Jacob Markstrom made 30 saves and narrowly missed out on a shutout as the New Jersey Devils secured a 3-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.
Erik Haula, Nathan Bastian, and Paul Cotter scored for the Devils, who have now won three of their last four games and improved to a 5-2-0 record.
The Senators, coming off a high-scoring 8-7 overtime win against the Los Angeles Kings, found it difficult to crack Markstrom’s defense until the closing moments. Brady Tkachuk was the only Ottawa player to score, netting a power-play goal with just 65 seconds remaining in the third period.
Anton Forsberg, making his second consecutive start after being pulled in the previous game, recorded 32 saves for Ottawa in the loss.
Haula put New Jersey on the board early in the second period, followed by Bastian’s shorthanded goal to give the Devils a 2-0 lead after two periods. Cotter added a third goal midway through the final period before Tkachuk finally broke through late for Ottawa.
Takeaways
Senators: With defenseman Artem Zub sidelined due to a concussion, Ottawa leaned on Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot, who led the team in ice time.
Devils: Once New Jersey took the lead in the second period, they played disciplined defense, limiting Ottawa’s scoring opportunities and making it tough for the Senators to mount a comeback.
Key Moment
A crucial play came in the second period when Nathan Bastian capitalized on a Claude Giroux turnover during an Ottawa power play, scoring a shorthanded goal to extend New Jersey’s lead to 2-0.
Key Stat
Brady Tkachuk’s late goal extended his point streak to five games, tallying three goals and three assists during that span.
Up Next
The Senators will face the Tampa Bay Lightning home on Saturday, while the Devils return to New Jersey to host the Washington Capitals the same day.
