Brodeur stops 30 shots as Devils even series

OTTAWA (AP) -- Tired of hearing all the accolades directed at the

Ottawa Senators, Scott Stevens and the New Jersey Devils responded

with a near-perfect performance.

Martin Brodeur stopped 30 shots, and New Jersey's offense woke

up, as the Devils beat the Senators 4-1 Tuesday night to even their

NHL Eastern Conference finals series.

John Madden, Tommy Albelin, Jeff Friesen and Jay Pandolfo scored

for the Devils, who erased questions whether they can contain the

potent Senators and bounce back from Saturday's sloppy

series-opening 3-2 overtime loss.

"It was looking pretty bleak from everybody after we lost the

first game," Stevens said. "But we felt we wanted to come and get

this game tonight. We battled hard and got a big team effort from

everyone."

Game 3 of the best-of-seven series, that is tied 1-1, is

Thursday night in New Jersey. The Devils are 6-0 this postseason at

home.

Radek Bonk scored for the Senators, who appeared flat and

allowed more than two goals for the first time in 12 games, ending

an NHL playoff record streak they set in Game 1.

"They didn't beat us, they butt-kicked us," Senators forward

Bryan Smolinski said. "We just looked a little sluggish, a little

lethargic. No particular reason, they just outbattled us."

The Devils, who previously hadn't trailed in a series this

postseason, improved to 9-3, while Ottawa fell to 9-4.

The loss was also the Senators' first in which they've scored

this postseason. They were shut out in their three previous losses,

once against the New York Islanders, and twice by Philadelphia.

Criticized for their sloppy, turnover-filled performance in Game

1, the Devils responded efficiently and, just as important, got off

to a solid start, jumping out to a 2-0 lead 17:21 in.

Albelin, back in the lineup after sitting out the opener, made

it 1-0 on New Jersey's first shot. Friesen made it 2-0, capping a

2-on-1 break that came off Ottawa defenseman Zdeno Chara's turnover

deep in the Devils' end.

Madden's goal was considered critical for New Jersey, coming 14

minutes after Bonk put the Senators on the board 2:02 into the

second period.

Just as the Devils killed off one of seven Senators' power

plays, Madden beat Ottawa defenseman Karel Rachunek to a loose puck

to create a partial break, and fired a 15-footer past goalie

Patrick Lalime.

On Monday, Madden said the Devils needed to put forth a

near-perfect performance. And they delivered.

"Huge goal," Devils coach Pat Burns said.

Pandolfo sealed the win, popping in Jamie Langenbrunner's

rebound with 5:31 left.

The game was a turnaround from the opener, in which the Senators

jumped out to a 2-0 lead before allowing the Devils to tie it.

Brodeur had a solid game, stopping 30 shots. His best save came

with 7:40 left, getting across to his left to stop Martin Havlat's

one-timer from in close.

Suddenly, the Devils feel as if they've got some momentum.

"That's the sign of a veteran team, that we don't panic,"

Devils forward Joe Nieuwendyk said. "We knew what we had to do

coming into this building, and that was to get a split."

Now it's the Senators' turn to respond.

"Who cares," Smolinski said, referring to the Devils' home

record. "It doesn't matter. We're still a fantastic team."

Senators defenseman Wade Redden, favoring his right knee, left

the game midway through the third after a knee-on-knee collision

with New Jersey's Turner Stevenson. Redden did not return after he

limped to the dressing room.

Senators coach Jacques Martin said Redden was still being

evaluated.

Ottawa defenseman Curtis Leschyshyn accused Stevenson of

sticking his leg out.

"It's not going over big right now," Leschyshyn said. "You

can't be sticking your knee out, accidentally or not. ... You never

want to speculate, but Wade's probably going to be on the shelf a

little bit."

Game notes

Along with Albelin, Devils' D Richard Smehlik was inserted

into the lineup, making his second postseason appearance and first

after sitting out seven games. The pair replaced Ds Oleg Tverdovsky

and Ken Daneyko, who struggled in Game 1. ... The Senators played

their 102nd game of the season, including preseason, matching a

franchise record set last season. ... The Devils are 20-10 overall

and 11-5 on the road in Game 2 playoff appearances. ... The

Senators had not given up as many as three goals since their

playoff-opening 3-0 loss to the Islanders.