Devils lose, but earn important point

The Pittsburgh Penguins can beat the New Jersey Devils and Nico after all. In last night’s 4-3 OT thriller, the defending Stanley Cup champs came out on top for the first time this season while the Devils earned an important point in their battle for the final playoff spot in the East.

That is because the Florida Panthers, the Devils’ main competition for that final spot, lost to the Ottawa Senators in OT, enabling New Jersey to protect its three-point lead in the standings.

Centering the Devils’ first line alongside Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri, Nico recorded his 50^th point of the season when he set up Kyle Palmieri’s opening goal of the game. Overall, he received 17:02 minutes of ice time, fired one shot on goal and prevailed in 47% of his face-offs. Nico finished the game with an even plus-minus statistic.

The Devils now turn their attention towards the New York Islanders, whom they’ll face next on Saturday night. Game time at the Rock is at 7:00 PM (ET).