Langenbrunner joins litany of surprise scorers

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Crazy, that's what it is. Absolutely crazy.

Sure, New Jersey's Jamie Langenbrunner has scored more than a couple of goals in his NHL career, but what he's doing in these playoffs is sick.

This is the unexpected, the unforeseen, the shock of the playoffs.

Let's be honest, no opposing coaches wake up in cold sweats in the middle of the night worrying about this guy Langenbrunner. No one designs game plans to stop him. Teams don't tip over their lines just so they can get that certain someone on the ice to slow him.

Maybe they should.

Every postseason seems to churn out a sudden star, surprises such as John Druce and Steve Penney and Claude Lemieux, decent players who abruptly become all the rage. This season's unexpected star, unfortunately for the Bruins and now the Lightning, is Langenbrunner.

Seven games. Seven goals. All of them big ones, it seems. The league's postseason leader in goals scored another Saturday, 2:09 into overtime to give New Jersey a 3-2 win.

His production in these playoffs is almost eerie. Waiting for a huge goal? Wait on Langenbrunner. He has both winners in this series and four in the Devils' six victories.

"It's because he wants the puck," New Jersey coach Pat Burns said. "He takes his shot and follows it in and wants to score. It's as simple as that. When you do that, you're going to score the goal.

"The guy is hungry."

Hungry, but humble. Off the ice, Langenbrunner is a quiet, shy man. It's from his humble upbringing in Duluth, Minn., where he spent much of his free time skating on frozen lakes and ponds. After Saturday's game, he stood quietly by his locker and seemed almost embarrassed to answer questions.

He laughed nervously at times. Looked to the ground. Talked in quick, short bursts. Maybe he is as stunned as everyone else.

"I'm just trying to enjoy it," Langenbrunner said. "I'm having a good time."

Langenbrunner, 27, has a knack for coming up big in the playoffs. He has appeared in the postseason in each of his seven full seasons and was a member of the 1999 Cup-winning Dallas Stars. He has three 20-goal seasons, including 22 this season, but usually takes his game to another level in the playoffs.

He has 22 goals in 81 playoff games and nearly half (10) have been winners.

"Obviously, I have a lot of confidence right now," Langenbrunner said. "Pucks seem to be going in. I think I've had that confidence all season, and now I'm just trying to stay within myself and enjoy it."

Here's the part that might turn the stomach of the Lightning: Langenbrunner is on the ice to stop the Lightning, not to score goals. Langenbrunner, along with John Madden and Jay Pandolfo, have been assigned much of the time to stop the Lightning's top line of Vinny Lecavalier, Vinny Prospal and Martin St. Louis.

Maybe in Game3, the Lightning will look for a matchup to stop Langenbrunner.

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