Forsberg makes 25 saves, Senators defeat Devils

NEWARK, N.J. -- Anton Forsberg made 25 saves, including 16 in the first period, to win his first game in two months for the Ottawa Senators, a 2-1 victory against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on Sunday.

Forsberg was 0-4-1 with an .846 save percentage in his previous five starts; he had not won since Nov. 25, a 4-3 victory against the Calgary Flames.

"Sure it was a big game for me personally, but I want to win every game I play," Forsberg said. "Obviously it felt good for my confidence, but a win is a win and it's just one game. We have a lot of games left, so we’ve got to move on and look for the next one."

Zack Ostapchuk scored his first NHL goal for the Senators (24-18-4), who are 5-0-1 in their past six games after going 1-5-1 in the previous seven. They defeated the Boston Bruins 6-5 in a shootout Saturday.

"During this stretch, I think the commitment to playing has been key," Ottawa coach Travis Green said. "Not just away from the puck, but with the puck. We've talked a lot from Day 1 about being a 200-foot team and that takes not a commitment by half your team, but by everybody."

Jacob Markstrom made 18 saves for the Devils (26-17-6), who have lost four in a row (0-2-2), including 3-1 here to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. They are 2-6-3 in their past 11 games and have scored 20 goals over that stretch.

"Our best players have to be better ... it's that simple, end of statement," New Jersey coach Sheldon Keefe said.

Forsberg's best save in the first came when he stretched out his left pad on a backhand from the slot by Nico Hischier at 17:12 during a Devils power play.

The Devils outshot the Senators 16-2 in the first.

"I thought we were great defensively," Keefe said. "In the second, we lost some puck battles or pucks that we turned over inside our zone and they got some chances, but our structures were fine, which is why we're hanging around in these games and not getting blown out.

“I mean, defensively, we're fine. We just have to execute better."

Ostapchuk gave the Senators a 1-0 lead at 13:16 of the second period. The 21-year-old center stole the puck in the right face-off circle and spun around for a wrist shot through a screen that beat Markstrom between his hip and arm at the left post.

It was Ostapchuk’s 39th NHL game.

"It was a ton of relief (to score)," Ostapchuk said. "I've never gone that long without scoring, so hopefully the second one comes a little quicker. I didn't even see the goal; I saw [forward Matthew Highmore] celebrating behind the net, and then I kind of blacked out a little bit. It was a great feeling."

Tomas Tatar tied it 1-1 at 14:34, getting his own rebound and scoring on a backhand from the slot. It was his first goal in 20 games (Nov. 23).

"I think we had a great start to the game [but] as the game went on, we stopped playing," Tatar said. "When you're in a position like this, you just have to simply things and it's going to come eventually. We can't just be doing whatever out there. We have to simplify."

Artem Zub scored his second goal of the season at 2:50 of the third period, a wrist shot from point through a screen for the 2-1 final.

"I just saw an open spot, and [Shane Pinto] made a good pass to me and I tried to shoot past their guy (Nathan Bastian) and it went in," Zub said.

The Devils were held to three shots on goal in the third.

"My message to the team after the second period was to step our pace up a little bit more," Green said. "I thought we weren't skating in the first period. In the second, we started to skate a little more and get to our game. I wanted the group to just step it up one more time and gain some more traction in the third, and I thought they did that."

NOTES: Senators goalie Linus Ullmark joined the team for its three-game road trip; he has not played since Dec. 23 because of a back injury and is day to day. ... It’s the first time Ottawa has had a six-game point streak since its seven-game run from March 2-14, 2017 (6-0-1). It moved within one point of the Tampa Bay Lightning for third place in the Atlantic Division. ... Zub had a game-high five blocked shots in 21:48 of ice time. … Bastian had three shots on goal and five hits in 12:56. … Hischier won 11 of 15 face-offs (73.3 percent).