Devils Beat Penguins

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Ilya Kovalchuk had a goal and two assists to snap out of a scoring slump and the New Jersey Devils beat the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins for the fifth straight time, 3-1 on Friday night.

Martin Brodeur made 33 saves for his 37th win of the season and 594th overall.

The Devils, who have outscored Pittsburgh 16-3 during the run, pulled within two points of the Penguins for first place in the Atlantic Division with 17 games to play.

New Jersey also tied Montreal's NHL record for consecutive seasons with 40 or more victory with 13. Montreal won 40 or more games in 13 straight seasons from 1971 to 1983 — when regulation ties were not broken in overtime or shootouts.