-------------------------------
New Jersey 1 2 1 0--4
Ottawa 2 1 1 0--4
-------------------------------
FIRST PERIOD -- Scoring: 1, Ottawa, Alfredsson 12 (unassisted), 2:04. 2,
New Jersey, Mogilny 30 (Nemchinov, Gomez), 2:29. 3, Ottawa, Yashin 23
(Mceachern, Dackell), 14:15. Penalties: Fisher, Ott (tripping), 2:49;
Mogilny, N.J. (tripping), 4:01; Nemchinov, N.J. (tripping), 18:54.
SECOND PERIOD -- Scoring: 4, New Jersey, Mogilny 31 (Gomez, Commodore),
6:44. 5, Ottawa, Mceachern 19 (power play) (Yashin, Alfredsson), 13:06. 6,
New Jersey, Gomez 9 (power play) (T Stevenson, Mogilny), 15:30. Penalties:
Hossa, Ott (holding), 2:51; Commodore, N.J. (hooking), 12:35; Holik, N.J.
(interference), 14:21; Fisher, Ott (roughing), 14:21; Dackell, Ott
(slashing), 14:21; T Stevenson, N.J. (roughing), 15:30; Zamuner, Ott
(charging), 15:30; K Daneyko, N.J. (tripping), 19:30.
THIRD PERIOD -- Scoring: 7, New Jersey, Sykora 21 (unassisted), 1:34. 8,
Ottawa, Zamuner 16 (unassisted), 8:14. Penalties: Alfredsson, Ott
(tripping), 8:56.
OVERTIME -- Scoring: None.
Shots on goal:
------------------------------------
New Jersey 7 19 3 5--34
Ottawa 12 11 12 5--40
------------------------------------
Power-play Conversions: Njd - 1 of 4, Ott - 1 of 4. Goalies: New
Jersey, M Brodeur (40 shots, 36 saves; record: 26-10-9). Ottawa, Lalime
(34, 30; record: 21-12-4). A:18,500. Referees: Angus, Koharski.
Linesmen: Champoux, Murray.
INDIVIDUAL PLAYER STATISTICS
New Jersey Ottawa
G A +/- Shots G A +/- Shots
Arnott 0 0 even 3 Alfredsson 1 1 -1 6
Brylin 0 0 -1 0 Arvedson 0 0 -1 3
Commodore 0 1 even 1 Bonk 0 0 -1 1
Elias 0 0 +1 5 Dackell 0 1 +2 0
Gomez 1 2 even 2 Fisher 0 0 even 2
Holik 0 0 -1 2 Forbes 0 0 even 0
K Daneyko 0 0 +2 0 Havlat 0 0 even 1
Madden 0 0 even 3 Hnidy 0 0 even 1
Mogilny 2 1 even 5 Hossa 0 0 -1 5
Nemchinov 0 1 even 2 Mceachern 1 1 +1 6
Niedermayer 0 0 even 0 Persson 0 0 even 1
Pandolfo 0 0 even 1 Phillips 0 0 even 0
R Mckay 0 0 even 0 Rachunek 0 0 even 1
Rafalski 0 0 -1 0 Redden 0 0 even 3
S Stevens 0 0 -1 3 Roy 0 0 even 0
Sykora 1 0 +1 5 Yashin 1 1 +1 5
T Stevenson 0 1 -1 0 York 0 0 even 2
White 0 0 +1 2 Zamuner 1 0 even 3
Sutton Healthy Rivers Healthy
Kelly Healthy Emmons Healthy
J Mckenzie Healthy
Game Story
OTTAWA (Ticker) -- The best teams in the Eastern Conference are
separated by a point. On Thursday, they were more evenly
matched than that.
Alexander Mogilny continued his torrid scoring with a pair of
goals, but it was Rob Zamuner's tally midway through the third
period that enabled the Ottawa Senators to rally for a 4-4 tie
with the New Jersey Devils.
