Jack Hughes continued his strong post-Olympic form with three assists, and the New Jersey Devils defeated the Boston Bruins 4-3 in overtime on Monday night, dealing a blow to Boston’s playoff hopes.
Hughes played a key role throughout the game, setting up Connor Brown’s goal to become the fastest player in franchise history to reach 400 career points. He also assisted on Jesper Bratt’s tally and later helped set up Paul Cotter’s game-winning goal with just 6.2 seconds remaining in 3-on-3 overtime. Hughes now has 402 career points in 414 games and has totaled 12 points in 10 games since returning from the Olympics.
Cotter also scored earlier in the third period to give New Jersey a 3-2 lead, but Boston responded quickly as David Pastrnak tied the game less than two minutes later.
Pastrnak scored twice for the Bruins, including a highlight-reel goal that evened the score at 3-3. Pavel Zacha also found the net against his former team. However, Boston squandered a two-goal lead and missed an opportunity to secure consecutive wins for the first time since late January.
Joonas Korpisalo made 30 saves but allowed four goals, while Boston continued its inconsistent run since the Olympic break.
With 15 games remaining, the Bruins are holding onto the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with 81 points. They sit just two points ahead of Columbus and four clear of Ottawa after Detroit moved ahead in the standings with a win Monday.
Jacob Markstrom made 19 saves for New Jersey in a game that featured 10 total penalties, including two fights in the final stages of regulation.
Up Next
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Bruins: Visit Montreal on Tuesday night.
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Devils: Begin a five-game road trip Wednesday against the New York Rangers.
