Devils at Jets
THE STORY: The New Jersey Devils may have had their issues over the years, but one area that has rarely been a source of concern is goaltending, thanks primarily to the brilliance of future Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur. That may be changing. Brodeur turned in the second-shortest outing of his career in Friday's 4-2 loss at Minnesota, and that performance came on the heels of coughing up six goals in a loss at Colorado on Wednesday night. In the two defeats, the league's all-time winningest netminder has surrendered nine goals on only 29 shots. “It’s been two games now with a tough start,” Brodeur said. “The puck doesn’t seem to want to hit me or anything.” Brodeur will get a rest Saturday night as the Devils turn to Johan Hedberg in an attempt to avoid a season-high fourth straight loss when they visit the Winnipeg Jets. Hedberg is 7-1 lifetime against the Jets.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CBC, MSG+
ABOUT THE DEVILS (12-11-1): Save for the stretch of 5 minutes, 3 seconds during which Brodeur allowed three goals on four shots, New Jersey put forth a solid effort Friday night. The Devils had a 31-16 edge in shots and got first-period goals from Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk. Parise also had an assist to give him four points in a three-game streak. New Jersey came up empty on five power-play chances and has converted only once in the last 20 attempts.
ABOUT THE COYOTES (10-11-4): Winnipeg was also in a defensive funk, having allowing 19 goals in five games before Ondrej Pavelec blanked Phoenix 1-0 on Thursday night. It was an emotional win for the Jets and their fans, who desperately wanted a victory over the franchise that fled Winnipeg in 1996. Pavelec snapped a three-game losing streak in which he had allowed 12 goals. Bryan Little scored the lone goal, his fifth in six games. Evander Kane extended his points streak to four games.
OVERTIME:
1. The Jets have lost four straight (0-2-2) and seven of eight to the Devils.
2. New Jersey's top-ranked penalty-killing unit has snuffed out 55 of the last 56 opposing power plays.