Sabres 4, Devils 1
Kennedy gets on the board in Sabres' victory
Rookie nets first career goal
NEWARK, N.J. — Martin Brodeur was named Rookie of the Year when Tim Kennedy was 7 years old. In the 16 years since, the New Jersey Devils' goaltender has amassed more victories than any netminder in history.
During those same 16 years, Kennedy had repeatedly dreamed of scoring his first NHL goal. He worked his way from the streets of South Buffalo to the campus of Michigan State and onto the Buffalo Sabres' roster.
Kennedy's first goal finally came Wednesday. It came against possibly the best goalie ever to stand in the crease.
The Buffalo Sabres' rookie center scored six minutes into the teams' meeting in Prudential Center, helping the Sabres earn a 4-1 victory. It was their third straight win, all coming on the road.
"It's a real special feeling," Kennedy said. "I'd been working real hard the last eight games trying to get one, and to get the first one on a goalie like that, it's something that I'll always remember."
Kennedy's goal was far from the highlight-reel variety, but it will be replayed in his neighborhood for some time to come.
The 23-year-old retrieved a loose puck behind the New Jersey goal, skated to the base of the right faceoff circle and quickly turned to fire a blind shot at the net. The low attempt went between Brodeur's feet, allowing Kennedy to jump into the arms of his teammates.
Allowing goals is nothing new for Brodeur, who'd given up 2,195 in his career to that point. He surely doesn't remember them all, but Kennedy will never forget No. 2,196.
"For me to score on him first, it's real special," Kennedy said. "I think he'll stop me a lot more than I'll ever score on him, but to get that first one is really nice."
It was merely a matter of time before Kennedy scored his initial goal. He entered the game with 21 shots, tied for fifth on the Sabres, and has been generating numerous chances.
"He had a lot of chances in the games before, a lot of close calls," said left wing Jochen Hecht, who retrieved the souvenir puck. "It wasn't the pretty one, but it went in, and he was very happy about it."
Kennedy's goal was part of another red-hot start by the Sabres. Clarke MacArthur scored just 1:21 after the opening faceoff. The shots were 8-2 in the Sabres' favor when Kennedy scored, and the total ballooned to 14-5 late in the first period.
The Devils, determined not to get blown out in the second period, cut their deficit to 2-1 on defenseman Andy Greene's power-play goal with 4:17 gone.
The game was tight midway through the third, with the Devils tying the shot counter at 22- all.
On the Sabres' 23rd shot, Brodeur allowed his 2,197th goal. Matt Ellis slid the puck to Paul Gaustad at the top of the crease, and the center paused before sliding a shot into the net to give the Sabres breathing room. Jason Pominville sealed the result with a power-play goal with 2:39 to play.
The Sabres, who moved to 4-0 on the road and 7-1-1 overall, return home to host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday.
"We were looking for a good start," coach Lindy Ruff said. "We've had a lot of good things happen."
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