Here are some observations from the game:
• Jack Hughes opened the scoring late in the first period. He started the play by carrying the puck down the right side and whipping a backhander toward the slot. A scrambled ensued and Hughes made his way to the crease. He swatted the puck and it went off the skate of Pittsburgh's Rickard Rakell and through the legs of goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic and just over the goal line with 16.4 seconds left in the opening period.
"I knew I got a piece of it. I thought Bratt got it," Hughes said. "It was a good effort by our line retrieving that puck, being hungry and getting those loose pucks."
• Hughes also started and finished the play on his second goal. It began with a face-off win in the offensive zone against Sidney Crosby, a Hall of Famer and great face-off artist. After winning the draw, Hughes set up above the right circle. Jesper Bratt made a great pass across and Hughes finished with a quick snap of the wrists.
"(Bratt) and I read off each other really well there," Hughes said. "He was coming down as I was going up. It was like a cycle off the puck. I think it confused them a little bit and it was a great pass by him."
• A turning point in the game came late in the first period while the game was still scoreless. Rickard Rakell appeared to give Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal. However, the referees waived it off due to a kicking motion. After a review, it was confirmed that Rakell indeed kicked the puck into the net and the no goal call was upheld. A minute later Jack Hughes gave the Devils a 1-0 lead.
• The Devils defense took a blow halfway through the first period. Jonas Siegenthaler lost an edge at center ice and crashed into the boards at 8:45 of the period. He needed the assistance of an athletic trainer to get off the ice. He went to the locker room and did not return in the game.
"We're going to have to get him evaluated," Keefe said. "He's going to miss time for sure, just not sure the extent of it."
• Without Siegenthaler, the Devils defensemen logged some big minutes:
Hughes 29:45
Dillon 26:00
Hamilton 22:46
Pesce 20:05
Kovacevic 19:37
"It's not pretty at times. You're out of sorts," Keefe said. "You're constantly with different partners, playing different sides, and of course you're fatigued. ... I thought we did a pretty good job in defending."
• Devils goalie Nico Daws made his first start of the season in the game. He stopped 25 of 27 shots against and had a strong showing in the overtime session. He also stopped five of seven shootout shooters.
"It felt really good. I had a lot of confidence, which is a nice feeling," Daws said. "Everyone played great around me. At the end of the day it's just great to get the two points."
• The Devils lineup got a boost with the return of center Erik Haula. He missed the previous 12 games with an ankle injury and hadn’t played since Jan. 4 at San Jose. His return helped bolster the depth down the middle and added a much-needed threat in the face-off circle for New Jersey.
"It's great to get back. A month feels like a long time," Haula said. "I'm happy to get through the game and on to the next one."