CALGARY – The Rocky Mountain Rout complete and the foregone conclusion now certified, the Jersey Juggernaut turns its menacing maw homeward towards the NHL record winning streak.
“Just streaking across Canada,” Larry Robinson beamed after the Devils clinched a playoff berth by beating the woeful Flames 4-2 here last night, re-taking the Eastern Confer ence lead in the process.
Stretching its winning streak to 11 games, New Jersey completed a sweep of its five-game road trip and tied last year’s team record six-game road winning streak.
Aiming at the NHL record of 17 straight victories, boys?
“No. I want 12,” Bobby Holik said, well aware that means tomorrow at the Meadowlands against the Rangers, who have not beaten the Devils in 22 straight regular-season meetings.
Still, they’re warming to the record chase. Even the coach.
“We’ll just keep going one at a time. But it’d be nice,” Robinson said.
In finishing off this trip through Philly, Denver, Phoenix and Edmonton, the Devils held the Flames to a season-record tying two shots in the decisive second period, and a season-record 13 during the game. In reeling off 11 straight, they have outscored their foes 53-25.
The Stanley Cup champs are primed.
“A fabulous road trip,” Robinson proclaimed. “I told the players I felt the way the schedule was that a .750 road trip would be pretty good. But we won all five road games against some damn good competition. I’m extremely happy with the way the guys played.”
So are the guys.
“It feels great. We feel confident that we can turn it up and win any game right now,” Holik said. “I don’t think we’ve gone on a better road trip.
“You can feel it in the locker room – the energy, before the game, after the game. A lot of energy.”
They made it look easy, overcoming another slow start by holding Calgary to two shots in the second period, while scoring four goals.
For the sixth time in seven games, the Devils gave up the opening goal, betrayed this time by their lack of a puck-moving defenseman.
Lou Lamoriello failed to fill that final hole at the trading deadline, leaving the Devils in a hazardous situation after they fail to score on a power play, as happened last night.
Valeri Bure stepped around Randy McKay in the left circle, leaving Scott Niedermayer in the lurch, then fed across the goalmouth through Scott Stevens for Jarome Iginla’s 28th, a back-door into the open net at 11:24 of the first.
Sergei Brylin tied the game 3:05 into the second with his 21st, set up at the left doorstep by Brian Rafalski from the right point.
The back door worked again at 8:38 when Petr Sykora’s 31st, off Patrik Elias’ feed, put New Jersey in front. Scott Gomez then tipped in Rafalski’s point shot at 11:34 for the Devils’ third straight goal.
Calgary anwered with a power play goal by Chris Clark at 13:38. But Gomez reopened the two-goal lead at 15:43 of the second with his 14th, set up in the left slot by Alexander Mogilny’s dogged work behind the net against Tommy Albelin.
And so the 1996 flop, the Devils’ failure to make those playoffs as defending champs, will not be repeated.
“Now,” Robinson said, “we start concentrating on playing a good system.”
Robinson should be careful. The current one wasn’t doing badly.
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Devils escaped a warmup scare when Martin Brodeur left the net in pain after taking a John Madden shot in the right shoulder. He did not take any more shots in the pregame . . . The snow-out scheduling change of Jan. 10 means that the potential record-breaking game would be April 2 when Chicago visits the Meadowlands. The Devils host the Rangers, Canucks and Penguins, visit Tampa and Atlanta, then could tie the record while hosting the Rangers again March 31.
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Sergei Nemchinov is to be fitted with a new right knee brace after surgery was ruled out after yesterday’s MRI in New Jersey. Nemchinov aggravated the knee sprain in his comeback attempt Saturday after missing seven games . . . Ken Daneyko rested for the third time in six games, while Jay Pandolfo was given the night off for same reason . . . Devils had not lost here in six visits, 5-0-1 since falling March 13, 1993 . . . This was the fourth time the Devils allowed two shots in a period this season. Previous season-best was 15 shots-against in a game . . . The Devils stand 6-0 against the Northwest Division teams and 16-3-1-1 against the Western Conference, finishing 10-0-0-1 in Western rinks.