New Jersey Zeroing In on Return to Cup Finals

Zero.

That’s the Pittsburgh Penguins’ goal total for their two home playoff games against New Jersey. It’s also probably the chance they have of coming back against the Devils.

Martin Brodeur shut out the Penguins in their own arena for the second consecutive game and New Jersey’s top line again outshined Pittsburgh’s superstars in a 5-0 victory Saturday, giving the Devils a commanding 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

Petr Sykora scored his fourth goal of the series--four more than Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr combined--and linemates Patrik Elias and Jason Arnott also scored as the defending champion Devils moved within a victory of returning to the Stanley Cup finals.

“We got smoked,” Jagr said. “We got killed.”

Brian Rafalski, a defenseman who has been more offensive than the two best scorers in hockey, scored two goals and had three points. The Devils outscored the Penguins, 8-0, in the two games in Pittsburgh.

“This is as dominating as we’ve ever been,” defenseman Scott Stevens said of the Devils, who have won two Stanley Cups since 1995 and soon might be going for a third.

Game 5 will be Tuesday night in New Jersey.

The Penguins hadn’t been shut out in consecutive home games, even in the regular season, in their 34-year history until Saturday. Their 3-0 loss Thursday was their first playoff shutout defeat at home in 26 years.

“This is by far the best any team has played against us in the playoffs,” Lemieux said. “They take away the good ice and leave you with the bad ice. They’re a great team.”

Brodeur, busier than he was in New Jersey’s victory in Game 3, may have decided it when he turned aside a brief but frantic flurry of shots early in the second period with the Devils up 1-0. Buffered by holding off one of the Penguins’ rare bursts, the Devils took a 3-0 lead later in the period.

The Elias-Arnott-Sykora line was on the ice for every goal in a dominating effort that might have been expected of Lemieux and Jagr, and has 14 goals and 17 assists in seven games. Lemieux and Jagr have two goals and six assists in the same span.

Colorado defenseman Jon Klemm could miss Game 5 of the Western Conference finals Monday because of a knee injury. He hurt his right knee when he slammed into the boards four minutes into the third period of the Avalanche’s 4-3 overtime victory against the St. Louis Blues Friday night.