Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello announced the deal for the 26-year-old D’Agostini on Friday. He had a goal and an assist in 16 games with St. Louis this season.

D’Agostini started the season in Germany. He has 45 goals and 46 assists in 254 regular-season games. His best season was in 2010-11 when he had 21 goals and 46 points in 82 games.

A native of Sault Ste. Marie in Ontario, D’Agostini was drafted by Montreal in 2005 and played four seasons with the Canadiens before being dealt to St. Louis in March 2010.

D’Agostini will arrive in New Jersey on Friday night and will play against the Panthers on Saturday, according to Tom Gulitti of The Record.

Do you like this trade for the Devils? Let us know in the comments section below…

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

“If he would’ve got in a fight, he would’ve done a little bit of everything for us,” DeBoer said.

Brodeur scored his third career goal and made 17 saves in his first game in a month, leading New Jersey to a 4-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes.

Brodeur had been out since Feb. 21 with a pinched nerve in his upper back and neck. New Jersey went 3-8-2 in his absence.

“You know him coming back, he’s going to give you a boost,” New Jersey’s Travis Zajac said. “But he was just awesome today.”

Peter Harrold, Adam Henrique and Andrei Loktionov also scored to help the Devils snap a three-game losing streak.

Jeff Skinner had the Hurricanes’ lone goal while Dan Ellis made 19 saves.

Carolina has dropped five in a row to fall from the top of the Southeast Division. The Hurricanes have been outscored 17-6 during that stretch.

Carolina and New Jersey began the night tied in the Eastern Conference standings with 32 points apiece.

“This is adversity for us,” Carolina coach Kirk Muller said. “We addressed it after the last game — now let’s see how we handle it. We’re upset tonight about our performance.”

Brodeur got credit for the game’s first goal when Carolina’s Jordan Staal passed the puck to the point from behind the net after a delayed penalty call against New Jersey’s Marek Zidlicky.

The pass missed intended target Tim Gleason and bounced off the boards near center ice. Ellis had already skated toward the bench because of the delayed penalty and couldn’t get back in time to prevent the puck from sliding into the net.

Because he was the last Devils player to touch the puck, Brodeur got credit for the score. With Carolina’s Alexander Semin in the penalty box, it counted as a power-play goal.

“When the puck went in the net, I was like, `Woah, what happened there?”‘ said Brodeur, who had been paying attention to what was going on in front of his net.

“I didn’t even know we had a delayed penalty or anything. So it was a little surprising, and then (Ilya Kovalchuk) said, `You scored the goal!’ With a Russian accent, too.”

According to Elias Sports Bureau, Brodeur is the first goalie to score a power-play goal since Evgeni Nabokov for San Jose in 2002.

Brodeur made a series of tough saves after his goal, but after the Devils weathered that initial flurry, the Hurricanes had few quality chances for the remainder of the game. Carolina’s 18 shots were a season low.

“Bottom line is accountability,” Muller said. “Everyone’s got to come ready and start pulling their weight here. When we do it as a team, we’re a good team — we can play with anyone in the East.”

New Jersey broke the game open with two goals in a 46-second span in the second period.

Henrique scored after Adam Larsson’s wrist shot from the point hit Kovalchuk in front of the Hurricanes’ net. Henrique got his stick on the puck and lofted it past Ellis.

Harrold then made it made it 3-0 after Patrik Elias’ shot from the slot was blocked. The puck bounced to Harrold, who backhanded it past Ellis from the left side.

Skinner spoiled Brodeur’s bid for a shutout when his slap shot went in for a power-play goal with 8:33 left in the game. But the Devils still managed to stop a six-game road losing streak.

“This was a big two points for us from the confidence point of view,” DeBoer said. “We haven’t won in the road in a while. It’s a good start for us, and we’ve got to build on it when we go home.”

NOTES: Tuomo Ruutu played his first game of the season for the Hurricanes after undergoing hip surgery in December. … Carolina defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti appeared to injure his left arm after being tripped by New Jersey’s Harri Pesonen into the boards with 9:15 remaining. He skated immediately to the dressing room and did not return. … Ellis left with 50.2 seconds remaining after sustaining a cut.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

That is how tight the NHL is in this lockout-shortened season.

Michael Del Zotto scored a short-handed goal and set up Rick Nash’s game winner to lead the Rangers to a 3-2 win over the Devils on Tuesday night, moving them into a tie with New Jersey for eighth place in the Eastern Conference.

“The game last night meant nothing if we didn’t follow up with two points again tonight,” Del Zotto said, referring to New York’s 2-1 shootout win over Carolina on Monday. “It was huge. A lot of momentum swings, and we have to keep this rolling here.”

The wins came on the heels of a three-game losing streak for the Rangers, who also have a game in hand on New Jersey.

“Guys are getting more confidence back,” Rangers captain Ryan Callahan said. “We’re getting back to playing the style we want to play. It shows on the ice. It’s two points, and now we have to move on.”

Carl Hagelin also scored for the Rangers, and Henrik Lundqvist had 29 saves, including three spectacular stops during a second-period power play that preceded Nash’s deciding goal.

“You try to play with a short memory, you have to,” Lundqvist said. “The games come up so fast. Sometimes you can’t really tell why it turns around for you. You just have to keep working hard and hopefully good things will happen.

“We have to improve and play even better if we’re going to be in the playoffs. These were two good games we can build on.”

The Devils also have to move on, but they need to change direction after losing their third straight (0-2-1) and for the 10th time (3-8-2) since goalie Martin Brodeur went down with a pinched nerve in his back.

Brodeur was on the bench for the first time since being injured, and the league’s career leader in wins hopes to start on Thursday in Carolina.

“We’ve got enough here to win more games than we have been winning lately,” Devils coach Peter DeBoer said. `We have to get the job done.”

Travis Zajac and Anton Volchenkov scored for New Jersey, which again outshot its opponent but had trouble scoring. The Devils have four goals in the losing streak.

“We did everything except score when we needed to,” Zajac said. “It was a pretty good game from our team. You can’t fault our effort today. We didn’t score. We had our chances but didn’t get the bounce.”

By Rangers-Devils standards, this game was wide open and had its share of miscues and great saves by Lundqvist and Johan Hedberg, who started all 13 games since Brodeur last played on Feb. 21.

Nash’s goal might have been one of the mistakes by Hedberg, who helped set up Del Zotto’s third goal of the season by playing the puck near his bench on a power play.

Nash’s team-high 10th goal came on a counterattack shortly after Lundqvist made saves on a blast by Ilya Kovalchuk, a backhander by Steve Bernier on the rebound and an in-close rebound by Alexei Ponikarovsky with Rangers defenseman Anton Stralman in the penalty box.

Del Zotto found Nash on the right wing, and the big forward skated into the Devils zone and beat Hedberg with a shot from the right circle at 7:25 to break a 2-all tie

“He (Lundqvist) definitely gave us the momentum, coming off a penalty kill,” Nash said. “Del Zotto made a great play up the ice and sent me and Richards on a two-on-one. The D man was kind of cheating the pass so I thought I would shoot.”

New Jersey had about five good chances to tie it but Lundqvist stoned them, making a great stop on David Clarkson from between the circles in the second period and stopping a couple of slap shots by Kovalchuk on a third-period power play. He also made a save on Patrik Elias in the final minute.

The Rangers, who hadn’t scored two goals in regulation in their previous four games, scored twice in the first period, but the Devils tied it on goals by slumping players.

Shortly after Kovalchuk banged a power-play shot off the post, Del Zotto swatted a shoulder-high pass from the corner by Derek Stepan into the net at 11:49 for New York’s third short-handed goal of the season.

The Devils’ second power play was more productive, and a little bit luckier at 15:15. A shot from the point by Peter Harrold was partially blocked. Del Zotto tried to kick the puck to the corner, but it went to Zajac’s stick in the right circle for his first goal in 11 games.

New York took the lead again less than two minutes later on Hagelin’s eighth goal.

It also was a little lucky.

Dan Girardi’s shot from the right point was wide of the net but it bounced off the end boards right to Hagelin on the left doorstep for a stuff-in.

Volchenkov tied it 2-2 just 23 seconds later with a shot from the left point that found its way past about five players and Lundqvist. It was the Russian’s first goal in 36 games, dating to last season, and his 19th goal in a decade in the NHL.

NOTES: Del Zotto’s goal was his 100th NHL point. … Defensemen Stu Bickel and Matt Gilroy were healthy scratches for the Rangers. … Devils C Andrei Loktionov (undisclosed injury) hopes to be back in the lineup in Carolina on Thursday. … Devils D Marek Zidlicky played in his 600th NHL game. …Ponikarovsky left the game in the second period with an undisclosed injury.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

The New York Rangers earned a crucial two points by defeating the Carolina Hurricanes in Monday’s 2-1 overtime shootout victory.  New York is now within striking distance of a playoff spot, as they’re two points off the eight seed in the Eastern Conference.

While the Blueshirts lifted the gloom by snapping a three-game losing streak, some big questions remain about the Rangers, who haven’t earned back-to-back wins since March 7.  New York is 3-4-0 in back-to-back games this season and 0-3-0 in the second game of a back-to-back.

If there’s ever been a game where the Rangers must make a statement, it’s against the Devils across the Hudson at Prudential Center.  Defenseman Michael Del Zotto called Tuesday night’s meeting “a huge rivalry game for us.”

Rangers captain Ryan Callahan understands the importance of putting together a streak and gaining some momentum back by beating the Devils in their own building — a task easier said than done.

“Obviously, the two points is the big thing,” Callahan said after Monday’s victory. “It means nothing if we don’t go into Jersey and get a win.  You’re only as good as your last game, so you’ve got to go to Jersey and show that kind of effort we did in the second and third.”

In their past four games, the Rangers have averaged less than one regulation goal per game.  A confident Callahan believes there’s no question that the Rangers will find their scoring touch in games to come.

“Pucks will start going for us, too,” Callahan stated. “There’s no concern in this room, no matter what reporters say or anybody says. We know we have guys in here who can score goals, and it’s going to come.”

Monday’s shootout hero, J.T. Miller, is never short of confidence.  Miller patiently drew Hurricanes goalie Dan Ellis out of his net to score the shooutout-winning goal.  Even though the 20-year-old Miller is just 20 games into his NHL career, it’s clear that he has the right sort of mentality needed to handle the rigors of the NHL.  Miller knows that every remaining game is of playoff intensity, and he brings energy and focus every night.

“Going forward here, we have to look at it as playoff hockey,” Miller explained.  ”We have to take it day-by-day and try and worry about tomorrow.  We have a big game tomorrow.”

Linemate Brian Boyle said of Miller: “He’s got a lot of ability and some confidence on the puck.  He’s smart, he communicates on the ice.  He’s impressive, he wants to get better, he’s ultra-competitive.  He’s a little harder on himself than I think he should be, but that’s going to keep him going and that’s great.”

Like Miller, Henrik Lundqvist is always very self-critical of his own game and understands the crucial nature of Tuesday’s rivalry meeting at The Rock.

“It’s going to be a tough game for us, but hopefully we can start winning here.  We’re in a tough spot and it’s going to be a critical game for us,” Lundqvist said.

If the Rangers can earn a hard-fought win in Newark, it could be the springboard for things to come.  Should they not get off to the right start at Prudential Center, they will be eaten alive by a max-effort Devils team that also has individuals that can make any team pay. All-world winger Ilya Kovalchuk, superb sophomore Adam Henrique, ageless Patrik Elias and gritty pest David Clarkson can do major damage.

If the Rangers give anything less than a full effort over three periods at The Rock, there’s no chance they’ll come away with a victory.  All season long, the Rangers — and particularly some of their biggest stars — have gone missing for large stretches during games.  That can’t happen on Tuesday night against the Devils in a game that means everything to the Rangers’ psyche.

Should the Rangers not get the job done at Prudential Center, bigger questions will be asked of their underperforming stars, and the pressure will be tightened on John Tortorella.  It’s up to the Blueshirts to bury their demons in New Jersey.

How damaging would a loss to the Devils be to the Rangers’ hopes of making the playoffs?  Share your thoughts below and send your tweets to @HartnettHockey.

Martin Brodeur returned to practice Monday for the Devils for the first time since going down with a sore back three weeks ago. New Jersey is just 3-7-2 since Brodeur last played back on February 21st in Washington.

Johan Hedberg has gotten all of the starts in goal for the Devils in Brodeur’s absence and made his career-high 12th consecutive start Saturday night in the 2-1 loss against the Canadiens.

The last time a Devils goalie other than Martin Brodeur started as many as 12 straight times for New Jersey was back in 2008-09 when Scott Clemmensen made 13 consecutive starts from December 16th through January 8th, going 7-5-1. Brodeur once made 44 consecutive starts in goal for New Jersey from January 3rd through April 13th, 1996. That string of starts broke Chico Resch’s single-season club record of 17, which was set in the Devils’ first season, from December 26th, 1982 through February 3rd, 1983.

Brodeur also holds the overall club mark of 51 consecutive starts in goal, which spanned two seasons, from January 8th through November 1st, 2008.

Ilya Kovalchuk scored another shorthanded goal this past Wednesday in the Devils’ victory over the Flyers. It was Kovalchuk’s career-high fourth shorthanded goal of the season, tying him for the third most in team history and just two shy of the Devils’ single-season record:

· John Madden (1999-00) 6
· Brian Rolston (1998-99) 5
· Adam Henrique (2011-12) 4
· Stephane Richer (1995-96) 4
· Doug Brown (1987-88) 4
· Ilya Kovalchuk (2012-13) 4

Kovalchuk’s shorthanded goal was also the club’s eighth of the season, an NHL best. No other team has more than 5. New Jersey led the NHL with 15 shorthanded goals in the full 82-game season last year.

Here are the highest Devils’ single-season team totals of shorthanded
goals:

· 1987-88 18
· 1991-92 15
· 2011-12 15
· 2008-09 12
· 1995-96 11
· 1989-90 10
· 1993-94 10
· (4 seasons) 9

The Flyers’ 2-1 win over the Devils Friday night was their first ever shootout victory against New Jersey. Going into Friday night’s game, the Devils and Flyers had gone to the shootout seven times since the NHL began using the tiebreaker in 2005 and New Jersey had prevailed each time.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that matched the longest streak of consecutive shootout wins by one NHL team against another. The Sabres won their first seven shootouts versus the Canadiens (before Montreal ended that streak with a win in February 2012) and the Oilers have a current streak of seven consecutive shootout victories against the Red Wings.

Last week, Pete DeBoer recorded his 60th win as Devils head coach, moving him past the late John Cuniff for the seventh-most in club
history:

.1) Jacques Lemaire 276
.2) Doug Carpenter 100
.3) Brent Sutter 97
.4) Pat Burns 89
.5) Robbie Ftorek 88
.6) Larry Robinson 87
.7) Pete DeBoer 61
.8) John Cunniff 59

Since the advent of the shootout, wins in the NHL have been somewhat easier to collect since there are no more ties, but even with help of the tie-breaker, DeBoer didn’t quite reach the 60-win plateau as Devils head coach as quickly as some of the other coaches in club history:

60th Win/Career Game as NJD Coach

· Larry Robinson 103
· Robbie Ftorek 106
· Brent Sutter 106
· Pat Burns 107
· Pete DeBoer 108
· Jacques Lemaire 116
· Doug Carpenter 179

Schwei’s Plus/Minus:

Plus: Scoring First: New Jersey is 10-1-2 when scoring first this season.

Minus: Not Scoring First: New Jersey is 3-9-4 when allowing the first goal this season.

A pinched nerve in his neck and upper back sidelined New Jersey’s Martin Brodeur for 12 games, and doctors told the NHL’s winningest goaltender there was a chance it could have been a lot longer.

Brodeur returned to Devils practice for the first time in nearly a month Monday and felt pain-free after working out for an hour at the team’s practice rink at the Prudential Center. The 40-year-old will not start against the rival New York Rangers Tuesday night, but he did not rule out backing up Johan Hedberg, who has started every game in his absence.

“It’s definitely the best I have felt on the ice so far,” said Brodeur, who has been skating for a little more than a week. “We’ll see how my body reacts and we’ll go from there. I don’t expect nothing to change. I’ll skate in the morning but I don’t think I’ll be playing, that’s for sure.”

Brodeur last played in a 3-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Feb. 21. He said his back was bothering him for about a week or two before that. He was scheduled to start at Winnipeg on Feb. 24 but shut himself down for almost three weeks because the injury was causing spasms and numbness in his shoulder and arm.

“I didn’t feel good,” Brodeur said. “I didn’t feel right. Not that I was in pain much, I was for a while when we left Winnipeg. We did a lot of different things and saw a lot of different doctors to see that there was nothing where I could hurt myself. They wanted me to take it easy for a long time. I didn’t like that, but you have to follow the advice of the people who know what they are doing.”

Brodeur took some medications to reduce the inflammation and stayed off the ice. He has not had symptoms with his back and neck for about 7-to-10 days.

“Doctors didn’t know if it was going to be three days, five days, a week, two weeks, two months,” said Brodeur, who had an 8-2-3 mark, a shutout and a 2.27 goals-against average before being sidelined. “They couldn’t tell me how it was going to respond so I needed to kind of stay focused on not knowing when it would be back. It’s a little longer than I thought, but a lot shorter than some of those doctors told me it was going to be. I am pretty happy right where I am now.”

The Devils were happy to have Brodeur on the ice Monday. They went 3-7-2 with the 39-year-old Hedberg starting the last 12 games and have slipped from near the top of the Eastern Conference to being in a dogfight for one of the last playoff spots with six weeks left in the lockout-shortened regular-season.

No one is blaming Hedberg for the slump.

“There were a lot of games in that streak where we deserved better and things weren’t happening for us,” Brodeur said. “Guys sort of got cold scoring. You look at the last two games we played really well. We stayed in games and ‘Heddy’ played really well, but we have not much to show for. That’s the type of season we are going through, and a lot of teams are going the same. I don’t know if I would have made a difference. Nobody knows that.”

Brodeur’s return to practice had some funny moments.

Early in the workout, Devils leading goal-scorer David Clarkson hit Brodeur in the mask practicing a one-on-one drill, and the two exchanged comments with Clarkson laughing while skating away.

After practice, Brodeur said it wasn’t the first time that has happened, while Clarkson said: ‘Who me?’

When told Brodeur spoke about it, Clarkson laughed, insisting his shot wasn’t even hard and didn’t make much noise hitting off the goaltender’s mask.

“He is a leader in this room and he is someone that pushes you as a player,” Clarkson said. “He pushes you to be better just by his work ethic. It’s great to see him back in the net and he looks like he feels better.”

Hedberg understands that the starting job belongs to Brodeur once he is ready.

“You don’t want him to rush into something and it’s counterproductive,” Hedberg said. “When the time is right for him to come back, we’re glad to have him back.”

Brodeur hopes to start Thursday’s game in Carolina. Coach Peter DeBoer said Hedberg would start Tuesday but he did not rule out dressing Brodeur as the backup if he is healthy. In Brodeur’s absence, the Devils have dressed Jeff Frazee to back up Hedberg.

Neither Brodeur nor DeBoer thought it was a bad move to dress the three-time Stanley Cup winner if he wasn’t starting.

“If I am on the bench that means I am going to be OK to play,” said Brodeur, who had 24 saves in a 3-1 win over the Rangers earlier this season. “I guess I might not be able to start a game because I don’t think my game is there, but adrenaline takes over in these types of situations and I’ll be fine if something happens.”

If Brodeur returns this week, will the Devils begin to rise up the Eastern Conference standings? Sound off with your thoughts and comments below…

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Plekanec deflected a shot by the 6-foot-6 son of former NHL defenseman Mark Tinordi past Johan Hedberg at 6:49 after the goalie made an ill-advised clearing attempt from behind his net. Tinordi got the puck above the left circle and let it fly.

Colby Armstrong also scored for Montreal, and Carey Price made 32 saves. The Canadiens moved into a tie with Pittsburgh for the most points in the Eastern Conference.

Defenseman Peter Harrold scored for New Jersey, which lost for the second time in two nights (0-1-1).

Tinordi, the Canadiens’ first-round draft pick in 2010, was recalled from Hamilton of the AHL on Thursday. He played a regular shift with Francis Bouillon.

Price made Pekanec’s 12th goal of the season stand up, stopping 18 shots in the third period. He made a chest save through traffic on Patrik Elias with 1:24 left and stoned Adam Henrique and Travis Zajac in close in the final minute.

Playing for the third time in four nights, the Devils tied it 1-1 on Harrold’s power-play goal at 3:54 of the second period.

