NEWARK, N.J. — Nathan Horton and Gregory Campbell scored in a 35-second span in a four-goal third period that carried the Boston Bruins to a 4-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night.
Defenseman Andrew Ference tied it at 3:01 of the period and Horton and Campbell put the Bruins ahead for good as they beat New Jersey for the third time in three games this season. Chris Kelly added an empty-net goal in the final minute.
Tim Thomas made 30 saves as Boston snapped the Devils’ three-game winning streak with the three-goal outburst in the 4:44 span.
Petr Sykora scored for the Devils, who limited the defending Stanley Cup champions to 12 shots against Martin Brodeur in the opening 40 minutes at the Prudential Center.
The final 20 were dominated by the Bruins, and when things broke down Thomas was there to protect the lead.
Ference tied it with his third goal of the season. Shawn Thornton made a cross-ice pass to the left point and Ference blistered a shot high into the top corner of the net that Brodeur never had a chance to stop.
Brodeur, who was looking for his first shutout of the season, didn’t have a chance on either Horton’s 17th goal of the season or Campbell’s fifth.
With the Bruins putting sustained pressure on Brodeur during a power play, David Krejci slide a puck from the left circle in front of the net and Horton redirected it past Brodeur. For a split second it appeared that the puck might have hit off the skate of defenseman Matt Taormina.
It was more confusing when it was announced that Milan Lucic, who was standing at the side of the net, was awarded the goal, but eventually Horton got credit.
Before the debate was over, Campbell had made the score 3-1. Brodeur made a save on a shot by Thornton and Campbell deposited the rebound into an open net.
Sykora gave the Devils the lead with 1:31 left in the first period with a goal off a faceoff. Patrik Elias won the draw and Dainius Zubrus outhustled Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg to the puck and slid a pass out front to Sykora for a point-blank shot.
Both teams had pucks clang off the goalposts. Steven Zalewski hit the right goalpost with 8:42 left in the second period and Benoit Pouliot hit the post on the other end less than a minute later.
Devils defenseman Mark Fayne hit a goalpost 1:10 into the third period and then the Bruins grabbed control.
NOTES: Bruins C Patrice Bergeron played in his 500th NHL game. … Boston D Johnny Boychuk celebrated his 28th birthday. … Sykora has scored in consecutive games after going eight games without a goal. … Devils D Henrik Tallinder will be sidelined six to eight weeks because of a blood clot in his left leg. … The Bruins had 13 shots in the third period … The four goals gave Boston 19,000 as a franchise.