Paul Cotter scored with seven seconds remaining in overtime to give the New Jersey Devils a 4-3 win over the Boston Bruins on Monday in Newark, N.J.
Three seconds before Cotter’s tally, Boston’s Charlie McAvoy fired a shot that deflected off both goalie Jacob Markstrom and the goalpost. The Devils quickly moved the puck back up ice after the near-miss, resulting in a breakaway for Cotter and his first career overtime winner.
Cotter scored another goal in regulation, while Jack Hughes had three assists for New Jersey and surpassed the 400-point career milestone. Connor Brown had a goal and an assist, and Jesper Bratt also scored for the Devils.
Markstrom stopped 19 of 22 shots to earn his 20th win in 38 games this season.
The Devils are 6-2-0 in their last eight games, but still 11 points behind the Bruins for the final Eastern Conference wild-card slot.
Boston is 5-3-4 in its last 12 games, without any back-to-back wins in that inconsistent stretch.
David Pastrnak had two goals and Pavel Zacha also tallied for the Bruins. Goalie Joonas Korpisalo stopped 30 of 34 shots.
Boston opened the scoring 4:02 into the first period, when Pastrnak capitalized on a deflection in front of the net and slid the loose puck through Markstrom’s legs. Zacha added another goal at the 14:29 mark, taking the pass on a 2-on-1 rush with Viktor Arvidsson.
After the tough start, New Jersey bounced back with two goals and a 17-8 shots advantage in the second period. Hughes’ pass found Brown for a partial breakaway just 32 seconds into the period, and Bratt’s one-timer finished off a tic-tac-toe passing play at the 8:08 mark.
Cotter’s marker 2:50 into the third period briefly gave New Jersey its first lead of the game. Just under two minutes later, Pastrnak equalized on a highlight-reel goal, moving in front of the net and scoring on a backhand shot.
The Bruins were 0-for-3 on the power play while the Devils were 0-for-2. Almost all of the power-play time took place during a penalty-filled third period, but neither team could strike late with the extra attacker. The Devils were assessed six penalties in the period and the Bruins were whistled for four.
