Friday, Feb. 16 7:30pm ET
Lemieux shows frustrations in tie vs. Devils
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BOX SCORE
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) – On a night where he gave up four
goals, Martin Brodeur still had Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr
shaking their heads in disbelief.
Brodeur made unbelievable pad saves on Jagr and Lemieux within
seconds of each other in overtime, allowing the New Jersey Devils
to post a 4-4 tie with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday night.
|  | | Mario Lemieux, left, gave the Penguins their first lead of the game in the third period, but the Devils came back to tie it. |
"Stopping the best two players in the world back to back feels
pretty good," Brodeur said after the Devils saw their winless
streak extended to five games (0-2-3), a run that includes an
overtime loss to Pittsburgh.
Petr Sykora, who scored the Devils' first two goals, forced
overtime by stealing the puck behind the net and setting up Jason
Arnott's game-tying goal with 4:01 left in regulation.
However, everyone was talking about Brodeur's two saves in the
first minute of overtime.
Jagr got the first chance to win it, taking a pass from Lemieux
to set up a breakaway. Jagr made a couple of moves but the goalie
slammed his pad against the right post to stop his shot.
The rebound came out to Lemieux, who appeared to have an open
left side of the net. But Brodeur slid across and got that shot
with his left pad.
"He made all the saves tonight," said Lemieux, whose 20th goal
in 21 games appeared to be the game-winner early in the third
period. "I was surprised at how quick he got up and got back into
position. I thought I was quick enough to get the far side. He made
a great save."
As the puck went back up ice, Jagr, who extended his league-high
scoring streak to 16 games, leaned over to Brodeur and said:
"You've got to be kidding," Brodeur recalled.
The game ended with Lemieux and Arnott shoving each other and
exchanging words near the Devils' goal.
Jeff Norton, Darius Kasparaitis and Billy Tibbetts also scored
for the Penguins against Brodeur, who made 21 saves. Pittsburgh is
13-6-1-1 since Lemieux ended his 3{-year retirement in December.
Sergei Brylin had the Devils' other goal against Rich Parent,
who was shaky making 27 saves.
Lemieux gave the Penguins their first lead at 4:34 of the third
period, just seconds after Brodeur made a marvelous point-blank
save after Jagr took the puck from two defensemen. The rebound
rolled through the crease and right back onto Lemieux's stick for a
shot into an open net.
Sykora set up Arnott's 11th goal, taking the puck off Norton's
stick and centering to Arnott all alone.
Pittsburgh rallied three times from one-goal deficits, but it
wasn't the usual suspects who did the scoring.
After Sykora stole the puck from Lemieux and scored a
short-handed, breakaway goal at 5:36 of the first, Norton tied it
29 seconds later with a fluttering shot from the left point with
the Penguins still on the power play.
It was Norton's first goal in 91 games, dating to April 8, 1999.
The Devils' next two goals both came on bad plays by Parent, who
was only making his third start this season.
Sykora gave the Devils a 2-1 lead 58 seconds into the second
period, beating Parent with a shot from above that right circle
that the goalie simply missed.
Kasparaitis tied it about five minutes later with another
fluttering shot from the left point. It was only the defenseman's
second goal of the season and it ended a 46-game goal-scoring
drought.
Brylin put the Devils ahead 3-2 at 12:22 with a 45-foot shot on
which Parent was slow to react.
The lead lasted 67 seconds before Tibbetts, who was convicted of
sexual assault in 1994, tied it with his first NHL goal. Jagr, who
has seven goals and 24 assists in his streak, got the primary
assist with a nice pass that set up Tibbetts in the right circle.
Game notes
Devils RW Alexander Mogilny, whose 31 goals were tied for
fifth best in the league heading into Friday's action, will miss at
least three games with a pulled stomach muscle. He was scratched
along with All Star D Scott Niedermayer and C Bobby Holik, out with
knee injuries. ... Kasparaitis had the hit of the game, nailing
Devils C Scott Gomez in front of the Penguins bench. ... Each of
Lemieux's comeback games have been sellouts.
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
Pittsburgh Clubhouse
New Jersey Clubhouse
Devils' injury list grows, Mogilny to miss one week
RECAPS
Phoenix 2
Carolina 0
Detroit 4
Columbus 2
Florida 2
Boston 1
Pittsburgh 4
New Jersey 4
Chicago 6
St. Louis 2
Los Angeles 4
Minnesota 0
San Jose 2
Nashville 0
Dallas 3
Anaheim 2
NY Islanders 4
Edmonton 2
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Petr Sykora steals the puck and puts it behind Rich Parent for a score.
avi: 605 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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