Power Play Pouncing

The Devils skated into Prudential Center Tuesday night totaling just one goal in their previous two games. They glided out of the New Jersey arena 6-3 winners over Columbus following three power-play goals. New Jersey zipped the Blue Jackets in goalie, Martin Brodeur’s 40th triumph of the season. Milestone Marty has now collected eight forty win seasons in 16 career years. No other NHL goalie has more than three such seasons. Brodeur made 19 stops against visiting Columbus, the fourteenth place team in the Western Conference. Ilya Kovalchuk had a goal and three assists for the first-place Devils. New Jerseys entered Tuesday’s contest 0-for-17 on the power play in their last six games. They garnered some confidence in those advantageous situations last night. Brodeur thwarted the Jackets’ efforts as his teammates looked like students of the game with the puck.
New Jersey struck four second period goals to break open a 2-1 game. Zach Parise slipped home a Jamie Langenbrunner rebound in the first period to stake the Devils a 1-0 lead at 13:05. Columbus’ Rick Nash was sent to the penalty box on the play for roughing up Langenbrunner, and the Devils seized the one man advantage opportunity. Blue Jackets’ netminder, Steve Mason, was beaten on a second power play goal in the second period. Paul Martin connected on a slap shot rebound to open the second period and give New Jersey 2-0 edge. Columbus pulled within 2-1 when Antoine Vermette burned Brodeur high for his 23rd of the season. The Jackets had a two-man advantage for nearly a minute midway through the second period as they trailed by one. They mustered only one shot against the tightfisted Devils’ defense. New Jersey’s penalty killers were superb in breaking the Blue Jackets’ momentum.
Tuesday marked the sixth time this season Columbus has allowed six or more goals to pass through the net. Mason’s first meeting with his boyhood idol Brodeur was spoiled by an erratic Columbus team. New Jersey was tremendous in protecting the puck and their early lead. The Devils cashed in on the permeable Jackets’ defense in the final two periods. Kovalchuk unleashed a wrist shot from the left faceoff dot to beat Mason. It was the New Jersey left wing’s 37th goal of the season and gave the Devils a 3-1 lead. It was a frustrating allowance by the sophomore goaltender, Mason. The Jackets did a poor job of clearing the net and giving Mason unconstructive views in goal. New Jersey’s Travis Zajac helped blow the game open with a pair of goals in the second period. Zajac scored two goals within four minutes of each other to pad the Devils’ lead 5-1. Jakub Voracek knotted his 13th of the year for Columbus to put an end to the barrage of New Jersey goals in the high scoring second period. Brodeur was beaten once more, on a Kristian Huselius goal six minute into the final period. Huselius was called for tripping Martin earlier in the game, leading to Kovalchuk’s power play goal. Huselius was guilty of two penalties for Columbus. Parise made his presence felt again in the third period, ending any doubt of a Devils’ victory at The Rock. Parise was left wide open in front of the net with ample time to knock it through the posts, tacking on his second goal. He fired on a spin move to give the home team a decisive 6-3 win during the first-ever visit by the Blue Jackets to New Jersey.

Parting Points: The NFL has new overtime rules. What do you think? I still say the college overtime policy is the best. Now sudden-death doesn’t seem so sudden. I still think the home team should get the ball first in OT. Why have all these silly rules?

Those UConn Huskies are unstoppable. It’s amazing how overpowering they are in dominating opponents. If they do not cut down the nets this year, the head coach should be canned.