Schwei: Slim Playoff Hopes Alive, Getting Shut Out And More Devils Notes
By John Schweibacher
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After a tough loss to the New York Rangers Saturday night, the New Jersey Devils kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a 3-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs Sunday night at Prudential Center.
Patrik Elias scored one of the Devils' three goals in their victory over the Leafs. Elias has 17 goals this season, but according to the Elias Sports Bureau, the goal he scored on Sunday was only his third in a Devils win this season. The others were on January 30 at Dallas and February 27 against Columbus. Elias had 14 goals in the 48-game, lockout-shortened season of 2012-13, but 10 of those 14 came in New Jersey victories.
The Devils were shut out for the ninth time this season, 2-0, by the Rangers Saturday night at "The Rock." The nine shutouts are the second-most against the Devils in a single-season in club history and the third-most in franchise history. Here is the list of the most shutouts against the Scouts/Rockies/Devils franchise in a season, and how many of them were regulation losses, overtime or shootout losses and ties.
Team/Season SHO L OT/SOL/T
• KC 1974-75 13 13 0 0
• NJD 2007-08 11 10 1 0
• NJD 2013-14 9 9 0 0
• COL 1978-79 7 7 0 0
• NJD 1983-84 7 7 0 0
• NJD 2001-02 7 7 0 0
• NJD 2008-09 7 7 0 0
• NJD 2010-11 7 6 1 0
• COL 1976-77 6 6 0 0
• NJD 1982-83 6 6 0 0
• NJD 2009-10 6 5 1 0
Andy Greene scored his second overtime goal of the season to give the Devils a 4-3 victory against the Minnesota Wild last Thursday night at Prudential Center. Greene, who also scored in OT at Washington back on December 21, is now the third defenseman in Devils history to score at least two overtime goals in one season. Scott Niedermayer did it twice for New Jersey (four in 2001-02, two in 2002-03) and Johnny Oduya did it once (two in 2008-09).
Greene is also one of eight defensemen in Devils history to have at least three game-winning goals in a single season:
• 6: Scott Niedermayer, 2001-02
• 5: Scott Niedermayer, 2000-01
• 4: Scott Stevens, 1993-94
• 4: Brian Rafalski, 2006-07
• 4: Brian Rafalski, 2001-02
• 4: Andy Greene, 2009-10
• 4: Johnny Oduya, 2008-09
• 3: Scott Niedermayer, 2003-04
• 3: Scott Niedermayer, 1998-98
• 3: Alexei Kasatonov, 1990-91
• 3: Scott Niedermayer, 2002-03
• 3: Scott Niedermayer, 1996-97
• 3: Craig Wolanin, 1987-88
• 3: Jim Korn, 1988-89
• 3: Andy Greene, 2013-14
Elias and Adam Henrique each assisted on three of the Devils' four goals in the overtime win against the Wild. It was Elias' ninth multiple-assist game of the season, tying him with Jaromir Jagr for the New Jersey team lead. Since 1987-88, only 10 times has a New Jersey Devils player had three or more three-assist games in a single-season:
• Aaron Broten: 1987-88, 7
• Scott Gomez: 2003-04, 5
• Kirk Muller: 1989-90, 5
• Scott Stevens: 1993-94, 5
• Bruce Driver: 1989-90, 4
• Scott Gomez: 2005-06, 4
• Travis Zajac: 2009-10, 4
• Tom Kurvers: 1988-89, 3
• Zach Parise: 2008-09, 3
• Patrik Sundstrom: 1989-90, 3
Mark Fayne scored his second-career shorthanded goal on Thursday (the first came back on April 7, 2013 at Buffalo) and tied his career-high with his fourth-goal overall this season.
Only six other defensemen have scored at least two-career shorthanded goals for New Jersey:
• Scott Stevens: 4
• Bruce Driver: 3
• Ken Daneyko: 3
• Tommy Albelin: 2
• Alexei Kasatonov: 2
• Randy Velischek: 2
• Mark Fayne: 2
Brad Marchand scored his NHL-leading fifth shorthanded goal of the season in the Bruins' 4-2 win over the Devils last Tuesday night in Newark. It was just the third shorthanded goal allowed by New Jersey this season, tied for the fourth-fewest in the NHL in 2013-14. The Devils have never allowed fewer than four shorthanded goals in a full 80-plus game season:
• 2013-14: 3
• 1994-95: 3*
• 2008-09: 4
• 2002-03: 4
• 2012-13: 5*
• 2009-10: 5
• 2003-04: 5
• 1998-99: 5
• 1985-86: 5
• 2000-01: 6
• 2005-06: 6
(*work-stoppage shortened season)
Schwei's Plus/Minus:
Plus: Pete DeBoer --New Jersey's head coach won his 200th NHL game last Thursday. DeBoer is now 201-182-65 in 448 games in six NHL seasons with Florida and New Jersey. He's now 98-75-29 in three seasons with the Devils and, with 98 wins, has moved past Brent Sutter for the third-most wins in franchise history behind Jacques Lemaire (276) and Doug Carpenter (100).
Minus: Retro-No -- The Devils wore their throwback red and green jerseys last Tuesday for just the fifth time since switching to the current red and black sweaters at the start of the 1992-93 season. New Jersey is now 1-4-0 in retro games.
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