NHL PLAYOFFS : Robitaille Wins for Penguins

Luc Robitaille noticed a crack in a New Jersey line change, stepped into it and scored with 1:16 to play Saturday to give the Penguins a 3-2 victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at Pittsburgh.

Robitaille, left unprotected as the Devils changed lines at the same time Larry Murphy was taking the puck off Jim Dowd’s stick, took Murphy’s lead pass and bounced a three-foot shot off Martin Brodeur’s glove hand.

“I waited for a second to see what would happen, and I knew I was alone when I got the pass,” Robitaille said. “I didn’t try to make a good move, I just tried to put good wood on it. Sometimes you get a little lucky.”

Brodeur had no luck. Ron Francis also scored on a shot off his glove, and Jaromir Jagr had the other goal for the Penguins in a game they played without first-line defensemen Ulf and Kjell Samuelsson.