SB Nation - Colin White

New Jersey Devils' Offense Leads to Dramatic 5-4 Win over Atlanta Thrashers

John Fischer — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 03:52:40 -0000

More photos » by Gregory Smith - AP

New Jersey Devils' offense leads the way to victory tonight, and they were led by this man: Dean McAmmond, who had a brace in tonight's 5-4 win in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Gregory Smith)

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The New Jersey Devils coming from behind in a game to win should not be new to Devils fans this season. They've done it multiple times with 1 or 2 goal deficits. But tonight, the Devils' offense truly led the way to victory tonight. The New Jersey Devils came from losing 3-1 after the first period to lead 4-3 after the second, and finished the game at 5-4. NHL.com has their recap up complete with all the stats from tonight's game.

And when I say the offense was leading the way, I truly meant it. The Devils put 24 shots on Ondrej Pavelec in the first period. Mind you, they had 22 shots against Ottawa last night in the entire game. The Devils didn't hold back in either period; they finished with 42 on net. Everyone except for Jamie Langenbrunner had an official shot on net. Even Andrew Peters had a shot on net, and it was good one - Pavelec legitimately robbed him of a goal in the first period. When Andrew Peters gets a good chance at the net, then it's a fantastic night for the offense. All four lines were contributing, as Zach Parise, Brian Rolston, and Rod Pelley led the team with 5 shots each. The power play went 1 for 2, converting is always a good sign. Of course, the Devils scored 4 straight goals after the first period and Atlanta could only answer back with one.

In contrast, the Atlanta Thrashers' defensive play was embarassingly bad. Seriously, 24 shots against in one period? Not tightening up afterwards? Allowing loose pucks and rebounds to go free in the slot? Stepping up on forwards beyond the red line to allow odd man rushes? Blindly throwing the puck away in an attempt to clear it? Awful, awful, awful, awful! For much of the game, the Devils were able to do whatever they'd like on offense because of Atlanta's terrible defending. Their backchecking was a joke and their defense gave New Jersey forwards too much space. If it wasn't for Pavelec, the Devils would have absolutely routed the Thrashers. Glenn "Chico" Resch was killing the Thrashers all night long for their lackadaisical defending. Maybe he's a bit of a homer, but he was 100% correct tonight.

If the Thrashers had a competent defensive effort tonight, then they'd probably go on to win this game easily. I would hope the Falconer or someone at Bird Watchers Anonymous will hammer this point further in their recap.

More thoughts on tonight's exciting effort game come after the jump.

In terms of the forwards and the general offense, tonight was a complete, full, 60 minute effort. That was great. The game itself was quite entertaining, with plenty of scoring chances and actual scoring. Check out the full highlights of the game from NHL.com for, well, the highlights:

What wasn't was the Devils' defense in the first period. Ondrej Pavelec had it all to do in facing 24 shots and the only one that beat him was Rob Niedermayer's laser from the top of the left circle. By contrast, Martin Brodeur suffered with defenders making brainfarts of their own in front of him. Colin White and Mike Mottau not only got burned once, but twice by Atlanta to leave Brodeur in no man's land. Ron Hainsey got past both White and Mottau and fired a bouncing puck for Atlanta's first goal; and Nik Antropov split the duo and fired it perfectly into the top left corner for Atlanta's second. Both White and Mottau were out there for a third goal against, as Atlanta actually set up on offense, got the puck around to Pavel Kubina, who let loose with a blistering bomb from the point. 3 goals against is pretty bad and White and Mottau were directly responsible for two of them occuring.

What makes that worse is that Atlanta had a grand total of 6 shots on net that period. The Devils pushing forward over and over (thanks to Atlanta's terrible defense and neutral zone play) played a role in the Thrashers putting up so few shots. So did the other two pairings actually playing well on defense. White and Mottau are normally pretty solid; but tonight, for whatever reason, they stunk up the ice in that first period.

Fortunately, Jacques Lemaire - he who is not afraid to make changes to his forward lines - made two important changes. First, he took Martin Brodeur out and put Yann Danis in - the first time this season that has happened. Devils fans who wanted Danis to get in a game were satisfied with the move. I was thinking he would start; I was sort of hoping he would; but I do have to say that Danis probably doesn't stop any of those three goals that Atlanta scored in the first period. That said, he had a very solid game in relief. He only conceded one and it was strong shot by Slava Kozlov on a late power play from the top of the circle. No shame in that, really.

