The New Jersey Devils and forward Jesper Bratt agreed to terms on an eight-year contract worth $63 million on Thursday.

The 24-year-old Swede was slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

"It was always a priority to keep Jesper Bratt here long term and both parties are thrilled that a deal was completed," Devils executive vice president and general manager Tom Fitzgerald said. "I value and commend the commitment Jesper made to this organization.

“We believe that he is a special player and a key member of our core group of talent who will contribute towards the team's long-term success, and organizational goal of bringing the Stanley Cup back to New Jersey."

The Devils selected Bratt in the sixth round (162nd overall) of the 2016 draft, and he made his NHL debut in 2017-18.

Bratt’s last two seasons were his best in the NHL with a career-high 73 points in each campaign. He set a personal best with 32 goals in 2022-23 to rank second on New Jersey.

New York Rangers coach Gerrard Gallant had no complaints with his side's effort in their 4-0 Game 5 loss to the New Jersey Devils who he said "played their best game of the series".

The Devils have flipped the script in their Stanley Cup first-round series after trailing 2-0 following back-to-back losses in Newark, taking a 3-2 lead with Thursday's triumph at Prudential Center.

Gallant blasted his side after their 3-1 home loss in Game 4 where they surrendered their advantage in the series, but he conceded the Devils were just too good on Thursday led by Erik Haula with two goals and an assist.

"I got no problem with their effort tonight. They competed," Gallant told reporters.

"Jersey played a hell of a game. You've got to give them a lot of credit. They played their best game in the series I thought tonight."

The defeat leaves the Rangers in danger of elimination on their home ice in Game 6. The Rangers rallied back from a 3-1 first-round series deficit last year against the Pittsburgh Penguins as well as when trailing 3-2 in the second round against the Carolina Hurricanes offering Gallant hope.

"The effort is there, we've been in this position before," he said. "We'll see what we can do, go back home on Saturday and rally the troops and get it going."

Rangers winger Chris Kreider also reflected on last year's playoffs after the game, demanding a response from his team.

"We've had a terrific fan base all year. We let them down, we let ourselves down at home," he said. "So it's up to us to show up and play the way we want to play from puck drop.

"All the cliches and euphemisms I throw at you guys all year, it's time to step up and do those things, right? It's time to play for a full 60 minutes. It's time to win a hockey game."

Beyond Haula's outstanding display, Devils goaltender Akira Schmid stopped 23 shots and Dawson Mercer had a goal and an assist. New Jersey captain Nico Hischier praised their approach.

"Tonight we did a lot of good things and that's exactly how we got to play," Hischier said.

"We knew if we use our speed, that's our strength. That's what makes us a dangerous team — if we play with our speed."

Game 6 is on Saturday at Madison Square Garden.

Dougie Hamilton scored an overtime winner for the second time in as many games before describing his mindset as just "trying to let it rip".

Hamilton scored a power-play goal with 1:06 left in overtime to clinch a 3-2 win for the New Jersey Devils over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday, achieving the same feat in Sunday's 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Devils' defenseman had squared the game up after his side trailed entering the third period.

"It was pretty similar I think," Hamilton told reporters when comparing both OT goals. "I was just hoping to try and get another shot today. Same as last game. I just tried to let it rip and see what happens."

Center Jack Hughes set up the goal, with a pass from the boards as he fell to his knees to find a wide-open Hamilton.

"Obviously a great play by Jack, just laid it on a platter for me," Hamilton said.

Vegas Golden Knights rookie goaltender All-Star Logan Thompson accepted blame for Hamilton's goals, both deflected off defensemen. The result means the Golden Knights are 1-4-1 in their past six games.

"I just lost it," Thompson said. "It’s an unacceptable goal for me. They score in the first four minutes and the last minute. That's on me, I have to be better."

The Golden Knights have also scored two goals or fewer in four of their past five games, but remain top of the Pacific Division with a 29-17-3 record.

The Devils are second in the Metropolitan Division with a 31-12-4 record, including a red-hot 8-1-1 record from their past 10 games.

New Jersey Devils head coach Lindy Ruff hailed both Nico Hischier and Tomas Tatar for playing through injuries in their 5-1 road win over the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday.

Dougie Hamilton, Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and Alexander Holtz each managed a goal and an assist with Miles Wood adding a pair of helpers in the victory which improves their record to 24-11-3.

The Devils had only won two of their past 11 games prior to the Red Wings clash where Hischier and Tatar helped gain a much-needed win.

"We knew some guys were going to try and tough it out for us," Ruff told reporters.

"Couple guys were game-time decisions and were able to play. We didn't get their bodies to 100 per cent but I thought the effort was great. The fact they wanted to play, we got through the game."

Hischier appeared troubled by his hand injury during the game and he did not take any draws in the first half.

The Swiss centre helped set up Hamilton's goal midway through the second period in his first face-off of the game.

"We knew that he wasn't going to be able to take a lot [of face-offs] but we still thought he could step in for the odd one," Ruff said.

"It was a tight game until we scored those couple of power play goals and both of them where at the hands of winning draws."

