Devils win with Weekes in goal

Ex-Cane beats Lightning in shootout

One day after the New Jersey Devils learned Martin Brodeur will be sidelined for months, backup Kevin Weekes gave the team the kind of goaltending it will need to get by without him.

After allowing a shootout goal to Vincent Lecavalier, Weekes stopped Jussi Jokinen and Vaclav Prospal to give the Devils a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday night in Newark, N.J.

Weekes, a former Carolina Hurricane, is expected to be the Devils' primary goalie in place of Brodeur, who will be sidelined until at least February after tearing a biceps tendon in his left elbow this past weekend.

Patrik Elias and Jamie Langenbrunner scored in the shootout for New Jersey, which won for the second time in six games. The Devils also got goals from David Clarkson, Elias and Jay Pandolfo in regulation.

Jokinen scored twice for Tampa Bay and Martin St. Louis tied it late in the third period, but the Lightning's three-game winning streak ended.

Both teams had four shots in overtime. Smith made 35 saves overall, and Weekes had 24.

ALSO WEDNESDAY

BLUE JACKETS 5, OILERS 4: Manny Malhotra tipped in a rebound with 1:09 left, making a winner of prized goalie prospect Steve Mason in his NHL debut and leading Columbus over Edmonton at Columbus, Ohio.

Raffi Torres, playing against his teammates from last season, had a shot from the right wing that goalie Dwayne Roloson blocked. Torres followed up by chipping a shot over Roloson while he was down in the crease. Malhotra then reached over to tip the puck into the net.

Mason, making his fourth professional start and first in the NHL, had 22 saves.

LATE TUESDAY

SHARKS 3, WILD 1: At San Jose, Calif., Jamie McGinn and Ryane Clowe scored within 2:14 in the third period of San Jose's victory over Minnesota.

Mike Grier also scored for the Sharks, who own the best record in the NHL at 11-2.

COYOTES 4, FLAMES 2: At Calgary, Alberta, Ed Jovanovski, Derek Morris and Steve Reinprecht scored their first goals of the season to lead Phoenix over Calgary.

Jovanovski broke a 2-2 tie at 11:52 of the second period with a low slap shot from the blue line that trickled in off the glove of goalie Miikka Kiprusoff.

CANUCKS 4, PREDATORS 0: At Vancouver, British Columbia, Kyle Wellwood scored twice and Roberto Luongo made 24 saves for his third shutout of the season, lifting the Canucks over Nashville.

Daniel Sedin scored the final goal off a nice touch pass from twin brother Henrik.

DUCKS 1, KINGS 0 (OT): Chris Pronger scored 40 seconds into overtime, and Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 35 saves to lift Anaheim over host Los Angeles.

Pronger drilled a 45-foot slap shot past Kings goalie Erik Ersberg just after a Ducks power play ended to give Anaheim the victory.

The shutout was Giguere's second of the season and the 31st of his career.