OTTAWA, Ontario — Jacob Markstrom stopped 30 shots and lost his shutout bid in the final minutes as the New Jersey Devils beat the Ottawa Senators 3-1 on Thursday night.
Erik Haula, Nathan Bastian and Paul Cotter scored for the Devils, who won for the third time in four games and improved to 5-2-0.
The Senators, who were coming off an 8-7 overtime victory against Los Angeles on Monday, struggled to beat Markstrom.
Brady Tkachuk was the only scorer for the Senators, beating Markstrom, with a power-play goal with 65 seconds remaining in the third period.
Anton Forsberg, making his second straight start and hoping to rebound after getting pulled Monday, made 32 saves in the loss.
Haula opened the scoring early in the second period and Bastian added a short-handed goal, giving New Jersey a 2-0 lead after 40 minutes. Cotter scored midway through the third.
Senators: With Artem Zub sidelined with a concussion, the Senators relied heavily on Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot, who led the team in ice time.
Devils: After taking the lead in the second period, New Jersey’s defense tightened up and limited Ottawa’s opportunities.
With the Devils short-handed in the second period, a Claude Giroux giveaway in the Devils’ end allowed Nathan Bastian to break in and beat Forsberg on the short side for his first goal of the season.
Tkachuk’s goal in the third period extended his point streak to five games, with three goals and three assists.
The Senators host the Tampa Bay Lightning, and New Jersey hosts the Washington Capitals, both on Saturday.
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