Ducks 2
Devils 1
ANAHEIM – He’s already fired one coach this year, and now the Devils are dying again for lack of goals. There can be no more debate. Lou Lamoriello must get the Devils a scorer or risk blowing the season.
Even the return of Scott Niedermayer to the lineup to score New Jersey’s first power-play goal in nearly a month wasn’t enough. The Devils fell 2-1 to the Mighty Ducks here last night, leaving them 0-3 on this road trip that concludes tomorrow in Dallas.
Paul Kariya’s third-period goal sank New Jersey, which has not led a game on this cross-country odyssey. Thus far, the Devils have scored a total of two goals in the three games of this trip while allowing eight, and have been held to one or zero in four of their last five. Even their previous four-game journey, the one that cost Larry Robinson his job, showed a 1-2-1 record, although against lesser teams.
The Devils have dropped three straight for the fourth time this season, but only their season-opening three-game losing streak was without a point for an overtime defeat. They have not gone four games without a point this season.
Now 6-5-2 under Kevin Constantine, the Devils have lost four of five and stand 2-4 since the Olympic break. The Ducks have won nine of 13.
As they had in the first two games of this trip, the Devils gave up the opening goal despite a 19-5 first-period shot edge. Sergei Brylin hit the post and Bobby Holik was stopped by Steve Shields on a breakaway, and Anaheim’s Jeff Friesen made them pay at 16:40 of the first.
Returning to the lineup after missing three games with a head/neck injury, Niedermayer ended the Devils’ six-game power-lay drought with their first extra-an goal since Feb. 10.
Scott Gomez carried into the offensive zone, handing off to Bobby Holik for the deep diagonal drop to Niedermayer moving up the to the top of the right circle to unleash a screamer over Shields’ waffle at 12:15 of the second.
That goal ended a Devil drought of 24 power plays, and was only their third PPG in 13 games under Kevin Constantine.
Prosperity was temporary, though, as Paul Kariya answered with a Ducks PPG 2:17 into the third, on Anaheim’s first PP of the evening.
