OVERTIME

Devils 3

Oilers 2

The NHL career record for regular-season OT goals is now in Patrik Elias’ sight.

But what coach Pat Burns saw last might was one of his go-to guys coming through when the Devils needed it desperately.

“Those are the guys that have to come up big,” Burns said. “Those are the guys who have to make the difference in a tight game – [Patrik] Elias, [Jeff] Friesen, [Scott] Gomez. That’s how you’re going to win hockey games.”

This was victory wrung from near-defeat, the Devils trailing with five minutes left.

First it was Elias to Sergei Brylin to force OT. Then it was Gomez to Elias, 41 seconds into overtime to give the Devils their first victory in their last four games, a 3-2 comeback triumph over Edmonton at the Meadowlands.

“It was a big game. Everyone was talking about how we were struggling,” said Elias, who scored his 10th career regular-season OT goal, only three behind the record shared by Steve Thomas and Mats Sundin.

“I feel pretty confident 4-on-4 in overtime with Gomer out there,” Elias said. “I like it out there. I think you should go for the point.”

This was the fourth time this season the Devils won in overtime against one loss, and Elias has three of those winners.

Matters already were desperate when Elias kept alive Eric Brewer’s babied 4-on-4 clearance, setting up Brylin’s tip with only 4:38 left in regulation. That play gave them their overtime chance at victory on a night when another defeat loomed.

Elias then steered in Gomez’ feed for the winner, and they breathed more easily, ending their 0-2-1 skid.

The Devils had taken an early lead as Turner Stevenson scored to celebrate his fifth comeback from the groin injury initially sustained last April. On his second shift after missing 12 straight games, 5:06 into play, he gave the Devils their first opening goal in four games. The 31-year-old thumper stationed himself at the right side of the crease and rapped in his third of the year off Gomez’s feed from behind the net.

Then the Oilers, winners a night earlier in Chicago, emerged inspired for the second period, squaring the score on Raffi Torres’ 3-on-2 completion at 1:36.

“Edmonton was all over us,” Burns said. “I knew it’d be tough. I didn’t think it was going to be that tough.”

The Devils were having major trouble dealing with the Oilers’ speed and quickness, which Edmonton used to take the lead at 3:35 of the third.

Devil rookie David Hale’s slap-in down the left boards from center ice wound all the way around, where the puck was chipped back to center. Flying down the left side, Ethan Moreau grabbed the puck, cut across the goalmouth and backhanded home his eighth.

Then, however, this Devil team that has found ways so often, found another.

*

Igor Larionov returned to the Devil lineup after missing two games with a knee bruise . . . Devils returned Toumas Pihlman and Craig Darby to Albany, recalling Aleksander Suglobov, who made his NHL debut . . . Eric Rasmussen and Paul Martin remained idle.