Martin Brodeur moved within two wins of tying Patrick Roy’s NHL career record, making 35 saves in the New Jersey Devils’ 3-2 victory over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night.
Jamie Langenbrunner, Brian Rolston and Zach Parise scored and the Devils killed off six of seven power plays in helping Brodeur post victory No. 549. New Jersey tied the franchise record with its eighth straight home victory.
Brodeur, a four-time Vezina Trophy winner, could tie Roy’s mark in his native Montreal on Saturday, provided he and the Devils beat Phoenix at home on Thursday.
Calgary newcomer Olli Jokinen’s third goal in four games could not prevent the Flames from losing their third straight game. Curtis Glencross scored with less than a second to play for the final goal. It came on the Flames’ final power play.
The Devils earned their 10th win in 13 games, avoiding their first losing streak in more than two months.
Coming off an embarrassing 7-3 loss to the New York Islanders on Saturday, the Devils played an awful first period and fell behind when Jokinen tallied his 24th goal of the season on a nice cross-ice pass by Michael Cammalleri midway through the period.
Defenceman Dion Phaneuf came close to making it 2-0 early in the second period, but Brodeur pushed the slap shot from between the circles just wide of the net.
Brandan Shanahan of New Jersey was called for slashing seconds later, but the Devils took advantage of the Flames’ power play. Colin White led a rush up ice and Langenbrunner wristed a shot that seemed to get between goalie Miikka Kiprusoff’s body and right arm for a short-handed goal.
Rolston gave the Devils the lead with a power-play goal with 1:59 left in the second. Shanahan took a shot from the left circle, and the puck deflected to the right side of the net where Rolston tapped it in for his 13th goal.
Parise stretched the lead to two goals early in the third after a wild scramble in the crease. Kiprusoff stopped Langenbrunner’s initial shot but never controlled the puck. With the goaltender prone and a defenceman guarding the goal line, Parise managed to shove the puck under the goalie for his 39th of the season.
The play was reviewed, but the goal stood. Curtis McElhinney then replaced Kiprusoff.
Brodeur drew chants of “Marty, Marty, Marty” from the crowd when he slid across the net to stop Jamie Lundmark alone in front shortly after Parise’s goal.
Brodeur has won four of five starts since returning from a four-month hiatus following surgery on his left elbow.
Notes: Kiprusoff was denied his 40th win of the season for the third straight game. … LW Mike Rupp returned to the Devils lineup after sitting out five games and scored a first-period takedown during a fight with Andre Roy. … Devils veteran LW Jay Pandolfo was a healthy scratch after playing five in a row. … Calgary C Brett Sutter, the nephew of Devils coach Brent Sutter, was a healthy scratch. … Calgary is 0-for-14 on the power play during its three-game losing streak. … The Flames are 2-3 on their seven-game road trip, with stops at Detroit and Toronto upcoming.
