New Jersey erased a second-period three-goal collapse to beat Ottawa 4β3 in overtime, ending a game defined by special-teams supremacy and the relentless centreline depth of Nico Hischier. The Devils surrendered territorial control for an entire period yet won because their penalty kill and power play functioned as the deciding structural advantage.
β‘TURNING POINT
Hischier's power-play goal 3:18 into overtime converted New Jersey's lone OT opportunity into the win, terminating Ottawa's chance to capitalize on a regulation momentum swing they never fully closed. The PP context was decisive: Ottawa had clawed back from 0β2 to tie, but surrendering a penalty in sudden death made their second-period effort irrelevant.
πWHY NJD WON
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Two shorthanded goals β Brown in P1 and Mercer in P3 β directly negated Ottawa's special-teams investment and generated a combined four-swing in expected goal differential from penalty-kill situations alone.
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Hischier produced 3 points on 5 shots across 22:40, including the tying goal in P3 and the OT winner, providing the offensive spine when possession metrics had shifted against New Jersey.
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Hughes' 2 assists and 25:32 of deployment ensured the power play had the quarterback it needed to close the game when Ottawa took the fatal OT penalty.
πWHY OTT LOST
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Ottawa's 1/3 power play failed to outweigh the damage from two goals surrendered shorthanded β a net negative swing on special teams that proved unsurvivable.
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Eleven giveaways against two for New Jersey created repeated transition exposures, particularly dangerous against a New Jersey group built for rush offense.
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Ottawa scored zero goals in P3 and OT despite regaining possession momentum in P2, meaning their comeback stalled exactly when it needed to accelerate.
Three Stars
Nico Hischier1st
NJD, C
2G 1A 3P5 shots on goal22:40 TOI1 PPG
His overtime power-play goal was the game's terminal action, and his P3 equalizer forced the extra period entirely.
Dawson Mercer2nd
NJD, C
1G 1A 2P5 shots on goal18:56 TOI
His shorthanded goal at 12:28 of P3 broke Ottawa's defensive structure at the worst possible moment and directly set up the OT sequence.
Fabian Zetterlund3rd
OTT, L
1G 0A 1P3 hits+116:44 TOI
His even-strength goal completed Ottawa's three-goal second-period burst and gave the Senators a lead they could not protect.
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New Jersey's penalty kill won this game twice in regulation and their power play won it once in overtime β Ottawa never solved the structural problem that beats teams before the final buzzer sounds.
Β·Momentum Shift
Ottawa generated 13 shots to New Jersey's 5 in the second period, a dominant territorial shift that produced all three of their goals and flipped a 0β2 deficit into a 3β2 lead. New Jersey's tactical response was to tighten structure rather than chase the game, surrendering the shot share while their shorthanded unit absorbed and countered, ultimately neutralizing the period's territorial advantage by the final horn.
