NEWARK, N.J. -- With the New Jersey Devils fighting for a playoff spot, Jon Merrill picked the perfect time to score his first NHL goal. The rookie defenceman connected 2:34 into overtime, and the Devils snapped a two-game skid with a 2-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Friday night. "You always dream of this kind of stuff when youre a little kid," the 22-year-old Merrill said. "After 20 games went by and I hadnt scored, I think those dreams went away a little bit. I knew it would come when it came. Tonight was a good opportunity." The goal came in Merrills 31st NHL game and was set up by Adam Henrique winning a battle in the corner and Michael Ryder getting the puck and finding Merrill all alone above the left circle for an uncontested shot against Ilya Bryzgalov. "I saw that four guys kind of collapsed on Ryds," Merrill said. "I was calling for it and he made a great play. I was walking in all alone and fortunately it went in." The win was the second in six games for New Jersey (2-2-2), and it ended a slide that saw the Devils lose the last two games in overtime after giving up the lead late in the third period. "It was awesome for him to get his first goal in overtime," said Henrique, who might have gotten away with a holding-the-stick penalty just before the goal. "Its such an important win for the team. Thats one hes going to remember for the rest of his career." Cory Schneider made 19 saves and Andrei Loktionov scored in regulation for the Devils, who play Saturday night at Washington in their final game before the Olympic break. Taylor Hall had the goal for the Oilers, who lost for only the second time in seven games (5-1-1). Ilya Bryzgalov made 22 saves for Edmonton, which wont play again until Feb. 27. "We found different ways to get points in this stretch," defenceman Justin Schultz said. "We got some solid goaltending. Weve improved our game against these teams that are battling for playoff spots." The Devils hit three posts in the game, with Ryder clanging a shot off the crossbar with 9:20 to play. Both teams went for the win in the final minutes of regulation. Henrique had two chances in close with just more than 4 minutes to go, and defenceman Andrew Ference and Matt Hendricks had chances for Edmonton a minute later. Schneider stopped a chance in close by Jordan Eberle early in overtime. With the Devils struggling to score, coach Pete DeBoer shook up his lines for the game and that led to the teams first goal. Loktionov, who was put at centre on Jaromir Jagrs line, opened the scoring at 11:01 with his first goal since Dec. 4. Jagr and defenceman Bryce Salvador set up the goal. Jagr carried the puck into the Oilers zone and found Salvador on the other side of the ice. He skated toward Bryzgalov and sent a cross-ice pass to a wide-open Loktionov for a shot into an open net. Jagrs assist was the 1,039th of his career, putting him one behind Marcel Dionne for ninth in NHL history. The public address announcer had not finished giving out the assists when Edmonton tied the game 29 seconds later. Hall skated the puck into the Devils end and worked a perfect give-and-go with Nail Yakupov for his 20th goal of the season. Schneider never had a chance to stop the shot into an open net. New Jersey had plenty of opportunities to take the lead in the second period. Devils defenceman Marek Zidlicky hit the post on a power-play shot and Ryane Clowe hit a post on a breakaway after an Oilers turnover. Mark Faynes shot from the point was past Bryzgalov and heading into the net when Ference swept it away from the crease. NOTES: Schultz played in his 100th NHL game. ... Martin Brodeur has been the Devils backup goalie the past five games. He has not played since giving up six goals in two periods during the outdoor game against the New York Rangers at Yankee Stadium. ... Devils D Anton Volchenkov missed his second straight game with a lower-body injury. ... Russian Olympian Anton Belov did not play on the road trip. Cheap Red Wings Jerseys China .The Hamilton Tiger-Cat defensive back always has the required receipt. But he also walks around with a tangle of metal screws, rods and plates after breaking his neck in 2006 playing high school football in Louisiana. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys . With the Canadiens leading by one to start the third period, Price turned away 16 shots by the Panthers in the final frame to give Montreal a 2-1 victory over Florida on Monday night. The Panthers (16-21-6) outshot Montreal 16-10 in the final frame, but were repeatedly frustrated by Price, who made 26 saves on the night. http://www.cheapredwingsjerseys.com/ . This is the final meeting of the season between these teams.? The Capitals were 5-4 winners in a shootout Oct. Cheap Red Wings Jerseys . The All-Pro left tackle agreed to a five-year contract with the Eagles on Wednesday. Peters was signed for 2014, and his new deal adds four years through 2018. Cheap Detroit Red Wings Jerseys . Vargas (8-3) allowed four singles and two walks while striking out five, allowing only two runners from a diluted Twins lineup to reach second base. Mike Moustakas and Jarrod Dyson hit RBI singles in the second inning against Kevin Correia (4-10), and that was all Vargas needed.While NHL Central Scoutings mid-term draft ranking has Kingston Frontenacs centre Sam Bennett topping the list of North American skaters, TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button is standing pat with the other Sam. His January edition of Craigs List has Kootenay Ice centre Sam Reinhart at No. 1 for the fourth straight month. Reinhart represented Canada at the 2014 World Junior Hockey Championship, and tied for fourth in team scoring with two goals and five points in seven games. "Sam Reinhart will never wow you with flash and dash and may never even end up on TSNs HON but if you are looking for a player who can make a difference to winning, then look no further," explains Button. "He has exceptional hockey sense but more than his understanding is his adaptability. That trait allows him to play different positions, all situations in the game and combined with a high skill level, affords him the opportunity to excel. He makes teammates better by helping them play to their strengths. He make teams better with a selfless approach that is focused on overall success, not personal accolades. "Because his mind is so quick and so fast at processing, he is able to play two and three steps ahead of the competition. When I watch Sam, I think, still waters run deep and his ability to quietly control a game doesnt create waves but it certainly leads to winning." Aaron Ekblad, who also played for Canada at the world, continues to be a mainstay in the second spot. He grabbed headlines in the Ontario Hockey League this past weekend, scoring four goals (three on the power play and one shorthanded) as the Barrie Colts hammered Bennetts Frontenacs 8-5 on Saturday. "Ekblad is a pillar-type defenceman," says Button. "To be this type of a defenceman, one needs to possess an on-ice maturity. That maturity is reflected in understanding how to excel when playing 25 minutes orr more versus the opponents best players in critical and important situations.dddddddddddd "Aaron combines that maturity with an excellent understanding of what needs to be accomplished at any particular point of the game. He has an outstanding ability to play in the moment and that can manifest itself defensively, offensively and physically. He takes the initiative and is unwavering in his approach to being a catalyst for making things happen in the game that help his team win." Bennett is also holding strong on the list, rounding out the Top 3 for the third straight month. The biggest riser on the list for January is Czech-born forward David Pastrnak, who jumped 16 spots from No. 26 to tenth. He has scored seven goals and 21 points in 29 games with Sodertalje in Sweden this season and tallied three points in five games with the Czech Republic at the world juniors. "When I first saw David Pastrnak play more than two years ago, I was impressed by a willingness to try and make things happen with the puck from an offensive point of view," explains Button. "While at times coming a little short, he never was short on determination or being a player in the middle of the competitive action. He has confidence with the puck, excellent sense and feel and his skating allows him to play the game with speed and with a quick and darting ability that makes him very difficult to keep in check. "As he has physically matured, he doesnt fall short very much any longer and he shows the ability and potential to be a player who can impact the game offensively in multiple ways and be the threat opponents have to be aware of." Craig Buttons monthly Craigs List ranking is released each month from September through June. TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzies mid-term draft ranking - a consensus list from several NHL scouts – will be released on TSN.ca on Jan. 23. 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