Brodeur reaches milestone as Devils down Canadiens
Martin Brodeur reached another milestone, and the New Jersey Devils
kept rolling at the expense of the Montreal Canadiens.
Brodeur tied Patrick Roy's NHL record for regular-season
appearances by a goalie, and Patrik Elias scored the winner with
2:36 left in the Devils' 2-1 victory over the Canadiens on
Wednesday night.
Brodeur played his 1,029th game, all with New Jersey in his
16-year career. Roy played for Montreal and Colorado in his 18-year
career.
"It's durability," Brodeur said. "That's what playing a lot
of games is. It's being durable, and it's being successful, because
if you're not, the coach doesn't put you in there."
It marked the second time in two seasons that Brodeur equaled
one of Roy's records against Montreal. Brodeur tied Roy for career
wins last March, getting his 551st in the Bell Centre. Brodeur has
pushed that total to 578.
The game had a familiar feel, like many of the games Brodeur
played over the years with tight checking and few opportunities for
either side.
"It was kind of boring, but it was a big win," Brodeur said.
"We were playing a team is not doing really well right now so they
are trying to keep it simple. They really didn't do much out there
and they didn't give us many opportunities."
Illka Pikkarainen also scored to help the Devils beat
Montreal for the fifth straight time. Travis Moen scored for
Montreal. The Canadiens have lost four straight, all by one goal.
"We've got to keep improving," Montreal coach Jacques Martin
said. "You hope to learn some lessons from them."
On the winning goal, Brian Rolston fired a shot that Elias
directed toward Carey Price. Elias continued to the net and knocked
in his own rebound.
"I know they go to the net hard," Price said. "He got some
wood on it as the shot came towards me. I just tried to steer it
into the corner. Good teams get to net to score goals and that's
what Elias did."
The Devils had four power plays to none for the Canadiens in
the first period. Despite the disadvantage, Montreal came out of
the period with a 1-0 lead thanks to Moen's short-handed goal.
Devils defenseman Andy Greene, manning the right point, sent
a cross-ice pass to Jamie Langenbrunner who attempted a return
feed. Langenbrunner flubbed the puck and Moen pounced, skating
three zones to deposit a backhander behind Brodeur for an
unassisted goal at 12:23.
The Devils' fourth line came up with the equalizer when
Pikkarainen scored at 16:25 of the second.
Pikkarainen, a 28-year-old from Finland playing his first NHL
season, got his first goal on a rising shot that Price tried to
snare with his glove. Price lost sight of the puck after it ticked
off his mitt and landed in the crease. Price actually knocked it
into the cage with a skate as he backed into net.
"I saw the shot coming and I reached above my head to try and
glove it down," Price said. "I guess I batted it down right behind
me. I thought it was still up in the air, so I started backing up.
I guess I kicked it in."
There were few chances through two periods in the
tight-checking contest with the Devils holding a 17-15 edge in
shots.
NOTES: Brodeur made his 11th consecutive starting. Including
a relief appearance, Brodeur has played in 18 straight. ... Former
Devils forward Scott Gomez was booed every time he touched the
puck. The Devils did not face another former teammate Brian Gionta,
who remains sidelined by a broken foot. Gionta left New Jersey over
the summer, signing five-year free-agent contract with Montreal.