With Ryan White off for holding the stick, Ilya Kovalchuk intercepted a clearing pass at the right point and slid the puck across the ice to Harrold. The defenseman got a shot off quickly and squeezed it between Price’s pads for his first goal since Dec. 2, 2010 _ a span of only 26 games for the journeyman, who has spent much of his career in the minor leagues.

Armstrong snapped a 39-game goal drought, dating to February 2012, to give the Canadiens the lead at 8:08 of the first period.

Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov lost his footing shortly after a faceoff. Armstrong retrieved the puck, skated into the right circle and ripped a shot past Hedberg, who made his career-high 12 straight start in place of the injured Martin Brodeur.

Forward Mike Blunden, who grabbed an early-morning flight after being recalled from Hamilton, appeared to screen Hedberg on the play.

Goal posts kept both teams from taking the lead during the same second-period penalty. Kovalchuk, who leads the NHL with four short-handed goals, just missed another on a 2-on-1 break while Harrold was in the penalty box.

Lars Eller beat Hedberg about a minute later, but that puck also struck a post.

NOTES: The Canadiens have scored first in 21 of 28 games. — Montreal RW Michael Ryder had his streak of 114 consecutive games played snapped because of a lower body injury. He last missed a game in March 2011. — Devils C Andrei Loktionov, who was hurt Friday against Philadelphia, sat out due to an undisclosed injury. — C Harri Pesonen made his NHL debut for New Jersey. .. Harrold was cut badly on the forehead by a shot in the third period, but returned to the game. — The Devils honored former goalie coach Jacques Caron before the game.

(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Flat on his back, Bryzgalov held off one New Jersey push. Upright on skates, Brzy pushed aside a short-handed surge.

No matter how he stopped the puck, Bryzgalov and the Flyers showed they do indeed have some fight left in their playoff push.

Matt Read and Claude Giroux both scored goals in the shootout to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to a 2-1 win over the New Jersey Devils on Friday night.

The slumping Flyers badly need this win following a 5-2 loss to the Devils on Wednesday. The Flyers are still on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff race.

“We needed to win a hockey game tonight,” coach Peter Laviolette said. “It was something that had to be done. We have to give ourselves a fighting chance.”

Read beat Johan Hedberg on the first shot and New Jersey’s Ilya Kovalchuk matched him. Giroux scored the second shootout goal, and David Clarkson and Patrik Elias both failed in their attempts against Bryzgalov.

Max Talbot scored in regulation for the Flyers and Clarkson had a goal for the Devils.

Bryzgalov stopped all 10 shots in the first period and a whopping six in the 5-minute overtime.

“We had a couple good chances,” Kovalchuk said. “But The Bryz was playing real well tonight.”

The Flyers’ penalty kill, which staved off a 5-on-3 in the first period, was clutch in the closing minutes of regulation. Brayden Schenn was whistled for charging with 1:42 left, but the Devils couldn’t convert. They attacked Bryzgalov and one puck got loose and trickled just outside the post, that had Flyers fans gasping as the final seconds ticked off.

With every man advantage or easy looks, the Devils just couldn’t convert.

With Bryzgalov flattened in the crease, Marek Zidlicky failed to flip the puck into the open the net. Zidlicky just didn’t enough lift on his shot and pushed the puck smack into a sprawled out goalie.

“I think I need a bigger curve, probably,” Zidlicky said.

No doubt, the Flyers had to have this one.

Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren ripped the team in a 15-minute meeting at practice Thursday. He then gave Laviolette a vote of confidence and said he hadn’t considered firing him. Holmgren demanded the Flyers play hard and with purpose for all 60 minutes.

With every point so crucial, the Flyers got the message.

“I think we played much harder than we did the last game,” forward Danny Briere said. “We won a lot more battles.”

Holmgren’s gamble to dismantle the Flyers after a run to the 2010 Stanley Cup finals has yet to produce a roster capable of a deep postseason run. Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, James van Riemsdyk were all traded and Bryzgalov has been maddeningly inconsistent in his two seasons in net.

The Flyers entered the night five points behind Winnipeg for the final playoff spot in the East.

Unlike Briere, Bryzgalov said there were more reasons than Holmgren’s speech for the inspired play.

“We all are realizing how important every game is for us, every point,” Bryzgalov said. “It’s not because someone walked in said, `If you don’t start playing better we’re going to kill you.”‘

Playing with the spirit they needed more of in this underachieving season, the Flyers played one of their better first periods of late.

With Philadelphia’s Jakub Voracek in the penalty box for hooking and Wayne Simmonds serving time for roughing, the Devils had the early two-man advantage.

Bryzgalov came up with a pair of clutch stops, first on a pad save against Kovalchuk and then holding off Clarkson on the rebound. Bryzgalov heard a well-earned rousing ovation for keeping the Devils off the scoreboard.

“We had some chances, but you have to give Bryzgalov some credit,” coach Peter DeBoer said. “He made some really big saves and they were playing for their life out there.”

The Flyers backed up Bryzgalov when Talbot punched the puck in a wide-open net with Hedberg drawn out to the tip of the crease for a 1-0 lead. Simon Gagne was open on the wide side and made a perfect pass to Talbot on the low circle.

That left the Devils down a goal — and a player — and the end of one. The Devils lost center Andrei Loktionov for the game with an undisclosed injury after only 4:04 of ice time.

New Jersey tied it 1-all when Bryce Salvador’s shot from the point was redirected by Clarkson for his 11th goal. Kovalchuk rang one off the post toward the end of the period. Salvador headed for the bench in the first after he was smacked blocking a shot.

The Flyers did enough to beat their division rivals. They’ll need more of the same to make the playoffs.

“Sadly, we’ve put ourselves in a rough spot,” Briere said. “There’s no other way around it. We’re not going to be allowed to drop too many games from here going out.”

NOTES: The Devils fell to 3-1 vs. the Flyers this season. … The Flyers don’t have another home game until March 26. … The Flyers blocked 16 shots. … Hedberg said he’d be ready to handle back-to-backs and play against Montreal on Saturday night.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

NHL owners have made it official: The Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets are heading east.

The league announced Thursday that its board of governors approved a realignment plan that will go into effect next season. The new format will feature two eight-team divisions in the Eastern Conference, and two seven-team divisions in the West.

That means Detroit and Columbus will switch conferences by moving into the East, while the Winnipeg Jets will move into the Western Conference.

Realignment will also create changes in determining the 16-team playoff field. The top three teams in each division will qualify for the postseason. The next two teams with the best records in each conference will then earn wild-card berths.

That will make it more difficult for teams to qualify in the East, because it will have two more clubs than the West competing for eight berths.

The NHL Players’ Association had already signed off on the realignment format, which will be in place for at least three seasons.

“The new alignment will place several clubs in more geographically appropriate groupings, and will intensify already-fierce rivalries throughout the league,” the NHL said.

The changes will also make it easier on team’s travel schedules, with Detroit and Columbus no longer having to make numerous and extended trips outside the Eastern time zone. The Jets will also gain some normalcy in travel after spending the past two seasons as members of the Southeast Division.

The Atlanta Thrashers’ relocation to Winnipeg two years ago helped precipitate the need for realignment.

Detroit will be placed in a division with Boston, Buffalo, Florida, Montreal, Ottawa, Tampa Bay and Toronto.

Columbus will now contend with Carolina, New Jersey, the Islanders, Rangers, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

Winnipeg will join a division featuring Chicago, Colorado Dallas, Minnesota, Nashville and St. Louis.

The switch also allows both Minnesota and Colorado to move from the Northwest Division and into a more centrally based division.

All teams will play each other both home and away at least once each season. And teams will play division rivals at least four times a season.

What do you think of the realignment, hockey fans? Sound off with your thoughts and comments below…

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

It was never a secret that 22-year-old Russian center Andrei Loktionov possessed high-ceiling talent.  It was only a matter of when he would be given a chance to prove he was worthy of an important role at the NHL level.

That opportunity was never going to come in Los Angeles.

Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello is always sniffing around the market for ways to improve New Jersey’s chances of returning to the Stanley Cup finals.  When Loktionov dug in his feet and requested a trade from the Kings, Lamoriello sprung into action.  He took advantage of both the trade demand and Los Angeles’ wealth of depth at center and was able to pry Loktionov from the Kings for merely a fifth-round pick.

It’s a trade that’s already turning out to be a steal for New Jersey as Loktionov is enjoying rapid success at his new address in the Garden State.  No longer is Loktionov one of those “potential players” stuck in the minors and buried on the organizational depth chart.  Now he’s Devil — and an important Devil for that matter.

Loktionov finds himself surrounded by distinguished veteran linemates in all-world superstar Ilya Kovalchuk and big-bodied winger Alexei Ponikarovsky.  It’s not just Loktionov who is reaping the rewards from playing with two established players, Kovalchuk and Ponikarovsky are also benefiting from Loktionov’s vision and shiftiness.

“He’s a smart player,” Kovalchuk stated after Wednesday’s 5-2 rout of the Flyers.  “He never had a chance to play in LA, really.  Here, he’s got real time on the power play and all different situations, he feels more comfortable.”

The game itself was a laugher for the men in red and black.  New Jersey dominated all aspects in their commanding victory over the listless, unorganized and undisciplined Philadelphia Flyers.

While Kovalchuk’s shorthanded goal was probably the back-breaker for Philadelphia, it was Loktionov’s goal that drew gasps of awe from the Prudential Center crowd.

Loktionov was sprung by a pass along the boards from Ponikarovsky and undressed Flyers’ defenseman Braydon Coburn.  This isn’t basketball, but Loktionov did the hockey equivalent of “breaking ones ankles” with his stunning toe-drag move before beating Ilya Bryzgalov stick side.

“He’s making good plays, he didn’t panic with the puck – that’s important,” Kovalchuk explained  “You can see, the guy has skills and is willing to whatever coaches ask him, so that’s good.”

Instead of passing off to Kovalchuk, Loktionov pulled off the goal of the night — and one of the Devils’ best goals of the season.

“If he didn’t score, maybe we’ll have a little talk,” Kovalchuk joked.  “It’s a good decision, a great move by him.  He just put in between (Bryzgalov’s) legs, so it’s a great goal.”

Devils head coach Pete DeBoer likes the consistency he’s seeing from the 22-year-old Russian.

“He’s getting the opportunity to play with Ponikarovsky and Kovalchuk which is for a young guy, a rare opportunity to come to an organization and get thrown into that situation,” DeBoer said. “He’s also earned the right to stay there by producing every night. You wonder if it’s real, but he’s been consistent every night for us.  That’s a good sign.”

Loktionov hasn’t seen a great deal of practice time, but that hasn’t stopped him from developing a quick understanding with his new teammates.  When asked about his practice habits, winning goaltender Johan Hedberg admitted he hasn’t studied Loktionov closely due to the shortened schedule.

“It’s hard to say, we’ve had more games than practices,” Hedberg responded.  “From what I’ve seen, he works as hard as he can and tries to better himself every day.”

“I didn’t know much about him when he came, but he’s making the most of his opportunity,” Hedberg said.  “He’s strong on the puck, he’s strong on his skates, he makes plays, he’s confident – he’s been a great addition for us.”

As a whole, the Devils are appreciating what they’re seeing from their newest addition.  Through 12 games as a Devil, Loktionov has scored four goals and found three assists for seven points.  It was his quick-dish assist that allowed Adam Henrique to walk in on Bryzgalov and score a nifty backhanded goal.  Henrique recognizes Loktionov as an exciting talent and gifted playmaker.

“He’s a very skilled player,” Henrique stated. “He came in here, and he’s played great since he’s been here.  Obviously, he scored in the first three or four games that he was here.  I think he likes it here, he’s fit in great and he creates chances out there for everybody.  He’s an exciting player to watch and had a huge goal for us tonight.”

The player who couldn’t find his place in LA and was cast aside by the Kings is turning out to be the Devils’ treasure.

Devils fans, how impressed are you by Loktionov’s start?  Was his goal on Wednesday the most exciting of the season?  Share your thoughts below and send your tweets to @HartnettHockey.

They might have even clinched a postseason spot by now.

Ilya Kovalchuk capped New Jersey’s three-goal first period with his NHL-leading fourth short-handed goal, and the Devils beat the mistake-prone Philadelphia Flyers 5-2 on Wednesday night.

It was the Devils’ third win over Philadelphia in three games in the lockout-shortened season. New Jersey owns a six-point lead over the Flyers, who have lost four of five.

The teams will play again on Friday night with Philadelphia finally getting a chance to be the host.

“It will be tough to play in their building, but we usually have success against them,” said Patrik Elias, who also scored in the first period along with Adam Henrique. “We stuck with it again. It’s nice that they’re looking up at us in the standings.”

Andrei Loktionov had the prettiest goal for New Jersey, with a toe-drag move that left goalie Ilya Bryzgalov at his mercy. The win was the second straight and third in four games for the Devils following a six-game losing streak that dropped them close to the eighth-place cutoff for the playoffs.

They are now tied for sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

“Obviously, we had a tough stretch there,” said Henrique, who added a second goal in the third period, closing out the scoring for New Jersey. “We talked in here. We’re a confident group. We just needed to stick to our systems and play our game. We knew eventually it was going to turn around.”

Johan Hedberg had 23 saves for New Jersey in making his 10th straight start because Martin Brodeur is still sidelined by a sore back.

“I think we had done a lot of good things, even though we were losing,” Hedberg said. “We weren’t rewarded but we stuck with it. Sometimes when you’re not winning, it’s a matter of pushing a little too hard. I think that was the case. We were trying so hard to get those goals.”

Jakub Voracek and Scott Hartnell scored for the Flyers.

“This one hurts. It stings,” Hartnell said. “You can use any adjective you want, but tomorrow is a new day. We have to come to the rink with a new attitude and get through this. This is frustrating hockey.”

The Flyers were their own worst enemy, giving up two goals with bad pinches, another that went in off the skate of Matt Read, and another on a giveaway behind their net.

“To be honest, I have no idea what to say to you guys,” Bryzgalov said. “I’m just tired of losing. Another disappointing loss. We’ve been doing this all year long, and we just continue.”

There were blank stares in and out of the locker room as the Flyers packed up and headed for home.

Philadelphia general manager Paul Holmgren, who might have to make a move or two before the trade deadline, walked in and out of the hallways in the bowels of the Prudential Center, looking as puzzled as his team. Holmgren declined a request to speak with the media.

Flyers coach Peter Laviolette wasn’t sure if this was rock bottom for his team.

“I don’t know the answer to that,” he said. “We have to put it back together. There’s a letdown here. We need to eliminate the breakdowns.”

Philadelphia defenseman Andrej Meszaros got the Devils going, giving up the puck behind his net in the opening minutes. His pass up the middle of the ice was weak, and Steve Bernier got the puck. The rebound of his shot went to Henrique, who took a backhander that caromed to Elias for a tap-in goal.

Voracek tied it 1-1 on a power play by scoring his 13th goal. Wayne Simmonds set it up with a pass from beside the net to Voracek, who was alone in the left circle.

Henrique gave the Devils the lead for good 36 seconds later with a shot from the side boards that deflected past Bryzgalov off Read’s skate.

Kovalchuk made it 3-1 late in the period when Read made a bad pinch on a power play. It led to a breakaway by Kovalchuk, who scored his 10th of the season and second short-handed against Bryzgalov. He also scored a short-handed goal on a penalty shot in the season opener.

Loktionov stretched the lead to 4-1 early in the second period, taking advantage of another bad pinch to lead a counter attack. He fooled Bryzgalov and scored his fourth goal.

Henrique made it 5-1, scoring on a power play for his ninth of the season.

Hartnell closed out the scoring late for the Flyers.

The Devils, who defeated the Flyers in five games in the second round of last season’s playoffs, are 3-0 against Philadelphia this season. New Jersey has scored in the opening three minutes of each of those games.

Perhaps stirred by the loss, Philadelphia leaders Danny Briere and Claude Giroux feverishly worked on exercise bikes with their heads down.

NOTES: This was the first time the Devils scored four goals since a 5-3 win over the Flyers on Feb. 15. … Flyers D Luke Schenn was scratched because of the flu.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

The Devils may have put the brakes on their recent skid with two shootout victories in their last three games.

Johan Hedberg stopped all three shots he faced in the shootout, earning him and the Devils a 3-2 win over the Jets on Sunday night after making a pair of saves in the shootout in New Jersey’s 3-2 victory over the Sabres last Thursday.

Since the NHL began using the shootout in the 2005-06 season, Hedberg has recorded 24 percent of his wins via the tiebreaker (25 of 105).

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that is the highest percentage of overall wins by shootouts in the last eight seasons for any NHL goaltender with at least 50 total wins over that span. Jonathan Quick is second at 21 percent (29-of-139). Martin Brodeur’s total is 16 percent (42-of-261).

Sunday night’s Devils win also saw the end of a stretch of nine straight games in which they had allowed the first goal. The team record is 11, which has happened two times. It last happened during the 1986-87 season.

• 12/19/86 vs. Washington through 1/10/87 vs. Vancouver (1-7-3 record)

• 3/13/84 vs. Islanders through 4/1/84 vs. Boston (1-9-1 record)

Keith Kincaid and Jeff Frazee both made their NHL debuts for the Devils this past week, replacing Hedberg in goal during New Jersey’s losses to Tampa Bay and Carolina.

The last time two Devils goaltenders made their NHL debuts in the same season was back in 2001-02, when Scott Clemmensen and J.F. Damphousse both did so. Clemmensen relieved Brodeur to start the third period of their 6-1 opening-night loss to the Capitals in Washington on October 6, 2001. Damphousse debuted with a start against the Lightning in Tampa Bay on November 23, 2001, and took the loss, 2-0.

Prior to that, you have to go back to 1992 to find the last time two New Jersey goalies made their first NHL appearances in the same season. On March 22, 1992, Chad Erickson took the loss in his first NHL outing, 6-3, in a start against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Four days later, Brodeur made his NHL debut with a 4-2 victory over the Bruins at the Meadowlands.

The Devils’ 3-2 shootout victory over the Sabres last Thursday night also snapped a six-game losing streak, as New Jersey avoided losing seven straight for the first time since January 24 through February 8 of 1985.

Hedberg got the win, ending his seven-game losing streak which dated back to February 16 against the Islanders. The losing streak was the longest by a Devils goalie since Craig Billington dropped nine consecutive decisions from March 3, 1987, through April 5, 1987.

Brodeur’s longest losing streak is six games. Brodeur lost six straight from March 22, 2009, through April 1, 2009, and again from December 17, 2010, through December 29, 2010.

Patrik Elias scored with 1:06 remaining in regulation to tie the game with Buffalo. It was the 40th time in team history that New Jersey tied a game with the goaltender pulled. It was the third time in his career that Elias scored with the extra attacker, one shy of Brian Gionta’s team record.

Here is the list of players who have scored more than one extra-attacker goal for the New Jersey Devils.

• Brian Gionta: 4 (3/23/06 at Atl, 10/12/06 vs. Tor, 10/19/06 vs. NSH and 1/20/07 vs Phi)

• Patrik Elias 3 (11/9/01 vs. Tor, 4/2/06 at Pitt and 3/7/13 vs. Buf)

• Brendan Shanahan 3 (1/21/88 vs. Det, 10/4/90 vs. Det and 3/6/91 at Buf).

• Pat Verbeek 2 (3/7/85 vs. NYI and 10/17/87 at Har)

• Bruce Driver 2 (3/1/87 at Har and 4/1/90 at Bos)

• Kirk Muller 2 (12/26/89 at NYR and 2/19/90 at NYR)

• Stephane Richer 2 (3/21/92 vs. NYI and 4/4/95 vs TB)

• Jamie Langenbrunner 2 (3/1/03 vs. Was and 1/30/09 vs. Pit)

• Sergei Brylin 2 (10/16/03 vs. Tor an 3/2/07 vs. Tor)

• David Clarkson 2 (1/12/08 at Buf and 1/31/12 vs. NYR)

• Travis Zajac 2 (10/8/09 at TB and 2/5/10 vs. Tor)

Schwei’s Plus/Minus:

Plus: Patrik Elias – Registers ninth career shootout-deciding goal in win vs. Jets, tying Zach Parise for the Devils’ all-time lead.

Minus: Troubled Waters – Devils go just 3-6-2 in 11-game stretch against non-Atlantic Division opponents.

How do you feel about this team at this point in the season, Devils fans? Sound off with your thoughts and comments below…

Ryan Carter and Stephen Gionta scored in regulation time for the Devils, who won for only the second time in nine games since top goalie Martin Brodeur was sidelined with a sore back. Hedberg, who was lifted in a 6-3 loss to Carolina on Saturday night, had 23 saves through overtime. He then turned away Blake Wheeler, Evander Kane and Andrew Ladd in the shootout.

