PITTSBURGH – A left wing and a prayer – or more precisely, a Hail Mary – and the Devils are 2-0 for the first time since they won their last Stanley Cup in 2002-03.
They turned 57 minutes of utter frustration into dramatic triumph here last night when Zach Parise converted a long bomb pass for the 2-1 winner over the Penguins with 37.6 seconds left in overtime, after Patrik Elias’ fluke off a skate, New Jersey’s 44th shot, averted a looming shutout and forced OT with 2:29 left in regulation.
“We deserved to win this game,” Parise said after ripping the winner past Marc-Andre Fleury.
The winner came from Travis Zajac’s long, arcing bloop pass from his own corner – missing the scoreboard – that met Parise as he broke into the offensive zone on left wing, behind Pitt defenseman Kristopher Letang.
“We don’t have a name for that play,” Parise said of the long bomb, “but it was really smart by Travis. He saw me going up the boards and he caught them for the break.”
Said Zajac, “For 57 minutes, we did everything but score goals. I was just trying to get it out of the zone. I saw him breaking and tried to get it over everyone’s head, and it landed in the perfect spot. That’s Zach’s shot, coming in from the left.”
The Devils outshot Pitt 49-15, including 20-2 in the third, but it took Elias’ fluke to end their offensive futility that bordered on the ludicrous. His shot to the front of the net went in off the skate of Penguin defenseman Hal Gill.
“You could say that was a lucky break, but we earned that break,” Devil coach Brent Sutter said.
This team that failed to score more than two regulation goals 46 times last season is 2-for-2 at it this year, yet won both games, both in comebacks.
“When you throw 49 shots at a team, you can’t say we lack offense,” said Jamie Langenbrunner.
“Lack finish, maybe, but getting 49 shots and giving up 15? That’s huge. That’s what we’d been getting away from, what made us great.”
As they did in Friday’s 2-1 victory over the Isles in Newark, the Devils gave up a game-opening power-play goal in the first, this one to Miroslav Satan at 11:52, poaching at the right side of the crease, fed by Jordan Staal when Evgeni Malkin’s point shot was blocked in front.
But Pitt managed only six shots in the second and third periods, and finally, the Devils’ pressure paid off. Just in time.
GM Lou Lamoriello said the Devils would have honored their contract with Fedor Fedorov if he had reported to Lowell as assigned, but as arranged, when he didn’t make the Jersey team, he had their blessing.
Lamoriello said the Devils will not be paying his $500G salary. The GM figures Fedorov will play in Russia.
Sutter’s season-opening defense alignment didn’t survive its fourth period, with Mike Mottau replacing Anssi Salmela alongside Colin White, and Salmela joining Johnny Oduya. …
The Devils, who visit the Rangers tomorrow night, went 4-4 against the Penguins last season, finishing second to them in the Atlantic Division. …
The Penguins, who started the season with a split against the Senators in Sweden, raised their Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division title banners before last night’s home opener, their 68th straight sellout. …
Devil scratches remained Sheldon Brookbank, Andy Greene and Petr Vrana.