Devils 5, Senators 1

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NEWARK, N.J. - Patrik Elias had two goals and two assists to help the surging New Jersey Devils beat the slumping Ottawa Senators 5-1 on Friday night.

Zach Parise had four assists, Brian Gionta, Johnny Oduya and Travis Zajac also scored, and Scott Clemmensen, ably subbing for the injured Martin Brodeur, made 24 saves in the Devils' 11th win in their last 14 games. Clemmensen, making his first career start against Ottawa, is 10-1-1 in his last 12 decisions.

Jarkko Ruutu scored for Ottawa. The Senators are 1-4-1 in their last six games.

Gionta and Oduya gave New Jersey a 2-0 lead in the first period.

Gionta scored 40 seconds in, tipping Paul Martin's point shot past Alex Auld.

Early goals have become a Devils' specialty. It was the third straight game in which New Jersey scored in the first two minutes, setting a team record.

Oduya scored on a power play at 14:28. Parise had the puck deep in the Ottawa zone when he spotted Oduya charging the net from the left point. Parise threaded a well-timed pass to the onrushing Oduya for the score.

The Senators, mired in an offensive slump, got a second-period goal from an unlikely source. Ruutu's short-handed tally at 8:37 was only Ottawa's fifth goal in the last five games. In desperation, Senators coach Craig Hartsburg broke up his big line of Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley. It didn't help.

The Devils reclaimed the two-goal lead at 3-1 in the closing seconds of the period when Elias knocked in Parise's rebound for New Jersey's second power-play score.

Zajac scored at 12:09 of the third before Elias' closed it out with his second at 14:39 as the Devils opened a 5-1 lead on their third power-play goal of the game.

Notes: Clemmensen's only previous appearance against the Senators came in relief of Martin Brodeur on Oct. 21, 2006, giving up two goals in an 8-1 loss ... The Ottawa scratches were Jesse Winchester (upper body injury) and Ilya Zubov (an expired travel visa that kept him in Canada) ... Auld was back in goal for Ottawa after Martin Gerber started three of the last four, including the last two. Auld is 0-4-0 against New Jersey ... The Senators return home to face the Dallas Stars on Saturday night at Scotiabank Place (7 p.m., no TV, Team 1200). Fewer than 500 tickets remain for the game.