Elias netted the winner with a backhander on the Devils’ last attempt that just got under goalie Ondrej Pavelec, who made 25 saves before the tiebreaker.

Ilya Kovalchuk and David Clarkson were stopped by Pavelec on the Devils’ first two shootout chances, and Hedberg stopped Wheeler and Kane on the Jets’ first two tries.

After Elias scored, Hedberg stopped Ladd for the win.

Defenseman Mark Stuart and Kane had regulation goals for the Jets, who had a two-game winning streak snapped and lost for only the third time in eight games.

Both goalies had to make big saves in overtime. Pavelec stopped Peter Harrold in the opening minute and then denied Clarkson with his pad with 2:36 to go.

Hedberg had a glove save on Kane with 5.8 seconds before the shootout and a stop on Dustin Byfuglien in close a minute earlier.

Hedberg also kept the game tied with a pad save on a blast by Byfuglien with 4:50 left in the third period.

The Devils, who hadn’t scored the first goal in nine games, got the first two against the Jets. They were in total command until defenseman Andy Greene tipped Stuart’s shot from the left boards past Hedberg, who was in perfect position to stop the relatively easy shot.

Kane tied made it 2-2 with 2:41 left in the second period, ripping a shot from the left circle high into the corner of the net after being sprung by Stuart on a 2-on-1 with Antti Miettinen. Greene was the defenseman between the Jets’ forwards.

Kyle Wellwood almost gave Winnipeg the lead in the closing seconds but his drive struck the post.
New Jersey, which lost 6-3 at Carolina on Saturday night, came out flying despite the back-to-back games.

Pavelec kept the Devils off the boards until a lucky bounce set up Carter’s goal.

New Jersey defenseman Anton Volchenkov fired the puck off the glass behind the net after crossing center ice. Instead of going around the net, the puck came right back in front, and Pavelec stopped Travis Zajac in close.

The center sent the puck across the crease, and Carter backhanded it in for his third goal of the season at 8:47.

Gionta pushed the lead to 2-0 just 1:25 later, beating Pavelec between the pads on a breakaway set up by Kovalchuk.

It marked the first time the Devils enjoyed a two-goal lead since a win over the Flyers on Feb. 15, a span of 11 games.

Stuart was shaken up midway through the third period, going face first into the boards behind the net while making a touch on an icing call.

You may share your thoughts in our comments section below…

(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Alexander Semin and Jay Harrison scored 28 seconds apart in the first period, and Jeff Skinner and Chris Terry _ in his NHL debut _ added goals for the Hurricanes, who won for the fifth time in six games. Dan Ellis made 31 saves in the victory.

Tlusty’s second goal was into an empty net with 1:14 remaining.

New Jersey got two goals from Ilya Kovalchuk, including a short-handed tally, and one from Patrik Elias but that wasn’t enough for the Devils to avoid their seventh loss in eight games without top goalie Martin Brodeur.

Johan Hedberg stopped only 13 of 18 Carolina shots through two periods and was replaced by Jeff Frazee to start the third.

(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Mired in a dreadful six-game losing streak, someone had to do something extraordinary to the kick the New Jersey Devils back into life.

It was only fitting that “Old Reliable,” Patrik Elias, would be the man to pull the Devils even to complete a comeback from 2-0 down and force overtime with 1:06 remaining in regulation.

David Clarkson’s shot from along the boards resulted in a big, juicy rebound let up by Sabres goalie Jhonas Enroth.  Elias’ alert positioning and anticipation culminated in a very important goal as the prospect of a seventh consecutive loss stared the Devils in the face.

Still, the Devils needed to complete a gutsy overtime victory to avoid their first seven-game losing streak since 1986.  Sabres captain Jason Pominville unleashed a blast that rung the post and Devils defenseman Andy Greene nearly won the game for New Jersey in the final minutes.

After Clarkson scored a stylish backhander in the shootout, Elias pulled off a world-class deke on Ryan Miller to win the shootout and give the Devils their first victory since February 21.  Miller, who came in to replace Enroth, wildly attempted a poke-check and Elias buried the puck in the net to seal the 3-2 shootout win.

“It’s huge, obviously,” Elias said after Thursday’s victory.  “We lose six games in a row, and maybe three or four games we could have won out of those games and didn’t find a way.  We’re happy with the two points tonight and hopefully that’s going to turn around for us and jumpstart us again here for the weekend.”

While much of the chatter this week around the New York metro area is focused on immortal Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, there’s another one-team icon on the other side of the Hudson River who deserves a share of the spotlight for his commitment to a Devils team that has mirrored the consistency of the Bronx Bombers.

Since his first full season in 1997-98, Elias has been as consistent as they come among NHL forwards.  Like Rivera, there hasn’t been any decline in Elias’ game.  Last season, Elias totaled 78 points in 81 games.  This year, he’s at a point-per-game rate, scoring 24 points in 24 games.  Not bad for a player who will turn 37 in April.

“Mr. Consistency” Still Has A Few Years Left At The Top

Elias has stated that he wishes to play three or four more years.  No one doubts Elias’ ability to play in this league into his 40s.  His cleverness, eye for a pass and goal-scoring instincts haven’t suffered at the hands of time.

“I’m hoping to play for at least another two, three, four years … whatever I can play,” Elias stated in January.  “I enjoy it. I love it. I’m in good shape. I’m in better shape than I probably was a few years back.”

Elias holds nearly every record possible in Devils history.  He has the most goals (368), most assists (550) and most points (918).  The list goes on. He has the highest point total a season (96), the most points a playoffs (23) and a franchise-best 78 game-winning goals.

His 45 playoff goals, 80 playoff assists and 125 postseason points are all franchise highs.  The only record he doesn’t hold is games played in Devils uniform, as he is bettered by “Mr. Devil” Ken Daneyko and legendary teammate Martin Brodeur.

On top of his individual records, Elias has twice lifted the Stanley Cup, and his clutch play paved the way for four appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals since 2000.

There aren’t any signs of Elias slowing down.  As evidenced on Thursday, Elias is still scoring important goals and his performance against the Sabres may have finally given the Devils the push they need to turn their once-promising season around.

“I think we were due for a bounce,” Devils head coach Pete DeBoer explained. “That’s the bottom line. We’ve been working here for a week or two and played some pretty good hockey and haven’t got it, and we got it tonight. I think it was a perfect storm. We went through a week or 10 days where we didn’t get rewarded for some of our work. We didn’t get some bounces or help ourselves, and it snowballed on us.

“Hopefully that’s the end of it and we can move this in a positive direction.”

As for Elias, it’s hard to imagine him not being a crucial part of the Devils’ plans going forward.  By the time his prestigious career comes to a close, his No. 26 will be raised to the ceiling at Prudential Center alongside the current retired numbers of Scott Stevens, Daneyko and Scott Niedermayer.  Eventually, it will stand next to Brodeur’s No. 30, as the two were the pillars of the post-Stevens era Devils.

More importantly, once Elias finally decides to hang up his skates, it will be fairly obvious that his next stop will be the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Is Patrik Elias a surefire Hall of Famer?  Share your thoughts below and send your tweets to @HartnettHockey.

New Jersey showed it had both qualities Thursday night, rallying from a late two-goal deficit and getting shootout goals from David Clarkson and Patrik Elias in posting a 3-2 over the Sabres and snapping an 0-5-1 slide.

“I’m glad we stuck with it and got the goals,” said Elias, whose first word to the media was `finally.’

“We just had to keep working through this. It was a huge win, obviously. After losing six games in a row, we didn’t know. We had three or four of those games we could have won and didn’t find a way. Hopefully, this will turn us around and jump-start us a little.”

For 53 minutes, the Devils seemed well on the road to a seventh straight loss. They fell behind 2-0 midway through the third period, and the way Sabres starting goaltender Jhonas Enroth was playing, things didn’t look promising.

“I think we were due for a bounce,” said DeBoer, who felt his team never deviated from the game plan even after falling behind by two goals. “That’s the bottom line. We’ve been working here for a week or two and played some pretty good hockey and haven’t got it (a bounce), and we got it tonight.”

Adam Henrique started the comeback with a goal a little less than a minute after Buffalo defenseman Christian Erhoff was called for holding . Henrique’s initial shot was blocked by defenseman Mike Weber. The shot stunned Weber and Henrique was able to get the loose puck and fire it past Enroth from the left circle.

Elias’ tying goal seemed a little soft. Clarkson took a long shot from the left point seconds after embattled Devils goaltender Johan Hedberg left for a sixth skater. Enroth kicked out a long rebound and Elias had a wide-open net with 66 seconds to play in regulation.

Enroth lay prone on the ice after the play and had to be helped to the bench, dragging his right leg. Ryan Miller, who was getting his first night off after 14 straight starts, replaced him.

Sabres coach Ron Rolston disclosed after the game that Enroth was cramping the entire third period.

“I like what he did,” Rolston said. “He made some huge saves for us. I know he’s disappointed he couldn’t finish. He’ll be back.

“We’re disappointed we couldn’t get the win for him. The guys were working. There was a lot of sacrifice out there. I like the way our team is competing right now.”

The overtime was exciting, with Miller stopping Devils defenseman Andy Greene in close with about a minute to go in the five-minute session and Pominville blasting a shot off the right post seconds later.

After Ilya Kovalchuk and Thomas Vanek missed on the first two shootout attempts, Clarkson made a nifty move to beat Miller with a backhander.

Pominville seemed to miss the net on the Sabres’ second try and Elias deked Miller out of position for a tap-in game winner.

“Tonight I got some breaks,” said Hedberg, who lost a shootout to the Sabres less than a week ago. “They hit some posts and sometimes that’s the difference. We deserved to win. We played as hard as we can the last couple of games. We just didn’t get the goal we needed. Tonight we did.”

The Devils’ winless streak has coincided with Martin Brodeur being sidelined with a sore back. Hedberg had 23 saves in ending the slide.

“I think it was a perfect storm,’ DeBoer said. “We went through a week or 10 days where we didn’t get rewarded for some of our work. We didn’t get some bounces or help ourselves and it snowballed on us. Hopefully, that’s the end of it and we can move this in a positive direction.”

Vanek and rookie Brian Flynn staked Buffalo to a 2-0 lead, with Vanek tallying his team-high 13th goal of the season on a second-period power play, and Flynn getting the first of his career midway through the third period.

Vanek staked the Sabres to a 1-0 lead in the second period, converting a nice pass from Tyler Ennis on a power play.

Flynn got his first midway through the third period when defenseman Andrej Sekera’s shot was blocked and went directly to the rookie playing in only his fourth game.

Enroth was outstanding in making his first start since Feb. 5. The 24-year-old who was only appearing in his fourth game this season was spectacular for the opening 40 minutes, stopping all 19 shots.

His best saves in the opening period were back-to-back stops on Henrique from low in the left circle and then a quick pad stop on Elias’ uncontested rebound from point-blank range.

While Hedberg faced just 14 shots in the first two periods, he was back in form after a bad outing in a 5-2 loss to Tampa Bay on Tuesday _ a game in which he was taken out after giving up three goals on 11 shots in 33 minutes.

The 39-year-old goaltender, who has started the last seven games with Martin Brodeur sidelined with a sore back, got a little lucky early when Cody Hodgson clanged one off the crossbar.

Hedberg, however, made a nice pad save on John Scott on a first-period counterattack, and a good skate save on Hodgson.

Enroth came up with his second great stop on a rebound attempt when he slid across the crease to stop Clarkson after making the initial save on Elias.

NOTES: The Devils made a number of lineup changes. Defensemen Henrik Tallinder (lower body) and Adam Larsson were scratched and Peter Harrold and Anton Volchenkov replaced them. It was Harrold’s second game this season, while Volchenkov had been a healthy scratch for four straight. — RW Tom Kostopoulos made his Devils debut after being claimed on waived from Pittsburgh. Sabres RW Patrick Kaleta served the second game in his 5-game suspension for boarding Rangers C Brad Richards. — Buffalo C Jochen Hecht was scratched for the first time this season. — Enroth was looking for his first win since November 2011 (0-10-3).

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Disaster was averted when Patrick Kaleta checked Brad Richards headfirst into the boards last Sunday.

Richards was on the ice at a very awkward angle with his neck bent in a direction that looked gruesome. Richards was able to get up and he should be back in the lineup shortly.

Disaster was not averted in Switzerland, however, when player Ronny Keller was left paralyzed by a hit to the boards on March 5 by an opponent named Stefan Schnyder.

The only difference between the two hits was that Schnyder raced a longer distance to hit Keller and he appeared to deliver more force than Kaleta brought in his check of Richards.

But the NHL should not be feeling very good about itself just because Richards got up after the hit by the Buffalo goon. It was simply a matter of physics and luck that Richards was not left paralyzed, just like Keller.

The Kaleta suspension needs to be revisited. This may be the United States, where the concept of double jeopardy applies in the courtroom, but it does not necessarily apply in the NHL.

Kaleta could have paralyzed or killed Richards with his hit. He has been guilty of horrible behavior on the ice before and this marks his third suspension by the NHL.

A five-game suspension for Kaleta is a joke.

Raffi Torres of the Phoenix Coyotes was suspended 25 games (later reduced to 21 games) by the NHL for his brutal hit on Marian Hossa of the Chicago Blackhawks in last spring’s playoffs.

If the NHL wants to take mayhem out of its games, it must severely punish all guilty parties. If you hit-check a player into the boards from behind, you must be hit with a severe punishment.

25 games is just the jumping-off point. If you want to save players’ lives or make sure they can walk away from the game when they decide to retire, it’s time to suspend them for a year for such hits or perhaps even ban them for life.

I had never heard of Schnyder or Keller before seeing the brutal check, and I would not be surprised if Schnyder is regretful about the incident. He may have had a clean record prior to the hit.

It doesn’t matter. He should never be allowed to play organized hockey again at any level.

Police are investigating the incident, and that’s just what should happen.

The NHL has reacted quickly to protect players from blindside hits and head shots. However, there are still dunderheads like Kaleta who still don’t get the message.

Kaleta was disturbed about his hit on Richards. He was upset that he put his team in the position of having to defend a five-minute power play.

“I’m just sorry for the position I put the team in, trying to kill that penalty,” Kaleta told the Buffalo News. “I feel for that, for putting the penalty killers out there and them getting the two goals. It makes me feel like a bag of garbage after seeing that.”

Kaleta is right. He is a bag of garbage. Not for leaving his team shorthanded, but for nearly causing a tragedy on the ice.

It is distasteful, but watch the video in the link above a couple of times. Watch how Keller gets catapulted into the boards by the ferocity and viciousness of the hit.

It only takes one hit like that to ruin a person’s life and damage the sport in a brutal manner.

This is no time to step back from serious justice being meted out to offending players.

Lives are at stake and so is the reputation of the National Hockey League.

Is hockey too brutal these days? If so, what needs to be done to fix the game? Sound off with your thoughts and comments below…

The Lightning had it after losing five games in a row and the Devils didn’t seem to find until they fell behind by four goals in seeing their winless streak stretch to six games.

Nate Thompson scored twice, and Martin St. Louis and rookie Alexander Killorn each had a goal and an assist as the Lightning won for only the second time in eight games with a 5-2 victory Tuesday night.

“We really needed this one,” said Thompson, who also had an assist on the Lightning’s final goal. “We were desperate. We talked all day about doing the little things right. It always feels good when you can contribute. I don’t get a chance to score two goals often. I was pretty close to a third. We did a great job of taking advantage of our opportunities. Both of my goals tonight came off great passes. I’d be a fool if I missed them.

“You get a win like this and it can give us momentum moving forward. We just needed to get it going, relax, and play our game.”

Cory Conacher and Vincent Lecavalier each had two assists as the Lightning extended the Devils’ winless streak to six games (0-5-1).

Anders Lindback had 25 saves for the Lightning, surrendering late goals to Adam Henrique and Patrik Elias.

“I never want to let a shutout go, but the win was more important,” said Lindback, who has not had a shutout since 2010. “I can get a shutout another time. It was a huge game for us. We’ve been on a tough road trip and just been struggling. We showed all game that we’re a better team than we have been playing.”

New Jersey’s slide has taken place with Johan Hedberg in goal for the injured Martin Brodeur (back). The crowd at the Prudential Center cheered wildly after coach Peter DeBoer sent Keith Kinkaid out for his first NHL action after Tampa Bay opened a 3-0 lead.

DeBoer refused to blame Hedberg got the slide and said he would be back in goal Thursday against Buffalo, even though he said Kinkaid played well, stopping 12 of 13 shots.

“We have to build off the last four minutes,” DeBoer said. “This is our adversity. Every team faces them at different points in the year and this is ours. You hope that you get to the bottom here so you start climbing up. I’m hoping this is rock bottom and we can start getting off the mat and getting on to bigger and better things.”

The only good thing the Devils did was end Steven Stamkos’ 10-game point streak. He had scored goals in eight of his last nine games, and only a pad save by Kinkaid on a breakaway early in the third period prevented the streak from continuing.

“Seeing him come down, top goal scorer in the league, to get a stop on him, just a pad, he’s a great player,” Kinkaid said. “Maybe he roofs it, it’s in, but I got a lucky pad on it.”

Thompson put the Lightning ahead for good with 2:56 left in the first period. Hedberg played the puck from behind his own net and Lightning rookie Ondrej Palat got the puck in the corner, found Conacher in the left circle. The rookie found Thompson alone in front for a shot that Hedberg never had a chance to stop.

Tampa Bay put the game away in the second period on the goals by St. Louis and Killorn.

St. Louis’ sixth tally of the season came on a 3-on-2 play that Killorn started in his own end. He made a pass to Lecavalier coming out of the Lightning’s own zone, took a return pass in New Jersey’s zone and then found St. Louis alone at the left side of the net for a tap-in at 5:33.

Killorn, who has four goals and four assists in 13 games since being called up, made a great play on the third goal. He skated out from behind the Devils’ net, moved between the circles and beat Hedberg between the pads with Hedberg distracted by Lecavalier and St. Louis standing on either side of him.

Thompson upped the margin to 4-0 with a snap shot from in close after another nice set up by Conacher.

Henrique ended Lindback’s bid for his first shutout of the season with a short-handed goal with 6:16 to play. Elias scored on a power play with 4:45 to go and Andrei Loktionov had a shot roll along the goal line with 2:00 to go. Lindback created a little excitement with 1:27 firing a shot at an empty net just wide.

B.J. Crombeen iced the game seconds later with an empty-net goal.

“I’ve been saying that we needed to work hard for a long time and tonight the hard work paid off,” Lightning coach Guy Boucher said. “We played great against great opponents, but can’t finish. We’re right there with them and can’t get it done. So many times, being good offensively is important. I told the players before the game that now is the time. They had to turn it up. They deserve this. I was hoping that a game like this would have come earlier.”

NOTES: Tough guys Krysofer Barch of the Devils and Pierre-Cedric Labrie did more dancing than fighting in their first-period tussle. Both still got 5 for fighting. … Palat has two assists in two games since being called up from Syracuse on Monday. … This was the second of three games between the teams this season. The final one will be in Florida on March 29. … The Devils have given up the first goal in seven consecutive games. … Killorn has points in six of the last 10 games.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Kadri scored and added an assist, while Reimer made 28 saves Monday night as Toronto earned a 4-2 comeback victory over the struggling New Jersey Devils.

The 22-year-old Kadri stretched his points streak to five games when he gave the Leafs a 1-0 lead after the first period. But Toronto trailed 2-1 after 40 minutes, despite Reimer’s solid play.

“We talked amongst ourselves and pointed out that those first two periods really weren’t acceptable, and indicated on some of the things we needed to improve on,” said Kadri. “That’s really what it’s about coming in through the intermissions: It’s about resetting and analyzing your 20 minutes of play.

“We understood that we had to beat up on their defensemen a little bit and get pucks in behind them and go to work that way.”

Clarke MacArthur, Jay McClement and Phil Kessel — with his first goal on home ice this season — all scored in the third period for Toronto. Kadri assisted on MacArthur’s winning goal and leads the Leafs with 23 points in 23 games.

“We weren’t very happy with what we were doing for the first 40 minutes of the hockey game, and we were fortunate that we were only down one goal,” said Toronto coach Randy Carlyle. “The tide had really turned and we were paralyzed at some points in the game.

“I think our goaltender gave us a chance, and when we got to the room we just made a decision that we had to start to change a few of the things that were going on out there or it was going to get worse.

“To their credit, they went out and did it.”

Reimer made his first appearance on home ice since Feb. 11, as he recovered from a mild knee ligament strain.

“I felt like I’ve had a couple good days of practice, kind of feel like I’m getting better, getting more comfortable with playing every day,” said Reimer. “It felt pretty good out there.

“It was good to have that third period that we did and be able to get the win.”

