Break up the Devils.
Oh, that’s right, they’re already broken up — fractures here, dislocations there. And still they’re stretching their league lead in point percentage, winners of 23 of their last 30. The Jersey Juggernaut rolls on.
Even when they’re bad, they’re proving good enough, doing it again last night, pulling victory from the gutter and raising that remarkable point percentage to .734.
It was just about time to look up Patrik Elias’ share of the NHL record of 15 regular-season overtime goals when he beat the clock, scoring with 2:36 left in regulation to give the Devils a 2-1 victory over the Canadiens in Newark.
“We’re learning that if something doesn’t go right, hey, we can battle through it,” Jamie Langenbrunner said, his rare faux pas bailed out by his teammates.
“You’re not going to be at your best every night. That’s the reality of an 82-game season. But we’re doing a fair job of dealing with it, and when you do, you give yourself that extra edge.”
Martin Brodeur tied Patrick Roy for the NHL’s goalie record of 1,029 games, and his game mirrored that of his teammates. He should have stopped Montreal’s scoring-opening shorthander, but he didn’t allow another, allowing the Devils to come back.
The Devils fell into a funk by squandering the first five power plays of the night, and allowing Travis Moen’s short-hander, before triumphing on Ilkka Pikkarainen’s fluke first NHL goal, and Elias’ clock-beater.
“You’re always a little bit frustrated when the team is not playing well. But when the outcome is a win, it’s great — and only because we got a win,” Jacques Lemaire said.
The drama of Brodeur’s bid to set the NHL shutout record ended early, 12:23 into play, when the Devils allowed their second short-hander of the season, both at home.
Langenbrunner flubbed a pass at the left point and Moen burned the Devils captain, shooting off his right wing 2-on-1 rush, his backhand slipping under Brodeur, a stoppable goal.
But Montreal goalie Carey Price gave up a far worse one to Pikkarainen. Cruising in on right wing, Pikkarainen let loose a routine wrister that was headed well over the net, until Price reached up and knocked it down, off the left post, and in off his right skate.
Elias gave the Devils the lead with 2:36 left, cutting across the goalmouth, tipping and then rebounding Brian Rolston’s slot wrister for his seventh, and third in two games.
“Both teams didn’t play as well as they can, but we’ll take a win,” Elias said.
So their Jersey Juggernaut rolls on, sometimes with flair and style, and sometimes, like last night, glacially, but still grinding out another victory.
Langenbrunner is part of the committee to select a new Players Association head. . . . In his first game with Montreal against New Jersey, Scott Gomez was booed each time he touched the puck.