Senators defeat Devils backed by solid performance from Murray | CBC Sports

Matt Murray stopped 32 shots as the Ottawa Senators beat the New Jersey Devils 4-1 Monday night.

Nick Paul, Nick Holden, Adam Gaudette and Connor Brown scored for the Senators (15-22-4), who will be back in action Tuesday night as they host the Carolina Hurricanes.

Monday’s game was also the first of a four-game homestand with the Senators still restricted to 500 fans in the Canadian Tire Centre.

The Devils (15-26-5) losing streak now stretches to seven games.

Nico Hischier scored New Jersey’s lone goal as Nico Daws made 20 saves in the losing effort.

Monday’s game marked the return of Brown, Dylan Gambrell and Nikita Zaitsev, who had all been sidelined by injury, while the Devils were without Jack Hughes as he was placed in COVID-19 protocol following his participation at the NHL All-Star game.

Brown, who is playing with a broken jaw, returned after missing ten games and scored midway through the third to make it 4-1.

The Devils had ten shots in the third, but just couldn’t find a way to beat Murray.

With the game tied 1-1 the Devils got off to a solid start in the second, but couldn’t find a way past the Senators’ netminder.

The Senators took a two-goal lead, scoring twice in a span of nine seconds late in the period to take control.

Nick Holden gave the Senators the lead as he beat Daws through traffic and seconds later Gaudette skated in off the faceoff and fired the puck shot blocker side to make it 3-1.

The game got off to a slow start, but it was the Devils who opened the scoring at the 11-minute mark with a power-play goal as Hischler deflected a Jesper Bratt shot.

Paul tied things up five minutes later as he took a feed in front and paused a moment to settle the puck, which seemed to throw Daws off.

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