Marek Zidlicky scored twice for New Jersey, which hasn’t won in five games. Ryan Carter assisted on both goals. Goalie Johan Hedberg stopped 19 shots for the Devils.

“Sure there’s frustration,” New Jersey coach Peter DeBoer said. “I think the last two nights we’ve held the other team to 22 or 23 shots on the road. We’re getting a couple of goals a game. When you don’t get rewarded for trying to do the right things with wins, it gets frustrating.”

McClement tied the game 2-2 just 39 seconds into the third period. He intercepted Patrik Elias’ pass deep in the Devils’ zone and deked Hedberg, putting the puck on his backhand and past the goaltender.

MacArthur gave the Leafs a 3-2 lead with a power-play goal. MacArthur put his own rebound between Hedberg’s legs after the Devils’ Andrei Loktionov took a tripping penalty.

Kessel connected 2:30 later, scoring his fifth of the season.

Kadri opened scoring just over 10 minutes into the game. The goal was a but fluky, as he shot from a wide angle, bouncing the puck off the inside of Hedberg’s left pad and across the goal line.

“I just wanted to slide it under the stick and (Leo Komarov) was pretty open back there,” said Kadri. “It was actually a good play by their goalie to try and get a stick on it so it wouldn’t go across the crease, and it just ended up squirting through his legs. I’ll take it.”

Zidlicky tied it early in the second period. His wrist shot from the top of the faceoff circle found its way through traffic and over Reimer’s left shoulder.

A costly neutral-zone turnover by Leafs forward Frazer McLaren gave Zidlicky his second of the night nearly 6 minutes later. Zidlicky worked a two-on-one passing play with Ryan Carter, putting it past Reimer for a 2-1 lead.

Notes: Veteran defensemen John-Michael Liles and Mike Komisarek were both healthy scratches for the Leafs. Earlier in the day, Toronto general manager Dave Nonis vehemently denied that Komisarek had requested a trade. … Forwards Matt Frattin (knee) and Joffrey Lupul (fractured forearm) remain on Toronto’s injured reserve. … New Jersey defensemen Peter Harrold and Anthon Volchenkov were healthy scratches, while star goaltender Martin Brodeur remained on the IR with a sore back. The crowd cheered when it was announced before the game that Brodeur would not be playing. … Willie O’Ree, the first black player in the history of the NHLs was in attendance.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

The Devils are still slumping as they bring a four-game losing streak into the week after settling for a point in their 4-3 shootout loss on Saturday afternoon in Buffalo.

New Jersey fell to 0-3 in shootouts this season — 0-2 away from home. The Devils were 4-0 on the road and 12-4 overall in shootouts in 2011-12.

New Jersey is now an NHL-worst 1-5 in games decided after regulation after tying Colorado with a league-best 16-6 mark in games decided in either overtime or shootouts last season.

Here is how the Devils have fared in overtime/shootout decisions since the shootout was introduced for the 2005-06 NHL season.

Season/ W-L /Wins Rank
• 2012-13/ 1-5/ 30th

• 2011-12/ 16-6/ 1st (tied)

• 2010-11/ 10-5/ 14th (tied)

• 2009-10/ 8-7/ 24th (tied)

• 2008-09/ 15-4/ 1st

• 2007-08 15-7 2nd (tied)

• 2006-07/ 13-9/ 8th

• 2005-06/ 13-9/ 3rd (tied)

Despite their overtime and shootout woes so far this season, New Jersey has by far the best tiebreaker record in the NHL since the 2004-05 lockout.

Best Records in OT/Shootouts (2005-06 to date*)
• New Jersey, 91-51/ .640

• Colorado, 76-55/ .580

• Pittsburgh, 83-63/ .568

• Dallas, 82-63/ .566

• Buffalo, 85-66/ .560

Worst Records in OT/Shootouts (2005-06 to date*)

• Calgary, 43-79/ .352

• Florida, 59-95/ .383

• St. Louis, 59-85/ .410

• Ottawa, 49-67/ .422

• Philadelphia, 54-73/ .425

(*-totals through 3/3/13)

Martin Brodeur went on the injured-reserve list last week with back soreness. Brodeur has missed games due to injury in four of the last five seasons, but the Devils have actually fared slightly better without Brodeur in net. Here are New Jersey’s won/loss records and points percentage with Brodeur and their backup goaltenders since 2008-09.

Brodeur:
2012-13: 8-2-3

2011-12: 31-21-4

2010-11: 23-26-3

2009-10: 45-25-6

2008-09: 19-9-3
——–
126-83-19 .594

Hedberg:
2012-13: 2-4-2

2011-12: 17-7-2
2010-11: 15-12-2

McKenna:
2010-11: 0-1-0

Danis:
2009-10: 3-2-1

Clemmensen:
2008-09: 25-13-1

Weekes:
7-5-0

————

69-44-8 .603

Andrew Ladd scored just eight seconds into the game in the Jets’ 3-1 win over the Devils this past Thursday in Winnipeg. It was the fastest goal ever allowed by New Jersey in club history and the second time that Hedberg surrendered a goal in the first 11 seconds of a start as a Devil.

Here is the list of the fastest goals against the Devils to begin a game.

•0:08 – Andrew Ladd 2/28/13 Hedberg 3-1 loss at Wpg
•0:10 – Yvon Corriveau 1/24/90 Burke 3-2 win vs. Wsh
•0:11 – Brian Gionta 12/2/10 Hedberg 5-1 loss vs. Mtl
•0:11 – Saku Koivu 1/5/06 Brodeur 5-4 win vs. Mtl
•0:15 – Michel Goulet 4/4/87 Billington 8-4 loss at Que
•0:16 – Murray Craven 3/12/88 Burke 6-5 win at Phi
•0:17 – Bengt Gustafsson 3/8/83 Resch 5-4 loss vs Wsh
•0:18 – Teemu Selanne 10/18/01 Brodeur 6-1 win vs SJ
•0:18 – Bill Guerin 11/15/01 Brodeur 5-4 OT loss at Bos
•0:18- Ken Linseman 11/18/89 Terreri 6-4 loss at Bos

Schwei’s Plus/Minus:

Plus: Andrei Loktionov — Extended point-scoring streak to career-best
five games (3 G, 2 A) with goal in loss to Buffalo.

Minus: Four Not — Devils begin week with first four-game winless streak since 2/24 through 3/1 of last season.

Will the Devils turn it around this week? Sound off with your thoughts and comments below…

Tyler Ennis also scored in the shootout while Ryan Miller stopped both shootout attempts after making 28 saves in regulation.

Cody Hodgson had two assists and Jochen Hecht also scored for Buffalo, which improved to 3-2-0 since Ron Rolston took over as interim coach after Lindy Ruff was fired.

The three-game win streak is Buffalo’s longest since the team won five straight from March 19-27 last season.

Adam Henrique, Steve Bernier and Andrei Loktionov scored for the Devils. New Jersey is 1-4-2 in its past seven.

Pominville opened the shootout by beating Johan Hedberg with a snap shot on the glove side. After Ilya Kovlachuk failed to score on the Devils’ first attempt, Ennis scored.

Miller then clinched the victory by gloving Henrique’s backhand.

Henrique put the Devils up 2-1 with a short-handed goal 1:21 into the period. The Sabres countered 1:49 later when Pominville was set up to the right of the net by Hodgson’s cross-ice pass.

Hecht then put the Sabres up 3-2 at the 9:47 mark, when he scored from a bad angle by banking in a shot off Hedberg. It was Hecht’s first goal of the season and snapped a 32-game drought dating to a 3-1 loss at Washington on Dec. 30, 2011.

That lead didn’t last long, either, after Loktionov tied it 1:35 later. Set up alone in front by Stefan Matteau’s no-look pass, Loktionov drove across the crease and wrapped the puck in around a sprawling Miller.

The Sabres experienced familiar troubles in failing to generate offense over a long stretch. After rookie center Mikhail Grigorenko was stopped by Hedberg at the right post 11 minutes into the game, the Sabres went nearly 13 minutes before getting their next shot on goal.

Despite the lack of chances, the Sabres opened the scoring 7:17 into the second period with a short-handed goal. Hodgson outmuscled Marek Zidlicky and Kovalchuk for the puck at the end boards of the Devils zone and then set up Pominville for a one-timer in front.

For Pominville, it was only his second goal and point in 12 games.

The Devils got that one back 2:07 later when Mark Fayne’s shot from the right point sailed wide but deflected in off of Bernier, who was battling Sabres defenseman Tyler Myers for position to the left of the net.

The power plays for both teams continued to struggle.

The Sabres went 0 for 6, including failing to convert on two power-play chances in overtime. Buffalo has scored two power-play goals on its past 36 opportunities over an 11-game span.

The Devils failed to score on five chances, and have scored once on their past 22 power-play opportunities.

The Sabres were without leading scorer Thomas Vanek, who has been bothered by a nagging upper-body injury. Rolston hoped Vanek will return Sunday, when the Sabres travel to play the New York Rangers.

NOTES: Devils LW Ryan Carter returned after missing four games with an upper-body injury. — Sabres C Brian Flynn made his NHL debut a day after being called up from AHL Rochester. To make room for Flynn, Buffalo placed D Jordan Leopold on injured reserve retroactive to Feb. 21. — Kovalchuk, who had an assist, played in his 800th career game. — With the game tied at 1 after 40 minutes, the Sabres have opened the third period with a lead just twice this season. — This marked only the second time this season two short-handed goals were scored in the same game, according to STATS LLC. Toronto and Winnipeg scored one each in the Maple Leafs’ 3-2 win on Feb. 7. There were only 10 games last season with two or more short-handed goals.

(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Even after scoring two goals and tying a club record, all Andrew Ladd wanted to talk about was the end-to-end rush by teammate Dustin Byfuglien.

Ladd scored 8 seconds into the game, matching a franchise mark, and finished with two goals and an assist to lead the Winnipeg Jets over the New Jersey Devils 3-1 on Thursday night.

His second goal came during a 4-on-4 situation and gave Winnipeg a 2-1 lead with 8 minutes remaining. Byfuglien carried the puck all the way from behind his own net and attempted a wraparound before Ladd jammed the loose puck past Devils goalie Johan Hedberg.

“Buff did the leg work and I had to pick up the garbage,” said Ladd, who leads the Jets with 12 goals. “It was an unbelievable rush on his part and I just went to the net and found it.”

Winnipeg coach Claude Noel was just as impressed with the breathtaking rush by his big defenseman.

“I think that Buff decided we’re not going to go to overtime,” Noel said. “I mean, did you see him skate? He looked like a stallion there.”

Blake Wheeler added an empty-net goal for the Jets, who have won three straight and five of six.

Andrei Loktionov had the lone goal for the slumping Devils, who have one win in their last six games after a fast start.

Winnipeg opened the scoring before many fans had found their seats. Ladd went around the defense to pick up a bouncing puck and put a backhand past Hedberg just 8 seconds after the opening faceoff.

“It’s unfortunate to put yourself in that hole off the bat,” Devils coach Pete DeBoer said. “But we had enough time to get ourselves back in the game and get the win.

“We created enough chances to score three or four tonight. We just need to put them in.”

Noel said Ladd, the Jets’ captain, has been quietly leading by example all season.

“I think right now our team is certainly driven by him and it shows,” Noel said. “It doesn’t matter whether he scores or doesn’t or gets points, but he’s a hard-driving guy and he expects a lot from himself.”

Ladd was quick to share the credit with his teammates, who won at home for the first time in five tries.

“I think everyone has stepped up, not only me,” he said. “We’ve had different guys step up at different times and that’s what you need in this kind of season.”

Loktionov tied the game early in the second period when he streaked down the right wing and snapped a shot between Ondrej Pavelec’s pads.

The Jets had three power plays in the second, including 56 seconds with a two-man advantage, but couldn’t generate much offense. They have only one power-play goal in their last 11 games.

New Jersey couldn’t score on three power plays of its own.

Neither goalie was busy, but Pavelec needed to make some difficult saves to keep the Jets in the game. He made 22 stops, including a late one on Ilya Kovalchuk.

It took the Jets more than 9 minutes to register their first shot of the third period. Hedberg finished with 18 saves.

The Devils hadn’t played since Sunday, when they lost at home to Winnipeg, but the extra rest didn’t show early as they managed only five shots in the first period.

“It’s frustrating,” New Jersey forward David Clarkson said. “We’ve got to find a way to get out of this and start playing in the other team’s zone a little more.”

NOTES: Devils goalie Martin Brodeur didn’t make the trip to Winnipeg after injuring his back warming up for Sunday’s game against the Jets. … Winnipeg trainer Rob Milette and assistant equipment manager Mark Grehan received a standing ovation in recognition of their role aiding defenseman Zach Redmond last week when he was seriously cut by a skate blade. … Devils center Travis Zajac, a Winnipeg native, played his first NHL game in his hometown. … New Jersey’s Alexei Ponikarovsky was back in Winnipeg after starting the season with the Jets. He played 12 games after signing as a free agent, but was dealt back to his former club.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

The move is retroactive to Sunday, in which the Devils lost at home to Winnipeg 4-2 with Brodeur on the bench. He also didn’t play in a 5-1 loss the day before in Washington.

Brodeur, 40, must miss at least seven days. So, the veteran is not allowed to play until at least Monday’s game at Toronto.

“He’s still sore and it’s kind of foolish to put him on a plane with a back situation,” general manager Lou Lamoriello told the Bergen Record.

Brodeur was listed as day to day Monday, after tests were performed. He last played last Thursday, finishing with 17 saves in New Jersey’s 3-2 win at Washington. He is 8-2-3 with a 2.27 goals-against average this season.

New Jersey returns to action Thursday in Winnipeg. Backup Johan Hedberg (2-3-1, 2.65) is scheduled to make the start. Goaltender Keith Kinkaid was recalled from Albany of the AHL to fill Brodeur’s spot on the active roster. Kinkaid, 23, is 17-11-5 for Albany and has yet to make an NHL appearance.

How will the Devils fare without Brodeur? Sound off in the comments…

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

The council vote Tuesday ends a bitter yearslong battle that reached a low point last year when Mayor Cory Booker called Devils chairman Jeff Vanderbeek a “Grade-A huckster” and accused him of reneging on promises made to the city.

An official with direct knowledge of the deal said it includes provisions for a ticket facility fee, ticket tax and additional parking. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the details publicly.

Last year an arbitrator ruled the city owed the Devils $2.7 million a year in parking revenue plus other considerations that totaled more than $15 million. That was roughly what the Devils owed the team in back rent, fees and other expenses. The team hadn’t paid rent since 2007 while the parking dispute dragged on.

“As partners, we have reached a resolution of the rent matter involving the City of Newark, the Newark Housing Authority and the Prudential Center,” the city and team said in a joint statement. “It is a significant achievement that is truly a win-win for all parties involved. We can now move forward together continuing to build on the successes of the last five years, which will make the Rock and the rapidly growing arena district an even greater economic engine for Newark.”

The Prudential Center opened in 2007 and is home to the Devils and Seton Hall basketball. It has hosted numerous other events including the recent Rolling Stones concert tour, an NCAA men’s basketball regional tournament and auditions for “American Idol.”

Before moving to the Prudential Center, the Devils played at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J.

What is your opinion of the Prudential Center? Do you think it’s a quality venue? Sound off with your thoughts and comments in the section below…

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Brodeur, 40, has missed the past two games for the Devils while dealing with a tweak that he’s been feeling for a few weeks now. Backup Johan Hedberg started and lost both of those games for the defending Eastern Conference champions.

Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said he’s been “absolutely pleased” with Hedberg.

“It’s not even a question,” Lamoriello said, according to the Newark Star-Ledger.

Brodeur last played last Thursday, finishing with 17 saves in New Jersey’s 3-2 win at Washington. He is 8-2-3 with a 2.27 goals-against average this season.

The Devils also returned center Jacob Josefson to Albany of the AHL.

New Jersey returns to action Thursday in Winnipeg.

“We’ll just leave it to the doctors and we’ll see how he is,” Lamoriello said of Brodeur.

Would you say you’ve been “absolutely pleased” with Hedberg? Be heard in the comments…

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

After starting February with a 5-1-0 record, the slumping Devils have gone 2-4-1 in their last seven games, including consecutive regulation losses for the first time since last March.

Steve Bernier came up empty on his penalty-shot attempt this past Saturday in Washington. It was just the fifth-ever awarded to the Devils in a game against the Capitals, only one of which has resulted in a New Jersey goal:

• 4/02/89: Anders Carlsson vs. Don Beaupre, at NJD – Save

• 12/30/98: Jay Pandolfo vs. Rick Tabaracci, at Wash — Save

• 3/11/00: Sergei Nemchinov vs. Olaf Kolzig, at Wash — Save

• 11/22/10: Mattias Tedenby vs. Braden Holtby, at NJD –Score

• 2/23/13: Steve Bernier vs. Braden Holtby, at Wash — Save

Alexander Ovechkin registered his 11th-career hat trick in Washington’s 5-1 win over New Jersey on Saturday. It was just the fourth hat trick by a Capitals player against the Devils and the first in more than 22 years:

• 1/04/86: Mike Gartner – Devils 3 at Washington 9 (Resch (2) & St. Laurent)

• 10/15/88 Dave Christian – Devils 5 at Washington 8 (Sauve)

• 12/07/90 Mike Ridley – Devils 2 at Washington 5 (Burke)

• 2/23/13 Alex Ovechkin – Devils 1 at Washington 5 (Hedberg)

Patrik Elias’ shorthanded goal against the Caps last Thursday was the 14th of his career, second only to John Madden (17) in team history.

Here are the Devils’ all-time leaders in shorthanded goals:

• John Madden 17
• Patrik Elias 14
• Stephane Richer 11
• Doug Brown 11
• John MacLean 10
• Jamie Langenbrunner 10
• Brian Rolston 10
• Jay Pandolfo 7
• Kirk Muller 6
• Aaron Broten 6
• Mark Johnson 6
• Mel Bridgman 6

The Devils face the Sabres for the first time this season on Saturday afternoon in Buffalo. Last week, the Sabres fired head coach Lindy Ruff and replaced him with Ron Rolston, the coach of their AHL farm club in Rochester. He is the older brother of longtime Devil Brian Rolston.

Ruff was hired by Buffalo back on July 21st, 1997. The Devils made 13 head-coaching changes during Ruff’s tenure as the Sabres’ head coach.

Ruff was the longest-tenured coach in the NHL and the second-longest in the four major sports, trailing only Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs.

Here is the list of the 10 coaches/managers who currently have the longest tenures with the same club:

• Gregg Popovich, NBA – San Antonio 12/10/96

• Barry Trotz, NHL – Nashville 8/6/97

• Mike Scioscia, MLB –  Los Angeles Angels 11/17/99

• Bill Belichick, NFL – New England 1/27/00

• Ron Gardenhire, MLB – Minnesota 1/4/02

• Marvin Lewis, NFL – Cincinnati 1/14/03

• Tom Coughlin, NFL – New York Giants 1/6/04

• Doc Rivers, NBA – Boston 4/28/04

• Charlie Manuel, MLB – Philadelphia 11/5/04

• George Karl, NBA — Denver 1/27/05

Here are the 10 NHL head coaches who have the longest tenures with their current teams:

• Barry Trotz, Nashville — 8/6/97

• Mike Babcock, Detroit — 7/14/05

• Alain Vigneault, Vancouver — 6/20/06

• Claude Julien, Boston — 6/21/07

• Todd McClellan, San Jose — 6/12/08

• Joel Quenneville, Chicago – 10/16/08

• Dan Bylsma, Pittsburgh — 2/15/09

• John Tortorella, New York Rangers — 2/23/09

• Joe Sacco, Colorado – 6/4/09

• Dave Tippett, Phoenix — 9/24/09

Ruff was the first head coach fired during this lockout-shortened NHL season. In the 48-game 1994-95 campaign, three coaches were replaced during the season. Winnipeg let go of John Paddock and hired Terry Simpson with 15 games remaining. In Edmonton, Ron Low took over for George Burnett with 13 games left and Rogie Vachon succeeded Barry Melrose in Los Angeles for the final seven games of the year.

Schwei’s Plus/Minus:

Minus: Penalty Killing — After setting a club record with just 27 power-play goals allowed last season, the Devils have allowed an NHL-worst 19 in 19 games played this year.

Plus: Reid Boucher —  The Devils prospect scored four goals last Friday night for the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League to reach 57 for the season, one shy of Steven Stamkos’ team mark.

Any cause for concern at the moment, Devils fans? Sound off with your thoughts and comments below…

Zach Bogosian scored in the first period, and Grant Clitsome had a power-play goal in the second for the Jets, who have won three of the first four of a five-game trip that concludes Tuesday in New York against the Rangers. Ondrej Pavelec made 26 saves.

