Devils are Road Warriors
New Jersey remains undefeated away from the Rock
Posted on Saturday, October 24, 2009 at 10:29 PMRemember when the Devils lost their first two games of the season?
Recall how disappointing Martin Brodeur looked, dropping successive matches to the Flyers and Rangers, respectively at The Rock.
And, surely, you haven't forgotten how skeptics suggested that Marty was done – kaput! – while his skaters were on a treadmill to oblivion.
As Jacques Lemaire's stickhandlers await their next foe on Wednesday in Newark, those games all seem like ancient history.
Remarkably, undefeated on the road, the Garden State skaters looked better than ever on Saturday night, defeating the Stanley Cup champion Penguins in Pittsburgh, 4-1.
Since Oct. 8, the Devils have won in Tampa Bay, Sunrise (Panthers), Washington and New York City, as well as Pittsburgh. Five-for-five; can you beat that?
"This game in Pittsburgh was a major test for us," Lemaire said, "because of how good the Penguins have been playing."
And they passed in rare fashion, led by an assortment of heroes, beginning with Brodeur, who outdueled Marc-Andre Fleury by stopping all but one of the 33 shots on goal.
Then there was Mark Fraser, making his season debut on defense, replacing Mike Mottau.
A virtually forgotten Devil, Fraser put the visitors ahead to stay with his first NHL goal on assists from Dainius Zubrus and Niclas Bergfors, each of whom are looking better by the game.
"I'm here to help any way I can," said the hulking Fraser who also delivered a few jolting bodychecks and didn't seem at all out of place against Sid Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, neither of whom scored.
In fact Malkin was held without a single shot on goal and while Crosby wasn't exactly invisible – is he ever? – he wasn't sighted that often either!
Bergfors, who came through big-time last Thursday against the Rangers with his first goal of the season, pushed home the game-winner at 14:31 of the middle period on an assist from defensive center Rod Pelley.
"We had to be sharp over the three periods," added Lemaire, "because the Penguins have been playing with a lot of confidence."
The Champs did start well in the first, but once New Jersey killed an early Travis Zajac penalty, the momentum swung to Zach Parise & Co. while Brodeur punctuated the effort with timely saves throughout.
Zajac provided Marty with breathing room early in the third following some tenacious digging by his buddy, Zajac, and with the 3-0 lead, there was hope that a shutout just might happen.
Unfortunately, defenseman Alex Goligoski ruined what would have been a truly sensational story by beating Brodeur midway through the finale, causing some uneasiness among the Devils faithful.
"We tightened up when we had to tighten up," says Colin White, once again the best of Lemaire's backliners. "We supported each other. And give (Mark) Fraser credit. He's matured into an effective defenseman."
However, the victory came at a cost.
Jay Pandolfo left the ice with what the team is labeling an "upper body injury" while Paul Martin – solid, solid, SOLID! – went off in the middle of the third with no immediate news on the nature of his mishap.
For the moment, however, the club's 6-3 mark is cause for rejoicing.
Considering what transpired in the first two games, their current record is virtually amazing.
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