The second would be more important in the long term: Lemaire paired Mike Mottau with Johnny Oduya and Colin White with Mark Fraser. From the second period onward, White turned his -2 from the first into an even total - even making the clearance that Brian Rolston picked up on for a breakaway and the Devils' first goal of the second period. Mottau settled down and played smarter from then on. While Atlanta flourished in the second period to put 12 shots on Danis, the defense didn't allow any big scoring chances and they were very good at cleaning up any and all rebounds. Overall, they held the high powered Atlanta offense to a total of 26 shots while helping the Devils push forward en route to 42 minutes.

In my opinion, what was almost as shocking as the Atlanta defense was the play of Atlanta's top player. Normally, Ilya Kovalchuk is a beast. Tonight, his only positive contribution was passing the puck to Nik Antropov, who split White and Mottau for a breakaway goal. Outside of that, he had a crucial giveaway that led to the Devils' fifth goal and he had no shots on net in 21:03 of ice time. I don't know whether he was just bad or whether the defense just shut him down. Maybe both? They aren't mutually exclusive, in my view. Poor Pavelec, the defense was terrible for him, and Atlanta's top player was just as bad. No wonder he had so many saves in tonight's highlights.

Let's get back to praise here. First and foremost, fantastic coaching job by Jacques Lemaire tonight. In addition to the other two lineup moves he made, he saw that Atlanta's defense was bad. He saw that they were still playing bad despite whatever John Anderson, Atlanta's coach, told them after the first period. Being down two goals, Lemaire allowed the Devils offense to be vigorous. But what was truly novel was the third period. Despite being up a goal, Lemaire kept instructing the Devils to go forward and they did. The Devils kept pushing forward on offense, they kept looking for shots (got 9), kept the lines together (Elias-McAmmond-Parise worked so well!) and they were rewarded with Dean McAmmond's second goal of the night. An eventually important goal, as Slava Kozlov did score off a Patrik Elias high sticking penalty (I didn't see it, but Kozlov's goal was well done). The only time the Devils "held back" was when Atlanta emptied the net and at that point, that's what you're supposed to do. Well done, Lemaire.

Now, the guys who fell under the radar on offense. Niclas Bergfors had a much better game tonight playing with Rob Niedermayer and Jay Pandolfo. He was credited with a whopping 4 official takeaways, 4 shots on net, and he played 16:35. He looked more active on the ice than he did against Ottawa on Friday. If you thought he was in a doghouse, tonight proved otherwise. Zach Parise didn't score, but he had 5 shots, he hit the post once, and he had a hand in setting up two goals. He's involved in the play, he's still hustling, and he's getting chances. It's not easy to accept, but I guess he'll break his goalless streak only in due time. Jay Pandolfo played very well in the neutral zone and down low, his finest moment was his touch pass to Niedermayer prior to his goal. Vladimir Zharkov ended up playing very limited minutes (6:35), but still managed an assist and 3 shots on net.

Tonight, the goalscorers truly had great nights. In my opinion, the second period was a fantastic response by the offense. Brian Rolston extended his point streak with an excellent move to slide the puck through Pavelec's legs on a breakway. He's been playing real well, this time with Jamie Langenbrunner and Travis Zajac. Rod Pelley went back to center for tonight and scored his first goal of the season with a rising shot that beat Pavelec to the top right corner. Congratulations to Pelley for his first of the season (and thanks to the Thrasher -Jim Slater? - for letting him free enough to make the shot). Rob Niedermayer played very well against Atlanta's top players and opened up the scoring with a sweet goal.

The best Devil tonight? In my opinion, it was Dean McAmmond. McAmmond was dynamite centering for Zach Parise and Patrik Elias. Seriously, Lemaire put the fourth line center up on the first he dazzled tonight with 4 shots, 10 for 21 on faceoffs (acceptable given he usually doesn't take that many), and he got two goals. He cashed in on the rebound - one of the many Atlanta allowed but this one was point blank for his first of the night; and then he put home a beautiful backhand from a Patrik Elias pass for his second of the night. With every game, McAmmond looks to be getting better and better, which is absolutely wonderful for the team. Somewhere, an Ottawa fan is doing a very happy dance.

Overall, I'm very pleased with how the Devils did on offense and I can only wonder what would have happened had White and Mottau played better in the first period. Would Brodeur have remained in net? Would the Devils have pressed forward for the next two periods for more goals? Would the Devils have even been down by 2 to begin with? I don't know. But the Devils came from behind by two goals, Danis got a win and stopped 19 of 20 shots, and the team can rest a bit before travelling to Pittsburgh for control of the Atlantic Division.

Thanks to all of you who have read this and to those who followed along and/or commented in the GameThread. Please leave all your thoughts and feelings about tonight's game in the comments.

