Devil “D” just doesn’t do it these days.
If their goaltending is only as good – or not – as their opponents, then they can’t play to that former strength any longer.
They’ll have to score plenty without Martin Brodeur, and that’s why, if they’re not going to deal for a major temporary goalie, they should be signing Brendan Shanahan this week, just for any scoring help they can get without compensation.
It took them five regulation goals to snap their four-game losing streak Saturday, a 6-5 shootout victory over the Caps in which Patrik Elias scored twice and added an assist while Zach Parise weaved home the duel decider.
In regulation Saturday, they matched their offensive output of that entire losing streak. And Scott Clemmensen didn’t allow any demonstrable stinkers.
The fact is that, in the seven times this season the Devils have scored three goals in regulation, they have won five, including their last three triumphs, lost a shootout once, and been skunked once.
Since their 5-1 start, and the beginning of their injury plague, they’ve failed to score more than two in regulation six times and lost them all, gaining only one charity point.
Saturday’s victory will be remembered for Clemmensen’s magical poke check on Boyd Gordon to win the shootout, and for Parise’s left-right-left shootout hypnotism of Jose Theodore.
What the Devils need to become the most significant aspect of the night, however, was the scoring that came from players who absolutely must score for New Jersey: Elias, Brian Gionta and Jamie Langenbrunner, while David Clarkson became the team’s third-leading goal-getter – at four.
“That was what we needed – we need us to score,” Langenbrunner said. “It’s been a major part of what’s been missing.
“You can’t count on [number] 9 [Parise] to score every goal for you.”
Nor for the goalies to stop every shot.
Thus, they’ll need to put pucks away, and as one Devil, unprompted, said last week about Shanahan: “He still scores goals.”
The Devils complete a stretch of 11 of 14 at home with visits by the Panthers on Thursday and the Islanders on Friday. … Bobby Holik may have pins removed from broken pinkie today, but is still expected to be two to three weeks away from returning to action.