EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Johan Hedberg found himself in the crease defending the net for the Penguins again Sunday afternoon, which is the last place he thought he’d ever be as recently as a March 11. ‘I did not see this happening at all,’ Hedberg said after beating the New Jersey Devils and goaltending legend Martin Brodeur, 4-2. ‘I’m still living the dream. Some days, a lot of days, I have a hard time understanding that I’m really here. But when I’m out there, it feels great. It’s fun. ‘I have to try to keep emotional control to play my best. Sometimes, I get a little bit carried away. I’m trying to get focused and settle down a little bit and understand that I’m really here.’ The Devils certainly knew Hedberg was there yesterday. They came in with a league-leading 262 goals but managed to push just a pair of pucks past Hedberg, who was tending goal for the International Hockey League’s Manitoba Moose before being traded to the Penguins on March 12. And while there were times when the Penguins did whatever they needed to do to protect their Swedish import, there were also times, especially in the second period and late in the third, when it was up to Hedberg to hold the Devils off. He emerged 2-1-1 in his brief NHL career because he earned yesterday’s victory as much as anyone. ‘I still think we can be better in our own end,’ defenseman Bob Boughner said after the Devils outshot the Penguins 27-20. ‘Hedberg had to come up with some big saves, but that’s what you’re going to need in the playoffs. You’re going to need a goalie to come up with some big saves once in a while. He did that. That fired us up.’ Hedberg’s presence in net for the Penguins remains a surprise that borders on stunning. But every time he takes to the ice and responds with a credible performance, let alone a winning one against a two-time Stanley Cup winner at the other end, it lends credence to the theory that Hedberg might yet establish himself as a viable playoff alternative should Garth Snow (groin) prove unable to regain or maintain his health. ‘There’s always a little bit (of jitters),’ Hedberg said. ‘(Yesterday) was a little bit extra. I tried to keep it under control and turn it into something positive. I wasn’t very happy with their second goal. I tried to refocus from there. ‘We played a pretty strong defensive game after that. That helped me out pretty good. I got a couple of saves early in the second period I thought were really good. That was good for my confidence, to get a couple shots there. The first period, I didn’t stop too many. It was good to stop them in the second and get the confidence back.’ As for what will happen next with the Penguins’ ever-muddled goaltending situation, no one is certain, least of all Hedberg. He wasn’t even willing to declare yesterday’s victory a personal-statement game after besting Brodeur and the Devils, who came in with 42 victories overall and a 13-game winning streak. ‘It was more a statement game for the team,’ Hedberg said. ‘They really helped me out. I don’t think (New Jersey) had a shot until 10 minutes into the third period. And then everybody was down there blocking shots and doing everything to help me out (in the waning moments). That’s a great feeling as a goaltender. ‘I’m very happy right now.’

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