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Devils rally in third to down Jets

Jan 15, 2012 - 1:09 AM Winnipeg, MB (Sports Network) - Kurtis Foster and Patrik Elias notched third- period goals as New Jersey rallied past Winnipeg, 2-1, at MTS Centre.

Martin Brodeur stopped 22 shots for the Devils, who have won four of five.

"It was a good win for us. I think we played pretty good all game," Brodeur said. "At the end I think we were a little too much tired and they got a little burst at the end. We got a little luck we battled real hard. A little chaotic, but we got it done."

Andrew Ladd's first-period score wasn't enough for the Jets, who have lost three in a row and five of six. Ondrej Pavelec played well in defeat, making 22 saves.

Foster finally equalized with 10:15 left in regulation, as he stepped into a loose puck created off a Dainius Zubrus right-circle faceoff win and ripped a shot to the near post.

The Devils led 2-1 after Elias redirected an Adam Larsson slap pass from the left side with 7:17 to play.

Elias had a golden chance to extend the lead with 1:36 to go, but Pavelec went for the poke check and the New Jersey captain shot off the right post.

"I think the thing that we need to learn is to keep pressing no matter what the score, and if we're up or down it's got to be the same thing," Ladd admitted. "Like I said I thought we had some great chances there in the third and (Brodeur) made some great saves."

Brodeur came up with three point-blank saves in the final seconds as Winnipeg skated 6-on-5 to preserve the narrow victory.

Ladd beat Brodeur with 89 seconds remaining in the opening period. Pavelec made nine saves and Brodeur six in a scoreless middle stanza.

A scary moment occurred near the midway point as Jets forward Blake Wheeler was hit in the throat by a Petr Sykora shot, left the game and was taken to a nearby hospital for further tests.

Game Notes

The Devils improved to 7-10-0 when trailing after the first period, while the Jets fell to 12-3-0 when leading after one...During the contest, New Jersey announced that forward Travis Zajac was placed on injured reserve, retroactive to January 2, with an undisclosed injury...Winnipeg plays in Ottawa on Monday before heading to Jersey for a rematch on Tuesday.