The Jets aren’t the only team around here pulling off improbable wins.
Less than a week after dismantling the Red Wings, the Islanders made easy work of Martin Brodeur and the Devils, beating the Atlantic Division leaders, 4-0, Monday at the Nassau Coliseum. It was the Islanders fourth straight win and fifth in a row at home.
Rick DiPietro notched his first shutout in nearly two years.
“It feels great,” said DiPietro, whose previous shutout had been on Feb. 21, 2008 against Tampa Bay.
DiPietro, in the third game of his comeback, played consecutive games for the first time since his return, after beating Buffalo 3-2 on Saturday.
“It’s a big step for me,” said DiPietro, who had to make 20 saves. “It’s good to get a routine. The biggest thing missing when you’re out for so long is the game-day routine.”
It helped that the Devils appeared to leave their game in Colorado, where they lost Saturday. The visitors generated little offense and Brodeur was yanked after giving up four goals in two periods.
Jamie Langenbrunner was more disappointed in his team’s effort than he was impressed with DiPietro.
“We didn’t make him work,” the Devils captain said. “It’s hard to get shots when you’re spending most of the game in your own end.”
The Islanders have been able to force teams into that more often of late.
“I think we’re playing with a lot of confidence,” Scott Gordon said.
That has resulted in a 9-2-1 run in which the offense has come alive. Matt Moulson had two goals, for a team-high 19 on the season. He is beginning to get results again after slowing following a torrid start.
“A lot of players in the league went through slumps where nothing is going right,” said Moulson, who recently experienced one of his own. “I’m getting it back now. They can’t all miss, so I kept taking shots.”
Now that DiPietro is showing signs of regaining his old form, the Islanders could turn into a dangerous team — and perhaps DiPietro can leave his injury woes in the past.
“I’m taking as much Vitamin C as I can to make sure I stay healthy,” DiPietro said jokingly. “I’m going to continue to work hard and take care of my body.”
It will take more than a couple of games for those questions to disappear, but if these past two games are any indicator, he and Dwayne Roloson appear ready to perform at a high level.
That leaves Gordon to figure out how to use them, a better problem than any issue he had to deal with last year.