NEWARK, N.J. — Jean-Gabriel Pageau has put his best foot forward. Smiling wide in the dressing room following the Ottawa Senators' 4-2 comeback win over the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday, the 27-year-old stayed modest as he discussed his first career regular-season hat trick.

"I think my linemates have been awesome," Pageau said, shifting the focus away from himself. "They work so hard every day, they make it easy for me. I think we have good chemistry on the ice because we spend a lot of time off the ice together. That's how I think we find each other on the ice. I think all of us are hard-working players that can play simple and I think that's what's working so well for us right now."

After the Sens found themselves trailing 2-1 heading into the third period, Mark Borowiecki was able to even the score late, and Pageau netted his second of the game with just 2:01 remaining in regulation, batting in a loose puck in front, to give Ottawa the lead. Then, he sealed the deal with an empty-netter all the way from the defensive zone for his third of the night.

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His three-goal outburst gives him 11 goals and 15 points in 18 games to start 2019-20, along with goals in five of his last six games and points in seven of his last 10. Pageau's not only the Senators' leading scorer, but he's now tied for sixth in the NHL in goal-scoring and leads the league with a plus/minus rating of plus-19.

"He's the hardest working guy at practice," goaltender Craig Anderson said of Pageau. "He's a waterbug out there. He makes sure that he plays the right way and gets rewarded for it. It's an undercover skill; maybe some guys don't realize how much skill he has, but he's got a great shot, some great hands. He's always in the right spot at the right time. I think that's his hockey sense. We love having him and he's just a great asset for our guys in the room."

The Ottawa native is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and is in his eighth year with the organization. He told Sporting News' Murray Pam in an interview before the season that he isn't focused on his next contract, but does enjoy being part of the organization. With his play of late, he's proving his worth as a top-6 forward and is also on pace to hit career highs with 50 goals and 68 points.

"[He's a] smart player," Senators coach D.J. Smith said. "He stays above you, lets you make a mistake then capitalizes. Doesn't force it offensively, he lets you make a mistake."

Replay of Pageau's 2nd goal from Paul and C. Brown pic.twitter.com/7wahmcRKSr — OSNL (@OSNL11) November 14, 2019

Borowiecki also pointed out that the 5-10, 180-pound center has more confidence in his game, and that he was happy to see him show his ability — especially in the faceoff circle — so far this season.

In the end, Pageau still emphasized that his main goal is to help the team improve. The Sens currently have a 7-10-1 record and sit seven points out of a wild card spot, and Pageau believes the team still has a lot to prove this season and ways to go, to boot.

"Except [the 8-2 loss to Carolina], we've been playing some really good hockey," Pageau said. "We want to keep pushing the same way. We're trying to build a culture and identity here that we're going to be a hard team to beat every night. I think we proved that [Wednesday]."