Some thought it could never be done, but Devils forward Ilya Kovalchuk is winning over the skeptics. Two hat tricks and 15 points in 12 games work wonders.
To so many, the trade that brought him to New Jersey as a rental was too expensive. To even more, the $100 million contract that kept him here was worse, a budget-buster and on top of that, another first-rounder as circumvention punishment. Missed playoffs compounded the ill will.
Thursday night in Newark they were cheering him as their hero, his first home hat trick with the Devils, powering a 5-1 victory over the Islanders. It was just November and December when it was doubtful he would ever live down cough-ups for shorthanded goals.
“If you’re going to win, then nobody can say anything,” Kovalchuk told The Post after reclaiming the team lead with his 29th goal of the year and 13th career hat trick. “I really want to win.”
The 28-year-old with 398 career goals is aware owner Jeff Vanderbeek and general manager Lou Lamoriello went out on a limb for him. Twice.
“Our owner and our GM are competitive people. They always put a team on the ice that will compete for the Stanley Cup,” Kovalchuk said. “I have no doubt in my mind I made a good decision, and I’m pretty sure we’re going to be successful here.
“This is where I want to be, in an environment where the fans understand hockey, where if I work hard and try my best and even if I don’t score every game, people in the street always say good things to me.”
The Devils on Thursday matched last season’s final total of 81 points, when they finished 11th in the East, the first time in 14 seasons they missed the playoffs.
The Islanders moved closer to a fifth straight year without postseason after winning their previous two, beating Boston and the Devils, 1-0 Sunday.
Kovalchuk stands 7-8-15 in his last 12, including a nine-game goal drought, and he opened the scoring for the second straight game, converting his second chance at a back-door play from Zach Parise.
Kovalchuk and Marek Zidlicky worked overtime after practice Wednesday working on Zidlicky’s pass to the left circle for a one-timer, and it paid off with New Jersey’s third power play goal in 11 games at 3:33 of the second, Zidlicky’s first Devils point seven games with New Jersey.
“I used to score a lot of goals from that spot. I hope it’s going to come back,” said the two-time 52-goal man with Atlanta.
Islander defenseman Andy MacDonald spoiled Martin Brodeur’s shutout bid by bouncing one in off Brodeur’s arm at 16:21 of the second, but Patrik Elias reopened New Jersey’s two-goal lead at 7:05 of the third with his second swat at an Adam Larsson rebound during a delayed penalty.
Kovalchuk completed his hat trick 1:04 later as Parise took ninth place on the Devils’ list with 400 points, one ahead of Bruce Driver. David Clarkson completed the scoring with his 27th with 4:01 left.
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After the Islanders and Devils meet for the third time in a week Saturday night at Nassau Coliseum, the Islanders will visit the Rangers, while the Devils will play host to Flyers Sunday. … Alexei Ponikarovsky returned to the Devils’ lineup after missing three games with a sprained MCL in his right knee. … The loss snapped the Isles’ two-game winning streak (Bruins, Devils). … P.A. Parenteau’s 44 assists are the most by an Islander since Travis Greene and Ziggy Palffy had 44 in 1995-96.