Tuesday evening the Ottawa Senators hosted the New Jersey Devils at the Canadian Tire Centre, marking the first game of the season between the two teams. The Devils tried to get back in the win column after a five-game losing streak, while the Senators dropped their second straight game to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday. The final result was a hard-fought match 4-3 victory for the Devils.
Summary of the game
The Devils went to the penalty kill seconds into the game after Stefan Noesen was called for high-sticking. Just 1:36 into the opening period, the Senators took a 1-0 lead thanks to a power-play goal from Drake Batherson. Shortly afterwards, Nikolas Matinpalo was sent to the penalty area 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 pass from Connor Brown. Batherson almost scored his second goal of the night, but that was the case reversed for a kicking motion after video review, leaving the score 1-1.
The Senators earned their second power play goal of the night after Brenden Dillon was assessed a tripping penalty. Tim Stützle scored on the man advantage, making it 2-1 in 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 rose at the start of the second, with Angus Crookshank and Tyler Kleven both receiving minor two-minute penalties 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 midway 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 tied 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 road win. Markstrom posted a .921 save percentage (SV%), while Ullmark stopped 28 of 32 shots.
Looking ahead
Both teams will be back in action on Thursday evening. The Devils open a three-game homestand by taking on the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Prudential Center, while the Senators open a three-game road trip against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
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