The jerseys were different. The results, however, were exactly the same.

After spotting the Pittsburgh Penguins a one-goal lead less than five minutes into the game, the retro-looking, red, white and green-clad New Jersey Devils erupted for four unanswered goals en route to a 5-2 victory before 17,625 celebrants on St. Patrick's Day at the Prudential Center.

The victory moved the Devils past the Penguins into first place in the Atlantic Division. More important, the club now holds the second seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Devils and Penguins each have 87 points, but the Devils own the tiebreaker by virtue of having played one fewer game; they also have one more victory.

New Jersey outscored the Penguins 22-5 while winning all six games.

Following their morning skate on Wednesday, Penguins' players talked of possibly making a statement in the final game between the teams. Instead, the Devils -- wearing their original colors, rather than the red, black and white they've worn exclusively since 1992-93 -- made a statement of their own.

"Winning all six games says we're able to play against top teams and that's important to know when you get to the playoffs," goalie Martin Brodeur said. "You have to be able to play a different style of hockey in the playoffs. I thought our transition game was tremendous, like most of the games against these guys. They are a high-powered offense and even though (Evgeni) Malkin was out, they competed well. We just did the small things around the ice very well."

Malkin sat out with a foot injury, but the Penguins jumped in front anyway at 4:01 of the opening when Chris Kunitz ripped a long rebound past Brodeur. But aided by a raft of turnovers, the Devils then took command. Dainius Zubrus evened the score at 10:51, breaking in alone after a takeaway by Patrik Elias and going backhand-forehand before beating Marc-Andre Fleury.

The home team then got a lift from defenseman Paul Martin, who sent the crowd into a frenzy after scoring his first goal in almost a year.


Pens not concerned with sweep by NJ
Dan Rosen | NHL.com Staff Writer

NEWARK, N.J. -- The first four losses Pittsburgh had against New Jersey this season were pretty lopsided. The Devils were much better and did a masterful job of taking the Penguins out of their game.

The last two were not like the first four, but they were losses nonetheless.

Pittsburgh finished its season series against New Jersey 0-for-6 by a cumulative score of 22-5. The numbers are gruesome, yet somehow the Penguins are confident that if they see the Devils in the playoffs, well they'll win the seven-game series.

Read the full story hereMartin, who hadn't played since Oct. 24 (missing 59 games) due to a broken forearm, picked off Bill Guerin's errant pass, broke into the Pittsburgh zone and beat Fleury low to the long side with a wrist shot from near the right faceoff dot at 18:18 to give the Devils a 2-1 lead. It was the sixth-year defenseman's first goal since March 27, 2009.

"I stepped up on a broken play and the puck on my stick and (Rob Niedermayer) yelled to get going since there was no one there, so I got going," Martin said. "I had room and tried to put everything I could on it and found a spot. It was a good feeling after that long absence to get that and contribute."

Needless to say, the Devils were glad to have Martin back.

"He showed why he's a great defenseman," said Elias, the game's first star. "He calms the game down for us. He makes those outlet passes and jumps into the play. After missing so many games, he had a lot of adrenaline to get him going. I told him to keep it simple and he did."

Brodeur preserved the lead before the first intermission when he denied Ruslan Fedotenko on a 2-on-1 break with Matt Cooke with just 51 seconds remaining in the period.

Brodeur, who also went old school by donning a replica of the mask he wore in his first NHL game on March 26, 1992, made 24 saves to earn his 39th victory of the season. His best stop came 3:40 into the third when he denied Mark Eaton on a wraparound attempt, diving to his left to stop the puck with his left arm.

"I went down early and he didn't have anywhere to go," Brodeur said. "He wrapped it around hard but it was tough for him to raise it, so I laid down my arm and glove and stopped it around the goal line."

The Devils extended the lead to 3-1 on a shorthanded goal by Elias 3:09 into the second. Elias stepped in front of a pass attempt by Jordan Leopold along the Devils' blue line, roared in alone on Fleury and beat him with a wrist shot for his 13th of the season.

The goal came just 21 seconds after Fleury stopped Travis Zajac's shorthanded breakaway attempt with his left glove following a takeaway from Gonchar along the Devils blue line.

"I thought (Fleury) made a good save on (Zajac's) shot and, on mine, I just tried to fake and freeze him and then shot toward the blocker," Elias said. "It wasn't perfect but it went in."

Zach Parise made it 4-1 at 10:17 when he fought off defensemen Brooks Orpik and Eaton in the crease while on his knees and poked in his 33rd of the season.

Penguins coach Dan Bylsma gave Fleury the rest of the night off following Parise's goal after his starter was victimized for four goals on just 13 shots. In five appearances against the Devils this season, Fleury is 0-5 with a 4.54 goals-against average and .838 save percentage (18 goals on 111 shots).
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The New Jersey devils are overpowered and the Penguins have a score by the 5-2 and the victory is moved to the Devils.
They had won all the six games. Sometime wining all the games results in the more confidence to win against all the games no matter who is in the front of the team.