NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Josh Norris scored the decisive goal in a shootout to lift the Ottawa Senators over the New Jersey Devils 3-2 on Monday night, extending the Senators’ winning streak to three games.
“I did my best and it was lucky enough to go in,” said Norris, who leads the Senators with 10 goals this season. ”We’re having fun. We hope to keep this going.”
Ottawa’s Tim Stutzle and New Jersey’s Tomas Tatar also scored in the shootout.
Drake Batherson and Brady Tkachuk scored for the Senators. Anton Forsberg made 22 saves in regulation and overtime for Ottawa, and stopped Andreas Johnsson in the shootout to secure the win.
Ottawa had beaten Carolina and Colorado heading into Monday’s game.
“We’re playing good hockey. We kept it close right to the end,” said Batherson, who leads the Senators with 20 points skating on a line with Norris and Thachuk. “Getting three wins in a row helps our confidence.”
The Devils lost their fourth straight in a game that was a makeup for a Nov. 16 one postponed because of the Senators’ COVID-19 outbreak. Damon Severson and Nathan Bastian scored for the Devils, and Mackenzie Blackwood made 21 saves.
Severson’s goal put the home team ahead just 35 seconds into the game when his shot through traffic from the right point found its way past Forsberg. It was Severson’s third goal of the season, with assists going to Jonas Siegenthaler and Jesper Bratt.
Batherson tied the game with his eighth of the season at 7:15 of the second with assists to Thomas Chabot and Tkachuk. But Bastian — on his 24th birthday — answered for the Devils just over a minute later at 8:20 to restore the lead with his third goal of the season and his second since rejoining the Devils on waivers from Seattle on Nov. 25. P.K. Subban and Ty Smith assisted.
“It’s nice to be back with the guys and see my best friends at the rink every day,” said Bastian, a second-round pick by the Devils in 2016. “I feel more urgency now. I’d like to do everything I can to prove I belong in the league.”
Tkachuk then tied the contest at 12:42 with his eighth of the season.
New Jersey was hosting the Senators for the first time since Nov. 13, 2019, when the Devils lost 4-2 at Prudential Center.
“There were a lot of parts of our game that I liked. Our defensive game was good,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. ”It’s probably a game we have to win 2-1. You have to give them credit. They did a real good job.”
New Jersey fell to 6-4-3 at home, while Ottawa improved to 3-7-1 on the road this season.