Devils nip Bruins in defensive struggle

When New Jersey Devils goaltending legend Martin Broduer went down in November with a bicep tear, there were fears that their season would be over.  Instead, backup Scott Clemmensen has performed well in relief and the Devils have shot up the standings.  They currently hold the Atlantic Division lead and with a 1-0 victory over the Eastern Conference leading Boston Bruins on Friday night have cut the margin between themselves and first place to ten points.

Clemmensen turned away 31 Bruins’ shots, and a lone goal by defenseman Bryce Salvador in the 2nd period proved the margin of victory.  Clemmensen had gone nearly five years in the NHL without recording a shutout heading into this season.  On Friday, he tallied his second consecutive shutout after beating the NY Rangers 3-0 on Monday night.  Overall, the Devils have won 12 of 14 games and could not have responded better to a potentially crushing blow such as Broduer’s injury.  They also got some good news on that front on Friday, as Broduer practiced for the first time in months skating and taking a few shots from the Devils coaching staff.

After the game, Clemmensen deflected praise for his performance and instead focused on the team’s renewed commitment following Broduer’s injury:

"We've really made a strong push to get to the top of the standings. If we're going to make that next push and be an elite level team in this league, we've got to beat teams like this. We know we can beat anyone in the league no matter what."

He also addressed questions on his role upon Broduer’s eventual return:

"I don't know what is going to happen when he comes back. I just know that if called upon, I'm going to play the best that I can. It's taken me so long, and it's been so hard to get here that I'm not going to take any game for granted or any situation for granted."

The Devils’ goaltending in Broduer’s absence—thanks to Clemmensen and his backup, veteran Kevin Weekes-- has been so solid that there’s now no reason to rush him back. 

The Bruins have lost three straight, but goalie Tim Thomas was happy with the team’s overall play on Friday despite the loss:

“We played a good game. We could have easily won that game. We needed a couple of bounces and few pucks to go in. Clemmensen looked like he was in a zone. He played really well."

Boston’s road trip continues on Saturday night against the Nashville Predators.  They’ll play at Carolina on Tuesday and in Miami against the Florida Panthers next Saturday.  New Jersey will get another shot at an elite level team on Sunday as they host the Western Conference leading San Jose Sharks.  They’ll then hit the road, traveling to Florida for games on Tuesday in Miami against the Panthers and on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.