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Devils end skid with shootout win over Flyers

Mar 29, 2008 - 3:57 AM NEWARK, New Jersey (Ticker) -- The New Jersey Devils could do no wrong in the shootout.

Brian Gionta, Patrik Elias and captain Jamie Langenbrunner tallied in the bonus format to lead the Devils to a 5-4 triumph over the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday.

Defenseman Johnny Oduya scored twice in regulation while Langenbrunner and Gionta also netted goals for New Jersey (43-28-7), which moved one point ahead of idle Ottawa (42-28-8) for fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

"We needed something to get us going," Langenbrunner said. "Anytime you can get the two points, it makes it easier to solidify a playoff spot."

"You've got to look at the positives here tonight," Devils coach Brent Sutter added. "We were able to score all three goals in the shootout, and that doesn't happen very often. You talk about having to find ways, and tonight we found a way."

Vaclav Prospal, Jim Dowd, blue-liner Randy Jones and Mike Knuble tallied for the Flyers (39-28-11), who had their four-game winning streak halted but earned a point to climb one in front of the idle Boston Bruins (39-28-10) for seventh in the East.

"It's going to turn out to be a huge point that we got there in the last minute (of the third period)," Knuble said. "We're showing some good characteristics, resiliency. If you can find a positive in getting down in a game, being two goals down, then the fact that we came back in a building that we've had an awful time in, we're trying to see the big picture. It's huge."

Gionta lifted a backhander past goaltender Martin Biron to give New Jersey the edge after All-Star Mike Richards hit the right goalpost on Philadelphia's first shootout attempt.

"I wanted to see what (Devils netminder Martin Brodeur) was going to give me," Richards said. "I had the side, I just tried to do a quick shot and I just missed it. He gave me glove, I thought I had it and just missed my shot."

Jeff Carter also scored on a backhander before Elias fired the puck between the pads of Biron to improve to 4-for-4 in the bonus format this season.

Daniel Briere again drew the Flyers even in the third round by stuffing the puck inside the right post, but Langenbrunner unleashed a shot that went off the glove of Biron and in.

"I was just going with my favorite move, I guess," Langenbrunner said. "Fake a little backhand and go with the forehand and shoot it upstairs."

"I actually thought I made that save," Biron said. "It just caught my glove in a weird way and it just bounced back (into) the net."

The win ended the Devils' five-game slide (0-4-1).

"Obviously, with losing five in a row, it's desperation time," Gionta said. "We need three points to get (into the playoffs), we got two of them tonight. There's four games left, and they're a big four games."

"We definitely need the points, especially with the streak that we (were) on," Brodeur added. "It's kind of nice to finally get bounces our way. ... In the losing streak, we played better games than (tonight), but it's kind of nice that our offense was there to bail us out."

Prospal opened the scoring at 9:35 of the first period, beating Brodeur with a wrist shot from the right faceoff circle for his 33rd goal of the season.

Oduya took over late in the period, tallying twice in a span of just over two minutes to give New Jersey the lead.

After knotting the game with his fifth of the campaign with 2:39 remaining, Oduya beat Biron to the glove side with a wrister from the right point 2:07 later to complete his first career two-goal performance.

"Obviously, it's nice scoring goals," Oduya said. "We had a little bit of trouble lately, but I think maybe tonight we caught a little bit of the lucky bounces, too."

Oduya's first goal originally was credited to Zach Parise, as the defenseman's pass from below the left circle appeared to glance off New Jersey's leading scorer in front and into the net.

"I just threw it at the net, hoping to create something out of that," Oduya said. "It caught a funny bounce but went in, so that's a lucky goal. But that's nice."

"He made the pass from the goal line to the front," Biron said. "I tried to stop it in my glove. There were so many bodies in front, it could have hit anybody. It must have hit somebody and went back over my shoulder."

The Devils made it 3-1 just 3:25 into the second period. Following a turnover by Flyers defenseman Braydon Coburn, Langenbrunner buried the rebound of blue-liner Sheldon Brookbank's shot from the right point for his 13th of the season.

A former Devil, Dowd got Philadelphia back within one at 9:14, when he deflected Jones' wrister from above the left circle past Brodeur while on the doorstep.

The Flyers forged a 3-3 tie at 8:18 of the third. From the left point, Jones fired a rising shot that found its way into the top right corner of the net for his fifth goal. Carter waved at the puck with his stick above his shoulder, but video replay officials were unable to determine if he touched it, allowing the goal to stand.

"The guy put his stick right in front of it for a bit and it kind of froze me a little bit," Brodeur said. "I wasn't sure if he touched it or not. I just lost (the puck)."

Gionta gave New Jersey a 4-3 edge with a little help from Brodeur.

From behind his net, the three-time Vezina Trophy winner wrapped the puck up the boards to Gionta, who raced down the right wing before dropping a pass to John Madden and heading toward the goal. Madden returned the feed, which Gionta put in from the left side of the crease with 5:53 remaining for his 22nd of the campaign.

"Madden made a nice play and it just bounced off a couple of sticks and finally made it across," Gionta said. "I just kind of moved out and went toward the back door."

Philadelphia refused to fold, however, as Knuble beat Brodeur to the glove side from the slot with 56 seconds to go in the third after receiving a backhand pass from Richards, who was stationed behind the net.

"It's one of those blind (passes) where 99 out of 100 (times), it doesn't go," Knuble said. "But Mike made a great play. ... He just whipped it out there. I'm going to the net and I don't know if my stick hit one of their sticks at the same time, but I got enough on it, it goes in. We played well the last minute and ended up with a point.