National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
New Jersey 3, Montreal 1
When: 6:00 PM ET, Sunday, February 19, 2012
Where: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec
Referees: Tim Peel, Frederic L'Ecuyer
Linesmen: Pierre Champoux, Jean Morin
Attendance: 21273


DEVILS 3, CANADIENS 1: Captain Zach Parise scored his seventh goal in 10 games and Martin Brodeur turned aside 21 shots as visiting New Jersey moved into sole possession of fourth place in the Eastern Conference with the victory.

Defenseman Matt Taormina netted his first goal of the season and David Clarkson also tallied for the Devils, who improved to 8-1-1 in their last 10 contests. The victory was the eighth straight for New Jersey at the Bell Centre.

Max Pacioretty scored a power-play goal to end Brodeur's bid for his 118th career shutout, but Montreal couldn't solve the four-time Vezina Trophy winner again and fell to 5-2-1 in its last eight games.

Parise opened the scoring with 1:57 remaining in the first period. After rookie Adam Henrique won a faceoff in the offensive end, Ilya Kovalchuk wired a shot which Parise deflected just inside the post for his 22nd goal of the season - and third in his last two games versus the Canadiens.

Clarkson doubled the advantage with 18 seconds left in the second period after he deflected Patrik Elias' shot past All-Star Carey Price.

After Pacioretty cleaned up a loose puck on the doorstep to trim the deficit, Taormina regained the two-goal advantage nearly seven minutes later by blasting a shot from beyond the right faceoff circle.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The memory of the late Gary Carter was honored prior to the game. The Canadiens came out for their pre-game warmup wearing jerseys with Carter's No. 8 on their backs. A video showed the Hall of Famer catcher during his days with the Montreal Expos - much to the pleasure of the crowd at the Bell Centre. A moment of silence was observed in Carter's memory. ... Brodeur continued his stellar play versus his hometown team by improving to 43-18-0 with five ties in his career.

Top Game Performances
 
New Jersey   Montreal
David Clarkson 1 Points Max Pacioretty 1
David Clarkson 1 Goals Max Pacioretty 1
Patrik Elias 1 Assists David Desharnais 1
N/A Power Play Goals Max Pacioretty 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Martin Brodeur .955 Save Percentage Carey Price .880
Martin Brodeur 21 Saves Carey Price 22
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
New Jersey 25 3 0-0 2-3 6 22
Montreal 22 1 1-3 0-0 0 26
Upcoming Games
  • Montreal will play their next game at home against Dallas. The Canadiens have a W/L % of .400 after a win and .400 after a loss.
  • New Jersey will play their next game on the road against Toronto. The Devils have a W/L % of .588 after a win and .583 after a loss.