Devils Make Themselves at Home

Home ice finally felt pretty good for the New Jersey Devils.

The Devils, who have struggled at home this season, were pretty sure they had turned the corner with a 5-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night at East Rutherford, N.J.

“We all hope so,” goaltender Martin Brodeur said.

The Devils are the top road team in the NHL at 24-9-2, but have struggled to stay above .500 at the Continental Airlines Arena, where they are 15-13-7.

Trailing after two periods, 3-2, the Devils dominated the final 20 minutes to record one of their most satisfying home victories. They got goals from Brad Bombardir, Petr Sykora with the winner and Patrik Elias as they outshot Pittsburgh, 17-1, in the third period.

Brodeur could not recall a better home-ice third period this season.

“This year has been tough in the third period for us,” he said. “We’ve not played as well as we wanted. Allowing only one shot was a tremendous effort. You’re not going to see that too often against the forwards that they have.”

The Penguins were a confident bunch entering the game. They put together a seven-game unbeaten streak (4-0-3) that carried them within one point of the Atlantic Division-leading Devils. They started strong, taking a 3-2 lead in the first period that stood up until Bombardir tied the score at 5:22 of the third.

Calgary 2, Montreal 1--Valeri Bure scored the winner with 5:40 to play at Calgary.

With the teams playing four on four, Brian Savage was stripped of the puck by Andrew Cassels at the Canadiens’ blue line. Bure picked up the loose puck and, from 30 feet out, fired a wrist shot that beat Jeff Hackett high on the glove side.

St. Louis 4, Vancouver 1--Pierre Turgeon had a goal and two assists at Vancouver as the Blues handed the Canucks their sixth consecutive loss.

Chicago 3, Boston 3--Boris Mironov, acquired from the Edmonton Oilers in a seven-player trade on March 19, scored his first goal for the Blackhawks with 1:24 to play, lifting Chicago to a tie at Boston.

Phoenix 4, Washington 2--Robert Reichel, who has made a big impact in only three games with the Coyotes, scored two goals in 72 seconds in the second period at Phoenix.

Around the League

The FBI and members of the NHL’s security office reportedly are investigating alleged links between the Russian Mafia and the new agent for missing San Jose Shark defenseman Andrei Zyuzin. The National Post in Canada reported the inquiries Thursday. Zyuzin, 21, remains suspended by the Sharks after missing the team flight to Boston last Friday. . . . Goaltender Dominik Hasek is scheduled to rejoin the Buffalo Sabres today after flying to Germany to meet with a groin specialist. Hasek, who left for Germany on Wednesday and missed the Sabres’ 2-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings, could play as early as Saturday against the Penguins, the team said. . . . Detroit Red Wing General Manager Ken Holland hopes to sign newly acquired defenseman Chris Chelios to a new two-year contract extension within a week.