Defiance defines these Devils.
It has gone beyond resilience, far beyond. Another major injury to one of their key sparkplugs, and they stick out their chins and follow with their biggest outburst and most decisive victory of the season.
“We respond by winning another game,” said Zach Parise, whose point streak reached 10 games in the Devils’ 6-1 triumph over the Islanders yesterday in Newark.
They learned earlier yesterday that they will not have David Clarkson back until 2010 from the broken right leg he suffered in a 2-1 shootout victory in Boston on Friday.
That made six regulars out, fully one-third of the skating lineup. And still the Devils won for the third time in 68 hours, making them 11-2-1 in their last 14 and winners of six straight at home.
“I’m surprised,” coach Jacques Lemaire said. “Happily surprised.”
Lose another, rediscover others.
Patrik Elias erupted with a four-point game, reminding everyone that he is the franchise’s record career point-scorer, regular season and playoffs, and holds the team record of 96 points in a season.
“We’re working through it. We’re having fun right now,” Elias said after his 10th game back from September hip and hernia surgical repair. “We still have a lot of talent.”
It looks like even more talent when Elias and Brian Rolston (second two-goal game in four) are playing like their combined $11 million in salary.
“One day, one line, another day, another line,” Elias said. “Except for Zach. He’s relentless.”
Martin Brodeur remains the bulwark that allows the Devils to come back. He has allowed two goals or less in 13 of his last 15 starts, and one or less in eight of those. Teams mostly win like that.
The Islanders opened with seven unanswered scoring chances in the first two minutes, but failed to capitalize, putting just one of those shots on net. They did score first, on Richard Park’s second of the season at 11:18, a right-wing slap off a rush that glanced up off the blade of Mark Fraser and over Brodeur’s glove. That was it, though.
Mike Mottau was credited with squaring the score with his first goal in 69 games. He pinched from the right point and carried behind Martin Biron’s net, past Mark Streit. Mottau threw a backhand in front, towards Jamie Langenbrunner, and it went in off the skates of Sean Bergenheim and Streit 54 seconds into the second.
The Devils took the lead on Rolston’s power play goal at 12:06 of the second. Pointman Langenbrunner moved to the middle at the blue line and found Elias in the left circle. Elias passed through traffic to the slot, onto Rolston’s stick, and Rolston measured the shot past Biron’s glove.
Elias started the decisive stretch of three Devils goals in a span of 2:02, scoring 5-on-3 at 10:30 of the third. Brendan Witt discarded his broken stick, giving the Devils still more advantage, and Elias connected from the right circle, his shot glancing up off Nate Thompson, over Biron’s glove.
Parise scored his 15th on his third jab at Andy Greene’s rebound at 11:54 and Rolston made it 5-1 with his eighth 38 seconds later. Elias completed the rout with 45 seconds left, his third in three games.
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The Devils play host to the Canucks Wednesday, and collect Toys for Tots Friday when Tampa Bay visits. The Devils will celebrate their 1995 Stanley Cup when Detroit invades Newark on Saturday to complete a four-game homestand. . . . Tim Sestito sat out for New Jersey. . . . Refraining from hurrying Rob Niedermayer back from the separated shoulder that has idled him since Nov. 4, the Devils recalled Vladimir Zharkov from Lowell, as well as Ilkka Pikkarainen from his conditioning stint there.