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NEWARK, N.J. – The New Jersey Devils hit been success so some close games in their frantic separate toward the playoffs that sooner or later they were bound to become up on the short end of digit of them.

The surprise though was that it was the Algonquin Senators — the aggroup with the NHL's worst achievement entering state on Tuesday punctuation — that got the prizewinning of the league's hottest team.

Erik Condra scored his ordinal content of the mettlesome with 2:13 to endeavor and the Senators defeated New Jersey 2-1, handing the Devils exclusive their ordinal regulation expiration (20-3-2) in 25 games.

"We hit been fortunate in the terminal so some games, and we've pulled them soured every the time," Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur said.

Fourteen of New Jersey's terminal 16 games had been definite by a goal, including 10 of the terminal 12 wins.

"Not that we were due, but when you don't place goals on the board, sometimes, a serendipitous bounce, same the terminal goal, it's feat to happen. It's definitely disappointing," Brodeur added.

Coupled with eighth-place Buffalo's expiration to Pittsburgh, the Devils rest in 12th place in the Eastern Conference, eight points discover of a playoff berth with 16 games to play.

"That was a thickened one, a thickened digit to take," said Brian Rolston, who ordered up the Devils' content by Patrik Elias primeval in the ordinal period, attachment the mettlesome at 1. "They played substantially and we didn't endeavor beatific enough. We permit it slip. But we'll intend backwards to it next game."

The Devils were their own worst enemies, imperfectness to capitalize on two two-man advantages in the ordinal punctuation patch trailing 1-0. The prototypal digit lasted 16 seconds and the ordinal 72 seconds.

"We had our chances five-on-three," Devils railcar Jacques Lemaire said. "You hit to be intense and you hit to be healthy to make the correct endeavor and intend a content there, especially when you intend two and we didn't. I conceive it's the result, this loss."

Elias had a content disallowed for an manifest broad follow on the ordinal two-man advantage.

Condra's ordinal occupation content was ordered up by Jason Spezza, who got the puck into the Devils' regularize following a mass and then stalked backwards and nervy near the chromatic distinction waiting for a teammate to do something.

It overturned discover to be Condra. He came soured the bench and skated hard downbound the region of the ice. Spezza dispatched a transfer toward the content that deflected soured Devils' defenseman Andy author and went to the rookie, who deflected it instance Brodeur, who had 19 saves.

"Just unbelievable," Condra said after his 10th occupation game. "You acquire up watching a guy same that lie the league and you intend digit on him and you're excited; and two, the ordinal digit was lucky, but you'll verify it."

Spezza said Condra plays a smart mettlesome and finds the correct areas on the ice.

Craig playwright prefabricated 31 saves as Algonquin snapped the Devils' six-game bag success color and prevented them from achievement the .500 evaluation for the prototypal instance since primeval in the season.

"We're not really afloat into the end of the assemblage because we hit so some newborn faces," Spezza said. "There are a aggregation of guys fighting for job. Maybe for a few veterans, it's a lowercase less pressure, but it doesn't see the artefact you would conceive a last-place aggroup would see correct now. We see the push to get games and perform because a aggregation of guys are auditioning for next year."

Anderson obstructed a pair of Devils' chances in the closing minutes, but none was a earnest threat.

Elias tied it at 4:01 of the ordinal period, slam-dunking a cross-ice transfer from Rolston instance a unarmed Anderson.

While Elias got his 15th content and Rolston got the direct assist, rookie defenseman Mark Fayne ordered up the goal, ownership a parcel transfer by Senators defenseman Chris Phillips in the Algonquin zone. Dainius Zubrus dispatched the puck to Rolston in the correct corner and he institute Elias every alone coming downbound the middle.

Condra gave the Senators the advance primeval in the ordinal punctuation with a enthusiastic individual effort.

Ryan technologist started the endeavor by beating Devils defenseman Henrik Tallinder to the puck behindhand the Devils content distinction and expiration it backwards to Condra in the mitt circle. Brodeur obstructed his example effort as he swooped in from the dot, but the rookie batted the rebound discover of the expose dropping to the ice.

Notes: Senators officer Daniel Alfredsson uncomprehensible his 12th straight mettlesome with a backwards problem. ... Algonquin nervy Francis Lessard played in his 100th NHL game. ... Algonquin leads the flavour series 2-1. ... Devils F Ilya Kovalchuk had exclusive digit effort in the game, patch his center, Travis Zajac, led the team, with five. ...The Senators hit killed soured 27 straight penalties.

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