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Devils extend own roll, Sharks' slide

Feb 21, 2008 - 3:42 AM By Joe Rizzo PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

NEWARK, New Jersey (Ticker) -- With the completion of their long run of home games in sight, the New Jersey Devils have turned it on for the stretch run.

Zach Parise, John Madden and Sergei Brylin scored in a span of just over 10 minutes in the second period Wednesday as the Devils rallied for a 3-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks, extending their points streak to six games.

Patrik Elias recorded two assists for New Jersey, which improved to 5-0-1 in its last six contests.

This was the Devils' 14th game here at the Prudential Center during a run in the schedule that has them home 15 times over an 18-game span, which ends Saturday afternoon against the New York Islanders. They have gone 7-1-2 in their last 10 to improve to 9-6-2 in the run.

After Saturday, New Jersey - which is tied with Ottawa and Montreal with an Eastern Conference-best 75 points - plays eight of its next 10 on the road.

The Sharks lost for the fifth straight time and went 0-for-3 against the New York-area teams to kick off their eight-game road trip, which continues Thursday night against the ice-cold Philadelphia Flyers. San Jose does not return home until March 3.

"I am (looking forward to Thursday)," Sharks coach Ron Wilson said. "We just have to build on a lot of the good things we did tonight, and there was a ton of them. We just didn't score."

"One-goal games," Sharks veteran Jeremy Roenick said. "There are mistakes. (Stuff) happens."

Parise's team-best 24th goal just under eight minutes into the second period knotted the game at 1-1.

As captain Jamie Langenbrunner carried the puck over the blue line, goaltender Thomas Greiss came out to the top of the slot to try and break up the play. But Parise jumped over the scramble and popped the puck into the open net while falling.

"The puck kind of chipped free and (Greiss) came out to play it," Parise said. "I don't know if he shot it into someone or what happened, but the next thing I knew, the puck was sitting behind him and it was an open net. It was a fun one, an easy one, to get."

The youngest player at the 2006 Olympics who started for Germany against Canada, Greiss was making just his second career NHL start, denying a matchup of perhaps the leading candidates for the Vezina Trophy this season - Evgeni Nabokov and New Jersey's Martin Brodeur.

"You always have to be ready," Greiss said. "You never know when it's coming. There's always a reason you get called up."

Nabokov dressed as the backup two days after a shot broke a bar in his mask and created a gash on the bridge of his nose.

The rookie was outdone by Brodeur, who made one of the best saves of his storied career with 4:02 left in the second period and the game even at 1-1. With the back of his catching glove, Brodeur blindly swatted away a puck after defenseman Kyle McLaren's point shot hit a crowd in front and deflected over the netminder.

"I didn't know exactly where it was," Brodeur said. "I just threw my glove over my head and felt it hit the back of my glove."

Brodeur finished with 30 saves, while Greiss stopped 17 shots.

Less than a minute after Brodeur's heroics, Madden scored his 16th goal, jamming the puck under Greiss near the right goalpost after Brylin cycled it along the end boards and behind the net.

"Sergei Brylin got in there and got a good hit, and the puck bounced free," Madden said. "I kind of just grabbed it and jammed it home. I really didn't do too much, just followed the play up and was in the right place at the right time."

Brylin found space in the slot with 1:54 left in the period and blasted a pass from Jay Pandolfo past Greiss for his sixth goal of the season and first in eight games to increase the lead to 3-1.

Jonathan Cheechoo got the Sharks on the board with his 11th goal in 16 games, tapping the puck under Brodeur 35 seconds into the middle period after it came off the end boards near the right post.

Sharks captain Patrick Marleau, who had missed the previous four games with a groin injury, took a slap shot that was deflected wide of the net by Milan Michalek, setting up Cheechoo for his 16th of the season and team-high eighth on the power play.

"The back boards are really lively here," Devils coach Brent Sutter said. "Cheechoo got his stick there early, before Marty could get to it."

McLaren got a break with 6:06 left in the third, when his one-timer off a feed from Roenick hit the tip of the stick of the Devils' Brian Gionta and knuckled past Brodeur to cut the deficit to 3-2. It was McLaren's second goal of the season and first since December 31.

Sutter immediately called timeout to settle the Devils, and it paid off as they kept the Sharks off the board the rest of the way - including the final 80 seconds, when Greiss was pulled for an extra attacker.