In Newark, Jean-Gabriel Pageau struck for two goals late in the third period to complete his first NHL hat trick (regular season) as the Ottawa Senators defeated the New Jersey Devils, 4-2, on Thursday night.
Craig Anderson made 21 saves in the win.
“That Pageau line (with Nick Paul and Connor Brown) was flying tonight,” Anderson said. “They gave us offensive support, and they’re solid with the puck in our defensive zone, which created those offensive chances.”
Pageau has eight goals in the last six games.
“I thought we were really patient,” Pageau said. “I don’t think we started the way we wanted, but as the game went on, I think the momentum started changing when we kept putting pucks behind their defense and kept working. I think we wore them out in the end and were the better team by the end, and that’s why we won.”
Wayne Simmonds and Will Butcher scored for the Devils who dropped to 5-8-4.
New Jersey gave up three goals in the third period after controlling much of the game into the final frame.
“I thought we did a pretty good job of managing the puck,” Devils captain Andy Greene said. “It was just two plays in the third, and those are things we should’ve learned by now.”
Mark Borowiecki also scored for the Senators.
“We want to be known as a team that’s going to play hard every night, and if we stay patient enough and stay in the game we’re going to get our opportunities to score,” Ottawa coach D.J. Smith said. “We don’t score a lot of goals, but we’ve got to hold you to nothing. I didn’t like our first period, thought we gave up too much, but after that I thought we locked it down pretty good.”
[WATCH: All Senators vs. Devils highlights]
Mackenzie Blackwood made 21 saves in the loss.
“[This is] inconsistency in our complete game as a group,” Blackwood said. “It’s not one person, it’s everyone. We do a lot of great things, we have a lot of great players do a lot of great things, but we just made a couple of mistakes and they came back to bite us. Every team in this league is good, and on every given night you are hard challenged. We just have to come back and be better.”
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