Hischier, who has totalled 60 points this season with 21 goals and 39 assists, scored for the fourth straight game despite the hand issue.

"I felt good enough to be out there but definitely tried not to take too many face-offs, stuff like that," Hischier said. "Just trying to help the team on the wing as well, I think it was my first game as a winger.

"In my mind, I just wanted to reduce the face-offs. On the power play unit I'm going to grind it out there and take those draws and it came up good.

"Lucky it was good enough to win some draws for the team there. Overall, just happy for the game and the two points tonight."

New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier says they are "back on track" after ending their six-game skid with a hard-fought 4-2 win at the Florida Panthers on Wednesday.

The Devils had gone 0-5-1 since beating the Chicago Blackhawks at home to December 6 to slump to a 21-9-2 record and second spot in the Metropolitan Division coming into Wednesday's game.

But Jesper Bratt scored twice, with Yegor Sharangovich scoring the go-ahead goal midway through the third period with Tomas Tatar adding an empty-netter, while Mackenzie Blackwood made 34 saves.

"That one felt good for sure," Hischier told reporters. "We put in the work. We came in late on back-to-back and came out to play.

"It was a full team effort. That one definitely feels good and puts us back on track."

Two-goal hero Bratt had endured a four-game pointless drought prior to getting an assist against Carolina on Tuesday.

Sharangovich was another to find form, having broken a nine-game goalless drought with his ninth of the season, tipping in Jonas Siegenthaler's point shot after Florida led 2-1 going into the third period.

"That was real important. We needed a win," Devils head coach Lindy Ruff said.

"We've played several really good games inside this and couldn't find ways to get the puck in the back of the net.

"To come out and get a couple goals in the third period, a real good goal by Jesper and get some traffic in front and a re-direction by Shara, it was real important."

The New Jersey Devils see no need for panic after their 11-game road winning streak was ended by the New York Rangers on Monday.

Filip Chytil scored two minutes and 15 seconds into overtime to give the Rangers a 4-3 win at Madison Square Garden.

The Devils had made the short trip from Newark to Manhattan looking to tie the 2014-15 Minnesota Wild and 2005-06 Detroit Red Wings for the longest winning run away from home in NHL history.

New Jersey had previously not lost on the road since suffering a 5-2 defeat to the Philadelphia Flyers on October 13.

That remains their only away loss in regulation this season, with the Devils still 11-1-1 in road games this season.

The Devils remain top of the Metropolitan Division with their 21-5-2 record the second-best in the Eastern Conference heading into Tuesday's home game with the Dallas Stars.

That too will be a tough test for the Devils, with the Stars second in the Western Conference's Central Division.

But center Nico Hischier is remaining calm in the wake of some rare adversity for the Devils, who have now lost two games in a row.

He said: "Penalties kind of slowed us down in the second [period], we've got to be more disciplined, especially against a team we know [have a] really deadly powerplay.

"They scored a goal on it as well so we've gotta clean that up.

"It's a rivalry game. It was intense and close until the end. No time for panic. We have to regroup, and tomorrow is a new game. That's what we have to focus on right now."

Igor Shesterkin, who last season won the Vezina Trophy for the NHL's best goaltender, made 26 saves to frustrate the Devils, with the Rangers now 15-10-5 after a fourth successive win.

The Rangers had trailed 3-1 in the second period but Vincent Trocheck and Kaapo Kakko scored seven seconds apart to erase that deficit before Chytil had the final say.

"It always feels good that we have these comebacks, and we show our true character," Chytil said.

"We have to just keep going. Sometimes it's hard [to stay positive], but we had a three-game winning streak. It was like, 'We can get back into the game'."

Eric Haula called the New Jersey Devils' 13-game win streak-ending 2-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday as the "complete hurricane" after having three goals disallowed.

The game was halted for six minutes in the third period after fans at Prudential Center after fans littered the ice in protest at the Devils' third disallowed goal of the game.

Dougie Hamilton scored the Devils' lone goal after that delay, proving to be a consolation, after John Tavares and Pontus Holmberg's first-period goals for the visitors.

Toronto goaltender Matt Murray made 34 saves as the Devils failed in their bid for a 10-0 record against Canadian teams this season. The Devils also fell one win short of a new franchise record.

"It was a little bit frustrating," forward Haula told reporters. "It just seemed like it wasn't quite in control in some ways, and then it got crazy.

"Tough luck for us. Tough bounces. If [the streak] was going to end, it was going to end like that. A complete hurricane."

The first of the disallowed goals saw the Devils fail on a coach's challenge for goalie interference from Nathan Bastian with Jonas Siegenthaler's goal waved off.

Damon Severson's second-period goal was disallowed as Tomas Tatar was deemed to have made incidental contact with Murray, bundling him over and leaving the net open.

Haula was involved in the third disallowed goal in the third period, kicking the puck off an opposition skate and into the net, prompting fans to protest, tossing garbage on the ice.

Devils head coach Lindy Ruff said: "We've got some passionate fans and I think it was on display tonight."

