New Jersey 2, Pittsburgh 0
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Where: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Referees:
Dan O'Rourke, Jean Hebert
Linesmen:
Derek Amell, Steve Barton
Attendance:
15848
By SportsDirect Inc.
Devils 2, Penguins 0: Cory Schneider made 35 saves to record his 17th career shutout as New Jersey improved to 13-3-3 in its last 19 home games.
Jacob Josefson scored late in the second period for the Devils, who have won two in a row overall and finished 2-2-1 against their Metropolitan Division rival this season. Adam Henrique added an empty-net goal and Michael Ryder had an assist for his first point since Jan. 14.
Thomas Greiss turned aside 17 shots for Pittsburgh, which was shut out for the second time during its three-game losing streak and fell to 3-12-1 in its last 16 visits to the Garden State. Captain Sidney Crosby was one of three Penguins with four shots on goal in the loss.
Schneider, who will celebrate his 29th birthday on Wednesday, gave himself an early present by recording his fifth shutout of the season. The workhorse goaltender stopped Crosby on a partial breakaway midway into the first period and then made a save after Chris Kunitz's shot deflected off New Jersey's Dainius Zubrus at 1:15 of the second.
The Devils broke through as Ryder tapped the puck ahead to Josefson, who skated in on a 2-on-1 rush and wired a shot from the right circle that sailed off the far post and into the net with 3:35 remaining in the second period. The Penguins pressed for the equalizer by recording 13 of the first 16 shots in the third, but Henrique scored from center ice with 49 seconds remaining to seal the win.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Josefson has just two even-strength goals among his five tallies on the season. His other three have come with his team short-handed. ... Devils C Patrik Elias sat out with back spasms, while Penguins C Evgeni Malkin (lower body) and RW Patric Hornqvist (undisclosed) also did not play. ... Pittsburgh, which did not have a power-play opportunity, is 1-for-22 in the last eight games.
Top Game Performances
Pittsburgh |
|
New Jersey |
N/A |
Points |
Adam Henrique 1 |
N/A |
Goals |
Adam Henrique 1 |
N/A |
Assists |
Eric Gelinas 1 |
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
Thomas Greiss .944 |
Save Percentage |
Cory Schneider 1.000 |
Thomas Greiss 17 |
Saves |
Cory Schneider 35 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
Pittsburgh
|
35 |
0 |
0-0 |
2-2 |
6 |
27 |
New Jersey
|
19 |
2 |
0-2 |
0-0 |
2 |
30 |
Upcoming Games
-
New Jersey will play their next game on the road against Buffalo. The Devils have a W/L % of .467 after a win and .400 after a loss.
-
Pittsburgh will play their next game on the road against Dallas. The Penguins have a W/L % of .550 after a win and .567 after a loss.