CHICAGO — Dead last in the Eastern Conference, the Devils will return home from a rotten 2-4-0 road trip.

Although they lost Zach Parise for three months when he required knee surgery, the trip could’ve been much worse.

Goalie Martin Brodeur had to leave tonight’s 5-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks when he was hit in the right elbow by a Patrick Kane shot early in the second period.

X-rays were negative, but it is not yet known if Brodeur will be able to play Friday night against the Rangers at the Prudential Center.

Brodeur, whose injury at 5:27 of the second period brought back memories of his left elbow injury on Nov. 1, 2008, left the game with a 2-0 lead. Johan Hedberg and the Devils could not hold it.

After Brian Campbell scored late in the second period, Fernando Pisani tied the game, 2-2, with a power play goal at 3:42 of the third.

Devils defenseman Henrik Tallinder was still in the box for hooking Pisani when Viktor Stalberg skated out from the right corner for a shot from the circle. Pisani was at the right edge of the crease to score the goal.

But it was Brad Mills, playing in only his third NHL game at the age of 27, who scored at 16:09. Mills fired a shot from the bottom of the right circle that was stopped by Marty Turco.

Mills grabbed his own rebound and banked a shot off Turco from near the right post. It was his first NHL goal.

Jamie Langenbrunner’s empty-net goal with 49.3 seconds remaining appeared to seal it, but Stalberg scored with 33.7 left to make it a one-goal game again. It wasn’t until Andy Greene’s goal with 7.1 seconds remaining that the Devils could finally exhale. It was Hedberg’s first victory for the Devils.

Brodeur was hit in the right elbow by a Patrick Kane shot at 5:27 of the second period. After several minutes of flexing his arm and wrist, Brodeur remained in the game.

Seconds later, at 5:48, Brodeur skated off the ice and went straight to the dressing room with an obvious elbow problem. X-rays were negative, but Brodeur did not return in the game.

Hedberg replaced him in net. Brodeur allowed no goals on eight shots.

The Devils, who had a 2-0 lead at that point, killed off a Tallinder high-sticking penalty later in the period.

However, the Blackhawks cut the lead in half at 16:02. Campbell chased a puck shot into the left corner by Brent Seabrook. Campbell centered a pass that Pisani seemed to redirect into the far right corner of the net.

However, Campbell was credited with the goal. Not Pisani.

The Devils took a 1-0 lead at 15:31 of the opening period when Dainius Zubrus forced a hurried pass by forechecking behind the net. Patrik Elias then centered the puck for Jason Arnott, who scored his team-leading fourth goal of the season from in front of the net.

Travis Zajac scored his second goal of the season and first since opening night Oct. 8 to give the

Devils a 2-0 lead at 4:14 of the second.

Langenbrunner sent the puck out from the left wing boards and Ilya Kovalchuk was unable to control it. However, the puck went through the legs of Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith to Zajac, who scored from the left circle. It was his second goal in 14 games this season.

The Devils played their second full game without Parise, who will miss three months after undergoing arthroscopic surgery Tuesday in Cleveland to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.

“It’s obviously going to hurt when you lose the type of leader Zach is on and off the ice,” David Clarkson said. “If you ask me, the hardest working guy in this room is Zach. As a team we have to be strong. We’ve overcome things. We lost Marty a couple of years ago and we rallied together. That’s what we need to do.”

Zajac said Parise tried to play through the injury.

“He’s a guy who wants to be here. He probably would’ve come back (to the team) if he could,” Zajac said. “For him it’s about getting better now and making sure he’s healthy when he comes back. It’s going to be a long road for him, obviously, but he’ll be ready to come back.”

Kovalchuk was given Parise’s ‘A’ for Monday night’s game in Vancouver and continues to wear it. Coach John MacLean said the decision was made not as motivation.

“No. I feel he deserves it. He cares about his team. He gives and honest effort,” MacLean said. “For right now Kovy is going to keep it. Last game I liked the way Kovy was involved. He cares deeply about the team, which is good. Hopefully we can get the offense going with him and with everybody else.”

Rich Chere: rchere@starledger.com