Devils Turn on Power

Alexander Mogilny scored one and took one away Monday in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals. Martin Brodeur outplayed Patrick Roy for the second consecutive game. The New Jersey Devil defense corps muzzled the Colorado Avalanche’s smooth-skating forwards.

And the Devils’ moribund power play finally struck again, turning a taut game into a runaway.

Suddenly, there are glaring differences between the surging Devils and the faltering Avalanche in this best-of-seven series. New Jersey’s thorough 4-1 victory over the Avalanche before a sellout crowd of 18,007 at the Pepsi Center gave the Devils a 3-2 series lead with Game 6 on Thursday at East Rutherford, N.J.

If necessary, Game 7 will be Saturday in Denver.

It doesn’t look like it will be necessary at this point.

“The last one is always the hardest one to get,” a cautious New Jersey Coach Larry Robinson said. “Home ice hasn’t been a factor in this series. The crowd definitely gives you an emotional lift, but the games are still won and lost on the ice.”

The Devils, who won in Denver for the second time in three games, certainly had that covered Monday. They swarmed the ice, and the Avalanche.

Mogilny’s first goal in 15 games proved to be the game-winner, coming on a blistering slap shot from the right wing off a drop pass from Scott Gomez with 1:13 left in the first period.

Sergei Brylin’s power-play goal 4:39 into the second period--only New Jersey’s second in 18 chances with the man-advantage in the series--gave the Devils breathing room. John Madden’s goal off a clever move on a third-period breakaway sealed the deal.

Brodeur was superb from start to finish, making 22 saves. He had highlight-reel stops on Dave Reid in the first period, Eric Messier (second) and Rob Blake (third).

Mogilny produced perhaps the game’s next-best save, badgering Colorado’s Adam Foote sufficiently to make him shank a wide-open chance that would have tied the score at 2-all moments into the second period.

“I anticipated the pass [to Foote from Ville Nieminen],” Mogilny said with a shrug. Of scoring his first goal since Game 2 of the Devils’ second-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, he added, “It’s not a relief. The last two games have been nothing but positive for me.”

Once ahead, the Devils counterpunched repeatedly, creating numerous odd-man dashes down the ice for Petr Sykora and Patrik Elias. Sykora hit Elias for a pretty one-timer on a two-on-one break, and the Devils led, 1-0, only 3:09 into the game.

The victory was New Jersey’s 13th in a row in the playoffs when leading after two periods.

Sykora and Elias didn’t miss a step without their usual center, Jason Arnott, who was struck in the temple by a puck on his first shift Saturday in Game 4.

Arnott skated to the bench after being hit, but collapsed as he headed down the runway to the dressing room. He later experienced dizziness and other symptoms associated with a concussion.

“It was probably the hardest decision of my life,” he said of choosing to sit out Game 5.

Robinson slipped Bobby Holik between Sykora and Elias and the reformed A-line, as the Devils’ top trio is known, responded with its best game of the finals.

“I think everyone had to pick up their game,” said Gomez, who scored the tying goal in the Devils’ 3-2 victory Saturday.

Gomez showed confidence in Mogilny by giving up an open shot at Roy and dropping the puck to his trailing linemate after a Colorado turnover and a poor line change late in the opening period.

“Alex has one of the best shots in the league,” Gomez said. “I mean, we all knew it was going to come. He’s had two great games. He is really opening up things for all of us.”

The Devils’ confidence has surged since Roy’s misplay of the puck behind his net led to Gomez’s tying goal in the third period of Game 4. Since then, the Devils have outscored the Avalanche, 6-1, and are one win away from a second victory parade in the Meadowlands parking lot in as many years.