DETROIT — Still, Martin Brodeur sets records.
Backstopping the Devils to their first triumph here in more than 15 years, the NHL’s all-time record holder with 1,190 games, 655 victories and 119 shutouts passed rival Patrick Roy with his 14th 30-win season.
“It’s a good place to get it, a tough place. Thirty wins is somewhat of a milestone,” Brodeur said after the 2-1 victory over the Red Wings Thursday night.
“Thirty wins is something that’s available to more goalies because of the games-played, so to have the most is something special,” Brodeur said.
“A great accomplishment,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “He’s had a great second half. He really grabbed hold of the team and led us here.”
“Here” is going into Saturday night’s season finale against Ottawa in Newark with a chance for a season-best six-game winning streak to head hot into the playoffs.
Reaching 100 points for the 13th time in team history, the Devils’ spot as the sixth seed in the East was sealed when the Flyers beat the Sabres Thursday night.
The Devils will open the playoffs on the road against either the Panthers or Capitals, with the Rangers playing host to the one that doesn’t win the Southeast Division.
The Panthers have ended their NHL-record 10-season playoff drought, and the Capitals clinched postseason by beating Florida. The Panthers lead the Capitals by two points and need one point against the visiting Hurricanes tomorrow to clinch the title. A regulation loss to Carolina coupled with a Washington victory over the Rangers at the Garden gives the Capitals the crown and a first-round clash with New Jersey, while the Rangers would meet the Panthers.
“Doesn’t matter,” Brodeur said. “One is sunny and nice, and the other is going to be a little better than Jersey. It doesn’t really matter.”
The Devils had lost their last nine visits here, since a 2-0 Brodeur shutout Nov. 2, 1996. The Red Wings, who have posted their 12th straight 100-point season and 21st straight playoff berth, had the Devils spinning early.
But it was Alexei Ponikarovsky who opened the scoring with his seventh in 32 games as a Devil and 14th of the season. Ponikarovsky converted a pass from defenseman Peter Harrold, who notched his first point for New Jersey at 10:13 of the first.
The Devils’ hopes for a share of the Blackhawks’ 37-year NHL record of only 26 power-play goals allowed vanished when Tomas Holmstrom squared the score 6:13 into the second. The Devils were caught on the long change for a 3-on-2, and Holmstrom had an open net after the tic-tac-toe play. New Jersey is still chasing the 89.3 percent kill record of the 1999-00 Stars, that goal dropping them to 89.5.
Petr Sykora put the Devils back in front at 11:20 of the third, finishing off right end zone work by Dainius Zubrus and Patrik Elias for his 20th of the year. Sykora became the Devils’ fifth 20-goal man this season, reaching the plateau for his 11th time.