Travis Zajac and Steve Bernier had goals for New Jersey, but the Devils (10-5-4) lost their fourth in five games and their second at home this season. Johan Hedberg, a late-minute replacement for Martin Brodeur, stopped 23 shots.

Brodeur left the ice in pregame warmups because of “a little soreness,” the Devils said.

The Jets took a 1-0 lead for the sixth straight game, just 2:30 into the game, when Bogosian scored his first of the season off a smart play from Blake Wheeler.

Wheeler carried the puck into the zone and drew both Devils defensemen to him. He stopped and spotted Bogosian, who fired a shot past Hedberg.

The Devils had a chance to tie it seconds later, but Andrei Loktionov misfired on a backhand after he drew Pavelec out of the crease.

New Jersey did get even with 10:08 left in the first when Patrik Elias made a fine pass on a 2-on-1 rush to Zajac, who slid the puck past the outstretched Pavelec.

The Devils took a 2-1 lead with 2:50 remaining in the first period when Loktionov fired a shot that Pavelec stopped, but Bernier was there to bounce in the rebound for his fifth goal.

The Jets tied it 2-2 with a power-play goal with seven minutes left in the second period. Clitsome skated in untouched to the right of the net and fired a high wrist shot that deflected in off Hedberg’s glove.

Winnipeg went back in front when Kane stole the puck off an errant pass by Adam Larsson. Hedberg came way out of the crease and dived to try to stop Kane, but Kane backhanded his seventh of the season with 2:12 left.

Ladd made it 4-2 after Hedberg left the crease to get the puck behind the net. Hedberg put the puck to the left of the net, but Wheeler pulled it away and sent it to the wide open Ladd, who scored his 10th of the season with 12:14 remaining.

The Devils had a goal wiped off, when Marek Zidlicky fired a shot past a sprawled Pavelec, but play had already been stopped by a whistle.

NOTES: Brodeur will be re-evaluated by doctors on Monday. — The Devils placed LW Ryan Carter (concussion) on the injured list and recalled C Jacob Josefson from Albany of the AHL. Carter has been out a week after he hit his head hard against the boards. Rookie LW Stefan Matteau also sat out. Devils coach Peter DeBoer said that the 19-year-old Matteau is “a little banged up.” — Jets RW Antii Miettenen sustained a lower body injury in the first period and didn’t return.

(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

WASHINGTON (CBSNewYork/AP) — After producing his first hat trick in more than two years, Alex Ovechkin wanted to give some credit to Washington Capitals coach Adam Oates.

“He’s that kind of person,” Ovechkin explained, “who gives me belief all the time.”

So when Ovechkin texted Oates the other day, lamenting that it seemed as though the puck simply did not want to go in the net, the first-time NHL head coach replied: “It’s going to come.”

Sure did Saturday, over and over again. Ovechkin scored three goals in a game for the first time since Jan. 22, 2011, leading the last-place Capitals to a much-needed 5-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils.

“For a player, if you feel that kind of trust from a coach, coaching staff, it’s very important,” Ovechkin said after his 11th career hat trick. “And teammates see it.”

He’s been something less than the player who stormed into the NHL by averaging 53 goals over his first five seasons, with two MVP awards. That average dipped to 35 goals the past two seasons, and he hadn’t even scored two goals in a game since a loss to Winnipeg on March 23, 2012. He entered Saturday with only five goals this season — going without a point in half of Washington’s previous 16 games, including Thursday’s 3-2 loss to New Jersey — but broke out in a big way.

“All I can tell you is that we have to find a way to slow him down and stop him,” Devils coach Peter DeBoer said, “and we didn’t do that.”

Not even close.

“You know what kind of player he is,” Devils goalie Johan Hedberg said. “You let him execute, he’s going to hurt you.”

Alternating between his customary left wing and the right side, precisely how Oates wants, Ovechkin put Washington ahead 1-0 by sending a one-timer past Hedberg from the left circle off a pass from Mike Ribeiro, who finished with two assists.

Ovechkin celebrated by dropping to a knee and pumping his right fist before spinning and skating over to the boards to slam against the glass with both gloves.

“You want to see your go-to guy get some,” Oates said. “Him scoring first for us gets the place going. The fans love him. The place is rocking. It obviously helps the team.”

Ilya Kovalchuk’s goal with 37.5 seconds left in the second period tied the game for New Jersey, but Ovechkin put Washington ahead to stay 1:23 into the third on a rush. This one was a “rocket,” as Hedberg put it, from the right circle, through the legs of Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov.

Ovechkin’s third goal was on a power play, with a little under 5 minutes remaining. He also added an assist later on Troy Brouwer’s power play goal, for good measure.

Yes, and as Ovechkin goes, so go the Capitals.

Washington came into the game with an 0-7-1 record against the top eight teams in the Eastern Conference, and 5-10-1 overall, good for only 11 standings points, the fewest in the 30-team league.

“It is good to see him bust out. We need him to score to be successful, we all know that,” Brouwer said. “We can’t have him just being static and waiting for other guys to feed him the puck. He was in there, working hard, creating his own chances.”

The Capitals got contributions elsewhere, too, of course, as though pushed to play better by seeing their captain excel.

Eric Fehr netted Washington’s first short-handed goal of the season — and his fourth score in five games after getting zero in his first nine games — and goalie Braden Holtby made 21 saves.

Holtby also stopped Steve Bernier’s penalty shot in the second period. During a power play, Bernier broke behind the defense after a stop in play at the other end, and Washington’s Tom Poti dragged him to the ice. But Bernier’s penalty shot went off the edge of Holtby’s right pad, prompting chants of “Holt-beee! Holt-beee!” from the stands.

Ovechkin, of course, earned plenty of cheers, too, from red-wearing spectators thrilled to see him show off the skills and energy like the “Alex the Great” of old.

“That’s his whole game — emotion. Brings the team up when you see that,” Holtby said. “That’s what we expect of him, being our captain, is to score those goals.”

The Devils will play at home against the Winnipeg Jets Sunday at 5 p.m.

Notes: The Devils have lost three of their last four games, including one via shootout.  Capitals D Mike Green sat out his third game in a row with a lower-body injury. Hedberg was making his fifth start this season and first in a week. Martin Brodeur got a day off.

Sound off in the comments section below…

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Last Friday, a Russian meteor crashed toward Chelyabinsk, Russia.

To see it plunging toward Earth and exploding in the sky as it continued its descent was a breathtaking moment, though unfortunate for the 1,000-plus injured.

Sports fans live for breathtaking moments — and the NHL constantly delivers on a nightly basis.  On Thursday, the New Jersey Devils fought back from a 2-1 third-period deficit to beat the Washington Capitals, remaining even on points with the Eastern Conference-leading Montreal Canadiens.

The Capitals’ propensity to lock themselves in the penalty box offered the Devils a 5-on-3 power play advantage — an opportunity that had an Ilya Kovalchuk rocket written all over it.

Patrik Elias waited patiently as Kovalchuk skated to the center of the point and slid a one-timer ready pass that Kovalchuk blasted past Capitals’ net-minder Braden Holtby.  It streaked like a meteor, and considering the amount of force Kovalchuk put behind his shot, it wouldn’t have been surprising to see bits and pieces of vulcanized rubber scatted around Holtby’s crease.

If Pavel Bure was rightfully nicknamed “The Russian Rocket,” maybe Kovalchuk deserves a better nickname than the “Goal-valchuk” moniker some Devils fans bestow upon him.  Since Kovalchuk grew up two hours from Moscow in Tver, Russia — so I guess the “The Moscow Meteor” doesn’t fit the bill either.

Back to the Devils as a team, who always find a way to embrace the moment and refuse to allow comebacks to evade them.  Sometimes, it’s through a power blast like the one Kovalchuk unleashed to beat the Caps and on other occasions — it’s a dogged and determined effort in front of net by David Clarkson or Adam Henrique required to score an ugly, yet crucial garbage goal.

Whether stunning or hard-fought, the Devils have a knack for scoring late dramatic goals that their Hudson River-rival New York Rangers are sorely lacking.

Outside of inspirational captain Ryan Callahan, gifted scorer Marian Gaborik, emerging star Carl Hagelin and injured superstar Rick Nash — there aren’t a lot of players who Rangers fans can point to with confidence as players they know will show up in the late moments and grab a crucial go-ahead goal.

Look at the Devils.  Kovalchuk, Clarkson, Elias, Henrique and Travis Zajac are names and personalities you know have the fortitude to get that important goal.  Add to that the unheralded, yet scrappy and highly-effective third line of Ryan Carter-Stephen Gionta-Steve Bernier.  At the moment, Carter is sidelined with a “head injury,” which general manager Lou Lamoriello classified as “day to day.”

That’s another thing.  The Devils have a knack of plugging in players to fill a role better than the Rangers or the high-powered Pittsburgh Penguins.  Just look at Lamoriello’s deft trade with the Los Angeles Kings to pry high-ceiling playmaking forward Andrei Loktionov from the Kings for a fifth round draft pick.  Loktionov went on to score the tying goal against the Capitals on Thursday and has the ability to play on a top line should he be required.

“He made some good plays. He gave us a real good contribution tonight.  I didn’t know a lot about him,” Devils head coach Peter DeBoer admitted on Thursday.

If Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin were to miss significant time, there would be plenty of panic around Pittsburgh.

Let’s imagine a scenario where Kovalchuk goes down injured on the eve of the playoffs.  I’d bet the Devils would figure out how to compensate for his loss better than any other team in the NHL, should their superstar suddenly be removed from the lineup.

That’s precisely why the Devils could beat out the Penguins to win the Atlantic Division — and further evidence of their capability to return to the Stanley Cup finals.

Are the Devils deeper than the rest of the pack in the Atlantic Division?  Share your thoughts below and send your tweets to @HartnettHockey.

This time, the puck wound up in the net.

Dropping to a knee as he let his shot fly, Ilya Kovalchuk scored the tiebreaking goal with about 8 1/2 minutes left to complete New Jersey’s 3-2 comeback victory Thursday night over NHL-worst Washington, which has yet to beat any of the Eastern Conference’s elite teams.

“We drew something up,” DeBoer said, “and a great player found a way to make a great play.”

The Capitals are missing that ingredient: Two-time league MVP Alex Ovechkin was scoreless for the eighth time in 16 games this season, a big reason Washington is 5-10-1. Its 11 points are the fewest in the 30-team NHL.

Capitals goalie Braden Holtby turned in another solid performance, making 34 saves, but never had a chance to make No. 35 — he said he didn’t even see Kovalchuk’s attempt off Patrik Elias’ assist. Elias had scored a short-handed goal in the second period.

“They keep blocking the shots,” Kovalchuk said of the Capitals, who stopped 18 pucks before they reached Holtby, “but then the last one went through.”

Washington led 2-1 entering the third period on power-play goals by Mathieu Perrault and Mike Ribeiro.

“You start the third period, you’ve got a lead, then you give them two 5-on-3s in one period — obviously that’s too much,” Capitals coach Adam Oates said. “I thought maybe a couple of calls were tough calls.”

Andrei Loktionov made it 2-all midway through the last period, scoring his first goal for New Jersey since arriving in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings two weeks ago.

“He gave us some real good contribution,” DeBoer said. “I didn’t know a lot about him.”

The Capitals dropped to 0-7-1 against the conference’s top six teams. They will get another chance Saturday when they host New Jersey again.

It is the first time the Capitals will play the same opponent in consecutive games both at home since April 5-7, 2006, against the Carolina Hurricanes.

“Less travel for us,” Elias said with a grin. “We’ll take it.”

Devils goalie Martin Brodeur finished with 17 saves, as New Jersey outshot Washington 37-19.

The Capitals had accumulated only two shots in the first 13 minutes. With a little more than half a minute to go in the opening period, Ovechkin deked defenseman Bryce Salvador and broke in alone on Brodeur. But Ovechkin was dumped to the ice by defenseman Andy Greene while shooting — meaning Brodeur had a relatively easy time swatting away the puck with his stick hand.

Greene was whistled for tripping.

The Capitals began the second period with nearly 1 1/2 minutes left on that power play, but didn’t threaten.

Later in the second, Ovechkin wrested the puck from defenseman Henrik Tallinder along the boards and headed for Brodeur, only to be upended this time by defenseman Anton Volchenkov.

With Volchenkov off for tripping, and only 15 seconds left on the power play, Washington went ahead 1-0. Troy Brouwer got past Tallinder and Stephen Gionta, then sent a close-range shot on goal. The puck was blocked by Brodeur, but bounced right to a trailing Perrault, who put it at 9:28.

Washington soon earned another power play, and it resulted in a goal for each team. The Devils tied it with a short-handed goal only 20 seconds after the whistle. Capitals defenseman John Carlson was stripped of the puck behind his net, and Adam Henrique set up Elias for his fifth goal at 11:16.

Less than 1 1/2 minutes later, with 16 seconds to go on the man-advantage, Washington took a 2-1 lead on a goal by Ribeiro, whose shot through traffic appeared to be redirected through Brodeur’s legs. Ribeiro got hit in the back by Gionta at the end of the play and was wincing on the bench afterward.

By the end, though, all of the Capitals were angry — about some of the officiating calls and the final score. Brouwer got a 10-minute misconduct at the final buzzer for yelling at an official.

“Our penalty kill blocked shots. We did everything we needed to. Unfortunately there was just too many calls,” Brouwer said.

Asked to elaborate, he replied: “I’m not discussing it right now. I don’t feel like getting fined tonight.”

Notes: Capitals D Mike Green sat out his second game in a row with a lower-body injury. … Devils F Ryan Carter was scratched, three days after leaving a game when he was sandwiched into the boards by two Ottawa players. … Elias leads the Devils with 21 points.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

The New Jersey Devils are one-third of the way through the 48-game schedule, having gone 9-3-4 after their first 16 games.

The Devils fell to 0-2 on the season in shootouts, losing to the Senators for the first time ever in a shootout, 2-1, Monday afternoon at Prudential Center.

New Jersey had been 4-0 against Ottawa in shootouts prior to the President’s Day loss; there are four teams that the Devils have faced more than once in a shootout without being beaten:

· Philadelphia 7-0
· Washington 6-0
· Florida 2-0
· Minnesota 2-0

Despite the two shootout defeats, the Devils still have the most shootout victories (54) since the tie-breaker was instituted in 2005 and are tied for the fourth-fewest shootout losses (31).

Stephen Gionta gave the Devils a 1-0 lead just 1:19 into the first period in their 2-1 shootout loss to Ottawa, but it was only the third-fastest goal to begin a game this season. Travis Zajac has scored the two fastest: 40 seconds into last Friday night’s win over Philadelphia; and 1:07 into the home-opener on January 22, also against Philadelphia. As quickly as those goals have come this season, they have not come close to the three fastest in Devils history.

Devils’ fastest goals from start of game:

· 0:08 Alexander Semak, 3/9/93, in 7-2 loss @ Van.

· 0:08 Kirk Muller, 12/13/88, in 4-3 win vs. StL.

· 0:09 Greg Adams, 12/21/85, in 7-6 loss @ Hfd.

John Tavares recorded the fourth hat trick of his NHL career with three goals in the Islanders’ 5-1 win over the Devils last Saturday at Nassau Coliseum. The hat trick was the 10th by an Islander against the Devils. Here is the list of New York Islanders hat tricks vs. the Devils:

· 10/29/83 Mike Bossy DEVILS 3 at NY Islanders 5 (Resch)

· 3/13/84 Bob Bourne NY Islanders 5 at DEVILS 1 (Resch)

· 2/25/84 Greg Gilbert DEVILS 1 at NY Islanders 7 (Low)

· 2/15/86 Mike Bossy DEVILS 5 at NY Islanders 6 (Resch)

· 4/15/92 Steve Thomas (4) DEVILS 0 at NY Islanders 7 (Terreri (2), Brodeur (2)

· 1/16/93 Pierre Turgeon NY Islanders 5 at DEVILS 3 (Terreri)

· 4/16/93 Pierre Turgeon DEVILS 4 at NY Islanders 8 (Terreri (1), Billington (2)

· 10/11/01 Mark Parrish NY Islanders 6 at DEVILS 4 (Brodeur)

· 3/07/09 Sean Bergenheim DEVILS 3 at NY Islanders 7 (Brodeur) (2), ENG

· 2/16/13 John Tavares DEVILS 1 at NY Islanders 5 (Hedberg)

Ilya Kovalchuk assisted on three goals for the Devils in their 5-3 win last week over the Flyers. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the 13th time in Kovalchuk’s NHL career that he recorded three or more assists in one game (10 times for Atlanta, three with New Jersey), but it was only his second game with three even-strength assists. He had three assists at even strength for the Thrashers in a game against the Islanders on January 2, 2010.

Kovalchuk’s previous two three-assist games for New Jersey came on March 23, 2010, in a 6-3 win over Columbus and on February 2, 2012, a 5-3 victory against Montreal.

The Devils will face the Washington Capitals on the road this Thursday and again on Saturday. Because of the unusual 48-game schedule caused by the NHL lockout, this will mark the first time in franchise history that the Devils will face the same team on the road in consecutive games during the regular season.

The last time New Jersey played two straight road games with the Capitals in the post-season was in 1990, when they met in Games 3 and 4 of their Patrick Division Semifinals series.

Schwei’s Plus/Minus:

Minus: Shootout Shutout. Devils fall to 0 and 2 in shootouts after posting 12 and 4 record in the tie-breaker in 2011-12.

Plus: Alexei Ponikarovsky. Scores goal in win over Flyers in return to Devils after trade with Winnipeg. LW became the 23rd player to be re-acquired and play for New Jersey.

Your thoughts from the Devils’ week that was? Be heard in the comments…

NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYorkAP) — Jakob Silfverberg beat Martin Brodeur to his stick side in the shootout and goalie Ben Bishop turned aside 30 shots for his first victory of the season, giving the Ottawa Senators a 2-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Monday.

Silfverberg, who assisted on the Senators’ regulation goal, skated in on Brodeur in the shootout and fired a right-handed wrist shot that caught the NHL’s all-time wins leader by surprise. When Bishop stopped former Senator Bobby Butler on the Devils’ third shootout attempt, Ottawa (8-6-2) had its third road win of the season.

Ilya Kovalchuk and Patrik Elias were both stopped by Bishop in the shootout as the Devils (9-3-4) lost their second straight.

Stephen Gionta scored his second goal of the season in the opening minutes of the game, but the Devils were silenced the rest of the way by Bishop.

Daniel Alfredsson scored for Ottawa in the third period, tying the game at 1 with 11:48 remaining on his 420th career goal.

Brodeur made 29 saves for the Devils.

New Jersey entered overtime down a man, but managed to kill the power-play chance. Alfredsson had the lone shot on Brodeur during the power play, a shot Brodeur smothered, sending the game to the shootout.

The Devils controlled the action early on, collecting 17 shots in the first, their highest total for one period this season.

Just 1:19 into the game, Steve Bernier’s wrist shot was stopped by Bishop, but Gionta alertly jumped all over the rebound for his second goal of the season when he slid the puck between Bishop’s pads for a 1-0 lead.

The Senators had the better of play in the second period, as well as the scoring chances.

Eric Gryba’s shot with 11:23 left in the second was initially stopped by Brodeur, but it trickled behind him and was pushed aside just before it reached the goal line.

With 10 minutes left, Silfverberg’s slap shot clanked off the post as it went by Brodeur. Just 15 seconds later, Silfverberg’s shot was stopped by Brodeur, but he didn’t know where it was.

The Devils went almost 10 minutes of the second period without a shot before Senators right wing Chris Neil was sent off for slashing. Marek Zidlicky’s slap shot from the point was stopped by Bishop, but broke the shot drought. The Devils had only four shots on goal in the second.

The Devils had a good stint in the third period when Patrik Elias, Alexei Ponikorovsky and Ilya Kovalchuk had solid shots against Bishop, who started for only the third time this season.

The Senators’ relentless pressure paid off when 40-year-old captain Alfredsson lifted a backhand over a diving Brodeur to tie the game. The 17-year veteran, who has four goals this season, is the Ottawa’s all-time leading scorer with 1,090 points (420 goals, 670 assists).

It was the first time the Senators scored since they lost All-Star defenseman Erik Karlsson to a season-ending Achilles tendon injury last Friday.

The Devils will faceoff against the Washington Capitals on Feb. 21.

Add your thoughts in the comments section below…

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Tavares scored three goals and assisted on another Saturday night to lead the Islanders to a 5-1 win over the New Jersey Devils.

“I think any great player puts a lot of responsibility on (themselves) because they want to lead (their) team,” Islanders coach Jack Capuano said of the first overall pick in the 2009 draft. “To me, an elite player is someone you watch night in and night out, and your coaches prepare for in your pre-scout. You’re looking at 91 (Tavares).

