NY must stand for Not Yet to NJ.
It’s naught-for-nine and getting ridiculous for the Devils (0-6-3) against the Islanders and Rangers since moving from the Meadowlands this season. Now they’re in danger of losing even a share of the Atlantic Division lead they have held since Dec. 7.
“Nine straight is something we have to take notice of, obviously,” Devils captain Jamie Langenbrunner said after the Devils lost their fifth straight (0-4-1) this season to the Isles, 3-1, in Newark last night.
The Islanders won a third straight road game for the first time this season, and rebounded from a 3-1 loss to Montreal at Nassau Tuesday. The Devils, off since winning in Buffalo Saturday, flubbed the opener of a stretch of 15-of-18 in Newark.
“We had everything lined up for us as far as the schedule goes and we didn’t get the job done,” Langenbrunner said.
About all the Devils accomplished was ending Rick DiPietro’s two-game lifetime perfection in Newark at 107:11, when Travis Zajac halved New Jersey’s deficit in the third.
“I know why we did well tonight. In between the goalposts,” Isles coach Ted Nolan said. “Ricky’s going to the All-Star Game for the first time. He’s coming of age. He wants to prove himself, that it’s not a one-shot All-Star weekend. He is an All-Star.”
DiPietro, who will back up Martin Brodeur Jan. 27 in Atlanta, has allowed five goals in four games against the Devils this season.
“If you play long enough, there are certain teams you play well against. For the last few years, it’s the Devils,” DiPietro said. “We just seem to play well against them.”
This season, the Devils stand 0-4-1 against the Isles, 0-2 in Newark, and 0-2-2 against the Rangers, 0-1-1 at home. The Devils were 60-69-19-1 vs the Isles (36-29-8-1 at NJ) and 69-57-23-1 against the Rangers (45-25-5 at NJ) before they moved to Newark this season.
The loss was the Devils’ first in Newark of 2008, snapping their five-game home winning streak since losing to Phoenix Dec. 15. It left New Jersey tied with the Penguins at 26-16-3 atop the Atlantic. The Penguins host Tampa Bay and the Devils take on Florida tomorrow.
Already without John Madden (cut ankle) and Jay Pandolfo (abdominal sprain), the Devils had to face a 5-on-3 without Colin White, in the box with Mike Mottau when Bill Guerin put the Isles in front at 15:07 of the first.
From the right corner, Mike Comrie relayed Miro Satan’s left point feed across the goalmouth to the Islander captain, who ripped the puck into the back door on Brodeur, his former teammate.
Mike Sillinger doubled the Islanders lead with his 11th at 4:17 of the second. Ruslan Fedotenko escaped Johnny Oduya down the right boards, then flipped the puck past Dainius Zubrus to Trent Hunter behind the net. Hunter centered for Sillinger, free to fire past Brodeur’s glove.
On their 53rd shot in Newark against him, the Devils finally solved DiPietro, at 7:11 of the third. Travis Zajac deflected Brian Gionta’s slap from the left boards and the puck slipped under DiPietro, New Jersey’s 27th shot of the night and Zajac’s fourth goal in six games.
DiPietro zipped the Devils 1-0 in his Newark debut Nov. 16, halting 26 shots. But Guerin ended the Devils’ comeback hopes with the empty-netter, his 17th, with 58.1 seconds left.
Isles 3 Devils 1