John Heller, Post-Gazette Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury makes a first-period save last night at Mellon Arena. Fleury had 24 saves against the Devils. Click photo for larger image. More Coverage: Penguins' core remains in place Bob Smizik: Penguins better, but is it enough? Penguins balk at 1-year extension on arena lease

Yeah, luck probably had a bit to do with it, just like Sidney Crosby suggested.

If a couple of shots had gone a few centimeters in another direction, or if a bounce had been just a bit more favorable, it might have changed everything.

Funny, though, how often all those variables seem to break New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur's way.

So often that his 1-0 shutout against the Penguins at Mellon Arena last night was Brodeur's 12th of the season, and 92nd in the NHL.

That's a lot of luck.

"He's pretty amazing," Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said.

Thanks in large part to Brodeur's 31-save performance, the Penguins have lost consecutive games for the first time since Jan. 9-10 and slipped 11 points behind the first-place Devils in the Atlantic Division. They are fifth in the Eastern Conference, three points behind Ottawa and one ahead of Atlanta.

New Jersey has become a near-prohibitive favorite to win the division, although Brodeur cautioned against writing off the Penguins just yet.

"They're going to be a good team all the way through," he said. "So, when you have a chance to gain points on them, it's a big plus."

None of the players the Penguins acquired in trades yesterday -- wingers Gary Roberts and Georges Laraque and defenseman Joel Kwiatkowski -- were available to play last night and, with center Dominic Moore removed from the mix, coach Michel Therrien dressed seven defensemen and 11 forwards.

"I wanted to give a shot to [defenseman Alain] Nasreddine," he said.

He also wanted to give one to Fleury, who had watched Jocelyn Thibault start the previous two games. Fleury responded by stopping 24 of 25 New Jersey shots, earning recognition as the No. 3 star of the game and praise from his coach.

New Jersey's John Madden pushes Sidney Crosby in front of the net in the third period last night. Click photo for larger image.

"I was anxious to see how he was going to bounce back, and he was really good," Therrien said. "He was square to the puck and played with a lot of confidence."

Fleury expressed disappointment about the outcome because "you always want to win," but agreed that "it was better than my last couple of games."

Although the Penguins had a 12-8 edge in shots during the first period, the Devils got the most dangerous one when Travis Zajac had a chance from the slot during a power play about 10 seconds before the intermission.

Fleury was able to throw out his right leg to stop Zajac's shot, but the reprieve was short-lived.

The Devils were on the same man-advantage 33 seconds into the second period when Jamie Langenbrunner beat Fleury with a slap shot from the left side of the slot for the only goal.

Fleury said he "didn't see it," and Langenbrunner volunteered that, "sometimes they find their way through."

While the Penguins have a volatile offense, spotting New Jersey even a one-goal lead can be lethal. The Devils are 29-7-3 when getting the first goal.

Brodeur preserved the Devils' advantage by stopping Mark Recchi twice from the lip of his crease with just under eight minutes to go in the period, and Evgeni Malkin came within inches of tying it with 1:09 left, when his shot from the left side glanced off the far post.

Fifty-five seconds into the third, Sergei Gonchar hammered a shot off the right post, and Brodeur was able to cover the rebound before Crosby could pounce on it.

"[Defenseman Colin] White poked it back under him before I got to the puck," Crosby said. "If White doesn't poke that, I bang it in the empty net. That's just the way it went."

Therrien reunited the Malkin-Crosby-Mark Recchi line with about six minutes left in regulation, and the Penguins continued to pressure Brodeur until the waning seconds, but couldn't prevent him from shutting them out for the second time this season and fifth in his career.

"Brodeur, again, was phenomenal," Therrien said.

He also is the biggest reason New Jersey likely will win the division, although the Penguins aren't ready to concede that just yet.

"You can't give up hope," Crosby said. "We have to make sure we get points, no matter where that puts us in the division."