The Devils entered into Friday night’s contest ready to sweep their season series over the Atlanta Thrashers. But the Thrashers had other things in mind, as they walked away the victors after a scintillating 10-round shootout.

The Devils controlled the majority of the first half of the game. Patrik Elias delivered a shot 17:10 into regulation on Johan Hedberg which was stopped. But Zach Parise was in front and was able to slam a backhanded shot around Hedberg, tallying the Devils’ first goal of the night, his twenty-first of the season. A couple of minutes later, Eric Boulton tripped Jamie Langenbrunner in front of the Devils’ bench. Elias started throwing punches at Boulton (who was also hit from behind from other Devils’ players on the bench), as a five-on-five pursued around them. Boulton and Colin White were both issued a two-minute minor for roughing.

With Bobby Holik caught without a stick during a Devils’ power play, Brian Gionta notched the Devils’ second goal just 3:09 into the second period when he delivered a slapshot at the top of the left face-off circle, and into the back of the net, his fifteenth of the season. Right after the puck was dropped following Gionta’s goal, Arron Asham and Mike Rupp decided to team-off and zero in on Boulton and Chris Thorburn. Asham and Thorburn were stopped by the linesmen before they could even scrap, which left Boulton and Rupp. The two were given a five-minute major for fighting.

Mere seconds following the scrap, the Thrashers were able to come back from their two-goal deficit with a snapshot from Ilya Kovalchuk at 3:59, his fortieth goal of the season. With David Clarkson in the penalty box for holding, the Thrashers would tie up the game sixteen seconds into the power play as Mark Recchi sent a pass along to Todd White, who was standing at the doorstep of Martin Brodeur, and tipped-in the puck at 11:31, his twelfth of the season.

John Madden would break the tie at 8:45 into the third period when he ripped a wrist-shot to the left of Hedberg, which ricocheted off the post and into the net, tallying his fifteenth of the season. With just eighteen seconds left in regulation, Marian Hossa tied up the game after he sent a wrist-shot behind Brodeur, who had no way of stopping it with all the traffic inside of the crease. The 3-3 contest went scoreless in the extra period.

The shootout went ten rounds as the Thrashers were given the nod to go first. Patrik Elias and Jamie Langenbrunner were able to score for the Devils, while Kovalchuk, Hossa, and Pascal Dupuis were able to beat Brodeur, with Dupuis tallying the game-winner.

Devils Notes

Rod Pelley was sent down to the Lowell Devils after being scratched the last three games. The Devils decided to send him down so that he could have some playing time.

With Friday night’s loss to the Thrashers, the Devils and Penguins are tied for first place. "It's disappointing," Zach Parise said after the loss. "It was a good chance for us to jump into sole possession of first place, but it didn't happen."

The Devils are in Ottawa for their final meeting against the Senators this season. Game time is at 7 p.m. If New Jersey is able to defeat Ottawa for the second time in a row, then the Devils will have sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division, even if it is only for 24 hours. The Penguins do not play until Sunday night when they face the Buffalo Sabres. Pittsburgh has dropped their last two games, but has still been able to retain the lead in the Atlantic Division.