DEVILS 101

Defenseman Mark Fayne scored on a long slap shot at 1:18 of overtime to lift the New Jersey Devils over the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-3, giving New Jersey it's fourth-straight victory.

The goal ended a poor night for Maple Leafs' goalie Jonas Gustavsson, who allowed two questionable goals in the game.

With the win, the Devils improved to 34-20-4 and trail the Pittsburgh Penguins by just one point for fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The Devils have two games in hand.

Petr Sykor and David Clarkson scored in the first period for New Jersey. Tim Connolly scored for the Leafs in the first against Martin Brodeur.

Clark MacArthur and Alexei Ponikarovsky traded second-period goals.

New Jersey appeared headed for the win in regulation when Phil Kessel scored his 31st goal of the season with just 44 second left in the game. But New Jersey rebounded early in overtime to notch the win and sweep their short two game road trip to Montreal and Toronto.

New Jersey now returns home for a tough challenge Friday night against the Vancouver Canucks and then faces the Tampa Bay Lightning at home on Sunday afternoon before a rematch with the New York Rangers Monday night at Madison Square Garden.

Hoping to stay – Alexei Ponikarovsky is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, but he told reporters Tuesday that he would be pleased with a return engagement in New Jersey.

“I’m happy to be with the Devils,” Ponikarovsky told Tom Gulitti of the Bergen Record. “We’re playing pretty well and it’s a good bunch of guys here, a good group, a good team and well coached. So, we’re just having fun playing right now and in a playoff spot.”

Ponikarovksy has been a pleasant surprise playing on a line with Steve Bernier and Dainius Zubrus that has given the Devils size and a scoring touch.

“It’s a pretty good team,” Ponikarovsky said. “I would like to stay for sure, but it’s all going to depend on how I’m going to play and how the team is going to do and the same old stuff. That’s why I’m not making any comments on that. I don’t know what’s going to happen. We’ll wait and see.”

Parise no distraction – Devils coach Peter DeBoer was peppered with questions by the Toronto media about trading Zach Parise by the Feb. 27 deadline. But DeBoer made his point quite plain that it is business as usual for the Devils.

"It hasn’t been a distraction, I think, because our general manager has made it very clear that it’s not an issue, he’s not going anywhere, he’s a big part of our team, he’s our captain,” DeBoer said. “I think that kind of ended the distraction right there. Also, the fact of where we’re sitting and where we’re heading and how we’re playing, he’s a huge part of that. So, it’s a non-issue.”

Parise can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and talks on a new contract have not begun. Parise has rebounded nicely from missing 70 games to a knee injury last season and won't be short of suitors if he reached unrestricted free agency.

“He’s an exceptional player, but he’s an exceptional person,” DeBoer told Gulitti. “This guy is one of the hardest-working people I’ve ever been around, not just in sports, in general. He’s committed. He’s a rare guy and I think if you ask anyone in that room, he earns what he gets on the ice because he comes and punches the clock every day and puts his work boots on and never gives anything less than 100 percent.”

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