The New Jersey Devils had the perfect game plan against Pittsburgh: limit the scoring chances for Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, and let Martin Brodeur take care of the rest. Brodeur made 26 saves for his 85th career shutout as New Jersey beat the Penguins 3-0 on Tuesday night behind goals from Travis Zajac, Jay Pandolfo and Brian Gionta. “We played pretty solid,” Brodeur said. “We didn’t create tons of offence but we stuck to our game plan. We made sure Malkin and Crosby weren’t a big part of that game.” Crosby had only two shots, both in the third period.
Brodeur earned his fifth shutout this season and moved into sole possession of third place on the career list, one ahead of Glenn Hall. Brodeur is one of the best ever,” Crosby said. “We had only a few chances and couldn’t take advantage. In a tight game like that, you have to take advantage of every opportunity. Every time we play these guys, it’s tough.”
The Devils got a goal from Zajac early in the second period, and Pandolfo and Gionta added insurance goals late in the third. The win was only the third in eight games for the Atlantic Division-leading Devils, who ended a three-game losing streak on home ice.
It was a frustrating night for Crosby and the Penguins. The NHL’s leading scorer had his 10-game point streak snapped as Pittsburgh lost its fourth straight. “We had pretty good control the whole game,” Devils coach Claude Julien said. “The guys were making good decisions. We had a good grasp of that lead and the other team has to take chances to tie it up. We made the most of it.” A major brawl nearly broke out in the closing seconds when Penguins rookie Jordan Stall kicked out Brodeur’s skates, sending the goalie tumbling to the ice. Players from both teams came together but were quickly separated.