New Jersey Devils Win a Sloppy Game Against Montreal Canadiens, 2-1

John Fischer — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 04:33:38 -0000

More photos » by Rich Schultz - AP

Patrik Elias' goal in the third period was the most exciting event of the game. Naturally it came near the end to ultimately finish off a sloppy game between the Devils and the Canadiens. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)

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Well, that was certainly some game! You had the New Jersey Devils, who were miserable on the power play, sloppy playing anywhere outside of their own zone for most of the game, and seemed out of sync in general. The visiting Montreal Canadiens were more than happy to shoot themselves in their own foot over and over by way of penalties and giveaways, trying to trap the Devils all game with some mixed success, and sleepwalking through the rest of the game after scoring the game's first goal (particularly in the third period). Neither goaltender was particularly tested and outside of it being Martin Brodeur's 1,029th career game - tying him with Patrick Roy for the all-time record in games played for a goaltender - it was a mostly unmemorable affair.

It really was a game no one necessarily wanted to win, neither team stepped up their play to dictate the tempo or the pace of the game. Yet, thanks to a fluke goal helped by Carey Price and Patrik Elias being at the right place and right time on a rebound, the Devils come away with a 2-1 victory over the Bleu Blanc et Rouge. NHL.com has their recap up complete with the boxscore and other stats.

Read on for my further thoughts on tonight's game, check out Robert's thoughts later on at Habs Eyes on the Prize.

Where do I begin? Well, let's talk about the opposition. On paper, one would wonder why in the world they were in this game. Discipline nearly became a huge issue. They didn't just take 5 penalties in the game, they took 5 penalties within the first 30 minutes of the game and 4 in the first period. They giftwrapped approximately a minute long 5-on-3 for the Devils. The only reason why it wasn't a huge issue was that the Devils did very little with these man advantages.

But put that aside for a moment because I have to make this point. These weren't just minor penalties. Oh, no, they were some incredibly stupid penalties! This included a too many men on the ice penalty, Hal Gill throwing a man down while on offense, Carey Price playing the puck outside of the trapezoid (seriously!), and Jaroslav Spacek breaking a stick. Four of those five were just mindless!

And that makes me more unhappy with the performance of the power play. The Devils had a total of 8:47 on the power play tonight across these 5 minors (Rob Niedermayer's hooking call negated the last few seconds of the power play on Spacek) and what was the result? 3 shots and a shorthanded goal against! Yes! Only 3 shots! And one goal against! It's not even that they didn't score, but that they didn't make Carey Price work hard or really pressure the Montreal penalty killers. I'll be fair and give the Canadiens' PK a gold star, they did their job; but the Devils' power play units made it easy for them at times. Those times, it was like watching a dog defecate. And then there's the shorthanded goal scored by Travis Moen. See for yourself with this video from NHL.com:

I have no words. Wait, that's a lie, I have a few. Ugly. Total breakdown. Awful. Unacceptable. What was Langenbrunner thinking? Don't tell me, he wasn't.

Bizarrely enough, this did absolutely nothing for Montreal. At the time, the Devils were outshooting the Canadiens nearly 2 to 1 and...this didn't inspire the Canadiens. The goal did not give them much of a boost. They went on to put 4 more shots on Martin Brodeur, entirely uneventful shots, and then moved on in the game to put only 11 more on net in total. Even in the second period, where I thought the Canadiens were more effective in getting the puck forward on offense than the Devils, they just didn't turn that into any sustained offensive pressure.

Full credit should go to the Devils defense for closing down on the Canadiens forwards and cleaning up every loose puck available. There were times where they made some dumb passes/clearances, but overall, the Devils looked poised. I felt Johnny Oduya and Colin White in particular played very well. They didn't concede the puck and didn't back down from anyone, be it Mike Cammalleri or lesser players like Sergei Kostitsyn, Tom Pyatt, and Scott Gomez (ASIDE: Did Scott Gomez play? The boxscore said he played 17:14, but truthfully, was he really there the all that much time? I think his sole contribution to the game was having the arena boo him when he was on the ice.) I really can't complain when you hold the opposition to 18 shots in the game. And Martin Brodeur wasn't challenged too much on the majority of those 18 shots. In the defensive zone, the Devils looked good. Outside of that, it was like the team was skating through mud.

What I amazingly can't complain about is the faceoffs. I was certain to write a blistering set of sentences about how the Devils seemingly got tossed from every faceoff and proceeded to lose them. Nope. Per the stats, that only happened 10 times. Moreover, the Devils won 61% of total faceoffs and despite seeing Niedermayer (12 for 18) and Travis Zajac (10 for 16) seemingly get thrown out, they did very well. In fact, the Devils seemingly had more possession of the puck than the Canadiens, especially in the first and third periods. Thankfully, in the first 10 minutes of the first and the last 10 minutes of the game, the Devils actually did something and turned that possession into shots on Price leading to acceptable totals of 8 and 10, respectively, from those periods.

