FINAL: Devils 2, Bruins 1 (OT) - Jack Hughes hands B's road loss in OT

The Bruins fell to the New Jersey Devils 2-1 in overtime on Wednesday night. Boston went into the third period with a 1-0 lead but gave up an early goal to Dawson Mercer to tie it up at one. 

The game started with a quiet first period as the B's did a good job of containing the Devils' odd man rushes. They also didn't  get outshot early on like they did on Saturday against Arizona. It was not until the 16:51 mark when Morgan Geekie scored to gives the Bruins a 1-0 lead to head into the first intermission. 

After a scoreless second period, New Jersey came out to start the third period with a sense of urgency. The Devils were outshooting Boston 8-1 at one point in the period. New Jersey had many scoring chances and cashed in 2:34 into the period to tie it at one thanks to a goal from Mercer. 

The B's came out flat with no energy in overtime as Jack Hughes scored 2:47 into the overtime to hand Boston a heartbreaking 2-1 loss. The Devils outshot Boston 7-0 in the overtime period.

Jeremy Swayman finished with 34 saves in net for the Bruins. Swayman made a bunch of saves that kept the game from getting out of hand. 

The Bruins will finish up their road trip on Friday night on Long Island when they face the New York Islanders with face off set for 7:30 p.m.   

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• B's came out better to start the game. Didn't get terribly outshot or out hustled. 
• Swayman kept them in the game late, and without him it could have gotten out of hand. 
• Bruins had a terrible overtime period getting outplayed as they were outshot 7-0. 
• Obviously missed McAvoy and Zacha's presence tonight. 
• Boston continues to  struggle with closing out games as they had a 1-0 lead going into the third period. 

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WHO: Bruins (18-5-3) at Devils (14-11-1)
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. 
WHERE: Prudential Center, Newark. 
TV: TNT
RADIO: 98.5-FM The Sports Hub
LIVE BOX SCORE
ROSTERS

BOSTON

DeBrusk-Geekie-Pastrnak
Marchand-Coyle-Frederic
Van Riemsdyk-Poitras-Heinen
Lauko-Beecher-Steen

Lindholm-Carlo
Grzelcyk-Mitchell
Lohrei-Shattenkirk

Swayman
Ullmark

DEVILS

Palat-Hishier-Bratt
Toffoli-Hughes-Meier
Haula-Mercer-Holtz
Lazar-McLead-Bastian 

Siegenthaler-Nemec
Bahl-Marino
Hughes-Miller 

Vanecek
Schmid 

PREGAME NOTES

The Bruins face the New Jersey Devils in the first of a two-game road trip starting tonight at 7:30 p.m. Boston enters tonight coming off a 5-3 win over the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday afternoon. The B's will be without both Charlie McAvoy and Pavel Zacha as they are considered day-to-day with injuries. Kevin Shattenkirk is one goal away from securing number 100 for his career. 

One of the big keys to keep an eye on tonight for the B's if they can get off to a strong start. The Bruins have struggled out of the gate in games getting outshot, lacking energy and puck handling. They were outshot at one point in the first period on Saturday 9-1 to Arizona on home ice.

With McAvoy and Zacha sidelined, Boston recalled Jesper Boqvist from Providence. Boqvist  started his NHL career in New Jersey from 2017-2023. "There's a lot of players that are playing well right now in Providence,” Jim Montgomery told reporters. “A little bit is how well he's playing, and also it's New Jersey, and that’s where he played [to start his career]. I always find that guys dig in and want to show the other team why they could have kept them," Montgomery continued. Montgomery also said that he likes how Boqvist is versatile and can play anywhere on the ice. 

The Bruins face a Devils' team that enters tonight coming off a 4-1 loss on Sunday at the Edmonton Oilers, snapping a three-game winning streak. New Jersey has struggled in their past three games on the power play without scoring a goal (0-9). Tyler Toffoli and Jesper Bratt are tied for the team lead in goals (12) and Jack Hughes leads New Jersey in points (33) with Bratt right behind him (32). The Devils are two points out of the East's second wild card spot.