David Pastrnak scored twice, but Marco Sturm watched Jack Hughes run the game as the Devils erased a Bruins lead and won 4-3 in overtime Monday.

Boston opened the night with pace and built a cushion, but the Devils kept pushing and forced the Bruins to defend for long stretches late.

Pastrnak delivered Boston's biggest moments. His second goal, a dazzling solo play, tied the game 3-3 early in the third period and briefly swung momentum back to the Bruins bench.

Still, the Devils kept coming.

Jack Hughes piled up three assists and pushed his career total to 402 points. He reached the mark in his 414th regular-season game.

One of those assists set up Connor Brown, and the play also made Hughes the fastest player in Devils franchise history to reach 400 points.

Late collapse hurts Bruins in playoff race

Boston had a two-goal lead earlier in the game but couldn't seal it. The Devils chipped away and forced the Bruins into mistakes in their own zone.

Paul Cotter scored twice for New Jersey, including the overtime winner with 6.2 seconds remaining in the three-on-three session.

The late strike stunned the Bruins and wiped out what could have been a much-needed win.

Joonas Korpisalo faced heavy traffic most of the night and finished with 30 saves on 34 shots. Boston generated only 22 shots against Devils goalie Jacob Markstrom.

Pavel Zacha also reached a milestone, scoring his 20th goal of the season against his former team.

The bigger problem for Boston is the pattern that keeps repeating.

Since the NHL returned from the Olympic break, the Bruins have alternated wins and losses and still haven't posted back-to-back victories since January 27 and 29.

That inconsistency is squeezing the playoff picture.

Boston sits at 81 points and clings to the final Eastern Conference wild-card position. Detroit jumped ahead Monday, tightening the race behind them.

Columbus sits two points back and Ottawa trails by four with the regular season entering the stretch run.

There's no time to regroup.

The Bruins head to Montreal on Tuesday night, a rivalry game that suddenly carries major playoff pressure for Marco Sturm's club.