(My Sportsbook) - There might not be a more important night than Monday for the New Jersey Devils in their quest for the Atlantic Division crown.

They were facing a lesser club in the Florida Panthers, while their chasers, the Philadelphia Flyers, were doing the same against the Atlanta Thrashers. A hiccup against a lower-rung squad could have spelled doom for either of the Atlantic combatants.

Well, Philly did its job against Atlanta and it was just a matter of Jersey holding off youthful Florida.

Martin Brodeur made 19 saves and four different Devils scored, as they maintained their four-point lead in the standings with a 4-1 victory over the Panthers at the Office Depot Center.

Jay Pandolfo and Joe Nieuwendyk scored third-period goals just over two minutes apart to seal the victory for New Jersey, which has won four straight and has seven games remaining on the schedule. Jiri Bicek and Brian Gionta also tallied.

"This time of year some games can be tricky," Gionta told the Newark Star- Ledger of playing teams absent from the playoff race. "Teams that are out of it have no pressure."

Brodeur improved to 19-1-3 in his last 23 games against the Panthers and is 11-0-1 in his last 12 visits to South Florida. He is now a win shy becoming the first goaltender in NHL history to reach the 40 mark four times in his career.

"A lot of people have been talking about it," Brodeur said. "My family and friends have been telling me as I get closer and closer. Hopefully, it's going to happen. It better happen. If not, I'm in big trouble."

As for the Atlantic Division race, the Devils and Flyers have the same number of games remaining. On the surface, Philadelphia has it easier with only two playoff teams left on the docket. New Jersey, on the other hand, has four postseason clubs remaining, and what could be a crucial match for the NY Rangers in the second-to-last contest of the campaign.

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The Devs will visit Tampa Bay (Thursday) and Atlanta (Friday) to close out a four-game road trip.