In what is quickly becoming one of the top rivalries in the
East, the division leaders battled for 65 minutes without
settling anything. The Devils, who also got goals from Petr
Sykora and Scott Gomez, remained one point ahead of Ottawa for
the conference lead.
Daniel Alfredsson, Alexei Yashin and Shawm McEachern tallied for
Ottawa, whose winless streak reached four games (0-2-2-0).
The Devils are 4-1-2-0 in the last seven meetings with the
Senators, the team that upset them as the second seed in the
1997-98 playoffs.
"I think coming to the rink there's a little extra excitement
and both teams wanted to establish a presence and make a
statement for the playoffs," Alfredsson said. "Tonight it was
skill vs. skill. Both teams had a lot of odd-man rushes. It
was a very tough game."
"It's always a challenge to play against them," Senators
defenseman Wade Redden added. "A few years ago, they may have
underestimated us a little, and now it's grown into quite a
rivalry."
The Senators led 2-1 after one period, but the game was tied,
3-3, after 40 minutes. Each team scored in the third period and
both recorded five shots in overtime.
The contest featured wide-open offense -- the teams combined for
74 shots -- and hard hitting. New Jersey lost defensemen Scott
Niedermayer (knee) and Brian Rafalski (shoulder) in the first
period and played the final 45 minutes with four defensemen.
"This was a good point for us," Devils coach Larry Robinson
said. "Costly, because we didn't finish with all our `D,' but a
good point nonetheless."
"You should be tired at the end of any game, especially against
a good team," added New Jersey captain Scott Stevens. "But I
don't think I've ever played with four defensemen for that
long."
With the score tied, 3-3, Sykora put the Devils on top 94
seconds into the third period with his 21st goal. Senators left
wing Magnus Arvedson fired an errant pass toward linemate Radek
Bonk and Sykora broke in alone on goaltender Patrick Lalime.
As Lalime tried to cut down the angle, Sykora wristed the puck
off the goalie's glove and into the right corner of the net.
The goal extended Sykora's point streak to nine games, during
which he has eight goals and five assists.
But a turnover by Stevens resulted in the tying goal just under
seven minutes later. Stevens had a giveaway deep in his own
zone and Zamuner was able to beat goaltender Martin Brodeur
through the pads from the slot. It was Zamuner's 16th goal in
50 games after scoring just nine in 57 contests last season.
Both goalies were fortunate in the extra session. Brodeur
denied Alfredsson twice in overtime while Lalime was saved when
Mogilny's blast with 2:15 to go hit the goalpost.
Brodeur made 36 saves while Lalime had 30 stops.
"It was a good, exciting game as always against them, maybe a
little too wide-open though," Brodeur said. "Both of us made a
big difference, making key saves when we needed them."
"We're pretty similar teams with lots of team speed and we can
both score goals," Lalime said. "This game definitely felt like
a playoff game."
Alfredsson opened the scoring 2:04 into the contest with an
unassisted tally. He picked off a clearing pass by defenseman
Colin White and beat Brodeur low to the right corner for his
12th goal.
But Mogilny's 30th goal knotted the contest 25 seconds later.
Sergei Nemchinov broke down the left side and slipped a pass to
Mogilny, who put a one-timer just inside the right post to reach
the 30-goal mark for the seventh time in his career and first
since 1996-97.
Yashin scored his 23rd goal with 5:10 to go in the opening
period, but Mogilny countered with his 31st 6:44 into the
second. Breaking into the zone 1-on-2, Mogilny split rookie
defenseman Karel Rachunek and Alfredsson, shoveling the puck
past Lalime.
The goal moved Mogilny into a tie with Pittsburgh's Jaromir
Jagr, Vancouver's Markus Naslund and Florida's Pavel Bure for
the league lead.
McEachern and Gomez traded power-play goals 2 1/2 minutes apart
late in the second period. McEachern's goal was his 19th while
Gomez recorded his ninth.
"There's definitely a rivalry here," Robinson said. "There's a
certain intensity displayed when these two teams get together.
Maybe tonight it was because both clubs are going for first
place."