Another year, gone. The 2025-26 NHL season did not go as planned for the New Jersey Devils. After a playoff appearance last year, this season started strong and then went off the rails and never got back on track. 

Sunday night, at Prudential Center, the Devils hosted the playoff-bound Ottawa Senators in their final home game of the season (and penultimate contest of the campaign). The score, a 4-3 comeback, overtime victory over the Senators, who rested several players, held little meaning outside of giving the fans one last home triumph. After all, the game was a chance for New Jersey to salute their faithful by celebrating Jersey Appreciation Night and donning their “Jersey” jerseys one final time before it gets replaced next year. And Captain Nico Hischier led the way with a three-point night, including the game-winning goal 3:18 into overtime, with the Devils on the power-play.

“I mean, obviously, it didn’t matter that game, but it matters, if that makes sense,” Hischier said. “It was very important for us to finish strong this season. We’re obviously not happy where we’re at. We came up way short and yeah, just give something back here, (at) The Rock, one last time to our fans. That’s the least we can do. So, yeah, was a good win.”

Nico Daws started for the Devils in net and stopped 27 of the 30 shots sent his way. At the other end of the ice, James Reimer started for Ottawa and turned aside 26 of the 30 shots he faced. 

“I say it every time up here,” Daws said. “But you never know when you’re gonna get called up next and when your next start’s gonna be. So you gotta cherish it and go out and work as hard as you can. And like I said, winning games is a lot of fun.”

Before the game, Head Coach Sheldon Keefe was asked for his message to the New Jersey fans. 

“The message is to know that we’re not content with much of our season,” Keefe said. “That goes without saying. There’s a lot of commitment within the locker room from the players to coaches to management to get it right and ownership as well. We’re not happy with anything that’s occurred this season that’s put us in this position. We don’t take for granted any day. I don’t take for granted my position to coach in The NHL. I’m committed to doing what I can to get it right here.”

New Jersey’s players went out and showed that commitment by coming back from a 3-2 deficit to tie the game 3-3 at 12:28 of the third period. With the Devils on the penalty-kill, courtesy of a Jack Hughes interference penalty against Michael Amadio, Hischier sprung Dawson Mercer for a shorthanded breakaway and the latter sent a backhander past Reimer to even the score.

The Devils displayed a strong forecheck early in the game. Hischier made that hard work pay off 5:12 into the game when he banged home the loose puck, in front of Reimer’s exposed net to give New Jersey a 1-0 lead. 

Mercer appeared to give the Devils a 2-0 lead just over 11 minutes into the first period, but the goal was taken down after Ottawa successfully challenged the play for being offside. 

Lenni Hameenaho was assessed a four-minute double-minor for high-sticking Shane Pinto at 13:11 of the opening period. Then, 1:40 into New Jersey’s penalty-kill, Jack Hughes sprung Connor Brown for a short-handed breakaway. Brown slid the puck through Reimer to give the Devils a 2-0 lead. 

Jordan Spence was called for tripping Jonathan Kovacevic 3:20 into the second period, but New Jersey only managed a single shot on goal and nothing else during their man-advantage. Then, 2:22 after New Jersey’s power-play expired, Michael Amadio got the Senators on board with a goal that was assisted by Artem Zub.

Hameenaho again got into penalty trouble at 9:02 of the middle period when he was penalized for hooking Dylan Cozens. Unfortunately for New Jersey, this time the Devils were unable to kill off the penalty as Pinto fired a blast from the left face-off circle that beat Daws to tie the game 2-2 at 10:25 of the second period. 

Fabian Zetterlund, who was one of the pieces the Devils traded away for Timo Meier in February of 2023, deked Daws out of position at 14:14 of the middle period and scored to give the Senators a 3-2 lead. 

New Jersey had two power-play opportunities in the third period, prior to Mercer’s game-tying shorty, but was unable to convert on either chance. 

With neither team scoring after Mercer’s heroics, the game went into overtime. At 1:48 of the extra period, Drake Batherson was called for slashing Jesper Bratt, thus giving the Devils their fourth power-play of the game. And this time, the Garden Staters managed to break through when Hischier scored the game-winning goal 1:30 into the power-play. 

Defenseman Topias Vilen made his NHL Debut for the Devils, seeing 12:28 of ice time, including 17 seconds on the penalty-kill. “I was excited for the whole day,” Vilen said. “Like, just to be around the guys and get a little skate in the morning, it was just a fun experience for sure.”

“I think it’s more important what it means to the fans,” Keefe said after the game. “Loved how the players responded. I loved how the fans responded. I mean, that was an incredible performance by our fans tonight. Given where we’re at and how the season has gone, for them to be as engaged as they were in the game here today, I think that helped get our guys to another level and thrilled, of course, that the players delivered for them. 

“The fans’ passion, in that third period, shows just how and why this is so important. So, as much as I’m thrilled for how it worked out today, I’m more so disappointed in where we’re at and how we are not gonna have more home games here, in this building, in the playoffs.”