ATLANTA - Travis Zajac scored on a power play 4:18 into overtime to give the surging New Jersey Devils a 3-2 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers 3-2 on Friday night.
Zajak also had a power-play goal in the second period, and Ilya Kovalchuk added his 25th goal - also on a power play - for New Jersey. The Devils have won five of six and are 21-3-2 since Jan. 8.
Blake Wheeler and Dustin Byfuglien scored for the Thrashers. Atlanta, which has just three regulation wins in its last 33 games, has lost three of five
Atlanta held leads of 1-0 on Wheeler's 15th goal in the second and Byfuglien's 20th goal in the third, but Kovalchuk tied it with 12:09 remaining.
New Jersey is 11th in the Eastern Conference, a point behind the Thrashers.
Wheeler beat Martin Brodeur to the glove side 10:14 into the second with a wrister from the right circle. Andrew Ladd assisted with a pass across the slot.
The next four goals were scored on a power play.
Zajac's 11th goal, which made it 1-1, came 2:13 later and 1:35 after New Jersey began a two-man advantage courtesy of high-sticking penalties on Atlanta defensemen Tobias Enstrom and Chris Thorburn.
Thrashers goalie Ondrej Pavelec stopped three shots in New Jersey's 5-on-3 before Patrik Elias passed from the bottom of the right circle and Zajac scored from the left side of the crease.
Byfuglien's slap shot from the right side of the blue line beat Brodeur's glove side. The New Jersey bench wanted goalie interference called on Nik Antropov, but it appeared Devils defenseman Colin White knocked down the Atlanta center while Byfuglien fired the shot.
Kovalchuk, after lifting the puck under the crossbar, celebrated his 10th goal in his last 15 games by slamming into the rear boards with a big smile as Atlanta fans booed their one-time franchise star and No. 1 overall draft pick of 2001.
The former Thrashers captain, who was traded to the Devils last season and last summer signed the NHL's richest contract, had an uncontested look at the net after controlling the rebound of Mark Fayne's slap shot.
On the winning goal, Zajac scored with a wrister beneath the left circle after taking Patrik Elias pass from across the slot. Kovalchuk began the play and earned an assist with a pass to Elias, who controlled the puck with his skate in the right circle before flicking it to Zajac.
Brodeur made his sixth straight start, improving to 5-1 in his last six and 18-20-2 overall. He stopped 24 of 26 shots for his NHL-leading 620th career win.
Pavelec dropped to 19-19-8. He made 27 saves.
The Devils have won three straight and 11 of 14 on the road, and have played eight consecutive one-goal games.
NOTES: Evander Kane's tripping penalty gave New Jersey a man-advantage in overtime. ... The Devils held an opponent scoreless in the first period, extending their modern-day NHL record to 15 straight games. They have played eight consecutive 0-0 first periods.