The good times keep rolling for the New Jersey Devils. They had to go to a shootout, but ended up on the winning side for the seventh straight game, defeating the Atlanta Thrashers 3-2 in Newark.

Atlanta would go up 1-0 on Todd White’s power play goal, his sixth of the year, with about five minutes remaining in the first period. But, Sergei Brylin would tie the game at 1 sending Paul Martin’s rebound shot past Johan Hedberg with just 50 seconds remaining the period.

John Madden put the Devils ahead 2-1 late in the second period tapping in an easy set-up pass from defenseman Karel Rachunek.

Ilya Kovalchuk scored his league-leading 22nd goal midway through the third on a slapshot from the top of the circle, beating Martin brodeur and knotting the game at 2.

The overtime period was scoreless with four shots for each time and Atlanta getting the better of the opportunities. The game went to a shootout.

Slava Kozlov and Zach Parise were both stopped in the first round. Then, in the second round after Brodeur stopped Marian Hossa, Brian Gionta came in on Hedberg with speed and beat him with a backhander.

"At the blue line, I saw he had come way out on me," Gionta said to the press in Newark. "Once I saw he was out, I tried picking up a little more speed to beat him back to the net."

Brodeur then stopped Ilya Kovalchuk with a quick glove and sealed the victory for the Devils. "I just wanted to stay with him as long as I could, while he was going across the crease" Brodeur said in Newark

New Jersey will take their momentum into Wednesday’s game against the Boston Bruins. The game will matchup the Devils up against their coach from last year, Claude Julien, who was fired with only a few games left in the regular season.

Notes: Jay Pandolfo was scratched for the second straight game, as was defenseman Sheldon Brookbank. The Devils dressed seven defenseman and rotated Brylin, Rod Pelley and Arron Asham in the spot normally reserved for Pandolfo.

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