the longest streak in the NHL this season, since returning from his injury.
WATCH: [All Jets vs. Devils highlights]
"It was going to end sometime," Hall said. "You want it to be on a night when you had some chances and created some offense and I thought I did that pretty well. There were some nights on the streak where I didn't play well at all and maybe found a way to get a couple of points; that's the way it goes. When you're on a streak like that you find some puck luck."
Hall had two shots on goal and six shots that were blocked.

Hellebuyck (35-10-8) passed Kari Lehtonen for the most single-season victories in Winnipeg/Atlanta Thrashers history. Lehtonen went 34-24-9 for Atlanta in 2006-07.
"[Hall] is a good, talented player, but [the streak had to end] sooner or later and I'm glad I was the one," Hellebuyck said.
Said Jets coach Paul Maurice: "Connor went through some growing pains last year and they were necessary. He spent the summer driven by last season and it's great that he gets the payoff for that work he did this summer because he's been very good for our team."
Nico Hischier had a goal and an assist, Kyle Palmieri scored and Cory Schneider made 21 saves for the Devils (34-26-8), who are one point ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets for the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
Ehlers scored at 9:55 of the third period to give the Jets a 3-1 lead, before Hischier scored his 14th of the season at 11:07 to make it 3-2.

Armia scored off a wrist shot from the right circle at 13:26 of the second to give the Jets a 2-0 lead.
Palmieri took a long pass in the middle of the ice at the Jets blue line from Hischier and beat Hellebuyck over his glove to pull the Devils within 2-1 at 16:41 of the second.
"[Hellebuyck's] a big goalie and I think that helps when you have to fight to see pucks through traffic," Palmieri said. "We threw a lot at him. We got in front of him. We got the second chances. Some nights it just doesn't bounce your way."
Laine extended his goal streak to four games (eight goals) and point streak to 10 games (14 goals, six assists) and gave the Jets a 1-0 lead when his wrist shot from the slot beat Schneider inside the left post at 4:12 of the first period.

Laine, who will turn 20 on April 19, has 75 career NHL goals, which is tied for the fourth most in history by a teenager with Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby.
"It doesn't give me any advantage to this hockey game," Laine said. "It's just a number but it is awesome to be on that list."

Goal of the game

Ehlers' goal at 9:55 of the third period.

Save of the game

Hellebuyck's save on Palmieri at 11:56 of the second period.

Highlight of the game

Dustin Byfuglien's hit on Taylor Hall at 18:32 of the second period.

They said it

"I'm still behind and I don't want to be behind, but it's still awesome. It's something you don't think about because it's all about team points and we're doing well so that's enough for me." -- Jets forward Patrik Laine, who is one goal behind Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin for the NHL lead
"I have to dig deep and find a way to execute better and be better all-around. It's not a fun feeling. It's not something you can wallow in and feel bad for yourself. There's no time or energy for that. It's about me putting my head down and working hard and executing better." -- Devils goalie Cory Schneider

Need to know

Byfuglien had five blocked shots and two hits in a game-high 28:03 in ice time. ... Jets defenseman Dmitry Kulikov (upper body) did not play in the third period and is day-to-day. ... Hynes had no update on center Travis Zajac, who left the game after taking a hit from Andrew Copp at 12:45 of the second period and didn't return. ... The Devils begin a six-game road trip Saturday all against teams currently holding a playoff spot. ... Palmieri has eight points (four goals, four assists) in his past eight games. ... The three players who had more NHL goals than Laine as a teenager are Jimmy Carson (92), Dale Hawerchuk (85) and Brian Bellows (76).

What's next

Jets: At the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday (1 p.m. ET; NBCSP, TSN3, NHL.TV)
Devils:At the Nashville Predators on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; MSG+, FS-TN, NHL.TV)