Here’s another NHL record Martin Brodeur owns a piece of, this one by pulling even with The King.
The Devils goalie won his 40th career shootout last night, tying Henrik Lundqvist of the Rangers for most in league history, in a 3-2 triumph over the Ducks at Prudential Center.
The NHL’s record-holder with 1,170 games, 645 victories and 117 shutouts stands 40-20 in the game-deciders, compared to Lundqvist’s 40-27 mark.
“The best over-35-year-old in the league,” Ilya Kovalchuk proclaimed. “Marty was the best player on the ice tonight.”
Devils coach Pete DeBoer, who has played Brodeur back into star form with starts in 10 of 12 games, echoed Kovalchuk.
“I don’t know who was second-best. Marty was clearly the best,” DeBoer said. “That’s why we won.”
Brodeur gave up a shootout goal to Teemu Selanne after Kovalchuk raised his shootout mastery to 9-for-11. Then Brodeur thwarted Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf to make Patrik Elias the game-decider for the eighth time in his career.
“I just hope [Devils shooters] put it in my hands,” Brodeur said after the Devils took over third place in the Atlantic from the Penguins with their 21st victory (21-8-3) in 32 games.
The Devils stand 10-3 in shootouts this season, 10 extra points, with Brodeur 5-1.
“It’s part of our game now,” Brodeur said. “You have to be good in every facet of the game if you’re going to get points. If you don’t get your share … the [standings] tiebreaker [non-shootout victories] could come back to haunt you, but if you get enough points, you don’t have to worry about it.”
The Devils have the fewest (23) regulation-overtime victories among the Eastern Conference berth-holders, but now trail the Flyers by only one point for second place in the Atlantic, and first-round home ice, as fourth Eastern seed.
That’s still in the distant future, but teams are getting ready to gird up, with the trade deadline a week from Monday. There were 17 NHL scouts in the Prudential Center press box last night, mostly evaluating Ducks. But they were also watching such young Devils as Nick Palmieri, Matt Taormina and Mark Fayne, who would be in the frame if the Devils can shed some salary to deal for a defenseman.
The scouts had another wishful eyeful of Adam Henrique, who opened the scoring to increase his league-lead among rookie scorers to three points. The Calder Trophy favorite for Rookie of the Year started the play by freeing the puck at the end boards from Francois Beauchemin, shoving it to Zach Parise who relayed to Kovalchuk for a slot wrister. Henrique went to the front of the net, escaping Beauchemin again, to pot the rebound on his second try at 1:25 of the second, his 15th goal and 38th point.
The Devils’ new checking line, Dainius Zubrus between Alex Ponikarovsky and Steve Bernier, scored and then were scored upon in the second half of the second period.
Ducks trade bait Lubomir Visnovsky flubbed a wind-around to Zubrus, who sent the puck in front for Ponikarovsky to whip under Jonas Hiller at 10:56.
But the Ducks caught that line for a 3-on-2 which Perry converted off Getzlaf’s rebound at 16:08.
The Devils’ third-period follies resumed as ex-Devil Sheldon Brookbank scored his first since last March, unopposed as he cruised into the right circle to connect with 2:13 left in regulation.
Video review voided Getzlaf’s kick-in 1:10 into overtime, and set the stage for Brodeur to earn a share of yet another record.
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The Devils visit Montreal tomorrow and Toronto Tuesday. … The Ducks are 14-3-4 in 2012, 17-11-6 under Bruce Boudreau. … Prudential Center is one of only two current NHL rinks (new Winnipeg) in which Selanne has not scored. Selanne has scored in 53 NHL buildings and is tied with Brendan Shanahan for 12th place all-time with 656 career goals.