Devils-Maple Leafs: Toronto Falls While Other Eastern Contenders Rise

It was deja vu for the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night, and even more so again for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Zach Parise burned the Leafs with two more goals, and goaltender Martin Brodeur and the Devils beat Toronto for the fourth straight time this season without a defeat, winning at the ACC 2-1.

Parise had also tallied twice in the Devils' 4-1 triumph over the Leafs four nights earlier, and now has five goals in the last three contests.

Parise also has a team-high five goals and six points against the Leafs this season.

Brodeur made 42 saves for the Devils, improving to 4-0-0 against Toronto while surrendering only six goals total.

And on the Leafs' side, it was more of the same again.

The game appeared to be headed for overtime, as captain Mats Sundin broke Brodeur's shutout bid with 6:16 remaining to tie the game.

Sundin's goal came on the power play, as Toronto finally broke through, after failing on a two-man advantage earlier in the final period.

This was a game the Leafs had to win, as they started the day six points behind Philadelphia for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

At the time of the Sundin goal, the Flyers had already gone ahead of the New York Islanders 3-1 and were on their way to another victory. The Leafs could ill afford to drop eight points back at this stage of the season.

But yet again, the Leafs allowed the game to slip away in the final moments, much like the meltdowns they endured in the first half of the season.

Sundin made a bid for his 32nd goal of the season and the go-ahead score with about 1:30 left with a good shot at Brodeur, but the Devils netminder kicked it aside.

The Devils then had their chance in the final minute, but Leafs goalie Vesa Toskala appeared to have the puck covered in the crease.

The play continued, however, as Toskala couldn't control the rebound, and Jamie Langenbrunner and Parise were allowed to walk in front of the Leafs goaltender.

Parise eventually jammed home the go-ahead marker, and the Devils had a 2-1 lead with only 48 seconds remaining.

Leafs head coach Paul Maurice (on the bench) and interim GM Cliff Fletcher's (in the press box) faces said it all when Parise got the last-minute goal.

It was another brutal way to finish off another game, something that Maurice had seen way too often this season.

In the final 48 seconds, the Leafs tried but couldn't get the equalizer to force OT.

The Leafs buzzed the Devils zone but Brodeur made a couple of big stops near the end to protect the victory for New Jersey.

It was a frustrating loss for Toronto, who outshot New Jersey 43-31 and dominated the play from the start. The Leafs also hit three goal posts in the first period alone, and fell eight points behind the Flyers.

Philadelphia defeated the Islanders 4-1 on Saturday night.

While the Devils' win and the Leafs' loss was not surprising, there were other surprises in the East on Saturday.

All the teams that were holding down playoff spots won, while all those that didn't, lost. Thus, the gap between the top eight and the bottom feeders has widened, with fewer games remaining.

Boston beat Washington 2-1 earlier in the day. Montreal knocked off Los Angeles 5-2. Ottawa won 4-2 in Phoenix. Carolina beat Buffalo 4-3 in overtime.

The Devils now lead the East with 86 points, followed closely by the Canadiens with their 85. The Hurricanes have the No. 3 spot with 79 points, seven more than the Southeast Division rival Capitals.

The Senators kept pace with their 83rd point, allowing them to tie the idle Pittsburgh Penguins for No. 4 in the conference. Pittsburgh has a game in hand over Ottawa. Both have 38 victories and 7 OT/shootout losses.

The Bruins are sixth with 79 points, tied with the idle New York Rangers. The same two teams face off at MSG on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Flyers' victory gives them 78 points, as the eighth-place squad is just a point out of sixth.

Ninth-place Buffalo did gain a single point in its loss, falling four points behind the Flyers with 74.

With the top teams winning, it looks as though the intrigue will be on who finishes No. 1, as opposed to who will actually make the playoffs.

Only three points separate New Jersey, Montreal, Pittsburgh, and Ottawa for that top spot. And two of them will have to settle for the No. 4 and 5 seeds thanks to the presence of the Southeast Division leader (Carolina) in the third spot.