Devils Fall to Blue Jackets in OT
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Sergei Fedorov still has some magic left in his hockey stick.
Bryan Berard scored off a pass from Fedorov with 13.6 seconds left in over time, giving the Columbus Blue Jackets a 3-2 win over the Devils yesterday.
The Blue Jackets hadn’t gotten a shot in the extra period before Berard slipped around Devils defenseman Paul Martin in the right circle and beat Martin Brodeur for his sixth goal of the year.
Fedorov, the former NHL MVP who helped Detroit win three Stanley Cups, delivered his first big moment since joining Columbus in a trade with Anaheim on November 15.
“I saw somebody skating about a hundred miles an hour on my right. It was kind of a no-brainer that I had to dish it off. Sure enough, Bryan cut the corner and he made a great play one-on-one and put the puck in the net. I don’t know how he did it,” Fedorov said.
Nikolai Zherdev scored twice in regulation for Columbus, giving him four goals in three games after opening the season with four in 25 contests. His eight goals lead the NHL’s lowest-scoring club.
The Devils lost their fourth straight, all to Western Conference teams. Detroit, Calgary, and Colorado defeated the Devils before the Blue Jackets.
It was the seventh consecutive game that New Jersey failed to score more than three goals. New Jersey is 2-for-44 on the power play over that span, including 0-for-7 against Columbus.
“This is definitely a team that we should have beat and we didn’t,” Brodeur said. “Our power play has been tough for us the last few games and again today, which is another reason why we couldn’t get more than one point.”
Columbus is the only team not to have lost this season in overtime or a shootout. The Blue Jackets, who have earned only four wins in regulation, are 2-0 in games ended in overtime and 3-for-3 in shootouts. Marc Denis stopped both of New Jersey’s shots in overtime and finished with 28 saves, raising his record to 4-11. Brodeur dropped to 11-9-2.
Except for Zherdev’s goals, Brodeur was spectacular in regulation. He made 36 saves, including 12 in the third period when Columbus missed numerous chances to take the lead.
With just under 12 minutes remaining before overtime, Jan Hrdina sent a pass through the goal crease to Duvie Westcott, who tapped it wide when Brodeur cut off his angle.
Jason Chimera, Jaroslav Balastik, and Dan Fritsche all had shots in succession about four minutes later, only to push them wide or have Brodeur turn them aside. Brodeur also made a lunging save on Adam Foote’s shot with about a minute left in regulation.
“Their plan was to go to the net and get a lot of shots and try to go through traffic. They did a good job. They got to us a lot by making plays,” Brodeur said.
Both of Zherdev’s goals tied the game. He made it 2-2 off a pass from Hrdina at 4:35 of the third on a power play, and 1-1 midway through the second when he blasted a shot from the left circle past Brodeur’s stick.
Brian Gionta and Martin scored for New Jersey. Gionta had his 18th goal with 3:06 left in the second period, putting the Devils ahead 2-1 when he slid a backhander through the legs of Foote and Denis.
A well-timed play led to Martin’s first goal of the season and a 1-0 lead for the Devils with 9:24 left in the opening period.
Jamie Langenbrunner circled behind the net with the puck and delivered a centering pass to Martin just as Sergei Brylin picked off two Columbus defenders to the right of Denis. Martin scored on a wide-open wrist shot.