Dumoulin lifts Devils past Bruins in OT to stop 3-game slide

BOSTON -- Brian Dumoulin scored at 1:30 of overtime, and the New Jersey Devils ended a three-game losing streak with a 5-4 win against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Tuesday.

Dumoulin won it with a wrist shot from the inside edge of the left face-off circle off a drop pass by Dawson Mercer.

“It was huge, and what a goal,” Devils coach Sheldon Keefe said of the defenseman scoring. “He had the confidence to jump in first of all, and then to rip it. It was a great goal, great finish. It was a great moment for a guy like him. He does so many things well for us without the puck that maybe wouldn’t get noticed, even with the puck he makes so many subtle plays, so it’s great for him to have a moment like that.”

Timo Meier had a goal and two assists, and Mercer had a goal and an assist for the Devils (42-32-7), who already had secured the No. 3 seed in the Metropolitan Division for the Stanley Cup Playoffs and will face the Carolina Hurricanes, the No. 2 seed, in the Eastern Conference First Round. Nico Hischier and Luke Hughes each had two assists, and Jake Allen made 20 saves.

The Devils will play their regular-season finale against the Detroit Red Wings at home on Wednesday.

David Pastrnak had a goal and an assist, John Farinacci scored in his NHL debut, and Nikita Zadorov had two assists for the Bruins (33-39-10) in their season finale. Jeremy Swayman made 21 saves.

Boston failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

“It’s sad it’s over, obviously,” Pastrnak said. “That’s pretty much the only answer I can give you right now. It’s tough. We want to keep playing, I’ll leave it at that.”

Meier gave the Devils a 1-0 lead at 7:25 of the first period when his quick shot from the right circle beat Swayman to the far post.

Morgan Geekie tied it 1-1 at 8:43. Pastrnak made a cross-ice pass to Geekie, who was waiting at the top of the left circle for a one-timer that beat Allen to the short side.

The Bruins took a 2-1 lead on Pastrnak’s 43rd of the season at 29 seconds of the second period. After a give-and-go with Elias Lindholm at the offensive blue line, Pastrnak split two defenders and scored with a backhand.

Stefan Noesen tied it 2-2 on the power play at 4:07, shoveling the puck in from the crease after Swayman couldn’t cover it.

Simon Nemec gave the Devils a 3-2 lead 30 seconds later. His wrist shot from the high slot looked like it was going to sail over the net when Swayman attempted to play it with his blocker and it ricocheted into the net.

Mercer increased the lead to 4-2 when he scored on the power play at 13:37, redirecting Hischier’s centering pass at the top of the crease.

“I stayed back door, made myself get big and good things happen with an open cage you hope it goes in,” Mercer said.

Farinacci cut it to 4-3 at 16:53 by scoring on a rebound from the right circle.

“That was awesome,” the forward said. “That was a pinch-me moment for sure. I’m happy I could get one.”

Marat Khusnutdinov then tied it 4-4 at 5:08 of the third period. After Fabian Lysell won a race to the puck in the offensive zone, he fed Khusnutdinov for a one-timer from the slot.

Devils forward Ondrej Palat left the game after blocking two shots during a shift in the first period.

“Enough concern he wasn’t able to return, but it’s also reflective of the time of year,” Keefe said. “X-rays were negative, which in our case is positive, so we just have to monitor him. He won’t play (Wednesday).”

NOTES: Dumoulin scored first goal with New Jersey in 18 games since being acquired in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks on March 6. … Marc McLaughlin assisted on Nemec’s goal in his Devils debut. The forward, who was acquired in a trade with the Bruins on March 7, played his previous 26 NHL games for Boston. … Geekie extended his NHL career-high goal streak to six games, the longest by a Boston player since Brad Marchand (seven games, Feb. 2-13, 2016). … Pastrnak has his ninth career 10-game point streak, which ranks second in franchise history behind Phil Esposito (10). Pastrnak has 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) during the streak. He also became the first Bruins player with a six-game multipoint streak since the 1992-93 season (Ray Bourque and Joe Juneau). … Pastrnak also played all 82 games for the third consecutive season. … Bruins defenseman Frederic Brunet also made his NHL debut. He had two shots on goal in 14:23 of ice time.