Devil Duo Redeems Itself in the End

Randy McKay and Bobby Holik got their act together just in time for the New Jersey Devils.

McKay took a pass from Holik and scored from close range at 5:31 of overtime Saturday as the defending Stanley Cup champion Devils defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs, 6-5, at East Rutherford, N.J., to even the Eastern Conference semifinal series at one game apiece.

Until the goal, McKay and Holik played one of their worst playoff games ever. They were on the ice for four of Toronto’s goals, including three in the final 14:01 of regulation.

“Even if we had won that game 5-4, I would have been in a bad mood,� McKay said. “I was on for four goals against and made some mistakes. It wasn’t my night and this was the biggest game of the playoffs.�

Sitting in the locker room after the third period, teammates told the two to fight back.

“It was no big deal,� said Scott Gomez, who had a goal and two assists. “We kept saying: ‘Who’s going to get it?’ We kind of joked that they owed us one, and they came through.�

Pittsburgh 3, Buffalo 1--With Jaromir Jagr sidelined because of a charley horse, the Penguins needed someone to fill the void at Buffalo. Few expected that player to be Andrew Ference.

Ference, a defenseman known for his hard-hitting style, scored the go-ahead goal with 11:51 to play, lifting the Penguins to a 2-0 lead in the series.

Robert Lang and Alexei Kovalev also scored for Penguins, who will host Game 3 on Monday.

Around the League

Although Mike Modano did not skate Saturday, the Dallas Star center said his injured left ankle is only sprained and he might play tonight against the St. Louis Blues in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series.