A shutout, a shootout and a shutdown. It’s three straight for the Rangers over the Devils this season, six points to one, and the difference in the standings is those very five.
The Rangers are on a roll, winners of seven of eight, the Devils floundering at 7-8-2. Tides have turned, and it’s more than just the double-whammy of the Rangers’ addition of Scott Gomez and the Devils’ loss of him.
It’s much more, particularly in one vital place. Henrik Lundqvist stands 8-2-3 lifetime against the Devils, while Martin Brodeur is only 5-6-2 in those 13. Last night again, Lundqvist was sharp. Meanwhile, the legend was shaky, failing a second time to reach his 500th victory in the Rangers’ 4-2 triumph in Newark.
“Right now, they’re definitely having the best of us,” Brodeur said.
The Rangers can overtake the Flyers atop the Atlantic Division tonight in Philadelphia, and they wouldn’t be there without the Devils.
“They’re the better hockey club,” John Madden said. “We have to find a way to compete every day.”
Jaromir Jagr found the way to score once and set up another, prompting Brent Sutter to criticize Madden and Jay Pandolfo. And Gomez had two assists while the boos of New Jersey were ringing in his ears.
“We’ve won three from them, but we can lose three, too,” Jagr said. “We have been trying to find our lines, and now, I think we found them.”
The Devils’ woes were compounded by losing their best defenseman, Paul Martin, in the first period to a back injury. The call may already be out, perhaps to Phoenix, for a defenseman in trade, and now, their situation has worsened.
Brodeur was fighting the puck all night, leaving big rebounds, making routine saves look difficult, and even losing the puck behind the net for a goal.
Jamie Langenbrunner scored the first of his pair 35 seconds into play. But the Devils’ lead lasted only 50 seconds before Nigel Dawes scored his third in three games against New Jersey, and fourth of the season. Chris Drury sent Dawes up left wing 2-on-1, and Dawes beat Brodeur short side.
Brandon Dubinsky put the Rangers in front for good 1:01 into the second, pouncing on the rebound after Jagr curled off the right boards to shoot from the slot.
Jagr was denied a possible goal on video review midway through the second, but scored one that counted with 34 seconds left in the second. Jagr poked the puck away from Brodeur behind the net, toward Gomez, and when it popped out front off Karel Rachunek, Jagr wheeled around the left post to slip it past Brodeur’s long side.
Brodeur looked mediocre on Marc Staal’s first NHL goal at 4:13 of the third. Staal moved in to the top of the left circle for a wrister that Brodeur wiggled his elbow at instead of catching it, already on his knees.
Langenbrunner ended the Rangers’ four-goal spree with his second of the game at 7:29, converting the rebound of Rachunek’s shot that bounced off Parise. It was all Lundqvist would allow.
Rangers 4 Devils 2