David Pastrnak scored twice and extended his point streak, but Paul Cotter’s breakaway tally with seven seconds remaining in overtime gave the New Jersey Devils a 4-3 victory over the Boston Bruins at Prudential Center in Newark, N. J.
Cotter’s Late Breakaway Seals Game
Paul Cotter finished off the game on a breakaway in overtime, scoring his second goal of the night with seven seconds left to lift the Devils. Jack Hughes set up the play with a pass through the neutral zone to Cotter, who notched his first NHL overtime-winning goal.
“We were kind of hemmed in and there was a little craziness going on and I remember right when the puck was up, I took a peek at the clock and knew it was winding down, ” Cotter said. “I looked at Dougie (Hamilton) and he yelled to keep going so I tried to do something quick and happy it went in. “
New Jersey went 5-2-0 on a team-record seven-game homestand. Jacob Markstrom made 20 saves in net for the Devils, who improved to 34-31-2. Connor Brown added a goal and an assist, and the Bratt–Hughes–Brown line combined for six points and nine shots on goal.
David Pastrnak’s Two-Goal Night And Extended Streak
David Pastrnak opened the scoring by slipping in a rebound from the slot at 4: 02 of the first period and later finished with two goals for Boston, extending his point streak to six games. During that run he has compiled nine points (four goals, five assists).
After the Devils took a 3-2 lead early in the third period, Pastrnak answered 1: 42 later to pull Boston even at 3-3. He described the team’s struggles in the second period and the cost of mistakes against a talented opponent: “You make mistakes against a talented team like that, you’re going to defend the whole period. We talked about it before the second period and that’s what hurts even more. We should be mature enough to know that it’s coming and we didn’t. “
The Bruins were 37-23-7 after the game and held the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, sitting one point behind Detroit and two points ahead of Columbus for playoff positioning.
Hughes Milestone, Line Play And What Comes Next
Jack Hughes had three assists and became the fastest player in Devils history to reach 400 career points, hitting 402 (158 goals, 244 assists) in 414 games; the previous mark was 429 games. His playmaking was central to New Jersey’s attack, setting up Connor Brown’s breakaway goal late in the second and assisting on Jesper Bratt’s tally earlier in the game.
Devils coach praised Cotter’s confidence and the depth scoring that showed up during the homestand. Brown highlighted the team’s forecheck and line speed as factors that tilted the ice in New Jersey’s favor.
Boston goaltender Joonas Korpisalo made 30 saves in the game. With the regular season winding down, the teams turn their attention to upcoming matchups: the Bruins visit an Atlantic Division rival on Tuesday night, while the Devils begin a five-game road swing on Wednesday night at the New York Rangers.
