Devils 3, Jets 2 F/OT

Henrique was named the First Star. (Getty/NHL Images)

These Jets were no match for Adam Henrique's breakaway speed.

Henrique scored twice – both on breakaways – including the winning goal with 3:32 left in overtime to lead the Devils to a 3-2 victory over visiting Winnipeg.

The rookie, who scored his first NHL goal on Thursday, has come alive with three tallies and two assists in his last three games.

Zach Parise set him up both times as New Jersey won its second in a row.

On the winning score, Parise chipped the puck to him in the neutral zone, and Henrique raced past Brett Festerling to snap a forehand shot past Ondrej Pavelec. Henrique's first of the night was just as highlight-reel worthy: a top-shelf backhander over Pavelec's catching glove.

"My heart started racing from the blue line again," Henrique said, describing the winner. "I got in there and tried to keep it simple. I didn't want to go to the same move again. I just found some room on the glove side there."

Henrique has found great chemistry in two games with Parise. Ilya Kovalchuk, their right wing, missed his first game of the season with a lower body injury. David Clarkson took his spot on the right side.

"It's nice to be able to contribute," Henrique said. "I feel more and more confident every game. Playing with two great linemates never hurts."

The 21-year-old made the team out of camp, but was assigned to Albany (AHL) on Oct. 14. New Jersey's third-round pick, 82nd overall, in 2008, he's opened some eyes since being recalled on Oct. 22.

"Some nice breakaway moves," Parise said. "It's not too often you get two breakaways in a game, but it's fun to see. You can tell the confidence that he's gaining, especially after the goal he got [Thursday] in Philadelphia. It's amazing what something like that can do for a player. He's developing really well, and really quickly."

With injuries to Travis Zajac and Jacob Josefson, Henrique has made the most of his opportunity.

"There's certain situations that put me in this position," he said. "I just try to take advantage of that as much as possible. You don't get chances like this everyday, and when you come by them, you have to take advantage and show you can play here."

The Devils celebrate the winning goal. (Getty/NHL Images)

The Devils (6-5-1) blew a two-goal lead in the third period, making for some tense moments for coach Peter DeBoer. Four of their six wins have come via overtime or shootout.

"It sure has taken years off the coaching staff's life, I can tell you that," DeBoer joked.

He's thought highly enough of Henrique to add him to a line with two of the Devils' top forwards, and the move has paid off.

"He's got the skills [to score goals], and we've asked an awful lot of him here throwing him into the situation he's in, with the minutes he's playing and the role he's playing with us," DeBoer said. "He has the personality to handle it, he doesn't get overwhelmed."

Patrik Elias notched his team-leading sixth of the season for the Devils, who got out to a 2-0 lead in the second period. Winnipeg answered with two in the third, including Jim Slater's goal with 2:45 to go in regulation.

Blake Wheeler may have interfered with Anton Volchenkov on the tying goal, opening up a lane for Slater to move in from the right circle.

"It looked like it," said Martin Brodeur, who made 21 saves for his first win of the season. "Volchy, it’s not like he just lifted the stick, he went after his elbow. He was able to make a play there. I was kind of surprised when [Slater] touched the puck, there wasn’t a whistle."

The coach saw it the same way.

"I think for me, that's an obvious one," DeBoer said. "It's a scoring chance and watching it back on replay I think just cements my opinion on the bench that that should've been called."

Brodeur made his second start since returning earlier this week from a bruised right shoulder. He was disappointed with his performance against Toronto on Wednesday, but was much sharper against the Jets.

"I feel good," said Brodeur. "I felt right on it. I felt the puck real well, played the puck decent, also. There wasn’t a crazy amount of shots in the game like other games we’ll see, but I felt good. It’s a good start for me to get my first win of the year."

Elias and Zubrus teamed up on a 2-on-1 to give the Devils a 1-0 lead in the second. Elias collected a Zubrus feed and snapped it past Pavelec's glove at 4:08. His 341st career goal moved him within six of John MacLean for the franchise mark.

Henrique put the Devils on top by a pair when he buried his second of the season. He blocked a Kenndal McArdle shot then got the puck back from Parise for his first of the game at 12:59/

Mark Flood put the Jets on the board with his first NHL goal, a slapper through a screen from the left circle that made it 2-1 at 6:43. Slater tied it up with his fifth, but the Devils kept their composure and drew a hooking call on Evander Kane with 47.5 seconds left in regulation.

The Devils started overtime with 1:13 remaining on the power play, and though they didn't convert, the 4-on-3 allowed them to establish momentum in the extra session. DeBoer complimented his team's response to wasting the two-goal lead.

"It was our third game in four nights and we'd shortened the benches with a lot of guys playing some big minutes this week," DeBoer said. "They stuck with it. It would've been nice to win in regulation –  we probably deserved two points in regulation – but we got the two points and that's what matters."

Mark Fraser's spirited fight with Chris Thorburn was one of the highlights of the scoreless first. Fraser entered the lineup for Andy Greene, who missed his second straight game with a lower body injury.

Notes and quotes
The Devils' penalty kill remained perfect on home ice this season (24-for-24) after denying three Jets power plays. … This was the Devils' first meeting with the new Winnipeg Jets, who ended an 11-year run as the Atlanta Thrashers when they were relocated this past summer. … The auction of home jerseys featuring the KR-AV memorial patch ended Thursday, grossing $47,676.15. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the families of Karel Rachunek and Alexander Vasyunov, the former Devils who were killed in the Lokomotiv plane crash.