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Madden's OT winner leads Devils past Capitals

Feb 25, 2008 - 12:06 AM By Rich Dubroff PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

WASHINGTON (Ticker) - John Madden's tip-in with 50 seconds remaining in overtime lifted the New Jersey Devils to a 2-1 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.

It was the Devils' fifth straight win, and they have not lost in regulation over the past eight games. The win puts New Jersey (37-21-5, 79 points) in first place in the Eastern Conference.

Madden scored his 18th goal of the season after cleaning up a rebound of Patrik Elias' shot before beating goaltender Brent Johnson in overtime.

"The puck was going in the net off the original wrist shot," Madden said. "It hit me in the glove and it hit the goalpost. I saw it, and put it on the net and put it under his pad."

Johnson, who played despite a touch of the flu, performed well. He was disappointed when Madden's shot went in.

"I did see it," Johnson said. "It went through a maze of guys. Madden just got his backhand on it, quick."

The Capitals have dropped three straight, including one in a shootout.

"You don't get the results you desire, but you keep pushing, and eventually, you'll get a three- or four-game win streak," Washington coach Bruce Boudreau said.

The difference in the game was New Jersey's veteran goaltender Martin Brodeur. He stopped 37 shots - four of them by the NHL's leading goal scorer Alex Ovechkin.

Ovechkin was held without a goal for the fifth straight game.

"That wasn't our best game of the season. Everybody knows that," Madden said. "Marty played well. You win games you're not supposed to win, and that was one of them. We had our chances and Marty stood tall."

New Jersey coach Brent Sutter was thrilled with Brodeur.

"I don't think we played intelligently for the first two periods," Sutter said. "Marty gave us what we needed to get our game in order, and we were able to find a way to win."

After two scoreless periods, the Devils capitalized on a 5-on-3 advantage early in the third session. Captain Jamie Langenbrunner's shot from the left faceoff circle beat Johnson for a 1-0 lead just 39 seconds into the period. It was Langenbrunner's 11th goal of the season.

"We definitely stole one," Langenbrunner said. "The way Marty played was unbelievable. He gave us an opportunity, and I think we played a good third period, but Marty kept us in it for two periods.

The Capitals leveled the score at 1-1 just two minutes later when Alexander Semin's backhander beat Brodeur. It was Semin's 19th goal of the season and fifth in as many games.

Semin's tally ruined Brodeur's chance for a shutout. Playing his 22nd straight game, the three-time Vezina Trophy winner turned away the first 28 shots.

"I felt good about it. It's one of these nights where our team started slow a little bit," Brodeur said. "To come out with some big saves, and the second period offensively (we) weathered a big storm."