On Monday, March 16, the New Jersey Devils hosted the Boston Bruins for their second matchup of the season. The Bruins already had one win under their belt in the season series, after a 4-1 win on Dec. 6.
The game started off in the Bruins’ favor, as they were up by two goals after 20 minutes. Halfway through the second period, the Devils tied the game. The Devils had their first lead of the night just two minutes into the third period, but two minutes later, the Bruins tied it again. This game went into overtime to decide the winner, and in the final seconds of OT, the Devils brought home a 4-3 win.
Cotter the OT Hero
Paul Cotter scored the goal in the third period to give the Devils their first lead of the game, and although the lead was short-lived, he made up for it in overtime. Charlie McAvoy took a shot, and Jacob Markstrom made the save. Dougie Hamilton picked up the rebound and passed it to Jack Hughes in the neutral zone. He fell down but still had enough momentum to send the puck into the Devils’ zone, where Cotter picked it up. On a breakaway, Cotter skated up to the net and sent it past Joonas Korpisalo for his first overtime game-winning goal.
These goals marked Cotter’s seventh and eighth of the season. This was also his first multi-goal game of the season. He has a total of 13 points, with the majority of them stemming from goals. Cotter has been a solid member of the bottom six, often eating away at minutes for the top six to rest, and finding scoring chances when the opportunity arises.
Cotter is in the final year of a three-year contract with the Devils. His performance in this game might have just kept him in New Jersey a little longer.
Jack Hughes Makes Devils History
With his assist on Connor Brown’s goal, Jack Hughes made history as the fastest player to record 400 points with the team. He reached this milestone in just 414 games.
Hughes wasn’t done recording milestones in this game, though. He recorded an assist on Jesper Bratt’s goal, and this marked his 50th point of the season. He also recorded the primary assist on Cotter’s OT goal, giving him 51 points. This is now his fifth straight season with 50 or more points.
Hughes missed 21 games this season due to an upper-body injury, and then the need for surgery on his finger. Of course, you never want to see a player injured, but the way Hughes has come back from his injury has been incredible, especially after his performance in the Olympics. Hughes should have a lot of pride in all he has done with the Devils.
Devils Kept Special Teams Strong
The back half of the third period was filled with penalties for both sides, with the Devils giving Boston four extra-player opportunities, including a 5-on-3 chance. However, New Jersey successfully killed off all of the penalties, denying the Bruins a chance to score on the extra-man advantage.
When it comes to the penalty kill, the Devils are in the middle of the pack with a 79.8% success rate. It was keeping these special teams strong that allowed the Devils to force overtime to try and pick up the two points. While they are nowhere near a playoff spot anymore, it’s sure nice for the Devils to win regardless.
Devils Hit the Road
The Devils will begin their five-game road trip on Wednesday, March 18, when they take on the New York Rangers.
The Devils will play their final game of the season against the Bruins on April 14 to close out the season series.
