Simon Nemec's goal in overtime gives Devils a 3-2 victory over the Blues

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Simon Nemec scored on a wrist shot at 2:58 of overtime to give the New Jersey Devils a 3-2 win over the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night.

New Jersey (15-7-1) has won a franchise-record nine of its first 10 home games.

Nico Hischier assisted on Nemec's winner and finished with a goal and two assists. Hischier has nine points (five goals, four assists) in his last five games. Timo Meier added a goal and an assist for New Jersey, extending his goal-scoring streak to three games.

Can Fowler had a goal and an assist, and Robert Thomas scored on the power play for St. Louis (7-11-6).

Jacob Markstrom stopped 21 shots for the Devils. Jordan Binnigton had 26 saves for the Blues.

With the game tied at 2, New Jersey killed a four-minute penalty early in the third period, limiting the Blues to just four shots on goal. Ondrej Palat was called for high sticking Logan Mailloux.

Hischier tied the score at 2-all with a power-play goal, with assists from Meier and Luke Hughes, in the second period.

Thomas scored on a power play, his 12th point in the last 15 games, to give the Blues a 2-1 lead at 14:37 of the second.

Fowler gave the Blues an early 1-0 lead with his first goal of the season at 2:16 of the first. Meier tied it, with an assist from Hischier, at 11:02.

The Devils are 4-1 in overtime games this season. St. Louis, which is 0-5 in overtime, finished its longest trip of the season by going 1-1-3.

Devils: At Buffalo on Friday.

Blues: Host Ottawa on Friday.

AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL

St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas (18) scores a goal in front of New Jersey Devils left wing Ondrej Palat (18) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

New Jersey Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom and defenseman Luke Hughes defend against St. Louis Blues right wing Mathieu Joseph during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

New Jersey Devils defenseman Simon Nemec (17) celebrates after scoring the game winning goal during overtime of an NHL hockey game against the St. Louis Blues, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington (50) and defenseman Cam Fowler (17) react after the game winning goal by New Jersey Devils defenseman Simon Nemec (17) during overtime of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military said Wednesday it struck five alleged drug-smuggling boats over two days, killing a total of eight people while others jumped overboard and may have survived.

U.S. Southern Command, which oversees South America, did not reveal where the attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday occurred. Previous attacks have been in the Caribbean Sea and in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

A video of Tuesday's attack posted by Southern Command on social media shows three boats traveling in a close formation, which is unusual, and the military said they were in a convoy along known narco-trafficking routes and “had transferred narcotics between the three vessels prior to the strikes.” The military did not provide evidence to back up the claim.

The military said three people were killed when the first boat was struck, while people in the other two boats jumped overboard and distanced themselves from the vessels before they were attacked. Southern Command said it immediately notified the U.S. Coast Guard to activate search and rescue efforts.

Southern Command's statement did not say whether those who jumped off the boats were rescued.

Calling in the Coast Guard is notable because the U.S. military drew heavy scrutiny after U.S. forces killed the survivors of an attack in early September with a follow-up strike to their disabled boat. Some Democratic lawmakers and legal experts said the military committed a crime, while the Trump administration and some Republican lawmakers say the follow-up strike was legal.

U.S. forces attacked two more boats on Wednesday, killing five people who were allegedly smuggling drugs along known trafficking routes, Southern Command said in a separate statement. It did not provide evidence of the alleged trafficking or reveal the body of water in which the attacks occurred. Videos posted with the statement on social media showed a boat in the water and explosions.

The latest attacks bring the total number of known boat strikes to 35 and the number of people killed to at least 115 since early September, according to numbers announced by the Trump administration.

President Donald Trump has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and asserted that the U.S. is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels.

Along with the strikes, the Trump administration has built up military forces in the region as part of an escalating pressure campaign on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who has been charged with narco-terrorism in the United States.

Meanwhile, the CIA was behind a drone strike last week at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels, according to two people familiar with details of the operation who requested anonymity to discuss the classified matter.

It was the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the U.S. began strikes in September, a significant escalation in the administration’s pressure campaign on Maduro’s government.

President Donald Trump listens during a news conference with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)