Devils win 7th straight road game

Tampa, Fla (AP) - David Clarkson scored the lone shootout goal in the fourth round of the tiebreaker and the New Jersey Devils extended their season-opening road winning streak to seven games with a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.

The run at the start of the season equals the second longest in NHL history, matching Toronto (1940-41), Philadelphia (1985-86) and Detroit (2005-06). Buffalo holds the league record of 10 in a row, set at the beginning of the 2006-07 season.

Travis Zajac scored in regulation for the Devils. Martin Brodeur stopped 18 shots, but had his bid to tie Terry Sawchuk's NHL shutout record of 103 end just under 5 minutes into the third period.

Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos scored in his fifth straight game and backup goalie Antero Niittymaki made 37 saves. The Lightning dropped to 4-0-3 at home.

Stamkos tied it at 1 from along the right circle boards at 4:34 of the third. Martin St. Louis assisted on the goal for his 600th career NHL point and extended his season-opening point streak to 11 games (12 assists, 15 points).

Zajac put the Devils ahead 1-0 on a rebound goal 50 seconds into the second.

Niittymaki was superb during the first, stopping all 13 shots he faced. He made a nifty glove save on an in-close chance by Cory Murphy, turned aside Ilkka Pikkarainen's shot during a 2-on-1, and made saves on a short-handed breakaway during a delayed penalty call and the ensuing penalty shot by Devils captain Jamie Langenbrunner.

Tampa Bay had three shots in the first and were outshot 28-9 through two periods.

NOTES: St. Louis tied the franchise record with an assist in 10 straight games. The NHL record is 23, set by Wayne Gretzky in 1990-91. ... Devils D Johnny Oduya (lower-body injury) didn't play. ... Stamkos has a seven-game point streak. He has eight goals and 11 points during the stretch.