Devils Steal Atlantic Crown With 3-Goal Comeback Win
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MONTREAL – Jamie Langenbrunner capped a stunning third-period comeback last night night that earned the Devils the Atlantic Division title with their 11th straight victory, 4-3 over Montreal.
Brian Gionta had three points, including his franchise record 47th and 48th goals, then Langenbrunner scored with 2:23 to go in regulation. The Devils, who were battling for one of the last playoff positions a month ago, won their sixth division championship in nine seasons in spectacular fashion.
New Jersey last lost 4-3 in Toronto on March 26. It trailed the Canadiens 3-0, however. Gionta scored late in the second period and again early in the third before assisting on Patrik Elias’ tying goal 14:55 into the final period. Langenbrunner further silenced the stunned sellout crowd of 21,273 when he beat Cristobal Huet on a 2-on-1 to win it.
The Devils finished with 101 points, the same as Philadelphia, but won the division with more victories. They will play the New York Rangers in the playoffs; the Rangers wound up with 100 points.
Montreal finished seventh overall with 95 points after clinching a playoff spot the night before when Atlanta lost. The Canadiens will travel to Carolina to open its opening-round series.
Gionta had his sixth three-point game of the season to finish with 89 points. He extended his points streak to 15 games when he broke Huet’s shutout effort. He moved ahead of Pat Verbeek, who scored 46 goals for the Devils in 1987-88. The 5-foot-7 right wing added his second goal of the game 11:29 into the third.
Craig Rivet and Tomas Plekanec scored first-period goals to put the Canadiens up 2-0. Alex Kovalev added his 23rd on a brilliant individual effort in the second period.
Montreal’s 41st sellout in as many home games brought the Canadiens’ total attendance to 872,193 this season, the team’s 10th full season at the Bell Centre. That tops its NHL record of 861,072 set in 1996-97.
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Dany Heatley scored his 50th goal in the third period to help Ottawa to a 5-1 victory over the Rangers last night that gave the Senators the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Heatley, in his first season with the Senators, reached the 50-goal mark for the first time and extended his Ottawa single-season record. Andrej Meszaros and Mike Fisher also scored third-period goals to break open a tight game.
Ottawa leapfrogged Carolina, which lost 4-0 at home to Buffalo, to grab first place in the East. The Senators will play defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay in the opening round.
The Rangers dropped their season high fifth straight in regulation and will have to start their first postseason appearance since 1997 on the road. New York was trying to win its first division title since its Stanley Cup-winning season of 1993-94.
Ottawa got goals from Patrick Eaves and captain Daniel Alfredsson in the second period to take a 2-1 lead. Meszaros netted his 10th goal just 1:12 into the third with the teams skating 4-on-4.Fisher gave the Senators a three-goal advantage with a short-handed goal scored on the Rangers’ first power play.
Heatley finished it off with a powerplay goal with 6:12 remaining.
Henrik Lundqvist, playing for the first time in eight games because of a hip injury, kept the Rangers in it until the third period. His best stop came in the second period when he was knocked over by his Swedish countryman Alfredsson on a breakaway, but kept the puck out of the net.
But his 27 saves weren’t nearly enough to outduel fellow rookie Ray Emery, who was stellar in stopping 27 shots and winning his 23rd game while filling in for the injured Dominik Hasek.