NHL

Devils’ Salvador has become scoring sensation in playoffs

Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise and Brad Richards are guys you would expect to see at the top of the 2012 NHL playoff scoring leaders. But Bryce Salvador? Not so much.

The Devils defenseman had no goals during the regular season, but his 10 points in the playoffs tie him for 10th-place.

“There is someone like that every year in the NHL playoffs, whether it’s a forward that gets hot or a defenseman that comes out of nowhere or a goaltender that shows up that no one’s heard of,” Devils coach Pete DeBoer said yesterday. “I think that’s the beauty of the NHL playoffs. And Bryce has been outstanding.”

Salvador played in all 82 games during the regular season. He had nine assists, and was better known for his shutdown defense. He also led the team at plus-18. In 692 career regular-season games, Salvador has 23 goals. So the scoring touch is something new to him.

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“If I knew [why], I wouldn’t tell anybody, anyway,” the modest Salvador said. “I think what we are just seeing is that the team is getting rewarded as a whole for staying persistent and playing as a group, and I’ve been the beneficiary of getting some goals and points.”

In 16 games this postseason he has three goals and seven assists. The Devils have only scored seven goals in the conference finals, and he has figured in four of them, including the first goal of Monday’s win over the Rangers.

“There’s a lot of contributions that are happening, and it’s just starting to show up on the score sheet. It’s nice to get some points, but it is key that we are winning, because no one is going to care about these points if we don’t continue to win,” he said.

The success he and the Devils have had in these playoffs is especially meaningful to the 36-year old, who missed the entire 2010-11 season with a concussion. Last May, the Devils’ season had been over for a month already after they failed to qualify for the playoffs, and Salvador was training to get back out on the ice.

“It’s been a great experience from where I was last year,” he said. “I’m definitely enjoying it. Any time you have an opportunity to have some success in the playoffs, it is an experience that every player wants. It’s definitely nice to still be playing this time of year compared to where I was last year.”

Salvador’s offense and defense are a major reason the Devils are just two wins away from the Stanley Cup finals, a place he has never been. His goaltender, who has made four such appearances, lauded Salvador and all of the team’s defensive corps.

“I’m glad these guys are having success and it’s well deserved because they’ve been working really hard at it and paying attention to a lot of small details that makes them successful,” Martin Brodeur said.