NHL

AILING DEVS PUT A HURT ON ISLES

From the plague’s onset, the Devils insisted they wouldn’t use their injuries as an excuse. Lately, they’re acting as if they’re irrelevant.

“Who’s in the lineup, who’s not in here, it doesn’t matter,” Zach Parise said after piling up three assists in last night’s 5-2 triumph over the Islanders in Newark. “We just have to make sure we’re ready to play.”

The Devils waved farewell to Newark last night for 18 days, their longest stretch between home games, by winning their third straight, all in New Jersey, to match their longest winning streak of the year. They start a five-game road swing in Tampa tomorrow, returning to Newark on Dec. 10 against Pittsburgh.

The loss snapped the Islanders’ three-game winning streak, their longest this season. They visit Buffalo tonight and Montreal on Monday, certainly without Frans Nielsen, elbowed in the head/neck by Mike Mottau, sparking a call from Isles captain Bill Guerin for Mottau to be suspended.

New Jersey won despite adding 2001 Selke Trophy winner John Madden to its injury list. He was struck in the left foot by a Nick Boynton shot in New Jersey’s 3-1 triumph over the Panthers on Thursday, and though he finished that game, he sat out last night. Madden joined Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik as injured Devils centers, while Kevin Weekes notched his 100th NHL victory, with Martin Brodeur sidelined.

“We’re missing important guys. But you can’t use them as an excuse, and we never will,” said captain Jamie Langenbrunner, who also had three assists.

New Jersey finished 6-4-1 in the 11 home games of a 14-game stretch, and coach Brent Sutter was encouraged by that record.

“When you consider everything that’s transpired around us, it feels like eons since the injuries started. But we’ve handled the injuries well,” Sutter said.

The Devils took control with a pair of deflections 10 seconds apart late in the first. David Clarkson scored his fifth on the power play at 18:41, tipping in Johnny Oduya’s shot. On the next trip netward, Langenbrunner’s right wing wrister glanced off Andy Sutton, and Travis Zajac knocked it down and one-hopped it past Joey MacDonald into the Isles’ net.

Andy Hilbert put the Isles on the board 3:29 into the second, his shot ticking a stick to fly over the glove of Weekes, who was making his first start since being yanked Nov. 12.

Bryce Salvador answered 23 seconds later, his left point shot glancing off an Islander for his first regular-season goal as a Devil. He scored one in last year’s playoffs.

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Mottau said he didn’t intend to hit Nielsen in the head, but expects league disciplinary review. “There was no [malice] at all. If it was a direct blow to the head, it’s going to be looked at,” Mottau said. “I’m not a dirty player. Hopefully, he’s OK.” Nielsen left game, and Isles were monitoring injuries to his head and knee. . . . The Devils sent Nicklas Bergfors to Lowell yesterday. . . . The Islanders have scored more than three goals in regulation just twice this season.

mark.everson@nypost.com

Devils 5 Islanders 2