Redden, luck not enough for Senators

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- Now that Jay Pandolfo has found his

scoring touch, it's time to work on his celebration technique.

The New Jersey Devils overcame the strangest no-goal of the

playoffs and a wacky near goal to grab the lead in the Eastern

Conference finals.

The Ottawa Senators had top defenseman Wade Redden in the lineup

and some luck on their side, but that wasn't enough as they lost

1-0 on Thursday night.

Sergei Brylin scored on a masterful deflection, his first goal

of the playoffs for the Devils, who lead the best-of-seven series

2-1. Game 4 is Saturday in New Jersey.

By the NHL's admission, Pandolfo should've given the Devils a

2-0 lead in the first period. But his shot that went in the net

wasn't detected before it bounced out. He didn't know whether to

throw up his hands in happiness or frustration.

"I didn't know really what was going on,'' said Pandolfo, who

scored in each of the first two games of the series after notching

six goals in the regular season.

With 7:50 left in the first period, Pandolfo's shot from in

front got well inside the right post. The puck struck a pad at the

bottom of the net and kicked right back out and under goalie

Patrick Lalime, who was seated.

"The goalie did the splits and I never saw it after that,''

goal judge Paul McInnis said.

Jamie Langenbrunner, who made the pass to Pandolfo, raised his

arms in celebration as referee Kerry Fraser skated in. John Madden

appeared to ask Fraser about the call of no-goal, and the goal

light never came on.

"I imagine somebody will be held accountable for it, you've got

to be,'' Devils coach Pat Burns said.

Pandolfo never saw the puck in the net. The lack of a reaction

by most Devils was a factor in why replays weren't vigorously

searched.

"I guess I have to learn to celebrate a little more. Maybe they

would've gone upstairs to check it,'' Pandolfo said.

After a 39-second stoppage, the puck was dropped without Fraser

talking to off-ice officials. It wasn't until near the end of the

period that Fraser got on the phone and appeared to get the news it

was a goal. The replay was also shown on the center-ice video

board, further angering Burns, who waved his arms from the bench.

"There was no indication from anyone on the ice that the puck

had gone in, and there was no indication from any of the initial

camera angles viewed that the puck had crossed the goal line,''

said Colin Campbell, the NHL's director of hockey operations.

"The in-net camera was the only angle that showed the puck had

crossed the goal line, and when that angle finally was available,

the puck had been dropped and play had resumed,'' Campbell said in

a release issued during the second intermission.

Martin Brodeur made 24 saves for his fourth shutout of these

playoffs and 17th in his postseason career. Lalime stopped 23 shots

for Ottawa, blanked for the fourth time in five playoff losses. The

Senators, winners of Game 1, have lost consecutive playoff games

for the first time this year.

"It seems like we didn't have any emotion and stuff like

that,'' Lalime said. "We have to find that. I can't answer for 25

guys.''

The Devils improved to 7-0 at home in front 19,040 fans, New

Jersey's first sellout of this postseason.

Bryan Smolinski nearly gave the Senators the lead in the first

period. His dump-in took a crazy carom off the right-wing boards

and shot just wide of the left post as Brodeur was behind the net.

Redden, Ottawa's ice-time leader, was back two days after a left

knee strain sustained in Game 2 made him questionable for this one.

The only goal that counted came with 9:12 left in the first

period. Defenseman Brian Rafalski shot from the right point, and

Brylin deflected it between his legs while his back was to the

goal, and it went past Lalime. It was Brylin's first playoff goal

in 16 games, dating to the 2001 Stanley Cup finals.

"It feels great,'' Brylin said. "I had chances, and they

didn't go in for me. I was just trying to stay positive, and I knew

that it was going to come.''

Brodeur was his usual steady self throughout in matching his

team playoff record of four shutouts in one year, set in 2001. He

stretched his shutout streak to 97 minutes, 58 seconds.

The only time he looked unsure was when he helplessly shook his

head on Smolinski's strange dump-in.

"I had a bad feeling,'' Brodeur said. "I don't know if you saw

my reaction behind the net. I couldn't believe it didn't go in.''

Brodeur made several nice stops in front, including denying

Radek Bonk in the first period and helping thwart a 2-on-0 in front

of the net. He said his toughest save was a glove stop on Bonk in

the third period.

Game notes

Neither team has scored a power-play goal in the series.

New Jersey was 0-for-4 in the game and is 0-for-11 in the three

games. Ottawa was 0-for-2 and is 0-for-11 overall. ... Devils RW

Turner Stevenson, involved in the knee-on-knee collision with

Redden, was scratched (groin), replaced by Jim McKenzie.