The Devils may not reach the NHL postseason, but they sure looked like a playoff team yesterday.
Needing at least a point to keep their faint playoff hopes alive, the Devils used a four-goal second period to pull away from the Panthers on the way to a 6-2 victory at Prudential Center.
The Devils, who sit in 10th place in the Eastern Conference with 44 points, today face the Rangers (50 points), the team they trail for the final playoff spot.
“That will be a man’s game [today],” Devils coach Pete DeBoer said after the win. “They’ve got an opportunity to close us out, and I’m sure they are going to relish that and we will have to get off the bus and be ready to compete.”
Yesterday’s game didn’t start out as the Devils would have hoped, as they allowed two goals on the Panthers’ first four shots. But the Devils were able to overcome that deficit, as they notched their fourth win in 26 games this season when their opponent scores first.
“We played 15 games where we I thought we could have won 11 of them. Not could have, should have,” said David Clarkson, who had a goal and an assist. “And [yesterday], the bounces were seeming to go our way.”
Patrik Elias scored twice to tie the game at 2-2 before the Devils added three more in a seven-minute span late in the second period to go up 5-2.
The win was necessary, but goaltender Martin Brodeur knows there is still work to be done.
“Even if we win all of our games … our chances are really low,” he said. “So I think for us, we’re happy that we are still going to play for something [today], and hopefully we will play the next game for something also.”
The offense was a rare occurrence for the Devils, who had scored 19 goals in their previous 11 games, including three in their previous three.
They peppered Panthers goalie Jacob Markstrom with 33 shots while only allowing 13 (six over the final two periods).
Ilya Kovalchuk returned for the Devils after missing 11 games with a right shoulder injury. While he was out, the Devils endured a 10-game winless streak before a 3-0 victory over the Flyers on Thursday.
Kovalchuk was held off the score sheet despite 12 different Devils registering a point, including Brodeur, who had an assist.
“Today, the last two periods was the way we will have to play,” Kovalchuk said. “We’re still in the hunt and we are going to give it 150 percent [today].”
Ryan Carter, Stephen Gionta and Dainius Zubrus alsoscored for the Devils, who won their second straight.