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UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) -- For one game, a coaching change made the difference for the New Jersey Devils.
Under new leader Larry Robinson, the Devils got four-point nights from linemates Patrik Elias and Petr Sykora on Friday night as New Jersey routed the New York Islanders 8-2.
|  | | Larry Robinson has already shown he can get the most out of the Devils' dynamic young Czech duo. |
"We played with some new life," goalie Martin Brodeur said. Brodeur won his 40th game of the season by making just 19 saves. "We kept the game simple and solid."
The Devils won despite missing three defensemen. Scott Niedermayer served the second game of his 10-game suspension for hitting Peter Worrell in the head with his stick. Scott Stevens had the flu and didn't dress. And general manager Lou Lamoriello threw Deron Quint off the team earlier in the day for conduct detrimental to the team. Lamoriello wouldn't disclose the reason, but said it was not anything criminal or legal.
Robinson changed the lines around a bit, though he kept Sykora and Elias together. He took center Jason Arnott off the line, moved Sykora in the middle and added Randy McKay.
"It's fun and different skating with two such talented people," McKay said. "We're learning a new system as a team, and we have to take it from there."
Sykora opened the scoring at 8:23 when he beat Kevin Weekes with a slap shot from the top of the left circle.
Elias made it 2-0 at 11:19 on a give-and-go with Sykora.
McKay scored his 16th goal on a power play at 16:15. Islanders coach Butch Goring pulled Weekes at that point, after he stopped nine shots, and put in Stephen Valiquette. Valiquette stayed in for 74 seconds without facing a shot, and then Weekes finished up.
Bobby Holik, on a power play backhander, and Elias, on a tip-in, scored in the second period to make it 5-0. Tim Connolly ended Brodeur's shutout bid with a goal off a faceoff at 11:17.
Sykora scored a short-handed goal at 4:57 of the third, and then Alexander Mogilny got his first goal with the Devils at 11:09.
"It was nice to get that one there," said Mogilny, acquired before last week's trade deadline. "I was pressing a little bit. I hope more like that will follow."
Evgeny Korolev scored his first NHL goal for the Islanders when he flipped a bouncing puck over Brodeur's poke check attempt at 12:28. Colin White ended the scoring with a slap shot from the left
point past Weekes at 13:40.
"I didn't buy the theory about them being fired up for a new coach before the game, but once the game started, you could see it was true," Weekes said. "It seemed like there was a comedy of errors, and tonight, I was the main act. I wish I was a Ninja and could have evaporated into the ice."
Robinson was pleased that the Devils were able to take his philosophies and turn them into a victory.
"The guys played really really hard tonight," Robinson said. "This was a great win to build on because they can see if you play well in your own zone, you can score goals."
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
New Jersey Clubhouse
NY Islanders Clubhouse
First-place Devils fire coach Ftorek, promote Robinson
Morganti: Lamoriello's bold move
Newcomer Quint wears out welcome in New Jersey
RECAPS
Pittsburgh 5
Atlanta 3
New Jersey 8
NY Islanders 2
St. Louis 5
Tampa Bay 1
Dallas 5
Chicago 1
Vancouver 8
Anaheim 1
San Jose 5
Phoenix 1
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Jamie Rivers knocks down his own goalie, allowing a Petr Sykora goal.
avi: 828 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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