Hughes scores in OT, sends Devils past Senators 4-3

Jack Hughes scored 54 seconds into overtime and the New Jersey Devils beat the Ottawa Senators 4-3 on Sunday night.

Kyle Palmari passed to Hughes near centre ice. Hughes broke loose with the puck on his backhand. He switched to the forehand and flipped the puck over Ottawa goalie Craig Anderson for his sixth of the season.

Nico Hischier and Nikita Gusev had power-play goals for the Devils (13-19-6) and Miles Wood also scored.

Thomas Chabot, who had left the bench for a few minutes after taking a shot off his right hand, scored on a long shot from the point at 15:02 of the third to send the game to overtime for Ottawa (16-18-5).

Nick Paul and Artem Anisimov also scored second-period goals for the Senators.

Mackenzie Blackwood made 21 saves New Jersey. Anderson stopped 30 shots.

Hischier opened the scoring for the Devils, tipping home a shot by Sami Vatanen from the point at 8:58 of the first period. It was his eighth goal of the season.

The Hischier goal came during a chippy 20 minutes, as both teams were in action after long layoffs for the Christmas break. A total of 32 penalty minutes were doled out in the first period.

Paul tied it up 1-1 midway through the second period with a wrist shot that squeaked by Blackwood's blocker. Anthony Duclair and Cody Goloubef assisted on the goal. The assist gave Duclair his team-leading 31st point. It was Goloubef's first.

Anisimov put the Senators ahead 2-1 at 13:28 of the second, tapping the puck out of mid-air off the post, and Blackwood knocked it into his own net with his skate. It was Anisimov's seventh of the season.

With a two-man advantage, Gusev tied the game at 2-all, scoring through Anderson's legs.

Wood put the Devils up 3-2 heading into the final period. He scored after a long pass from Wayne Simmonds sprung him on a partial break.

Scott Sabourin made his return for Ottawa in the loss after suffering a broken nose and the first recorded concussion of his career on Nov. 2 but was a non-factor.