In as strange an ending as you'll ever see, Scott Gomez' shootout goal was the difference in a 3-2 triumph for the Devils over the Senators at Scotiabank Place Tuesday night. Desperate for a win, New Jersey was forced into overtime when Dany Heatley redirected a Brian Pothier wrist shot through traffic for his second of the night to tie it with just 31 seconds left in regulation.
In OT, the Sens pressed hard for the winner but couldn't beat a rejuvenated Martin Brodeur. Making his 33rd start in the last 34 games, he bounced back from allowing four goals against Toronto by making 36 saves, including stopping all six Ottawa shots in the extra session to force a shootout.
In it, both Brodeur and Sens' rookie netminder Ray Emery weren't beaten cleanly. After the first four shooters misfired, the Devils' final shooter Gomez went to the backhand and put the puck into Emery's pads. Near the goal line, Emery looked to have the puck underneath but backed into the net. Referees Marc Joannette and Michael McGeough ruled that Gomez scored due to Emery's momentum carrying the puck over the line. After a lengthy video review, they upheld it putting the Devils ahead with one shooter left. When Brodeur padded away Daniel Alfredsson's five-hole try, he pumped his stick and had given his team a much needed jolt to pickup his first win in five starts since March 16 against Pittsburgh.
After losing three of four, the Devils have won two of their last three. It was a big two points for them because they kept pace with Montreal, who shutout the Islanders 2-0. It also moved them five points clear of ninth place Atlanta.
With 10 games remaining, the Devils, Canadiens and Lightning are locked in a three-way tie for sixth. If the season ended today, Tampa Bay would finish sixth due to two more wins. The Devils would be seventh due to holding a 2-0 edge against Montreal. They'll meet twice more at The Bell Centre before the season concludes.
In the final regular season meeting against Ottawa, the Devils were sharper than Sunday night against Toronto. Paying closer attention to detail and clearing the front of the net, they held a 12-7 shots edge in the first period. Both teams were also energized by a memorable scrap between Cam Janssen and Brian McGrattan just 3:03 in. Though Janssen drew an instigator, the Devils killed it off to set the tone.
Ottawa was awarded the next two power plays. On the third one, the tide would turn when John Madden tallied shorthanded. Entering play, Ottawa led the league with 22 shorthanded goals compared to the Devils' two, which ranked dead last. None of that mattered when Madden picked Alfredsson's pocket at the point and broke in and beat Emery on a backhand deke through the legs to give the Devils the lead at 13:26. It was his first SHG of the season.
After a scoreless second period, each team traded goals 2:33 apart. First, Ottawa tied it on a Heatley power play goal 3:41 into the third for his 41st. But less than three minutes later, Brian Gionta reached a milestone when he became the sixth Devil to ever score 40 in a season. On the power play, the Devils' sniper was the beneficiary of an errant Andrej Mezsaros clear, which caromed right to him for a quick one-timer upstairs. Gionta needs just six more goals to match Pat Verbeek's franchise mark of 46, set back in 1987-88.
Gionta also came close to putting them up two but only a sprawling save by Emery prevented number 41. It proved to be huge when Heatley cashed in late with the Ottawa goalie pulled for an extra attacker.
Notes: After being a healthy scratch the last two games, Devils defenseman Brad Lukowich returned to the lineup in place of Tommy Albelin. ... Brodeur's win was his 436th, moving him within one of Jacques Plante for fourth on the all-time career list. ... Already without Zdeno Chara (hand), Anton Volchenkov (concussion), Mike Fisher (ankle), Dominik Hasek (groin) and Martin Havlat (shoulder), the Senators lost defenseman Chris Phillips after the first period when he twisted his left knee in a battle with Parise. ... Alfredsson picked up his 400th career assist. ... Devils (36-27-9, 81 pts) host Sabres (44-21-6, 94 pts) Thursday night.
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