Brian Boyle scored one of the most meaningful goals of his career to help the Devils beat the Canucks 3-2 on Friday night.
The Devils were marking “Hockey Fights Cancer Night,” a battle especially meaningful to Boyle, who was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia during training camp and missed the first 10 games of the season while undergoing treatment.
“It’s part of a club you don’t necessarily want to be in,” Boyle said of his fellow cancer survivors who attended the game. “I’m doing really well. I feel great. The support from everybody here, all you guys [gesturing to the fans], unbelievable.”
The Prudential Center erupted with cheers when Boyle, set up by a beautiful drop pass from Will Butcher, scored at 10:17 of the second period to snap a 1-1 tie.
The Devils donned lavender jerseys with “Boyle Strong 11” patches for the warmup skate. Boyle took part in the ceremonial faceoff, where he was joined by his family.
Taylor Hall got the second assist as part of his big night.
“[Boyle] has a flair for the dramatic. It gives you chills,” said Hall, who sparked the Devils with a goal and two assists. “I can’t imagine what it’s like being him, what he’s been through, what his family’s been through. To come back, play well for us and score on ‘Hockey Fights Cancer Night,’ it’s awesome to see and puts a lot of things in perspective for us as hockey players.”
Damon Severson also scored for the Devils and Cory Schneider made 23 saves to improve to 6-1-2 against the team that made him a first-round draft pick in 2004.
The win gave the Devils a sweep of the two-game season series, having beaten the Canucks 2-0 in Vancouver on Nov. 1.
Daniel Sedin and Bo Horvat scored for Vancouver, one of the NHL’s top road teams. The loss ended the Canucks’ three-game road winning streak, including victories in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh to start their current six-game trip that continues at the Rangers on Sunday and at the Islanders on Tuesday.
Hall opened the scoring at 2:15 of the second period, ripping a shot from the bottom of the left circle over Jacob Markstrom’s shoulder.