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Devils close on Eastern lead with late win over Sabres
2007-03-11
The New Jersey Devils moved to within a point of first place in the Eastern Conference by edging the Conference leading Buffalo Sabres 3-2 on Saturday in Buffalo. The Devils now have 92 points as Martin Brodeur made 31 saves to pick up his league-leading 41st victory of the season. The Devils won the game despite dressing just 17 skaters and then losing Erik Rasmussen seven minutes into the first period with a hand injury, leaving them two players under the norm. "To me it's a gutsy effort," New Jersey coach Claude Julien told reporters. "Guys just keep plugging away." Dainius Zubrus opened the scoring with his first goal for the Sabres since being acquired from Washington at the trade deadline. His shot from the right circle beat Brodeur cleanly at 3:23 of the opening period. New Jersey's Travis Zajac tied the game on a deflection less than three minutes later, and the Devils then went ahead on Michael Rupp's goal 33 seconds into the second period. Daniel Briere tied the game on another deflection off a shot from the point at 16:12 of the second, but the Devils went ahead for good when Brian Rafalski scored short-handed with a wrist shot in the final minute. The Sabres matched a season-high with their third straight loss and after enjoying a good-sized lead in the Conference for a long stretch now find themselves being pressed for home ice advantage throughout the East playoffs. "I don't think anybody is panicking," Zubrus said. The Sabres still lead the Northeast Division by eight points over the Ottawa Senators. *Colby Armstrong scored 1:19 into overtime, leading the Pittsburgh Penguins past the New York Rangers 3-2. Sidney Crosby scored a goal for his 100th point, making him the youngest player in NHL history with two 100-point seasons. *Jason Blake scored twice to reach a career-high 35 goals for the season as the New York Islanders beat the Washington Capitals 5-2. *Darcy Tucker scored in overtime to help the Toronto Maple Leafs move into a tie for eighth place in the Eastern Conference playoffs with a 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators. *Paul Kariya and David Legwand both had a goal and an assist as the Nashville Predators edged the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1. Nashville leads the NHL in points with 98.
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