NHL: Is Beating Rangers in Shootout a Turning Point in Devils' Season?

The New Jersey Devils went into the All-Star break last week on a three-game losing streak. They could have come out of it with a one-goal loss to the conference-leading New York Rangers on Tuesday night at the Prudential Center in Newark after falling behind with four minutes to go in the third period.

Then David Clarkson put home a puck that caromed off a stanchion on the end-board glass and right to him in front for a game-tying shot with 48 seconds left.

Ilya Kovalchuk and Martin Brodeur then combined for one goal and three saves, respectively, in the ensuing shootout to lift the Devils to a stunning 4-3 home win over their cross-river rivals in just the second meeting between the two teams so far this season.

Kovalchuk and Zach Parise also scored for the Devils in regulation time, while Brodeur finished with 23 saves. Devils defenseman Andy Greene, finally back from a broken foot suffered in the fall, set up Clarkson's game-tying marker with a long drive/pass off the glass in the last minute of play.

The improbable victory put New Jersey (27-19-3) in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of eighth-place Toronto, and just three behind sixth-place Ottawa. The Rangers remained in first place, just one point ahead of defending Stanley Cup champion Boston.

The Devils and Rangers are slated to meet five more times before the regular season wraps up in April. New Jersey will likely have to scratch and claw for every point down the stretch to secure an NHL playoff spot, but the hope is that last night's win can serve as a springboard to that stretch run.

The Devils did not look good in their previous three outings, scoring just one goal in each of those contests to fall into a four-way tie for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. They're still just 2-6-0 against the East's big three of the Rangers, Boston and Philadelphia—but those are teams that, if the Devils don't have to beat them outright to earn a playoff berth, are ones they will most likely face once the postseason commences. (Unfortunately, there won't be any shootouts, of which the Devils have already won a league-leading nine this season.)

This could all be a moot point if the Devils drop five of their next six games—but New Jersey can definitely use Tuesday night's win over the top team in the East as an adrenalin shot towards getting back to the playoffs after a one-year absence (so long as they continue to cut down on their proclivity for surrendering shorthanded goals, among other things).

With just 33 games to go now, it's time for the Devils to really get going.