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Tuesday, Oct. 17 7:30pm ET
Atlanta better, but still winless | |||||
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ATLANTA (AP) -- The Atlanta Thrashers were proud of this point. Embarrassed a year ago by New Jersey, the Thrashers got a strong effort from goalie Damian Rhodes and pulled out a 3-3 tie with the defending Stanley Cup champion Devils on Tuesday night. "They spanked us four games last year," Atlanta's Ray Ferraro said. "I don't even know if they broke a sweat. They were too big and too fast for us." The Devils won by a combined score of 24-2 last season, including a 9-0 rout that is the worst loss in the history of the Atlanta franchise. Even though the Thrashers remained winless in Year 2, they forced New Jersey to scramble for the tie. Sergei Brylin scored with 3:47 remaining to give the Devils a point. "We added a lot of guys who can skate," Ferraro said. "We've closed the gap, as far as speed. They are defending champs, best in the league, but we hung in there and worked hard. We should be proud of the effort." Rhodes, who struggled through an injury plagued first season in Atlanta, made a season-high 34 saves. "Damian has been terrific from the start of training camp," coach Curt Fraser said. "He has been confident. He is playing to win every night. It is so important for us to have strong goaltending, especially against a team like New Jersey. ... Damian stood tall." Tomi Kallio scored his first NHL goal in the opening minute of the third period for the Thrashers (0-2-2), beating Martin Brodeur from just above the right faceoff circle. Brodeur got a piece of the puck with his left pad but it slipped through. The Devils tied it at 3 when Brylin grabbed a loose puck in the middle of the Atlanta zone, skated to the right circle and fired a shot through a screen that got over Rhodes' right pad. "I guess it was a good point for us," Brylin said. "Everybody is going to play hard against us. Everybody wants to beat us." New Jersey outshot the Thrashers 37-16, but Rhodes came up with several big saves in the third period. In overtime, Brodeur made a game-saving stop with just three seconds remaining. Steve Staios led a 2-on-1 break into the Devils zone with the clock winding down, but his pass for Ferraro was slightly off the mark. Brodeur pounced out of the net to poke-check the puck away from Ferraro and the clock ran out. It was the second time in four games the Thrashers held a late lead, only to give up the equalizing goal. Washington pulled out a 3-3 tie in similar fashion last Wednesday. Donald Audette put the Thrashers ahead with his third goal of the season at 5:23 of the first period. The teams then combined for three goals in less than a two-minute span of the second period. Scott Stevens evened the score for the Devils on a power-play goal at 6:55, and Patrik Elias gave New Jersey its only lead 25 seconds later. But Ferraro scored for the Thrashers at 8:52 on a power play. "They were clutching and grabbing and not letting us get too involved," New Jersey coach Larry Robinson said. "But for the most part, we didn't play well." Game notesNew Jersey C Jay Pandolfo didn't play after bruising his shoulder in Saturday's victory over Anaheim. ... Atlanta C Patrick Stefan, last year's top overall draft pick, has yet to play because of a strained right groin. ... The Devils played their fourth of eight straight games against non-divisional opponents to begin the season. ... There were no penalties in the first period. ... The crowd of 13,106 was the second-smallest in Atlanta history, eclipsed only by a turnout of 11,414 in the previous home game. | ALSO SEE NHL Scoreboard New Jersey Clubhouse Atlanta Clubhouse RECAPS Ottawa 6 Philadelphia 1
New Jersey 3
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