Devils Edge Leafs, Put Damper On Dim Playoff Hopes
Posted March 8, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are happy that they’ve seen the last of Martin Brodeur this season.
The all-star goalie made 40 saves and Zach Parise scored with 48.3 seconds left on Saturday as the New Jersey Devils edged the Maple Leafs 2-1, stalling their late run at a playoff spot.
Parise had both goals for New Jersey (40-23-6).
Mats Sundin had the lone goal for the Maple Leafs (30-30-10), who fell eight points behind Philadelphia for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Toronto next faces the Flyers in back-to-back games on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Brodeur stopped 141 of 147 shots during four victories over the Maple Leafs this season. Two of those wins came this week.
He was at his best during the third period as the Devils weathered a frantic push for the tying goal after Parise scored late. The Devils player shovelled the puck under Vesa Toskala on the winner when it looked like the referee could have blown the whistle, angering an announced crowd of 19,469 at Air Canada Centre.
They only had the chance because of Broduer. The Devils goalie stopped the first 36 shots he faced before Sundin ripped the Leafs 37th by him at 13:44 of the third period while on a power play. The captain now has points in eight straight games.
Toronto carried the play right from the get-go, establishing a presence in the Devils zone and hitting a post behind Brodeur three times in the first period alone.
But it was Parise that opened the scoring for New Jersey after Leafs defenceman Pavel Kubina was penalized for holding. Jamie Langenbrunner carried the puck hard to the net and did a nice job of not bumping Toskala as Parise fired it in the empty side at 11:19 of the first period.
Brodeur was brilliant at the other end, stopping all 15 shots he faced in the opening 20 minutes.
It was more of the same in the second period as the Maple Leafs shooters failed to beat the future Hall of Famer on any of their 12 shots.
