Devils 3, Blackhawks 2, SO

CHICAGO (AP) - New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur picked an appropriate place to record a milestone win.

Brodeur earned his 423rd win in the Devils' 3-2 win over Chicago on Sunday night, tying him for fifth place on the NHL's all-time list with Blackhawks legend Tony Esposito.

Brodeur stopped 29 shots through overtime, then three of four Blackhawks in the shootout, to lead New Jersey to its season-high sixth straight win.

Coming off consecutive shutouts of Philadelphia and Vancouver, Brodeur and the Devils were solid and the veteran goalie wasn't even aware that he had tied Esposito until after the game.

"Lou (general manager and coach Lou Lamoriello) just told me that," Brodeur said. "It's moving up, it's kind of nice. That means we're winning hockey games if I'm able to move up in that category."

New Jersey's Patrik Elias and Viktor Kozlov scored against Chicago's Adam Munro in a shootout that required four shooters.

Elias, New Jersey's second shooter, scored on a low shot that required a video review to confirm the puck had crossed the goal line. Mikael Holmqvist, the Blackhawks's third shooter, beat Brodeur to force an extra shootout frame.

After Kozlov scored, Brodeur stopped Tyler Arnason's wrist shot to win it.

"It's all about winning and losing," Brodeur said. "Shootouts, you know, happen. It doesn't matter if you play a good game or a bad game. It becomes a competition.

"If your goalie comes through and your shooters are making good plays, everybody is going to have smiles. Sometimes you play an awesome game and it's just disappointing to lose in a shootout."

The Devils got goals from Brian Gionta and Colin White in regulation, but had to scramble to extend their winning streak.

"It was kind of a weird game from start to finish," Gionta said. "It wasn't as sharp as we have been playing lately, but it's still two points."

Lamoriello agreed.

"The main thing is we got two points and you take them and appreciate them," Lamoriello said. "We didn't play as well tonight as a team. We didn't do some things we had been doing.

"We're coming off the high of two outstanding games. We just kept battling and working and Marty came up big."

In regulation, Arnason had a goal and an assist for Chicago, and Radim Vrbata scored in his fourth straight game.

Munro started his second straight game and third in the last four, and stopped 24 shots. Top Blackhawks goalie Nikolai Khabibulin missed his ninth game with a groin pull, but could return Thursday against Colorado, coach Trent Yawney said after the game.

The Blackhawks are 2-1-1 after ending a 10-game losing streak (0-8-2) last Tuesday in Washington.

"Obviously he's (Brodeur) a great goalie," Munro said. "He's got a lot of wins and he made more saves in the shootout than I did.

"It's disappointing, but we got a point off a pretty good squad."

Yawney was satisfied with Munro's performance, which included his first NHL shootout.

"He played a solid game and was there when we needed him." Yawney said.

Gionta opened the scoring with a power-play goal 4:34 in to give the Devils a 1-0 lead. Following a faceoff in the Chicago zone and scramble in the crease, he scored from a few feet out.

Brodeur lost his bid for a third straight shutout when Arnason was left open and beat him from between the circles with about 12 minutes left in the first. The goal snapped Brodeur's scoreless streak at 130 minutes and 3 seconds.

Vrbata completed a 2-on-1 with Arnason and scored 4:59 into the second to give Chicago a 2-1 lead. Vrbata and Arnason worked a give-and-go on the rush to create the 2-on-1 against Devils defenseman Brian Rafalski.

White tied it at 2 with a power-play goal about two minutes later. His low shot from the left point fooled Munro and slid into the net.

Following a scoreless third period, the Blackhawks and Devils managed only one shot each in overtime.

Notes: The shootout was the Blackhawks' first at home. ... Devils F Scott Gomez had an assist to extend his point-scoring streak to nine games. He has eight goals and 10 assists during the span. ... Brodeur's scoreless streak of 130 minutes, 3 seconds wasn't close to his person best - 213:52 in 1997, a stretch that included three shutouts. ... Gionta has three goals in his last two games and five points in his last three. ... New Jersey D Sean Brown, F Darren Langdon and F Aleksander Suglobov were all healthy scratches. ... Elias returned on Sunday after missing Friday's game with the flu. ... Chicago D Adrian Aucoin sat out with a groin pull and F Curtis Brown missed the game with a sprained knee. Both are day-to-day. Chicago F Rene Bourque was a healthy scratch.