Devils 2, Hurricanes 0

Jamie Langenbrunner scored 26 seconds into the third period to give New
Jersey the lead and Martin Brodeur picked up his 102nd career shutout as the Devils stopped the Carolina Hurricanes 2-0 Saturday night at the Prudential Center in Newark.

Langenbrunner scored when Rob Niedermayer passed from behind the goal and the pounding puck hit Langenbrunner near his hand and bounced past Cam Ward, who had another strong game in net for the Canes and made several super saves.

"It was a lucky bounce on their part," Ward said of the winning goal. "It was a bang-bang play that unfortunately wasn't the result we were hoping for. At the same time we've got to be better and we know that."

Zach Parise added an empty-netter with 39 seconds to play as the Devils won their first home game of the season.It also was the first time the teams have played since the Game 7 classic in last year's playoffs won by the Canes, and it was another Ward-Brodeur duel.

"It's disappointing," Ward said. "We had an opportunity to come in here and make a statement and we didn't do it.

"It's not because it's not in the locker room. It's there. We've got the talent, we've got the skill and we've got the character. We've just got to bring it out on the ice and compete."

The Devils had 1:44 of a 5-on-3 after the Canes' Scott Walker was called for delay of game and then Rod Brind'Amour picked up a hooking penalty eight minutes into the third. But the Canes killed off the penalties to keep it a 1-0 game.

"I thought it would be a big momentum boost for us killing off that 5-on-3 and I hoped we would be rewarded for the strong P.K," Ward said. "But in the end we just didn't have it."

The Canes' Eric Staal had a shorthanded chance after Walker's penalty and before Brind'Amour's hooking call, but Brodeur turned it away. Brodeur stopped Staal on another hard shot from the circle with 3:05 left in the game, and another by Sergei Samsonov with 1:14 to play to finish with 26 saves.

Brodeur is one shutout short of tying the NHL record of 103 set by Terry Sawchuk.

"It was just like every other game we've seen out of him," Canes coach Paul Maurice said of Brodeur. "That's how good he is. We didn't do enough to make it more difficult for him. We didn't generate enough.

"While he got the shutout, we didn't walk away and say he stole the
game from us. We didn't play well enough for us to say that. We're
struggling."

The Canes and Devils were scoreless after two periods at The Rock as
both teams struggled to establish anything offensively and Ward and
Brodeur stopped whatever shots have come their way.

The Canes continue to sputter offensively. Carolina is 28th in goals per game (2.00) and 29th on the power play (11.1 percent).

"I didn't think we played well enough. It's simple," Maurice said. "I didn't think we handled the puck particularly well and we certainly didn't play hard enough in the battles."

Ward made several high-quality saves to give the Canes a chance. He had a sliding stop of a Niklas Bergfors shot midway the first period, and stopped Langenbrunner on a rebound in front in the final 30 seconds of the period.

Late in the second period, Ward used the shaft of his stick to get a piece of a shot by Travis Zajac. The Canes killed off a late delay-of-game penalty against Joni Pitkanen in the period to keep the game scoreless.

"He's been sharp for us all year," Maurice said. "It's frustrating
for him. We've had one game where we scored more than two goals."

Brodeur has done his part for the Devils, who were winless at home this season. He made a key stop on a Nicas Wallin shot in the second period
and matched Ward's 16 saves through two periods.

Staal had a good chance in front in the opening minute of the game
and Brodeur later turned away a hard Ray Whitney shot, on a pass from
Staal off the rush, midway the first period. Early in the second, Chad
LaRose just missed the net when he tipped a Pitkanen shot.

The Devils had the only power play of the first period but the Canes
were able to kill it off, although defenseman Tim Gleason did suffer a
cut under his right eye. Gleason quickly returned.

Wallin also was taken to the locker room after a mid-ice collision early in the first but returned. Aaron Ward later left the game with an upper body injury, leaving the Canes with five defensemen.

Pitkanen, after a good morning skate, was in the lineup for only the second time this season. Pitkanen had knee surgery Sept. 10 and has been slowed by soreness in the knee.

The Devils were beaten 4-2 by the Atlanta Thrashers at the Prudential Center on Friday. Brodeur was in goal and there was speculation Yann Danis would get the start against the Canes, but Brodeur asked to stay in net.

The Devils' David Clarkson and Andrew Alberts slugged it out in the first period, both picking up fighting majors.

It was the first of four straight road games for the Canes and the first game between Carolina and New Jersey since the Game 7 classic won by the Canes in last year's playoffs.