As another detour, when you look at the event summary stats, you realize a number of things. You realize that Zach Parise managed to put 5 shots on net. You realize Brian Rolston and Vladimir Zharkov (who skated hard all night long, unlike most of either team's players) followed behind with 4. And you're aghast that the Devils managed to have 18 officially recorded giveaways. From what I saw, I know full well Montreal was giving it away, but honestly the Devils weren't that much better and all this contributed to and continued to make this game even sloppier. Passes not only missing their targets but going right to the other team - that's terrible. And it shouldn't surprise the Devils if Lemaire makes a point of that tonight or tomorrow.

But let's get back on track and point out how the Devils actually won tonight. In a sloppy second period where the Canadiens turned up the heat to "lukewarm" and the Devils were still out of sync, the fourth line actually gave the Rock something to cheer for. 4 blown power plays in the first period and down by 1 led to boos. But the equalizer surprised and delighted the hometown fans. I'm sure it surprised Ilkka Pikkarainen (the goalscorer) and Carey Price (the goaltender). Here's the video of the goal:

For those who didn't quite catch it in the video, the puck hits off of Price's glove, hits the post, slides into the back of Price's left skate, and goes over the line. Congratulations Ilkka Pikkarainen, you scored not only your first NHL goal but it was important (tied the game) and you did it in a very improbable fashion. This game will certainly last as a memory for Pikkarainen, despite how the game looked like from the observers like us.

Alas, the Devils built on this only slightly as they tightened up on defense but still had very little of an attack until halfway through the period. The top two lines started getting aggressive, increased their hustle, and wouldn't you know it, it actually led to shots on net and a general feeling of excitement in the stands. The Devils, they were doing something and perhaps it could win them the game. Of course, the game winning goal started from a good defensive stop followed by a good outlet pass by Bryce Salvador, and, well, see for yourself:

A great goal by Elias that ultimately ended a really dreary game between both teams. Thank you Rolston for putting the shot on net to begin with and thank you Elias for going to the net to put that home. Above all, thank you for essentially putting the game away at that point as Montreal did very little with 6 skaters in the final 1:14 of the game. Seriously, no shots against and much of it was spent outside of the Devils' zone.

Of course, what does one make of the game overall? The Devils didn't play well, aspects of their performance stuck out as very good (faceoffs, defensive zone play) and others as absolutely terrible (power play), and they pull out a regulation win. The Devils were very fortunate, in my opinion, that Montreal was just as bad if not worse than New Jersey tonight. Last week, the Devils came out in a similar haze against Florida and the Panthers soundly beat them, 4-2. The Devils looked good for maybe 20 minutes total and won tonight. Go figure. Maybe the Panthers are better the Canadiens (actually, per the standings after tonight, they are). What a way to go through your 1,029th career game, eh, Marty?

For the big picture, I hope the team doesn't start to make a habit of having sketchy performances leading to wins. Sure, wins are great. I'll gladly take tonight's win. But developing bad habits aren't worth it and I really hope the Devils don't go into games thinking, "We can be lackadaisical, but be strong enough for a part of the game/come from behind to win." I'd love to see the Devils put out a proper effort against Ottawa on Friday. In particular, I'd love to see the power play be less than useless against Ottawa. (Seriously, the Devils put 3 shots on Price across 5 power plays, I can't get over that, it just makes me want to bang my head against a wall.)

Thanks to Steve for putting up the GameThread, thanks to the commenters and readers, and please leave your thoughts on tonight's game in the comments.

What Do You Think the New Jersey Devils Should Do when Paul Martin Returns?

John Fischer — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 23:21:57 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - ASSOCIATED PRESS

Paul Martin could be coming back later this month wherein he'll be able to congratulate Martin Brodeur further when the team wins. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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An update on Paul Martin's status appeared yesterday on NJ.com's Devils Beat Reporters Blog and in today's Star Ledger: Rich Chere reported that the New Jersey Devils may see Martin back for Christmas. Martin was a very important player last season on defense and was well on his way to continuing his form prior to his left arm being fractured back on October 24. I expected much from Martin prior to this season and outside of his offensive production, I felt he was doing well in his own end on those 9 games he did play.

