Latest Line Lifts Lemaire, Limits Leafs

Travis Zajac bailed the Devils out and rescued them from losing to the lowly Maple Leafs Friday night in Newark. Zajac’s game-winning power play goal four minutes into the overtime session lifted New Jersey to a 5-4 win over Toronto. The victory marked just the third time in ten tries the Devils have scored more than two goals in a contest. Devils netminder, Martin Brodeur, showed his human side against the Ron Wilson coached Leafs. Wilson, who was named head coach of the USA Olympic team, watched his 17 win squad erase a two-goal New Jersey lead. Toronto battled back to send the game into the extra session, only to lose their 11th overtime game this season. The Devils improved to 35-16-2. Toronto is battling Carolina for the conference basement after suffering their 16th one-goal defeat.
Zach Parise notched a pair of goals in the first period to provide the Devils points. Parise squirted through sloppy Toronto coverage to score his 24th and 25th goals of the season. The Maple Leafs were 0 for 2 on the power play but managed a first period goal off the stick of Carl Gunnarsson. The Swedish rookie for Toronto blasted spinning shot past Brodeur’s glove for the first goal of the night. The visiting team’s 1-0 advantage lasted less than a minute. Ian White lost the puck in the shadow of the net. Parise took over the pick and tapped the puck across the crease beyond the reach of Jonas Gustavvson. It was the young Devil’s 20th two goal game of his career. The Devils, who scored just 12 goals in their last eight games, pulled ahead 4-2 by the third period. Jacque Lemaire juggled the New Jersey line and saw positive results. Lemaire moved Dainius Zubrus to the top of the line with Zajac and Parise. Zubrus returned for just his third game Friday after missing 30 with a broken knee cap. The new line quickly meshed to manufacture two more New Jersey goals. Zajac took a feed from Parise and nudged it to Zubrus for the third New Jersey goal. The 3-1 lead was enough to spark a goaltending change for Wilson. Vesa Toskala replaced Gustavvson and the change lifted the Leafs, albeit briefly. Colton Orr got a rare breakaway chance to cut the Devils lead to 3-2. Orr gloved down Jamal Mayers’s pass and closed in on Brodeur for the Toronto enforcer’s first goal in 29 games. New Jersey went back up by two on Michigan rookie, Patrick Davis’s first goal of his career.
The Maple Leafs got goals from Alexei Ponikarovsky and Matt Stajan in the final five minutes to force overtime at the Prudential Center. Both pending unrestricted free agents scored third period goals and Toronto was helped by 10 of 12 Toskala saves down the stretch. Ponikarovsky pounced on the puck after stripping sure-handed Devils defensiveman, Bryce Salvador. He shoveled home his 19th goal of the season in the final period to trim the Toronto deficit to one. Sizzling Stajan’s goal tied the game with 1:31 remaining. The seven year Ontario native knocked in Tomas Kaberle’s rebound to secure the goal. The Maple Leafs overcame a pair of two goal deficits to nearly take the lead in the third period. The rally would not be completed, however. The Devils are known for eking out defensive wins. This was anything but for first place New Jersey. Brodeur was operational in padding and preventing Gunnnarsson from slipping one from the slot. In the overtime, Toronto’s Luke Schenn ended the game in the penalty box. Schenn was called for hooking with 1:08 remaining in overtime to give New Jersey a power play opportunity. Zajac scored during the 4-on-3 advantage off a Parise assist to give the Devils the first regulation win over Toronto since being blanked three time last year. Zajac finished with three assists, including setting up both Parise tallies. Lemaire’s balanced threesome helped bury the Maple Leafs at the Rock. Zajac, Parise and Zubrus combined to cash in on four of the five New Jersey goals. Brodeur saved 25 in his 32nd consecutive start behind net.

Parting Points: Song of the day- Selena’s “I Could Fall In Love”