“I’m sure teams are doing the same thing as we do with (Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven) Stamkos and some of the other players in the league.”

Matt Moulson had a goal and three assists, Michael Grabner scored with 35 seconds left, and Evgeni Nabokov made 30 saves for the Islanders, who beat the Rangers 4-3 in a shootout Thursday night.

“Just two games. Don’t want to blow it out of proportion,” Josh Bailey said. “Want to keep it rolling.”

Tavares, who notched his fourth career hat trick, has 20 points in 14 games. Moulson finished with four points, and Brad Boyes had two assists. Tavares is tied with Buffalo Sabres left wing Thomas Vanek and Pittsburgh Penguins left wing James Neal for the league lead with 11 goals.

“I think ever since I was a kid, my main attribute (has been to) be a goal scorer,” Tavares said. “Not that I go out there and think about leading the league in goals, but when I get my opportunities, I want to contribute. And I know offensively, that’s where I contribute the most. Just trying to, when I get my chances, put the puck in.”

The Devils’ lone goal was Marek Zidlicky’s power-play slap shot 8:47 into the third. Johan Hedberg made 28 saves for New Jersey, which has lost two of its last three.

“What, first place (in the Eastern Conference)?” New Jersey coach Pete DeBoer said sarcastically when he was asked if he was worried about the losses. “No one likes to lose, but you’re going to lose some games. There (are) no easy stretches this season and we’re going to bounce back Monday afternoon (at home against the Ottawa Senators).”

Tavares’ tap-in of Boyes’ rebound opened the scoring 16:46 into the second. Hedberg couldn’t control Boyes’ wrister and Tavares slammed the loose puck into the half-empty net.

Tavares doubled the lead to 2-0 1:23 later with his second of the game and 10th of the season. With New York on a power play, Tavares and Moulson played give-and-go, and the sequence ended with Tavares jamming a loose puck under Hedberg.

Moulson pushed the Islanders’ advantage to 3-0 57 seconds later with his seventh of the season. Tavares finished off his hat trick by zipping a power-play laser over Hedberg with 5:15 left in regulation.

It was a tightly contested goaltending showdown early. Hedberg robbed Boyes 1:06 into the game with a diving snare of an off-wing wrister. He also benefited from a bit of good fortune as Ullstrom’s backhand penalty shot attempt with 3:15 left in the first hit the crossbar.

“Heddy (played) an unbelievable game,” Devils captain Bryce Salvador said. “He comes out and does what he does. He gave us a chance to win. He made some big saves and we just kind of let down in front of him.”

Nabokov was every bit Hedberg’s counterpart’s equal. His most difficult save was a doorstep stuff attempt off the stick of Ryan Carter in the first period.

“I thought we had some breakdowns in the first period (and) he was there to close the door,” Capuano said of Nabakov. “He played extremely well. I don’t know a lot about that position, but I know he was aggressive tonight and his angles were good. He was square to the puck.”

New York went 3 for 6 on the power play, while New Jersey was 1 for 4 on the man advantage.

“Bottom line, our (penalty kill) wasn’t good enough. That’s the difference in the game,” Salvador said. “Our PK wasn’t sharp. Usually, PKs are our strength. They got a couple big power-play goals, bottom line. If our PK does the job, it’s a different game. The Islanders thrive on the special teams and our PK just wasn’t up to it tonight.

“In a game like tonight, our PK has to come out and do the job and we didn’t get it done.”

NOTES: The announced attendance was 15,488. — The teams have split the first four games of the regular-season series. They will meet once more this season, at the Prudential Center on April 1. — Tavares’ first goal ended Hedberg’s shutout streak against the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum this season at 96:46. — New Jersey scratched Mark Fayne, Peter Harrold and Stefan Matteau. Eric Boulton, Thomas Hickey and Marty Reasoner were New York’s scratches.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Against the Philadelphia Flyers Friday night, a two-goal deficit after 20 minutes didn’t prove a problem.

David Clarkson scored on a deflection at 10:43 of the third period and Steve Bernier added an empty-net goal as the Devils rolled to a 5-3 win, their fifth in six games.

“After we were down, we just had to get back to play the way the Devils’ play,” Clarkson said after scoring his team-high 10th goal. “We never hit the panic button as a team. We did a lot of good things in the second and third periods when we needed it. We had to come on like that after being down.”

There were a lot of contributors to New Jersey’s second win over the Flyers in as many games.

Travis Zajac, Alexei Ponikarovsky and Patrik Elias scored the Devils’ other goals with Ilya Kovalchuk getting the primary assist on each. Martin Brodeur made 25 saves and helped start the comeback with an assist on Ponikarovsky’s tally 26 seconds into the second period.

“I got the opportunity to play the puck a lot tonight. It’s always nice to get a helper,” Brodeur said of his 41st career assist. “When we started in the second, I knew we had a chance to break out, so I got it out there to Kovy, who was wide open, so I sort of threw him the Hail Mary.

The biggest goal, of course, was Clarkson’s. He redirected a point shot by defenseman Adam Larrson past Ilya Bryzgalov.

“I don’t know what it is, but I just keep going to the goal and eventually I’m going to get a chance to score,” said Clarkson, who is showing his career-high 30-goal season a year ago wasn’t a fluke. “A lot of it is just being in the right area. The biggest thing is that we’re winning and we’re getting the scoring spread out.”

Wayne Simmonds, Mike Knuble and Matt Read scored in a first-period onslaught for the Flyers, who are 2-7 on the road this season. Bryzgalov had 15 saves for Philadelphia, which played the third period without leading defenseman Kimmo Timonen (lower body injury).

“I mean guys were skating hard today,” said Flyers captain Claude Giroux, who had two assists. “It’s a hard rink to play in. We got a 3-1 lead, we have to find a way to get it done. We have to learn from this.”

The Devils scored on the first shot of the game, then watched the Flyers score three goals in a 2:36 span later in the first period to take a 3-1 lead. New Jersey scored two goals in the second period to tie the game at 3-all.

Kovalchuk set up the game-tying goal, intercepting a pass by Timonen deep in the Philadelphia zone and finding Elias between the circles for a shot that Bryzgalov got a piece of but couldn’t stop.

Ponikarovsky, who was acquired from Winnipeg on Wednesday after Dainius Zubrus was put on the injured list, had cut the Flyers’ lead to 3-2 just 26 seconds into the second period with a shot from the left circle. Brodeur started the play with a long pass to Kovalchuk near the Philadelphia blue line. He found Ponikarovsky coming down the left side for an uncontested snap shot high into the net.

“Like I said, I think we were on the attack in the first period, and the second and third not quite as much,” Philadelphia coach Peter Laviolette said. “The second and third, they picked up their game a little bit and had their chances and scored on them.”

Simmonds, Knuble and Read had all but silenced the Devils fans in the building with their outburst midway through the opening period.

Simmonds got the red light turning, beating Brodeur in close on a power play at 9:27 after Brayden Schenn misfired on a shot from between the circles.

Knuble got his second of the season with a rising shot from between the circles that seemed to fool Brodeur after Stephen Gionta went down to block it. Ruslan Fedotenko set up the goal with a nice pass from the side boards.

Devils coach Peter DeBoer then called a timeout to settle his team down.

It didn’t work. Defenseman Mark Fayne had a clearing pass intercepted in the right circle by Giroux and he found Read alone in the left circle for a shot that zipped past Brodeur at 12:03.

Zajac had given the Devils the lead 40 seconds after the opening faceoff. Kovalchuk picked up the puck near his own blue line, skated into the Flyers’ zone and found his center in the left circle for a quick shot that beat Bryzgalov. It was Zajac’s first goal since the team’s met here on Jan. 22.

NOTES: Giroux appeared in his 300th NHL game. … The Flyers and Devils will meet three more times this season. … The assist was Brodeur’s first since February 2013 versus Pittsburgh. … Flyers LW Scott Hartnell, who broke his left foot in the first game against the Devils here on Jan. 22, skated Friday and is expected to be sidelined another week, general manager Paul Holmgren said. … Read has goals in three of the last five games and leads the Flyers with six goals.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Thomas Argenti was struck around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday in the area of the Prudential Center in Newark. He was pronounced dead a short time later.

No charges have been filed against the 28-year-old who was driving the vehicle that struck Argenti. Police say the driver stopped and remained at the scene.

Argenti graduated from Pearl River High School in 2012, where he played football and lacrosse, according to the Nanuet Patch.

“The kids may do things to remember him this spring,” Pearl River HS principal William Furdon told the Patch. “We met with the seniors on the football team and the lacross team to talk through it.”

Furdon said the school will hold a moment of silence at Wednesday’s boys basketball game.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Tlusty scored two goals in the third period and Cam Ward made 26 saves as the Hurricanes beat the Devils 4-2 on Tuesday night, snapping New Jersey’s five-game winning streak.

The Hurricanes had every reason to be dead on their skates, playing on consecutive nights. Somehow they found the energy to keep the game close, and Tlusty once again worked his third period magic.

“It was a huge trip, the longest trip of the year,” Ward said. “We’re all excited now to go home, winning two games against two tough opponents back-to-back. This is a tough building to play in. We were fortunate to get the two late goals.”

Jussi Jokinen and Patrick Dwyer also scored for Carolina, which went 4-1-1 on the trip.

With Carolina on the power play and the score tied at 2 in the third, Tlusty flipped a shot toward the net that bounced off Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov and over goalie Martin Brodeur at 7:25. Eric Stall picked up an assist, extending his point-scoring streak to 10 games.

Tlusty later added an empty-netter to seal the win.

“That’s amazing,” Tlusty said. “We just came at them hard in the third period and didn’t slow down. It was a good night for us. We just kept it going.”

Ilya Kovalchuk and Ryan Carter scored for the Eastern Conference-leading Devils, who lost in regulation for the first time at home this season (5-1-1). New Jersey had won seven straight at home against Carolina.

The Devils were coming off an emotional weekend, having swept a home-and-home series from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Against Carolina, New Jersey was a step behind all night.

“Their energy level at times was pretty amazing, for them playing back to back” Brodeur said. “It’s hard to come back and play a team that’s not a rival or close to you in the standings. It’s a good hockey team over there. We hadn’t seen them this year and they showed us a lot.”

The Hurricanes, the Southeast Division leaders, started the game with good energy, even though they played the night before on Long Island. Carolina used the kind of strong forechecking pressure that the Devils favor and took an early 8-3 shot advantage. Brodeur held his ground, fending off good scoring tries by Alexander Semin, Jeff Skinner and Joni Pitkanen.

“Carolina, give them credit, they came out and they were skating and getting the puck in deep,” Devils captain Bryce Salvador said. “They came out flying.”

The Devils broke through with the game’s first goal at 15:59 as Kovalchuk drew a penalty and then scored the power-play goal — with an assist from the video replay.

Kovalchuk cranked a shot from the blue line that hit the back of the net and bounced back into play as the referees signaled no goal, believing the puck had hit the crossbar.

Play continued for about three minutes. When replay officials got the opportunity to review, they confirmed that the goal had been scored.

It was the third goal in the last four games for Kovalchuk.

The Hurricanes also started the second period strongly, and this time they were rewarded as Jokinen got a power-play goal at 1:36.

Major credit on the score went to Joe Corvo, who faked a shot from the point that most of the Devils, including Brodeur, overplayed to the left side. Instead of firing, Corvo slid a pass to Jokinen, all alone in the right circle with a wide-open net to hit.

It was Jokinen’s first goal of the season.

Dwyer gave the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead with 1:31 left in the period, deflecting Jay Harrison’s point shot.

Trailing for only the third time coming into the third period this season, the Devils came out storming with Ward stopping David Clarkson right on his doorstep in the opening seconds.

New Jersey kept buzzing in the Carolina zone and the pressure paid off as Justin Faulk coughed up the puck and Carter backhanded the turnover past Ward at 1:34 to tie the game at 2.

And then Tlusty, the Hurricanes third period specialist, took over. On Monday, he scored two goals and four points in the third period to lead Carolina to 6-4 win over the New York Islanders that set the stage for the successful conclusion to road trip.

“Any time you can come here and win, it’s a huge character test,” said Hurricanes head coach Kirk Muller. “It may not be pretty, but we’re coming together as a team and the chemistry is building every game.”

Notes: Former Devils captain Muller returned to New Jersey for the first time as the head coach of the Hurricanes. It was also the first game back for former Devils player and head coach John MacLean, now an assistant to Muller….D Mark Fayne was in the Devils starting lineup despite missing the morning skate due to a death in the family….The Hurricanes had last won here on March 28, 2009.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

The New Jersey Devils have won five straight games and are 8-1-3 one-quarter of the way through this 48-game season.

The club’s 19 points are the most through the first 12 games in team history:

·       2012-13:    8-1-3  19 pts

·       1993-94:    9-3-0  18 pts

·       1990-91:    8-3-1  17 pts

·       1987-88:    8-4-0  16 pts

·       1997-98:    8-4-0  16 pts

·       2002-03:    8-4-0  16 pts

·       2008-09:    7-3-2  16 pts

·       2010-11:    8-4-0  16 pts

Ilya Kovalchuk scored one goal and assisted on another in the Devils’ win over the Lightning last Thursday. Kovalchuk’s shorthanded goal snapped a 1-1 tie late in the second period and put New Jersey ahead to stay.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the shorthanded goal was Kovalchuk’s fifth in the now-57 regular-season games he has played over the last 14 calendar months (January 2012 to date), after tallying only three shorthanded goals in his 734 career games through the end of 2011.

Kovalchuk, who set a career-high with those three shorthanded goals last year, became the first player in the NHL to score two this season.

Andy Greene scored his first power-play goal since October 27, 2010 at San Jose and added a power-play assist in New Jersey’s victory over the Penguins on Saturday. Greene is now tied for 10th all-time in power-play goals by a New Jersey Devils defenseman:

·       Scott Niedermayer   51

·       Bruce Driver                 33

·       Scott Stevens                28

·       Brian Rafalski              19

·       Joe Cirella                     18

·       Dave Pichette              12

·       Paul Martin                   11

·       Uli Heimer                     11

·       Tommy Albelin        10

·       Andy Greene               9

·       Jack O’Callahan        9

Martin Brodeur appeared in his 1,200th NHL game this past Saturday against the Penguins. Only seven active players have played in more NHL games (totals through 2/10/12):

·       Roman Hamrlik 1,383

·       Jaromir Jagr       1,357

·       Teemu Selanne  1,352

·       Alex Kovalev     1,311

·       Ray Whitney      1,237

·       Shane Doan        1,210

·       Martin Brodeur 1,200

Brodeur registered a 3-1 win over the Penguins in his 1,200th regular-season game. Brodeur is the league’s all-time leader among goaltenders in both games played and wins, but according to the Elias Sports Bureau, Saturday’s victory against Pittsburgh was only his fourth win in a century milestone game (he’s 4-8-0). His previous wins in such games came in games No. 400, No. 500 and No. 900.

Brodeur’s 900th career game was a 6-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning back on October 31, 2007. It was the Devils’ first-ever win at Prudential Center.

Devils rookie Stefan Matteau, who will turn 19 on February 23, scored the first goal of his NHL career in New Jersey’s 3-1 win over the Penguins on Saturday afternoon. Matteau was the third 18-year-old to score a goal in an NHL game this season, following Montreal’s Alex Galchenyuk and Buffalo’s Mikhail Grigorenko. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only two other 18 year olds have scored goals for the Devils over the last 24 seasons: Petr Sykora (two in 1995) and Adam Larsson (one on November 11, 2011).

Matteau’s father, Stephane, scored his first NHL goal back on October 8th, 1990 as a member of the Calgary Flames in a 4-3 win at Winnipeg against Jets goalie Stephane Beauregard.

Stefan Matteau’s first-career goal came in his seventh game, which, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, is the third-fastest among Devils who have made their NHL debut in the same year that they were drafted, behind only Kirk Muller (two games) and John MacLean (three games).

Schwei’s Plus/Minus:

Plus: Johan Hedberg: Made 23 saves in goal vs. Pittsburgh and improved to 8-0-2 in his last 10 starts dating back to January 11, 2012 at Edmonton.

Plus: David Clarkson: Scored two more goals in the win at Pittsburgh, and with nine goals overall is now tied with Chicago’s Patrick Kane and San Jose’s Patrick Marleau for the second-most in the NHL.

Minus: Dainius Zubrus: Devils forward did not miss a game last season but has missed New Jersey’s last three with an upper-body injury. It could put him on the long-term injury list.

So we’re only a quarter of the way through the season, hockey fans, but can we start saying that the Devils are better than the Rangers? Sound off with your thoughts and comments below…

Sunday night’s local slate had me thankful that my thumb is one of my few body parts in excellent shape.  The remote was in for a workout as I switched between two big games (well, as big as one would find in February) featuring my Nets and Devils.

For these two teams, who have been historically linked through their statuses as second-class denizens in the metropolitan area competing against higher-profile rivals in Manhattan — even sharing their building before the Nets bolted east from New Jersey last summer across two rivers into Brooklyn — Sunday night’s contests were sure to provide measuring sticks against their respective league’s elite.

It’s too bad that the two franchises share little else in common.

In fact, the Devils, a rock of consistency for nearly 25 years, are more comparable to Sunday night’s Nets’ opponent — the NBA-leading Spurs — albeit with slightly fewer accomplishments on their resume.

Under the reign of Lou Lamoriello, the Devils’ master chef since 1988, the Devils have not only been near locks to qualify for the playoffs, but they reached the finals five times, winning three championships (compared to four and four for San Antonio).

More importantly, Lamoriello’s Devils and coach Greg Popovich’s Spurs have relied on similar team-first models, purposely shunning the attention most teams covet following such achievements.  Sure, they each possess stars, but whether it’s Tim Duncan or Ilya Kovalchuk, they are required to buy into the system.

Their systems have survived player turnover and, in Lamoriello’s case, serial changes behind the bench.  It’s hard to believe but, for many years, the Spurs challenged the Devils in being referred to (and confirmed by television ratings) as their sports’ most boring club, as if methodical winning could be so predictable.

The Nets, on the other hand, are their league’s symbol of dysfunction.  They came to Brooklyn with as tortured a history as any since their entry into the NBA about 35 years ago, and are coming close to wearing out their welcome following a short honeymoon.

The Nets felt their fans’ wrath on Sunday night in getting pulverized by San Antonio, 111-86, at Barclays Center.  Even with stars Duncan and Manu Ginobli in street clothes to rest their weary limbs, the Spurs didn’t miss a beat in their executions on both ends.

Tony Parker gave counterpart Deron Williams a clinic on how to man the point guard position, thoroughly dominating the game in all facets.  Parker finished with 29 points, 11 assists and (Williams, please take note) no turnovers.

The Nets looked like a team more interested in what’s going on off the court, as in who is getting shipped off by general manager Billy King prior to the February 21 trade deadline.  Will it be Kris Humphries and MarShon Brooks, two players who former coach Avery Johnson and now interim coach P.J. Carlesimo have made expendable — if not worthless — through inconsistent minutes?  Or was Lakers GM Mitch Kupchack just blowing smoke in deeming center Dwight Howard a Laker for the remainder of the season?  Seriously, are the Hawks giving Josh Smith away for 20 cents on the dollar?

One thing is clear: The current mix in Brooklyn has severe limitations.  Specifically, the dearth of three-point shooters has killed the Nets in most games in which they need to step up in class.

One stretch that epitomized this predicament occurred about four minutes into the fourth quarter last night, when the Nets were still within striking distance, down by 10. The Spurs put forth one of their patented ball-movement exhibitions to give forward Matt Bonner an uncontested three-pointer in the left corner.  There was no doubt in my mind that the shot was going to be made.

The Nets then did the same thing, except their weapon of choice was Keith Bogans, who is not nearly as reliable from long range.  Bogans’ bricked the wide-open attempt.  Nets backup center Andray Blatche grabbed the ensuing offensive rebound, but immediately lost the ball and committed a silly foul.

Boris Diaw then knocked in another three-pointer for San Antonio and, just like that, the ballgame was over.

Meanwhile, the Devils were finishing off a fantastic five-win week by sweeping a home-and-home over the mighty Penguins by identical 3-1 scores.

On Sunday night in Pittsburgh, it was the Devils who gave their ageless wonder, goalie Martin Brodeur, a rest.  Still, like the Spurs, the Devils’ expectations do not change no matter who is in the lineup.  Johan Hedberg, a mere 39 years old, frustrated Pittsburgh virtuosos Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin with 23 saves through solid positioning.

And, as the Spurs have added some pizzazz in recent years, these Devils are more than the typical neutral-zone trap versions of prior vintages.

