Devils 3 Oilers 3
They were within 96 seconds of a share of eighth place, having scored a luxurious third goal for the first time in five games. But these are this year’s Devils, not the ones who have gone to two straight Stanley Cup Finals.
“Maybe subconsciously there’s nothing to prove, but there is,” Bobby Holik said after the Devils settled for a 3-3 tie with Edmonton on Mike Comrie’s goal with 1:36 left in regulation.
“There’s not enough urgency here, to prove to the other team that we are better,” Holik said. “We turn it on when we need to, but we’re not playing so well that we can afford that. That was last year. This is this year.”
They still stand ninth in the East despite a 5-2-3 December, underscoring how seriously wrong their start was.
“To me, it’s like a loss,” Larry Robinson said. “We played so damn well to get the lead that it’s disheartening.”
The Devils had this one in their hands until Sergei Brylin’s stunning blunder, passing the puck into his own slot, where Comrie was hiding behind Scott Stevens. Comrie ducked around the Devil captain and fired past Martin Brodeur, and the Devils’ hopes of victory vanished.
Brylin doesn’t usually make such mistakes, but this season’s follies are becoming contagious. No one is playing naturally. The blunder, and the victory given away, left Brylin feeling “not too good,” he said.
“I was trying to pass to Scotty. I didn’t see the guy right behind him,” Brylin said.
It was the second consecutive night of tying a team last year’s Devils would have beaten. They drew 2-2 Wednesday at the Garden, when the Rangers were without Eric Lindros and Mark Messier. Last night, it was the Devils who were shorthanded, lacking Jason Arnott (flu) and Jay Pandolfo (ribs). The lines were scrambled anew again.
After Josh Green scored for Edmonton in the first, the Devils countered on the power play for the fifth straight game to even the score at 12:05 of the second. From the left point, Holik’s soft shot was inadvertently steered over Tommy Salo’s stick by Oiler captain and former Devil Jason Smith.
New Jersey moved in front on a controversial goal by Randy McKay at 16:24 of the second. Stevens’ left point shot was deflected by Steve Staios into the air. Waiting at the right side of the crease, McKay batted the puck with his right forearm, but the officials ruled it then hit his stick before crossing the goal line.
Comrie forced OT by stealing Brylin’s pass toward Stevens and whipping his 12th past Brodeur’s glove.