Cory Schneider made 30 saves in posting his first shutout since November 2017 and Devils beat the undermanned Senators 4-0 on Thursday night at Prudential Center in Newark in a game in which both teams gave indications they were getting ready to make trades before Monday’s deadline.
“It’s never easy,” Schneider said of the trading deadline. “You get to know these guys well and their families and, again, they’re not gone right just yet so you have to wait and see what happens but just like we did tonight you have to be ready to play and move forward.”
Ottawa scratched Mark Stone, Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel, its first-, second- and fourth-leading scorers — a sign the future free agents would be dealt.
The Devils scratched forward Marcus Johansson and veteran defenseman Ben Lovejoy. Johansson has been rumored to be on the trading block, while Lovejoy has played for a Stanley Cup winner with Pittsburgh.
“Both teams dealt with the same opportunities for distractions with guys being taken out of the lineup and I thought that our group was mentally ready to play,” coach John Hynes said.
The Devils were more than ready to go in winning for the third time in four games. They held the Senators to four first-period shots in opening a 2-0 lead and doubled it in the second period.
Travis Zajac, Steven Santini, Kurtis Gabriel and Miles Wood got the goals.
Anders Nilsson had 27 saves for the Senators, whose 22-33-5 record is the worst in the NHL this season.
The only question after the Devils grabbed their 4-0 lead in the second period was whether Schneider would win his third straight and get his shutout.