The Devils are as adept at creating chances in the offensive zone through hard play along the walls and shots from the points as they are at scoring off the rush.

Winger David Clarkson scored a goal each way on Sunday night to continue his hot start (his nine goals are tied for second in the NHL), and Kovalchuk also buried a two-on-one.   The Devils have reached three goals in nine of their first 12 games, with one of their defensemen contributing at least a point in every contest.

The Devils have pretty much shrugged off the offseason departure of star winger Zach Parise to Minnesota by simply plugging in the next guy on the depth chart, which is also the San Antonio way.

Whether it’s San Antonio guard Danny Green, who connected on 4-of-8 three-pointers last night, or Devils fourth-line winger Bobby Butler, whose goal and assist on consecutive power plays decided Saturday’s game, everyone must contribute, even if they were picked up off the scrap heap.

Of course, the Devils and Spurs also excel at defending.

Even the stars.

As brilliant as Kovalchuk’s snapper were his clears out of the Devils’ zone in the final minutes that stopped short of icings.

That accountability is lacking in Brooklyn.  When the Nets get down, forward Gerald Wallace has charged, their instinct is to try to do too much on their own.

I don’t see how this group will ever get it together.  The whole “New Team” excuse is stale.  It’s King’s job to infuse the club with better talent (i.e. players who can make shots) to mesh with his core of Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez.

And it’s Carlesimo’s job (for now) to enforce discipline on the court.

Until then, the Nets will continue to be looking up at teams like the Spurs from echelons below.

For now, I will look to be comforted by the Devils, a warm blanket of consistency in New York’s volatile sports landscape.

For a FAN’s perspective of the Nets, Jets and the NHL, follow Steve on Twitter @SteveLichtenst1. 

The Devils, the Spurs … Which other franchises would you put on this list as models for continued success? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments section below…

Clarkson scored two goals to help the Devils beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 for the second time in as many days and extend their season-high winning streak to five games Sunday. Clarkson is tied for the second-most goals in the National Hockey League with nine in 12 games.

“I think the big thing right now is this team is winning,” Clarkson said. “It doesn’t matter who’s scoring. The puck’s going in, but it doesn’t matter who it is. We’re doing good things.”

Ilya Kovalchuk also scored for the Devils, who ended the Penguins’ five-game winning streak in the first installment of the home-and-home series on Saturday. Johan Hedberg made 23 saves as the former Penguins goalie won his first game in five starts in Pittsburgh as a member of the visiting team (1-4-1).

Tomas Vokoun made 20 saves in his first start at home and James Neal scored Pittsburgh’s only goal 15 seconds into the third period while on the power play. Sidney Crosby, who saw his season-long six-game point streak end Saturday, was held without a point for the second-straight game.

After the game, Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma noted a change in what the Devils are doing now compared to what has made them successful in the past.

“I think this team may be different than what’s traditionally talked about with the Devils,” Bylsma said. “We had some scoring chances, we had some opportunities, but the thing they did really well was played in the offensive zone and extended shifts in the offensive zone. … They did a good job of taking away opportunities for us to get things going by playing in the offensive zone, and we spent a lot of our energy playing defense.”

The Penguins allowed a season-low four shots on goal in the first period, but Clarkson scored his eighth goal on a 2-on-1 with Patrik Elias to give New Jersey a 1-0 lead at 13:06. The Devils are now 7-0-1 this season when scoring first.

The Penguins got their first power play of the game almost immediately after Clarkson’s goal then another before the period was over, but could not even the score heading into the second.

Kovalchuk made it 2-0 for New Jersey at 11:27 of the second period, again on a 2-on-1, and the Devils got their first power play of the game less than a minute later when Neal was called for cross-checking at 12:09.

At 13:20, Clarkson scored his second of the game to make it 3-0 for New Jersey. With Kovalchuk set up for a one-timer in the left circle, Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik cheated away from the net toward Kovalchuk and left Clarkson all alone to knock in the rebound of a shot from Elias.

That was the only power play the Devils had the entire game, compared to 10 Pittsburgh penalties the game before. The Penguins were 1 for 3 on the man-advantage and outshot the Devils 24-23. Hedberg made 15 saves on 15 shots through the first two periods.

“They came out pretty strong in the first and we weathered that storm,” Hedberg said. “The second and third we were really, really strong. We got the second and third goal and they didn’t create much after that.”

NOTES: The Penguins were without defenseman Kris Letang (three games) and Matt Niskanen (eight games), who are both out with lower body injuries. … Matt Cooke appeared in his 900th NHL game, more than any other player on the Penguins. … The Devils were without Dainius Zubrus, who missed his third straight game with an upper-body injury. … Penguins defenseman Robert Bortuzzo and Devils center Ryan Carter fought 4 seconds into the game. … The Penguins announced their 259th straight sellout with an attendance of 18,658.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Adam Henrique and Bobby Butler scored third-period power-play goals during a 2:12 span, and the Devils extended their winning streak to four games with a 3-1 victory over Pittsburgh on Saturday that snapped the Penguins’ five-game winning streak.

Ilya Kovalchuk assisted on the late goals, which came on the seventh and eighth of New Jersey’s 10 power plays.

Defenseman Andy Greene also had two assists, including the primary one on rookie Stefan Matteau’s first NHL goal, as the Devils avenged a 5-1 loss to the Penguins last week.

”We kept our composure,” Devils coach Peter DeBoer said of his team not getting frustrated after failing to cash in on its first six power plays.

Henrique’s game-winner with 9:04 to play came after Butler’s shot clanged off the post and rebounded right to him in the left circle. Henrique had an open net in scoring for the third straight game.

”This win was huge for us,” Henrique said. ”We didn’t play our game against them last week. We did things to adjust. Our special teams have been really big lately. Our power play got the big plays down the stretch and when you get two, it always pays off.”

Butler, signed by the Devils in the offseason after falling out of favor in Ottawa, scored his first goal for New Jersey a little more than 2 minutes later with Evgeni Malkin off for tripping. Butler ripped a shot from the right circle again that Marc-Andre Fleury didn’t have a chance to stop.

”That one I knew I had,” Butler said. ”It was a great opportunity for me and I was fortunate to capitalize on that chance.”

Martin Brodeur made 24 saves and provided a little humor by chasing his stick late in the second period of his 1,200th career game. He became the first NHL goalie to play that many.

Brandon Sutter scored early for the Penguins. The teams will play again Sunday in Pittsburgh.

Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said all the penalty kills never allowed his team to get into a flow at even strength.

”Whenever you give a team repeated power plays, it gets harder as you go along, and when you get to the seven, eight, nine and 10 area, or three or four in a period, it gets harder to kill those,” Bylsma said. ”Our PK and Marc were real strong early on. I think we weren’t able to turn this into a 5-on-5 game after that point. We weren’t able to get to any type of flow to the game or get into the offensive zone against that team. Again, with more penalty kills, eventually they were able to break through.”

Matteau tied the game 1-all late in the second period with his first career goal. It was easy, thanks in large part to Greene. He faked a shot from the left point and slid a pass to the 18-year-old in the left circle, catching Fleury out of position. Once Matteau controlled the puck, he had an open net for his first NHL point.

”It was a perfect seam pass from Andy,” said Matteau, the son of former Rangers nemesis Stephane Matteau. ”It was right on my stick, so I had to get that one. It’s an amazing feeling to get my first NHL goal and I got it in a win. I hope it’s the first of many. I thought I had a really strong game.”

Pittsburgh took an early lead on a power-play goal by Sutter, the son of former Devils coach Brent Sutter. Defenseman Simon Despres took a shot from the left point and Sutter deflected it past Brodeur.

The Penguins had some great chances on a power play late in the second when Brodeur lost his stick for at least 30 seconds. The 40-year-old goalie had to make stops on shots by Sidney Crosby and James Neal, and also had a humorous moment after the Devils cleared the puck from the zone.

As Brodeur skated to the corner to get his stick, Fleury sent a pass off the sideboards to Malkin at the blue line. The Penguins sniper quickly turned and fired it at the net as Brodeur scrambled to get back in the crease. The puck hit off the post and then Brodeur’s skate, sliding across the goal line while drawing gasps from the sellout crowd.

There was no need for concern. A Penguins player had not cleared the zone after the clearing pass, so Malkin was offside, meaning the goal would not have counted.

”I had no idea it was offside,” Brodeur said. ”I guess all the work I put in the offseason paid off. I have quick feet and I’m a good dancer.”

Crosby had a six-game point-scoring streak snapped, his best since a career-long 25-game run in 2010.

NOTES: The Devils had killed off 19 straight penalties coming into the game. … With Kris Letang scratched for a second straight game with a lower-body injury, Pittsburgh native Dylan Reese was in the lineup for the second consecutive game. … Matteau replaced LW Dainius Zubrus, out with an upper-body injury. … Devils enforcer Krystofer Barch got the best of Penguins defenseman Deryk Engelland in a first-period fight. … A sellout crowd of 17,625 attended the game less than 24 hours after a storm dropped more than a foot of snow in the area. New Jersey has five sellouts in six games. … The Penguins are 5-2 against Atlantic Division foes and 6-2 on the road.

Is Martin Brodeur the best goalie in the history of the NHL? We want to hear your thoughts in the comments section below…

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Then, today’s MOTD was brought about when Mark Chernoff sent the entire WFAN staff an email with a very provocative subject line.

LISTEN: Unda/Ova & Moment Of The Day

Right Click Here To Download

Below you can listen to and download all of the memorable audio from today’s (08/28) edition of the Boomer & Carton Morning Extravaganza in one nice little package for your convenience…Until tomorrow morning, stay classy New York!!!

LISTEN: Tuesday’s Podcast

Right Click Here To Download

That’s right, the Mets season has sunk low enough that they have now established that finishing in 3rd place in the NL East ahead of the Marlins and Phillies will be deemed a great enough success that they have built a team slogan around it.

Then, Jerry tweeted a link to a site that listed the odds for every NFL team’s chances at winning the Super Bowl this season. Somehow, the Giants are 13th on the list overall and ranked behind six teams in the NFC. Two of those teams ranked ahead of them are in the same division (Cowboys and Eagles) and the other may not even be the second best team in their own division (Bears).

The Jets, meanwhile, are only four slots behind the Giants at 17. Is Vegas underestimating the defending Super Bowl champs? It certainly would appear that way.

LISTEN: New Mets Mantra, Oddsmakers Slight Giants

Right Click Here To Download

Then, just as Jerry was about to launch into one of his fine updates, Craig received an email from the boss man. Mark Chernoff sent out a message to everyone on the FAN mailing list with a rather suggestive title when taken out of context. The subject line read, “CELEBRATING DICK THIS WEDNESDAY.”

Go ahead and laugh, because all of us sure as heck did. In actuality, WFAN is saying goodbye to one of our long-time engineers, Dick James. So on behalf of all of us here at WFAN, we declare tomorrow to be Dick Day. How will you celebrate?

LISTEN: The Dez Bryant Rules & Celebrating Dick (James)

Right Click Here To Download

Surely he’d be a boost to Astros’ ticket sales. He might legitimately be the only reason anyone would go see that awful team play baseball. Before long, Craig’s mind got to wandering as he started thinking about what a Rocket return to the Yankees would be like… cue the Suzyn Waldman impression.

After a while, the conversation somehow shifts to ice cream; specifically where to get you dairy treats from depending on what kind of ice cream you like. Boomer loves Carvel milkshakes, Craig says he’s a fan of the log of ice cream they serve you at Friendly’s. But then again, he’s also partial to a traditional Italian ice, especially with all the icy goo at the bottom of the cup. Craig asks Boomer if he would rather have a log or goo in his mouth… we’re talking ice cream, of course.

LISTEN: Clemens Comeback & Gooey, Loggy Ice Cream

Right Click Here To Download

Craig centers his argument around the fact that the Yankees have been hit by several significant injuries and have overcome all of it to remain in first place with the second-best record in the American League. And let’s face it, having this kind of record while having guys like Mariano Rivera, Alex Rodriguez, and CC Sabathia missing time is no small feat.

But as Boomer and some of the callers pointed out, perhaps more of the credit belongs to general manager Brian Cashman for putting together a deep roster that has been able to patch it together with the likes of Raul Ibanez, Andruw Jones, Eric Chavez, etc. Those guys may not be making major money, but they are all former All Stars.

There are plenty of those who don’t hesitate to bring up the Yankees’ financial resources as being a major advantage. Craig strongly dislikes that argument. At one point he even goes as far as to say that Girardi is the hands-down choice for MOTY.

While Boomer acknowledges that the Yankees’ managerial job may be one of the toughest in sports, he likes other candidates such as Robin Ventura, Buck Showalter and Joe Maddon, whom he says are doing more with less. What’s your take?

LISTEN: Joe Girardi – Manager Of The Year?

Right Click Here To Download

He got it started with play-by-play and reaction to the Yankees’ rough loss to the Blue Jays. We also hear from Mark Teixeira with regard to his strained calf which will keep him out of action for up to two weeks. It is at this point that Craig says for the first time this morning that he believes Joe Girardi should be the Manager of the Year. We will revisit this subject later.

The Mets were off last night, but they start a series with the Phillies tonight.

The focus then shifts to football. Jerry tells us about the Jets trading Wayne Hunter to St. Louis. Then he plays some audio from Tom Coughlin, who got a little bit testy with some reporters who continue to ask about individual players as opposed to the team. In fact, there is a German reporter who has made a habit about asking Coughlin about defensive lineman Markus Kuhn. Coughlin seems to be a bit fed up with the guy.

While we’re talking football, we also got to hear from Jerry Jones, who for some unforeseen reason decided he was going to lay down a rap song for Papa John’s pizza. Yes, it’s pretty much as awful as it sounds like it would be.

And speaking of the Cowboys, Dez Bryant will be followed around by team employees to make sure he stays on the straight and narrow. We’ll have more on these Dez rules later as well.

LISTEN: Craig Praises Girardi, Coughlin Gets Frustrated, Jerry Jones Raps

Right Click Here To Download

The Yanks suffered perhaps their worst defeat of the season to the Blue Jays last night. Leading by two entering the 9th inning, the Yanks coughed up the lead and eventually lost in 11 innings. Rafael Soriano, who has done a solid job replacing Mariano Rivera as the closer for most of the year, had the latest in a string of rough outings in the 9th last night. All of a sudden, the Bombers’ division lead is down to just three games.

If there is a positive to take out of this, Craig points out that the close race makes every game from now until the end of the season must-see baseball. And who doesn’t love a postseason atmosphere in September?

The guys also spend some time addressing the New York football Giants’ rising injury concerns. Chris Canty was placed on the P.U.P. list and will miss six weeks of the season. All of a sudden that Giants defense is starting to wear a little thin. Plus the Jets traded Wayne Hunter to the St. Louis in exchange for Jason Smith, who is essentially the Rams’ version of Hunter, but with a higher salary.

Plus you’ll hear a little bit about the Boomer & Carton All Stars softball outing in Glen Ridge last night. All this and more as we get it started on this Tuesday morning!

LISTEN: Brutal Yankee Loss Makes A.L. East Too Close For Comfort

Right Click Here To Download

LISTEN: Moment Of The Day

Right Click Here To Download

Below you can listen to and download all of the memorable audio from today’s (08/27) edition of the Boomer & Carton Morning Extravaganza in one nice little package for your convenience…Until tomorrow morning, stay classy New York!!!

LISTEN: Monday’s Podcast

Right Click Here To Download

It all started out pretty harmlessly with Jenkins making an innocuous tweet about the Jets’ offensive woes during this preseason. Craig fired back at Jenkins with a tweet that poked fun at Kris’ inability to stay healthy while he was with Gang Green…and that’s when it got ugly. Craig gives us the tweet-by-tweet.

LISTEN: Carton Vs. Jenkins – A Twitter War

Right Click Here To Download

He got it started with the Jets after yet another preseason loss. Rex Ryan addressed the interception thrown by Mark Sanchez that really was more the fault of rookie wide receiver Stephen Hill. Boomer and Craig take issue with Rex implying that Sanchez could have thrown that pass any more perfectly. We also hear from Sanchez himself as well as Tim Tebow and Santonio Holmes, who was eager to talk about how badly he was missed in the Jets’ locker room.

Before long Jerry gives us the Giants’ perspective. While they haven’t been dealing with the on-the-field problems the Jets have had this preseason, the injury concerns are starting to pile up. Prince Amukamara has a high-ankle sprain and Osi Umenyiora is dealing with issues related to his surgically repaired knee. Boomer does remind Giants fans that their Week 1 opponent, the Cowboys, are also dealing with some major injury problems.

The focus then shifts to baseball. The Yankees managed to take 2-of-3 from the lowly Indians out in Cleveland. And while it was a good day for the Yanks on Sunday, their radio play-by-play man had a few of his typical misadventures in the broadcast booth. Listen as John Sterling describe Ichiro getting caught stealing as a stolen base, as well as misidentifying a Nick Swisher double as a home run.

Oh yeah, the Mets won too. But no one really cares at this point.

LISTEN: A Jerry Update With A Sterling Screw Up

Right Click Here To Download

Boomer and Craig kicked off a new week of shows back in the Allstate Studio. They got rolling with some Jets discussion, as Gang Green is fresh off of their third consecutive preseason loss. But as Boomer and Craig pointed out, the Jets did show some signs of life.

Yes, it’s true that we are still waiting to see the offense produce their first touchdown of the preseason, but Boomer and Craig agreed that it was nice to at least see a playbook that wasn’t quite as vanilla as we saw in the previous two games. There were more attempts to throw the football down-field, and Mark Sanchez looked like he is starting to get a better handle over his game.

Boomer thinks that the Jets’ defense is poised to be a top-10 or maybe even top-5 group in the NFL. They have looked very sharp so far.

The guys also spend some time on the Giants’ injury concerns with Prince Amukamara and Osi Umenyiora. Plus they try to come up with an attention-grabbing name for the Yankees’ next 22 games, in which they will play nothing but American League East foes.

LISTEN: Jets Show Reasons To Believe

Right Click Here To Download

LISTEN: Moment Of The Day (8/23)

Right Click Here To Download

Below you can listen to and download all of the memorable audio from today’s (08/23) edition of the Boomer & Carton Morning Extravaganza in one nice little package for your convenience…Until Monday morning, stay classy New York!!!

LISTEN: Thursday’s Podcast (8/23)

Right Click Here To Download

Craig doesn’t waste any time getting into the offense’s struggles this preseason. Sanchez says he isn’t particularly concerned at this point, and attributes some of the poor play to simply not having all of his guys healthy. He does view it as a unique opportunity to see exactly what they have depth-wise on their roster.

The guys ask Mark about his rocky season last year. He insists that it was never an issue of confidence, but it was a tumultuous year to say the least. Sanchez makes it clear that cutting down on turnovers will be a big focal point for him this season.

Before the interview wraps up, Sanchez dishes on his relationship with Tim Tebow and the effects of Tebowmania, as well as the wide receiver situation and his excitement about having Tony Sparano as his offensive coordinator. All this and much more…

LISTEN: Mark Sanchez Addresses Jets’ Concerns

Right Click Here To Download

They take some time to commend Rex on his new slim figure. Rex has lost 105 pounds since last season and says he wants to drop a few more still.

The guys begin by asking about Rex’s area of expertise – the defense. The guys like the additions of Yeremiah Bell and LaRon Landry at safety. Rex really likes what he’s seen from those guys in particular, and made a point to mention that depth at safety was one of the glaring needs that the organization did a good job of addressing during the offseason.

But when the discussion shifts to the offense, it’s the offseason additions (or lack thereof) that come into question. Listen to Rex respond to questions about the perceived lack of depth at wide receiver, as well as the struggles of Wayne Hunter at right tackle. Rex insists he’s fine with the way the offense is constituted, and reminds us that the front office did spend a lot on the skill positions last offseason between bringing in Plaxico Burress and giving Mark Sanchez and Santonio Holmes big-money deals. He also seems to be excited about the potential of draft pick Stephen Hill.

Rex also addresses the debacle with Santonio Holmes and his captaincy last year as well as the media storm that has overtaken Jets camp since the Tim Tebow acquisition. All this plus much more…

LISTEN: Rex Ryan Gives The Skinny On The Jets   

Right Click Here To Download

Considering that the offense has had major struggles so far this preseason, Sparano had a lot of questions to address. First, the guys ask if the next preseason game against the Panthers will showcase an offense that will closely resemble the one that we will see Week 1 versus Buffalo. Sparano says that this will be the first preseason game for which they will put any emphasis on scouting the opponent.

Boomer and Craig pepper Sparano with questions regarding his offense’s perceived flaws, such as the lack of depth at wide receiver as well as the big-time struggles of right tackle Wayne Hunter. Also, listen to what Coach Sparano has to say about throwing the ball downfield more often, the dynamic between Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow, and how much input Rex Ryan has in the offensive playcalling.

