NEWARK, N.J. _ Goals have been scarce for the Devils this season as they've scored the fewest in the Eastern Conference.
But if they are to close the gap as they chase a playoff spot, the Devils are going to have to be able to grind out some goals against stingy defenses.
That brings us to their effort in a 3-0 loss to the Senators on Thursday night at Prudential Center. The Senators, with a 1-3-1 defensive alignment that clogged the neutral zone, forced the Devils into too many turnovers and errant passes and then clinched the win with two late goals.
And so the Devils (24-23-10), who have scored just 131 goals this season, were shut out for the fourth time as they fell to 2-2-0 on a crucial, five-game homestand. They remain five points out of the conference's final wild-card spot.
Mike Condon made 21 saves for the Senators (30-19-6), who are pushing the struggling Canadiens for the Atlantic Division lead.
Cory Schneider stopped 32 shots but the Senators went ahead 2-0 at 16:02 of the third period as Erik Karlsson's shot from the right point trickled through his pads and over the goal line. The Devils, despite trailing by one goal entering the third period, were outshot 12-6 over the final 20 minutes.
These are the games _ tight-checking, low-scoring matches against teams headed for the playoffs, against teams in the Eastern Conference _ that the Devils must do well in as they try to reach the postseason for the first time since 2012.
"There are not going to be many blowouts this time of year," left wing Taylor Hall said. "They are really going to be close games you have to grind out."
The Devils are now 9-17-7 against teams currently holding a playoff position and seven of their next nine games are teams in that category.
Plus, the two that are not are this weekend's home-and-home series against the Islanders, like the Devils, desperately trying to put together a playoff push after a rocky start to the season. The teams play Saturday at The Rock and Sunday in Brooklyn.
Defenseman Dion Phaneuf opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 18:01 of the second period on a slap shot from above the left circle with Michael Cammalleri off for tripping Derick Brassard.
The game lost its earlier tentative nature in the second period, with both teams getting in-tight chances.
The period started with Beau Bennett, back in the lineup after missing nine games with a left ankle injury, hitting the crossbar with a wrist shot from the left circle just 19 seconds in.
That came as Bennett was moved to Adam Henrique's line with Cammalleri to start the period and rookie left wing Miles Wood taking Bennett's spot on Sergey Kalinin's fourth line with P.A. Parenteau.
"These are the games and times and situations where guys have to be going," Devils coach John Hynes said. "It's not a situation where if a guy is not going in the first period, we'll keep them together."
The Devils could not capitalize on an early power play when Condon flipped the puck over the glass for a delay of game just eight seconds into the game and both teams had trouble sustaining attacks through the first 20 minutes.
Schneider made his best saves of the first period when he turned aside Mike Hoffman from the right circle and also stoned Kyle Turris' rebound attempt at the crease at 12:10.
Adam Henrique, after taking the puck from Hoffman at center ice, could not convert on a breakaway backhander at 3:01 of the second.
Turris clinched the game with an empty-net goal at 18:23.
