Streaky Friesen Powers Devils

Jeff Friesen has been a streaky goal scorer since coming to the New Jersey Devils, and it appears he’s on another run.

After going 10 games without a goal, Friesen scored his third in four games early in the third period to lead the Devils to a 3-2 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers on Sunday night at East Rutherford, N.J.

“Sometimes you get in slumps and, for whatever reason, guys don’t get on the same page,” Friesen said. “Sometimes it’s a frustrating rut to get out of, but I feel I’m out of the rut now and I’m starting to contribute offensively.”

Friesen scored his third game-winning goal of the season by taking advantage of a bad play by Thrasher star Ilya Kovalchuk, whose first career short-handed goal minutes earlier had tied the score, 2-2.

Kovalchuk had just been stopped on a three-on-one break, when the Devils counterattacked.

Kovalchuk eventually got the puck along the side boards, but he made an ill-advised pass across the middle of his own zone.

Friesen read the play.

“I just went to the lane where I saw he was trying to throw it,” Friesen said. “Obviously, you’re a little surprised. It just came right on my stick. It was a big goal because this is a big win for the team.”

Martin Brodeur made 24 saves, including a spectacular tumbling stop on Frantisek Kaberle in the second period, and Grant Marshall scored a goal and set up another by Patrik Elias to help the Devils win for the fourth time (4-1-1) in six games.

Philadelphia 4, Washington 1 -- Mark Recchi and John LeClair each had a goal and three assists in the Flyers’ victory over the short-handed Capitals at Washington.

Washington played with only five defensemen after losing Sergei Gonchar to a shoulder injury Friday night in a loss in Florida.

Philadelphia’s Tony Amonte injured a knee in the first period and did not return. Amonte was hurt when Washington’s Brendan Witt cross-checked Radovan Somik in the back, sending Somik into Amonte’s right knee.

Buffalo 4, Carolina 2 -- Jochen Hecht had two goals and Martin Biron made 37 saves, helping the Sabres erase a two-goal deficit at Raleigh, N.C.

Derek Roy’s third-period goal put the Sabres ahead to stay, and Milan Bartovic had a goal and an assist for Buffalo, which finished a five-game trip 2-3.

Erik Cole and Kevyn Adams scored for the Hurricanes, who had a 39-21 advantage in shots.

Vancouver 4, Nashville 1 -- Defenseman Brent Sopel scored twice and had an assist to lead the Canucks at Vancouver, Canada.

The victory was tempered by the loss of star defenseman Ed Jovanovski to a right shoulder injury after he slid into the boards three minutes into the game.

Jovanovski, who has seven goals and 21 points, was in obvious pain as a trainer attended to his shoulder, then skated straight to the locker room and did not return.