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BOSTON (Ticker) -- Martin Brodeur and Jay Pandolfo made it a happy homecoming for New Jersey Devils coach Pat Burns. Brodeur recorded his fourth shutout of the season and Pandolfo was credited with the game's only goal as the Devils held on for a 1-0 victory over the Boston Bruins in a battle of Eastern Conference powers. Burns made his first trip back to FleetCenter since he was fired by the Bruins following the 2000-01 season. It turned out to be a successful one thanks to Brodeur, who stopped 33 shots, and Pandolfo, who ended a 14-game scoring drought. "It's just a win," Burns said. "I've been away from the game for a couple of years and it's good to be back. I've always said I love Boston. It's a great city, fans are great and it's fun coming back. But it's just another win." Brodeur's third 1-0 whitewash of the season was his 59th career shutout. "You know that one little mistake and you might pay the price," he said. "It makes you bear down. With 10 minutes left, you feel that you're going to need a shutout to win the game. Your focus is a lot better in tight games. You make less mistakes and you're aware more of what's going on." Brodeur turned aside 10 shots in the first period, 12 in the second and 11 in the third, when Boston began to put traffic in front of the net. He got his blocker on Rob Zamuner's shot from the edge of the right faceoff circle with 13 minutes left, moments after Jozef Stumpel's deflection slid just wide of the right goalpost. With three minutes remaining, Brodeur twice stopped Glen Murray from close range. "That one shift, I was running out of juice there a little bit," Brodeur admitted. "They stayed in our zone for a long period of time." All three of Pandolfo's goals this season have been game-winners. His first since November 29 came with 3:47 left in the opening period. John Madden's wrist shot from the top of the left circle was stopped by goaltender John Grahame, but Madden banked the rebound off Pandolfo's leg and into the net. "I just tried to get to the net because I knew (Madden) was going to shoot it," said Pandolfo, who starred at Boston University from 1992-96. "I think he got the rebound and just backhanded it right off of my leg. I'll take as many of those as I can get." New Jersey has scored more than two goals just four times in its last 14 games but has used a 4-1-1 stretch to climb within two points of Boston for second place in the East. "What I'm concerned about is the win-loss column. That's what I'm judged on," Burns said. "I'm not judged on how many goals we score. If you want to judge me on how many goals we score, I might as well look for another job." Coming off Saturday's 1-0 victory over Atlanta, the Bruins fell to 2-7-1 in their last 10 games. "(Brodeur) played great tonight. He's the one that won, so you have to give him credit," said Grahame, who made 26 saves. "I thought I played solid. I thought I gave the team a chance to win, but when it comes down to it, you've got to win. So you've got to be disappointed if you're not winning." Boston nearly scored first, but former Devil Brian Rolston put a wrist shot from the high slot off the right goalpost with 6:21 to go in the opening period. "When a shot goes off the post and doesn't go in, I was like, 'This is good, this could be a good night,'" Brodeur said. Once New Jersey grabbed the lead, it felt like it could be a long night, Bruins captain Joe Thornton said. "It's tough because they clamp down defensively," he added. "Marty Brodeur plays the puck so well, it's tough to get any offense. ... We kept them down, we just couldn't get that one goal." |
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