By BRUCE BERLET, Courant Staff Writer
LOWELL, Mass. -- The Wolf Pack have shown lots of resolve after rare listless performances.
The trend continued Sunday, despite being without 11 players because of injuries and call-ups to the Rangers.
But while the Pack had an edge in quality chances, especially in the first period, they couldn't solve Lowell goalie Jordan Parise, who had 36 saves for his first shutout of the season in a 2-0 Devils victory.
Typical of a tight game between teams fighting for playoff position, a power-play goal proved decisive. Chris Minard broke down the slot, took a pass from Ryan Murphy and sent a shot in off goalie Chris Holt for his team-high 26th goal at 7:23 of the third.
"Parise played really well," said Holt, making his first start after being called up from Charlotte of the ECHL Thursday. "We hit a few posts, and they get a lucky break for a 2-on-1, and one was enough. I don't think [Minard] got all on it that he wanted to - kind of muffed it - and I overcompensated and it slipped off the inside of my arm.
"But once [the game] got into the third, I said it was going to come down to a lucky break or bad bounce, and they got theirs first. It was a good ol' goalie battle, and I thought our defense played really well, blocking two shots I didn't even see and picking up rebounds. We played a good game, but sometimes you just can't beat [the goalie] or get lucky or get a bounce."
Holt (23 saves) robbed Dan LaCouture alone in front with 2:48 left, but then LaCouture iced it with an empty-net goal with 19.7 seconds to go after Grant Marshall intercepted a Bryce Lampman pass.
It was one of only a few mistakes by the Pack, who responded to a 5-2 loss to Springfield Saturday by outshooting the Devils 14-1 in the first 161/2 minutes. Parise made several stellar saves and got lucky when Corey Potter's shot clanged off the post on a power play with 5:01 left in the second. That came 3:21 after Holt stopped a wide-open Murphy backhander in front.
The Devils finished 5-2-0-1 against the Pack and are 5-0-0-3 in their last eight, solidifying their hold on the fourth and final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. The Pack (39-25-3) remain four points behind first-place Manchester but are one point ahead of Providence, three in front of Lowell and six clear of Worcester.
"I thought, for the most part, we made very few mistakes but just couldn't find the back of the net," Pack assistant coach Ken Gernander said. "We have new personnel, and we laid out the groundwork of things we definitely don't do and the kind of play we expect. The effort and execution were there, but we just didn't get rewarded in terms of goals."
Dubinsky Stays in New York
Center Brandon Dubinsky was scheduled to rejoin the Pack but stayed with the Rangers after Martin Straka injured his knee in a 7-0 victory over Boston Saturday night. The Rangers host Pittsburgh tonight. ... Defenseman Dave Liffiton will return to Hartford if Jason Strudwick clears waivers today after being signed by the Rangers. Strudwick, drafted by the Islanders in 1994, has played in 428 NHL games.
