Devils Hang On, Outslug Lightning In Goal-Fest at Meadowlands
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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Jamie Langenbrunner scored two goals and Scott Gomez had a goal and three assists in the Devils’ 7-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Light ning last night.
New Jersey (29-21-6) scored three times in the first 8:40 and survived a Tampa Bay rally in the third period to run its home winning streak to eight games. New Jersey is 13-4 since the beginning of January.
Martin Brodeur stopped 31 shots to help the Devils tie Tampa Bay (30-22-4) for the sixth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference at 64 points.
Sean Burke came on for John Grahame and took the loss for the Lightning, allowing three goals on eight shots before giving way to Grahame in the third period.
Tampa Bay had its three-game winning streak snapped.
First-period goals by Patrik Elias, John Madden, and Gomez chased Grahame, who shut out the Devils in a 1-0 overtime win January 26. Burke did no better, giving up second-period goals to Langenbrunner, Colin White, and Paul Martin.
Grahame had been sharp recently, and finished a string of three shutouts in four games when he blanked Washington on Saturday. In January, he set a franchise record with a shutout streak of 202:46.
Grahame returned in the third period and allowed Langenbrunner’s second goal with 5:43 left after Tampa Bay had from 6-1 to 6-4 on two goals by Vincent Lecavalier and one by Darryl Sydor. Evgeny Artyukhin scored Tampa Bay’s other goal in the second.
Sydor’s and Lecavalier’s goals early in the third period came on long slap shots that Brodeur uncharacteristically let slip through his pads. When Lecavalier knocked home a rebound after Brodeur stopped Martin St. Louis on a breakaway with 6:09 left to cut the deficit to two, boos could be heard from the Continental Airlines Arena crowd.
Langenbrunner then beat Grahame from the slot on the power play for his 13th goal of the season to push the lead back to three goals.
Tampa Bay coach John Tortorella was ejected with 2:09 left in the game
Devils center Erik Rasmussen left the ice with 16:15 remaining in the second period after a collision in the Devils’ zone.
New Jersey’s highest-scoring game of the season – eight goals – came against Tampa Bay on November 25.
