On Tuesday evening, the Ottawa Senators hosted the New Jersey Devils at the Canadian Tire Centre, marking the first matchup of the season between the two teams. The Devils were looking to get back in the win column after a five-game losing skid, while the Senators dropped their second game in a row against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday. The final result was a hard-fought 4-3 victory for the Devils.
Game Recap
The Devils went to the penalty kill seconds after the game began, after Stefan Noesen was called for high-sticking. Just 1:36 into the opening period, the Senators took a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal from Drake Batherson. Soon after, Nikolas Matinpalo was sent to the box for a delay-of-game penalty, but the Devils were unable to capitalize on the man advantage.
Less than four minutes later, Simon Nemec scored the equalizer for the Devils on a feed from Connor Brown. Batherson nearly had his second goal of the night, but it was overturned for a kicking motion after video review, leaving the score 1-1.
The Senators earned their second power-play goal of the evening after Brenden Dillon received a tripping penalty. Tim Stützle scored on the man advantage, making it 2-1 Ottawa. But once again, the Devils tied the game. Arseny Gritsyuk found the back of the net with two minutes left in the first period.
Tensions were heightened to start the second, with Angus Crookshank and Tyler Kleven both receiving two-minute minors for roughing. In the resulting 4-on-4, the Devils gained their first lead of the night after Paul Cotter fired the puck past Linus Ullmark. But halfway through the second period, Nico Hischier was called for a slash, and the Senators tied the game on Batherson’s second goal of the night. After 40 minutes of play, the score was deadlocked at three, with shots 23-20 in favor of the Devils.
In the third period, Brady Tkachuk earned a penalty for goaltender interference after crashing into Jacob Markstrom’s net. After a mostly quiet start to the third, the Devils regained the lead 12:24 into the period. Cody Glass earned his fifth goal of the season, and Brown’s assist marked his third point of the night.
The Devils ended their losing skid with a 4-3 win on the road. Markstrom put up a .921 save percentage (SV%), while Ullmark stopped 28 out of 32 shots faced.
Looking Ahead
Both teams will be back in action on Thursday night. The Devils will open a three-game homestand by facing the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Prudential Center, while the Senators will kick off a three-game road trip against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
