Penguins  2    Devils  5

Recap: New Jersey vs. Pittsburgh

Sports Network | March 17, 2010

Newark, NJ (Sports Network) - Zach Parise and Patrik Elias each posted a goal and one assist as New Jersey completed a six-game regular-season sweep of Pittsburgh with a 5-2 decision at the Prudential Center.

Dainius Zubrus, Paul Martin and Rob Niedermayer also tallied for the Devils, who have won four of five and are tied for the Atlantic Division lead with 87 points.

Martin Brodeur stopped 24 shots for New Jersey, which has won six in a row over Pittsburgh for the first time since moving from Denver prior to the 1982-83 season.

"With the respect that we have for them, we know that if we don't play hard we're going to have a tough time," Brodeur said of the defending Cup champions. "That respect makes us more accountable to the way we play."

Chris Kunitz and Ruslan Fedotenko scored for the Penguins, who have dropped three of four.

Marc-Andre Fleury allowed four goals on 13 shots over 30-plus minutes in the loss. Brent Johnson finished the game by stopping all five shots he faced.

Martin gave the Devils a 2-1 lead with a slick wrister inside the left post from the right wing with 1:42 left in the first period.

Fleury made a spectacular sweeping glove save on Travis Zajac's short-handed breakaway early in the second period. However, he was beaten seconds later as Elias broke away and stuck a forehander home at 3:09.

New Jersey took a 4-1 lead at 10:17 and chased Fleury as Parise finished off a ragged 4-on-2 rush by poking a loose puck home from inside the crease.

Fedotenko's right-circle shot at 5:23 of the third period brought the visitors within two, but the Pens failed on a late-game three-minute power play and Niedermayer hit the empty net with 1:13 to go.

"We had a good idea of what we wanted to do and how to play this game," said Pens head coach Dan Bylsma. "But then halfway through the game they have 12 shots and five of them are breakaways...we made some poor decisions with the puck. I don't think the errors were forced."

Kunitz put the Pens on the board just over four minutes into the contest, and Zubrus equalized at 10:51.

Martin's goal was his first of the year, in his first game back since October 24 after surgery on a fractured left arm...Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin missed the game after suffering a foot injury while blocking a shot on Sunday. He is officially listed as day-to-day...The Devils wore red-and-green jerseys for the contest, honoring the color scheme the club wore from 1982 to 1992...The last sweep in the series between these clubs came when Pittsburgh swept a three-game series from the Devils during lockout-shortened 1995 season.