3 most impressive players from the Ottawa Senators 2-1 win over the New Jersey Devils feat. Zack Ostapchuk

The Ottawa Senators won an afternoon affair on Sunday in New Jersey with a 2-1 score over the Devils at the Prudential Center. Ottawa improves to 24-18-4 (52 points), while the Devils drop to 26-17-6 (58 points).

Both teams were in the second half of a back-to-back weekend set of games. Ottawa has now earned points in six straight games, going 5-0-1 in the process. They remain a part of the logjam that is the race for the Eastern Conference wild-card spots.

Despite being outshot 8-0 in the first half of the opening frame, Anton Forsberg bailed the Sens out and kept things scoreless. The Senators were lucky to escape tied 0-0 after a first period of play that saw them get outshot 16-2.

NHL: Anton Forsberg save on Jack Hughes - Source: Imagn

The first 13 minutes of the second period came and went without much happening. That was until Zach Ostapchuk scored his first career NHL goal, giving the Senators a 1-0 lead. However, just over a minute later, Tomas Tatar elevated a backhand past Anton Forsberg to tie the game. 1-1 is where we stood heading into the second intermission.

The Senators received a pleasant surprise 2:50 into the third as defenseman Artem Zub wristed home a point shot for just his second goal of the season, 2-1 Ottawa. New Jersey was unable to generate any offense throughout the third period as the Senators smothered their top players. Ottawa held on for another massive win, 2-1 over the Devils.

Ottawa will make the quick trip from New Jersey to the Big Apple where they'll take on the New York Rangers on Tuesday night. The puck drops at 7 p.m. EST at Madison Square Garden.

Let's dive into the three most impressive player performances from the Sens' 2-1 win on Sunday against the Devils.

3 most impressive players from the Ottawa Senators 2-1 win over the New Jersey Devils

#1. Zack Ostapchuk

Zack Ostapchuk had an afternoon to remember. The 21-year-old scored his first career goal in the NHL on a turnaround wrister that squeezed through Jacob Markstrom. He had a +1 rating and laid three hits in just 7:14 of ice time.

Ostapchuk has been a mainstay in Ottawa's bottom six for the last month because of his physical style of play. Offensive production is just the cherry on top.

#2. Anton Forsberg

In what's been a disappointing 2024-25 campaign, Anton Forsberg stepped up in a big way on Sunday afternoon. The Sens netminder stopped 25 of 26 shots, improving his record to 5-8-1 on the season. He bailed his team out with a 16-save first period that was dominated by the Devils.

His strong play in New Jersey could earn him a bit more time in the net moving forward. However, that could change when Linus Ullmark returns from the back injury that's sidelined him for several weeks.

#3. Shane Pinto

The New York native had a huge impact on the Senators' win. Shane Pinto recorded an assist on Artem Zub's game-winning goal and was a +1 rating to go with three hits and two blocks in 19:39 of ice time.

It was an all-around strong performance from Pinto, whose production has been on the rise since the calendar turned to 2025.