"You don't often see three in one game. But we saw three in one game… The overturned goals, some of those are 50-50. Some of those you take a chance on."

New Jersey Devils head coach Lindy Ruff hailed his side's play after extending their win streak to 11 games with Thursday's 3-2 overtime victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Yegor Sharangovich scored on a rebound 57 seconds into overtime, for his fourth goal of the season, while goal-tender Vitek Vanecek made 25 saves as the Devils improved to 14-3-0.

The Devils' 11-game unbeaten run is tied for the second-longest streak in franchise history, with the longest being 13 from 2000-01 when that side were Stanley Cup runners-up.

"I don’t know if we're really focusing on the rest of the league," Ruff told reporters when asked if the win streak was a statement for other teams.

"You've got to have a lot of good things happen to run a streak like this. In this league, a goalie can beat you, a couple of bad bounces can beat you. We've definitely played with a lot of pace and a lot of speed and been able to take it to a lot of teams."

One player who has been central to the Devils' success is captain Nico Hischier, who put his side up with his second-period goal, before William Nylander's quick shot with 2:09 remaining in the third sent it to overtime.

Ruff suggested that Swiss 23-year-old Hischier should be a candidate for the Selke Trophy, the NHL's top defensive award, comparing him to five-time winner Patrice Bergeron.

"He's a power-play guy, he's one of our top penalty killers," Ruff said about Hischier. "You look at where he is with his play away from the puck, I actually think he should be a candidate this year.

"If he can stay healthy, his two-way game is right up there with the likes of Bergeron."

Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe rued his side's 23 giveaways compared to the Devils' 14, acknowledging that is what sets them apart.

"We get the puck back and you give it right back to them," Keefe said. "Can't happen.

"We beat ourselves at times and gave them free goals. They didn't beat themselves at all. That's how you win 11 in a row — you don't beat yourself."

The New Jersey Devils are set to begin with competition for the starting goaltender position when training camp opens in a few months.

Vitek Vanecek agreed on Tuesday to terms on a $10.2million, three-year contract with the Devils, a deal that will give him a salary just slightly less than incumbent starter MacKenzie Blackwood.

New Jersey acquired Vanecek from the Washinton Capitals at the NHL draft to provide some depth after the team used a franchise-record seven goalies last season.

"There's an opportunity for me, you know, to play lots of games, and I'm really happy for it," Vanecek said. “And then I will battle with Mackenzie, you know, and that's, that's what I need."

The 25-year-old Blackwood, who is going into the final year of his contract, made a team-high 24 starts in 2021-22, but also missed nearly three months due to a heel injury.

The 26-year-old Vanecek started 38 games for the Capitals last season, going 20-12-6 with a 2.67 GAA and .908 save percentage.

Blackwood, meanwhile, went 9-10-4 with a 3.39 GAA and .892 save percentage last season after going 46-41-12 with a 2.83 GAA and .911 save percentage in his first three seasons with New Jersey.

"We feel really good about, again for another summer, adding depth to our goaltending and watching Mackenzie and Vitek challenge each other and push each other," Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald said at the draft. "You have to have depth. You saw teams in the playoffs lost depth and ended up losing a series."

The Devils missed the playoffs for the fourth straight year last season and have just one playoff appearance since the 2012-13 season.

The Montreal Canadiens selected Juraj Slafkovsky with the first overall pick of the 2022 NHL draft on Thursday. 

The 18-year-old left wing became the first Slovakian to ever be picked first overall in the draft. 

Slafkovsky excelled for Slovakia at the 2022 Winter Olympics, leading the tournament with seven goals in seven games to earn MVP honours while helping the country capture the bronze medal. 

Speaking to ESPN after being presented with his Canadiens jersey, Slafkosvky was lost for words.

"It’s unbelievable, I still can’t believe that this actually happened," he said.

"When I heard from Slovakia, I was like 'what is happening'. It's just a special moment in my life."

When asked how he thought his family and friends would have reacted to the news, being 2am local time in Slovakia, Slafkosvky said "I think people are going crazy, they have to be... I think they are all awake."

With the second pick, the New Jersey Devils selected another Slovakian in defenseman Simon Nemec. 

"This is a special night for Slovak hockey," Slafkovsky said. 

The Ottawa Senators' next three NHL games have been postponed due to a coronavirus outbreak.

Ten Senators players and associate coach Jack Capuano are in NHL COVID-19 protocol following positive tests over the past 10 days.

Drake Batherson, Austin Watson, Alex Formenton, Dylan Gambrell and Connor Brown missed the 4-0 defeat to the Calgary Flames on Sunday, with Nick Holden, Victor Mete, Nikita Zaitsev, Josh Brown and Matt Murray also absent.

Ottawa's training facilities have been closed until further notice, and they will not face the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday or the Nashville Predators on Thursday.

Saturday's game against the New York Rangers has also been called off on Monday, with the league citing "evidence of continued spread in recent days."

They are the first games postponed this season due to concerns over the virus, with 55 having been postponed last season.

The NHL stated that rescheduled dates for the three games are to be determined.