Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored the tiebreaking goal with 2:01 remaining and recorded his first regular-season hat trick as the Ottawa Senators rallied to defeat the host New Jersey Devils 4-2 on Wednesday night.
Pageau recorded his fifth career two-goal game in the regular season (he has a pair of playoff hat tricks) and helped the Senators rebound from an ugly 8-2 loss at Carolina on Monday. The Senators picked up their second road win of the season thanks to Pageau being in the right place at the right time, with the clutch goal helping Ottawa improve to 1-7-1 when trailing after two periods
Nick Paul, whom Devils goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood made consecutive point-blank saves on a little more than two minutes earlier, took the initial shot and it hit the right post. Pageau got past forward Jesper Bratt and defenseman P.K. Subban and tapped the rebound into the vacated net before Blackwood could get back into position to attempt the save.
Pageau scored Ottawa's first goal in the opening period and added an empty-net goal with 26 seconds left in regulation.
Mark Borowiecki scored the tying goal with 6 1/2 minutes left when he snapped a shot from the right circle through traffic and over Blackwood's left shoulder.
Wayne Simmonds and Will Butcher scored in the first period for the Devils, who are 3-2-2 when carrying a lead into the third period.
Ottawa goaltender Craig Anderson made 21 saves, including a sprawling pad stop on a breakaway by Taylor Hall with 11:49 remaining in the third.
Blackwood also finished with 21 saves.
The Devils used their defense to set up their opening goal.
Nico Hischier blocked a shot by Thomas Chabot and Miles Wood gathered the loose puck. Wood made a lead pass to Simmonds, who faked a shot, switched from his backhand to forehand, and lifted it over Anderson's glove 4:19 into the first period.
Ottawa tied it more than 10 minutes later when Connor Brown chipped the puck out of the right corner to Pageau at the goal line. Pageau then scored by finding just enough room to bank the puck from a sharp angle over Blackwood.
The Devils regained the lead with 2:08 remaining in the first when Anderson could not control the rebound of Nikita Gusev's shot. The puck caromed to Butcher in the left faceoff circle and he put a wrist shot over Anderson's stick and right shoulder.
--Field Level Media
Ottawa | New Jersey | |
Jean-Gabriel Pageau 3 | Points | Will Butcher 1 |
Jean-Gabriel Pageau 3 | Goals | Will Butcher 1 |
Connor Brown 2 | Assists | Blake Coleman 1 |
N/A | Power Play Goals | N/A |
N/A | Short Handed Goals | N/A |
Craig Anderson .913 | Save Percentage | Mackenzie Blackwood .875 |
Craig Anderson 21 | Saves | Mackenzie Blackwood 21 |
Team | Shots | Goals | Power Play | Penalty Kill | Penalty Mins | Face Offs Won |
Ottawa | 25 | 4 | 0-1 | 3-3 | 6 | 33 |
New Jersey | 23 | 2 | 0-3 | 1-1 | 2 | 22 |