LISTEN: Diagnosing Jets’ Offense With Tony Sparano

Right Click Here To Download

Just before Jerry began, the guys wrapped up their discussion about Skip Bayless’ irresponsible comments about Derek Jeter and PEDs. Craig takes a cue from Skip and makes some wild speculation that Jerry’s good mood is the result of spending more time with his poodle (which he does not have). That creates an interesting exchange.

When Jerry gets going with the update, he starts with the Yankees’ loss in Chicago. Maybe even more entertaining than the game was Joe Girardi’s dust-up with a heckler during his postgame interview. We hear the audio from their exchange.

Before long, Boomer notices that Craig is sitting awfully close to him on the set. He was apparently close enough that Booms could smell his funky breath. Craig tries to freshen up with some oral mist. But that just gets the conversation derailed even further.

LISTEN: A Chipper Jerry Recco Updates Us

Right Click Here To Download

It began with a few minutes being spent on ESPN’s Skip Bayless and his mindless comments that suggested Derek Jeter’s tremendous season could be attributed to the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Boomer and Craig agree that this is just an attention-grab from a guy who is constantly trying to say something more shocking than he did the day before. They also agree that he should be held accountable for making accusations about something as serious as steroid use without any form of evidence whatsoever.

The real Yankee news though is that they were swept by the White Sox in Chicago, and their lead in the American League East has shrunk to just three games over the red-hot Tampa Bay Rays. Is it time to panic? Craig says no, mostly because they play a weekend series with the lowly Cleveland Indians. He’s expecting a sweep. What do you think?
LISTEN: Panic Time For Yankees?

Right Click Here To Download

Before long Isola let us know where he stands on the Knicks presumably parting ways with Jeremy Lin. Boomer had been saying all morning that he doesn’t believe that Lin really wants to play with the Knicks, and that’s why he went back to the Rockets to restructure their offer sheet.

Isola doesn’t think that’s a crazy idea and goes even further to say that maybe the Knick locker room isn’t the ideal fit for Lin. After all, Carmelo Anthony did refer to Houston’s offer as “ridiculous” and J.R. Smith even indicated there would be resentment in the locker room if Jeremy did come back to the Knicks with a monster contract.

Frank finds it a little funny that the Rockets, a team who cut Lin from their roster within the last few years, is now willing to pay him $25 million over three years. Imagine if the Knicks were the team doing that…

LISTEN: Frank Isola On Jeremy Lin

Right Click Here To Download

Naturally, Eddie Scozzare welcomed him to the program by playing “You’re The Best Around” as he was being introduced. Ralph kinda saw that one coming.

First the guys want to know why he wasn’t at the celebrity softball game at Yankee Stadium last month. Apparently he was in Vancouver shooting a Lifetime Christmas movie.

Craig says Macchio was a big Jeremy Lin supporter, so the news that he will likely not be with the Knicks next year must be devastating. Ralph says he really isn’t a die-hard basketball fan, so he’s dealing with it OK. He also says he still believes in the Mets this year despite their recent slide.

The guys also spend some time talking about Macchio’s new show on Nat Geo called “American Gypsies” for which he is the producer. The subject matter seems fascinating.

Before they say goodbye, Ralph calls out Craig for interrupting him just like he does to Jerry during his updates. They of course also ask him how much he’s bench pressing these days.

LISTEN: Ralph Macchio Says Helloooo

Right Click Here To Download

Boomer has been critical of Carmelo Anthony over the last few years as a Knick. But after reading his comments from about a month ago in which Melo said the time to win a championship is now, Boomer wants to see the proof in the pudding.

And so if Carmelo Anthony somehow manages to lead the New York Knicks to an NBA championship this season, Boomer Esiason will walk across the Brooklyn Bridge in Knicks’ boxer shorts. We now have it on record and the tape has been saved. And speaking personally, I’ve never wanted to see the Knicks win a title more in my life.

LISTEN: Boomer Makes A Bridge Bet

Right Click Here To Download

This led to Craig saying that Lonn Trost and the Yanks owe him and Boomer some sort of thank you. That’s because the Yankee cologne/perfume is flying off the shelves like crazy, no doubt thanks in large part to B&C’s consistent promotion of the product.

Then Jerry gets into an update. One of his first stories is Jason Kidd’s DUI in the Hamptons over the weekend. The story has a twinge of irony to it. As Craig points out, Kidd crashed his car into a telephone pole owned by Cablevision, causing many local customers to lose their service. Cablevision, as you may already know, is owned by none other than Knicks’ owner James Dolan. So in essence, Dolan’s newest basketball investment cost him money in his cable business.

Finally, after having some fun at John Sterling’s expense, the conversation shifts to how Craig acts around his family. He says that lately the only thing anyone in his family wants to ask him about is what he has written about them in his autobiography. He has refused to offer any previews to this point, so I guess we’ll all just have to wait until it hits your local bookstore.

Listen: Yankee Fragrance Selling Well, Kidd Costs Dolan, Craig’s Family In His Book

Right Click Here To Download

He got started with the Jeremy Lin contract saga. The Knicks have until midnight Tuesday to match his monster offer from the Rockets. We hear sound from Carmelo Anthony about how we all may have misread the whole situation, himself included.

Before long, the focus shifts to baseball. Both the Mets and Yankees lost on Sunday. But at least in the Yanks’ case, they still took two out of three from the Angels despite the 10-8 setback in the series finale. We hear from Alex Rodriguez after he made the final out of the game. We also hear how close Curtis Granderson came to hitting a go-ahead grand slam in the 8th inning. Well, at least if you listened to John Sterling’s radio call you would think it just missed foul. Craig however is quick to point out the ball was more like 30 feet foul.

As for the Mets, well they’re a bit of a mess right now. The Braves finished off a 3-game sweep of the Amazin’s with a 6-1 win yesterday. But no worries Mets fans. It was clearly the fault of home plate umpire C.B. Bucknor. Pitching coach Dan Warthen was bothered enough by Bucknor’s strike zone that he got ejected from the game. Johan Santana told the media he thought a couple of the calls changed the complexion of the game. Craig laughs it off. But if the seeming yearly second-half swoon continues over the next few weeks, he may be opening up the church doors before too long.

Jerry wraps up with the details of Drew Brees’ new contract with the Saints and Elvis Dumervil being arrested on weapons charges. Plus Craig points out that the deadline to sign franchise tags in the NFL is today, and our boy Ray Rice remains unsigned in Baltimore.

LISTEN: Yanks Can’t Sweep Halos, Mets Stumbling After Break

Right Click Here To Download

LISTEN: Moment Of The Day

Right Click Here To Download

Below you can listen to and download all of the memorable audio from today’s (07/16) edition of the Boomer & Carton Morning Extravaganza in one nice little package for your convenience…Until tomorrow morning, stay classy New York!!!

LISTEN: Monday’s Podcast

Right Click Here To Download

On Saturday, Lin signed an offer sheet with the Rockets for 3 years and roughly $25M, giving the Knicks three days to match the deal. However later in the day, the Knicks agreed to a sign and trade with the Blazers to bring point guard Raymond Felton back to MSG, seemingly indicating the Knicks are prepared to move on from Linsanity.

The guys had differing opinions on this matter. While Craig is more than ready to say goodbye, Boomer longs for the days when Linsanity was in full bloom. And let’s face it, those were some of the most exciting weeks Knicks fans have had to enjoy in quite some time. But Craig is quick to point out that he believes Jeremy Lin to be one of, if not the most overrated player in the NBA.

While Boomer would love to have Jason Kidd, Felton, AND Lin on the roster, he acknowledges that’s probably not the greatest way for the Knicks to use their cap space. He seems to be put off by the fact that Lin and his agent went back to the Rockets to make their offer more difficult for the Knicks to match.

Neither Boomer nor Craig begrudges Lin for making as much dough as he possibly can, but it’s hard to look at these negotiations as anything other than a money-grab motivated by greed. All the while Craig reiterates his opinion that much like Carmelo Anthony told the media, it would be “ridiculous” to pay a player with Jeremy Lin’s limited NBA experience that kind of scratch.

All this and more as we get rolling on this Monday morning…

LISTEN: End Of Linsanity?

Right Click Here To Download

Listen: Moment Of The Day

Right Click Here To Download

Below you can listen to and download all of the memorable audio from today’s (06/26) edition of the Boomer & Carton Morning Extravaganza in one nice little package for your convenience…Until tomorrow morning, stay classy New York!!!

Listen: Tuesday’s Podcast

Right Click Here To Download

Of course, the “Bounty Gate” stuff was at the forefront of the discussion. And Brees was more than willing to speak his mind on what he feels was a terrible job by the league with regard to how the investigation was handled. Brees said he felt that those in charge of running the investigation had a preconceived conclusion that the Saints were guilty, and distorted the truths of this case to fit their desired result.

He refers to the NFL’s investigation and subsequent discipline as a “strategic media campaign” that left the Saints’ organization operating from a position of “guilty until proven innocent,” as opposed to the other way around. Brees really seemed ticked off that the league’s rulings have not only hurt his team, but also the livelihoods of guys he played with and considers friends. He also makes sure to illustrate the difference between “pay-for-performance” and “pay-to-injure.”

Craig wrapped up by asking how his contract negotiations have been going. Brees said they’re closer to a deal now than they were a month ago, but there is still a lot of work to do. But given Drew’s undying love for the city of New Orleans, it would be hard to picture him playing anywhere else.

Listen: Drew Brees Sounds Off On Bounty Gate

Right Click Here To Download 

In Craig’s opinion, the Knicks can’t continue to let Stoudemire act like a clown and get away with it. In an instance such as the Twitter dust-up, his use of homophobic language is an indication that this might just be the way Amar’e speaks off the cuff. His absence from the Knicks’ team pow-wow in Los Angeles could be an indictment on how he is viewed by his teammates.

Later on, a caller balances the argument by reminding Craig that Amar’e may be the only reason why Carmelo Anthony is a Knick right now. This is something that Craig can get behind, as he calls coming to the Knicks the only thing that the team’s fans can thank Stoudemire for. But since he has been here, he has come up small in big spots and had some embarrassing off-the-court incidents that cannot continue to go on.

Perhaps Craig’s biggest critique of Stoudemire was accusing him of being too vain for his own good. He sees Stoudemire’s chiseled physique as the product of a guy who cares more about looking like a supermodel than being in NBA game shape.

Listen: Knicks At A Crossroads With Amar’e

Right Click Here To Download

In an attempt to make up for this, Eddie gave Bob Mantz of Bob’s Blitz a thorough and emotional account of his favorite WFAN moment: the day it was announced that Boomer & Carton would be the new morning show.

Craig clearly believes Eddie’s comments to be facetious based on the overly enthusiastic language he uses, but Eddie insists that it was sincere. He even claimed to get a little emotional as Craig read his words live on the air.

Listen: Eddie Makes Up For Newsday Snub

Right Click Here To Download

While Wells will not be attending Yankees Old Timers Day this Sunday, he did let us know that the participants will be wearing New Era caps similar to the throwback hats the Yanks wore earlier this season at Fenway Park (pictured below).

Before getting into the baseball stuff, Craig asked Wells how he’s been enjoying his TV gig. He seems to be living the good life, and he loves how TBS has allowed him to be himself on-camera.

Eventually the guys did break down the Mets and Yanks, starting with the phenomenon that has been R.A. Dickey’s stellar season. Wells says he never could have predicted that a knuckleball pitcher would be able to throw back-to-back one-hitters. He goes as far as to say that Dickey should be the starting pitcher for the National League in the All-Star Game.

Before long the focus shifted to the red-hot Yankees. Wells says when the Yanks put it all together, they can be scary good. He added that it doesn’t hurt when you’ve got the now 38-year-old Derek Jeter playing like he’s still 25.

Before they said goodbye, Craig extends his customary golf outing invitation.

Listen: “TV Star” David Wells Talks Yanks, Mets

Right Click Here To Download

When Craig heard the #23 moment playing at 8:00 this morning, he recalled that yesterday at the same time, the countdown was somewhere in the teens. This of course meant that the #1 moment had already come and gone at some point in the previous day. He then informed us that if you missed it, we played the #1 moment at 5:00 this morning, because who isn’t up and listening to the FAN at that hour?

Craig then had Al and Jerry guess what the top moment might be. Eddie eventually does play the audio, after a little bit of a misdirection at the expense of Jerry. You’ll see what I mean if you listen…

LISTEN: Counting Down The Top Moments in NY Sports History… Strangely

Right Click Here To Download

When Dewayne Wise hit his first home run as a Yankee in the second inning, the stage was set for play-by-play man John Sterling to usher in his latest new home run call. But it was so lame that Craig decided a different one needed to be created in its place.

After Jerry played some postgame sound from the Yanks, Craig points out that today is Derek Jeter’s 38th birthday, so happy birthday El Capitan!

Then it was on to the Mets, who bungled their way to a 6-1 loss to the Cubs last night. We hear Josh Lewin’s play-by-play of two of the three defensive miscues in the seventh inning that led to their undoing. It was so bad that Terry Collins had to bite his tongue when the media asked him to describe his team’s play after the game.

Also, a classic double whammy for free-agent outfielder Marlon Byrd. Not only did he receive a 50-game suspension for testing positive for a drug called Tomoxifen, wait until you find out why he was taking it. All this and more, right here…

LISTEN: Sterling’s New HR Call, Marlon’s Inflated Chest And Sloppy Mets

Right Click Here To Download

The Mets were at the forefront of the discussion after a brutal and sloppy loss to the Cubs last night. The Amazin’s were done in by poor defense and anemic offense, setting off worries that they could be entering their seemingly annual summer swoon.

Craig took to the airwaves this morning to underline the importance of the Mets’ remaining nine games before the All-Star break, in which they will be playing the Cubs, Dodgers and Phillies.

The Mets have been a great story all year, as virtually no one predicted them being over .500 at this point in the year. But Craig says the debacle in Chicago last night showed you that this team has the potential to look very bad when they play poorly. That’s why Craigie thinks a winning stretch to carry them into the All-Star break would be an enormous boost to the team’s mental state.

On the flip side, the Yankees had their way with the Indians last night, as they continue to look like one of the best teams in baseball.

LISTEN: Important Stretch For Mets Starts With Dud

Right Click Here To Download

All in all it was another glowing example of what makes the B&C extravaganza a must-listen every morning.

LISTEN: Moment Of The Day

Right Click Here To Download

Below you can listen to and download all of the memorable audio from today’s (06/25) edition of the Boomer & Carton Morning Extravaganza in one nice little package for your convenience…Until tomorrow morning, stay classy New York!!!

LISTEN: Monday’s Podcast

Right Click Here To Download

He talks about his one year playing at Kentucky and how much he loved the electric atmosphere within the city of Lexington once basketball season came around. He says he will miss playing at the college level despite only getting a one-year taste of it.

Craig asks Davis if he was rooting for any one team in particular to win the draft lottery. He insists he was not. They go on to cover everything from what position he sees himself playing in the NBA, to whether or not he gets a hard time for his very prominent unibrow.

Mark Messier even returns a phone call from Craig right in the middle of the interview, so Craig decides to answer. It turns out Davis doesn’t even know who Messier is, but he’s only 19 years old, so we’ll give him a break on that.

LISTEN: NBA’s Slam-Dunk No. 1 Pick Anthony Davis Calls In

Right Click Here To Download

Well Al and Eddie behind the glass thought it sounded like the intro to The Human Beinz’s “Nobody Like Me,” which it did. Eddie played the song underneath Cano’s sound byte and it worked seamlessly. That’s when Craig decided to throw in some of our other various sound bytes, including a few from Al Dukes. All in all it was quite funny.

Then, at the request of many folks on Twitter, Boomer asks Craig to sit down. This is because Craigie tends to forget that he is on TV sometimes, and it seemed as though he was playing “pocket pool” in his shorts, if ya catch my drift.

Craig insists his hands were nowhere near his junk, but does hike his shorts up to chest level, drawing quite a bit of laughter from Boomer and Jerry.

LISTEN: Fun With Sound Bites And Craig’s Hands In His Shorts

Right Click Here To Download

Now obviously Alderson is the guy with the GM job currently, but it’s no secret that many of the current players on the team were products of Minaya’s tenure.

Boomer mentions the defense for Alderson is that unlike Minaya, he doesn’t have the benefit of a lofty payroll to work with. Terry Collins is a product of the Alderson regime as well.

Eventually, caller Ronnie in New Rochelle helps shift the conversation to a recap of Al Dukes’ bartending experience at Boomer’s charity event on Friday night at Fire Island. The guys go in-depth on Al’s unfortunate tick incident, and also how he seemed to be a bigger hit among the guys at the event than the dozens of attractive females.

LISTEN: Bigger Impact — Minaya Or Alderson?; Al Dukes’ Fire Island Experience

Right Click Here To Download

Eddie has been a fixture here at the FAN forever and a day, and he’s worked with just about every on-air talent you can think of that’s graced these hallways. So naturally, given that Eddie has been with B&C for close to five years now, one would think that the two morning show hosts would be heavily featured in the Scozzare interview, right?

Well, apparently not. Craig read the part of the article that Eddie contributed to, and is stunned to find that neither his nor Boomer’s name appears at all. Eddie even mentions having worked with three “radio giants,” but it turns out he was talking about Don Imus, Mike Francesa and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo. Being left out of that category seems to sting Boomer and Craig even more.

Overall, the guys are perturbed that the article treats the morning show as if it doesn’t exist. And Craig also mentions that the omission of Steve Somers’ name from the article is egregious.

LISTEN: Eddie Scozzare Snubs Boomer & Carton In Newsday

Right Click Here To Download

We hear the play-by-play call of Robinson Cano’s big home run from Howie Rose. This is followed by a soundbite from Cano himself in which he talked about not going up to the plate looking for a home run. But when he stutters at the beginning of it, Craig notices how much Robbie sounds like he is making a banjo noise. Some fun is had with this.

Joe Girardi acknowledges Cano’s power. Nick Swisher has the money quote of the day in reference to Frank Francisco’s “chickens” comment made before the series started. Speaking of Francisco, he’s headed to the DL with a strained oblique.

As the discussion turns to the scrappiness of the Mets, Boomer points out that Al Dukes was pretty scrappy himself while bartending at Fire Island over the weekend. However, Al did run into a pretty major problem at one point. Specifically he found a tick nesting in his nether regions while “exploring” himself on Saturday. As unbelievable as this is on its own, Boomer and Craig were even more stunned that Al decided to tweet about it for the world to see.

Finally, the guys get into the story about Amar’e Stoudemire mindlessly (allegedly) sending a direct message to a guy who criticized his game on Twitter, and in the message called the guy a homophobic slur. Not the proudest moment for Mr. Stoudemire.

LISTEN: The Cano Banjo, Al’s Tick Problem And Amare’s Twitter Snafu

Right Click Here To Download

Boomer and Craig, being the diehard Mets fans they are, were obviously less than thrilled with the outcome. But it was some of Terry Collins’ managerial decisions came to the forefront of their discussion about the series. The guys seemed to agree that the biggest mistake Collins made was leaving Miguel Batista in the game to face Robinson Cano in the 8th inning last night. Cano promptly hit a solo home run to dead center field to give the Yankees the lead and eventually the win.

Boomer and Craig also talk about how the marquee pitching match-up between R.A. Dickey and CC Sabathia failed to live up to the billing. Having said that, they both agreed that it was nice to see what the Mets’ scrappy lineup was able to do against CC.

They took a few calls and sang the praises of Yankees fill-in closer Rafael Soriano. The Neil Best article in Newsday about WFAN’s 25th Anniversary was also brought up. Namely, the fact that Craig has some major issues with it. He thinks it’s egregious that Steve Somers’ name was left out of the article. But more so than that, he has some comments for Eddie Scozzare, who was interviewed for the article. More on this later…

LISTEN: Yankees Beat Dickey, Mets In Rubber Game

Right Click Here To Download

Craig then ordered Al Dukes to get Tim Tebow on the Show, not to talk about football, but rather to offer a prayer for John Tortorella and the Blue Shirts.

After all of that, Craig took issue with the stench coming from the Devils jersey he was wearing (pictured).  the jersey belongs to our guy Max Herman, who works on the Show and apparently could use the number of a good dry cleaner, because according to Craig, the jersey (or sweater as hockey fans like to call them) wreaked of cigarettes and Drakkar cologne, not a very pleasant combination.

Despite Craig’s urging, Boomer refused to take a whiff of the soiled Devils’ paraphernalia…

LISTEN: One Stinkin’ Devils’ Jersey (05/23)

Right Click Here To Download