There was little reward for the few New Jersey Devils fans who trekked through a blizzard to see their team Sunday.
Jonas Gustavsson stopped 29 shots, and Colby Armstrong scored two goals as the Toronto Maple Leafs ended a three-game losing streak with a 4-1 win over the Devils.
The Devils (9-24-2), who have the fewest points in the NHL, have lost five straight and 10 of 11 this month. New Jersey is 0-2 since Jacques Lemaire replaced John MacLean and began his third stint as Devils coach.
The New York area was hit by a heavy snowstorm that held the announced crowd to 5,329. The actual turnout appeared in the range of 2,500 to 3,000, some of whom left early following the announcement that local bus service was about to be suspended because of the storm.
“I don’t know how many fans come to their games anyway,” Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson said. “It doesn’t matter. You shouldn’t be hearing that stuff anyway. These games are tough for the road, to have to travel early in the morning. Our guys were professional and we were ready.”
With the building largely empty, the Devils extended an invitation midway through the second period for fans in the upper levels to move to the lower bowl.
Those who came down for a closer view saw the Devils extend their losing streak.
John Mitchell and Nikolai Kulemin also scored for the Maple Leafs, who are 10 points ahead of the last-place Devils. The quiet building and a lack of atmosphere might have been just what Toronto needed to pick up a road win.
“There weren’t many people,” Gustavsson said. “You couldn’t expect people to get here with the storm. It’s tough to find a spark out there anyway.”
At Newark, N.J., the Maple Leafs have an extra night to celebrate. Plans to fly home after the game were wiped out by the storm.
New Jersey gift-wrapped the opening goal by Armstrong at 13:50 of the first. Devils forward Brian Rolston was checked by Kris Versteeg as he tried to make a clearing pass from his end. The puck popped right to Armstrong, alone in the slot, and he flipped a shot past Martin Brodeur’s glove.
“I was trying to hit our defenceman in front,” Rolston said. “It’s a play that we make all the time. I take responsibility for that. It seems like one misstep and we go right down hill.”
Mitchell put Toronto up 2-0 at 8:45 of the second period with Versteeg again playing a role. Versteeg carried the puck into the Devils zone, eluding several checkers as he went hard to the net to hammer a shot that Brodeur stopped. Mitchell was at the doorstep to clean up the rebound for his second goal in two games.
Capitals 3 at Hurricanes 2
Alex Ovechkin had a goal to end an eight-game drought and added an assist for Washington, which held on for the win.
Blue Jackets 1 Blackhawks 4
Patrick Sharp scored two goals and Marty Turco made 26 saves to lead the Blackhawks their fourth straight win.
Lightning 3 at Thrashers 2, OT
Vincent Lecavalier’s second goal of the game — a power-play tally 1:13 into overtime — gave Tampa Bay the victory.
Red Wings 4 Wild 1
Henrik Zetterberg had a goal and an assist, powering the Red Wings to the victory.
Coyotes 1 at Stars 0
Jason LaBarbera stopped 29 shots for his fifth career shutout and Kyle Turris scored in the second period, leading Phoenix to the win.
Predators 0 Blues 2
At St. Louis, Jaroslav Halak made 32 saves for his fourth shutout and David Backes scored twice, sending St. Louis to its third consecutive win.
Canadiens 1 at Islanders 4
Dwayne Roloson stopped 37 shots, and the Islanders stretched their winning streak to three.
Ducks 1 at Kings 4
Dustin Brown had a goal and an assist after getting flattened by a punch, backup Jonathan Bernier made 18 saves, and the Kings beat the Ducks in the second installment of the “Freeway Faceoff.”