However, the Devils have thrived in spite of losing Martin (and so many others) to injury. As Rich Chere noted the Devils have put together a 16-5-1 record without their de facto #1 defenseman. While Martin was eventually going to return, who would have guessed that Andy Greene would step up in his spot and take on more minutes? Who would have guessed Mike Mottau would follow behind Greene in minutes? Sure, I said back after the injury that Colin White, Bryce Salvador, Mottau, and Greene would have to take more minutes; but I didn't think it would be to this degree. And I certainly wouldn't have thought the Devils would hold teams to less than 28 shots per game on average (currently at 27.1, third best in the league) without the two-way defensive force that is Paul Martin.

Now that Martin could be coming back in December, some thoughtful questions come to my mind, both with respect to the short term and long term situation. I'm not going to provide my personal opinion, instead I want to know what you think. Feel free to answer as many or as few of these in comments; but I honestly would like to get an idea on what you think about what the New Jersey Devils should do when Paul Martin returns.

Short Term

Assume that when Paul Martin comes back, he's in good shape. Remember when Johnny Oduya came back from injury? He got 21:03 in his first game back from injury on December 5 against Detroit and was tentatively paired with Mark Fraser. However, throughout the game, he was cycled in with the other four regular Devils defenders and got some time on both the power play and penalty kill. Given that he replaced Matthew Corrente, who was getting limited minutes in his place, the positioning was easy to figure out. When Martin comes back, some tough decisions will have to be made. (Well, outside of keeping Mark Fraser as the 7th defenseman. Given that Jay Leach was picked up on waivers, surely Fraser would be if he were sent down to Lowell.)

1. Who do you pair Paul Martin with? The answer to this question in recent seasons has been Johnny Oduya. This gives the team the advantage of keeping their current pairings of Greene-Salvador and White-Mottau. However, this was not the case prior to the injury. The expected pairings for the Pittsburgh game were Martin-Salvador, White-Oduya, Greene-Mottau. Those moves were made back then because Oduya was playing poorly and if Lemaire liked what he saw from those pairings, they could be seen again. Perhaps depending on form, Lemaire could throw out something completely different. This will be immediately answered upon Martin's return.

2. How do you split up the workload? In 2006-07, Paul Martin averaged 25:13 per game, behind Brian Rafalski. In 2007-08, Martin averaged 23:53 per game to lead the defense. In 2008-09, Martin once again led all Devils blueliners in average time on ice with 24:22. And in the 9 games he played this season, Martin has averaged 23:57 per game - a higher average than Greene, despite Greene averaging over 26 minutes per game in November. Martin has regularly played a lot of minutes with his steady of play. However, while he's been gone, the team's defense hasn't suffered (or at least suffered significantly) when Andy Greene and Mike Mottau has taken similar minutes. They've proven themselves able, if not worthy, of playing so often. When Martin returns, everyone's workload will become easier, but how is it handled? Does Martin go back to eventually defending for 23-26 minutes per game? Does Lemaire continue his trust in Greene and Mottau and have everyone play a more modest 20-22 minutes? This will be answered a few games after Martin's return, depending on how everyone adjusts.

3. What about special teams, where will Martin fit in? Lemaire continued Brent Sutter's practice last season of putting 4 forwards on each power play unit - taking it further in a few cases in putting 5 forwards out there. So far this season, Andy Greene has stepped up his play enough to be the lone defenseman on the first power play unit; and a number of defenders have rotated in and out on the second power play unit - currently it's Johnny Oduya. When Martin comes back, the Devils will have 3 defenders who have the passing and puck possession skills to be involved in man advantage situations. Does Lemaire change the nature of the power play units, changing one of the units to a more traditional 3 forward-2 defensemen set-up? If Lemaire keeps the 1 defenseman units, who stays on them: Greene and Martin, Martin and Oduya, Greene and Oduya, someone else with someone else? And does Martin make it back to the first unit to begin with, given that he was never a point machine?

Similarly, where does Martin fit in on the penalty kill? Prior to the injury, Martin averaged 3 shorthanded minutes per game. He was the unquestioned first defender on the PK. He's too good to keep off the PK, so the question is really who gets bumped from the PK? Probably not Mike Mottau or Colin White, who average at least 2 minutes of PK time per game. Without Martin, the fourth defender has been rotated among three players - they'll likely be moved from a regular spot on the units? Should it be Bryce Salvador (1:52 SH ATOI/G)? Johnny Oduya (1:50 SH ATOI/G)? Andy Greene (1:29 ATOI/G)? Like the second question, the answer should become clear a few games after Martin returns.

Long Term

1. Should the Devils make a trade for an offensive/stud defenseman? ILWT user Los Diabolos raises in this FanPost what is an increasing question for the Devils: Should the Devils trade for Scott Niedermayer? Niedermayer is still a top defenseman at age 36 and there's no question to whether he would benefit the Devils. With Anaheim playing poorly so far and his brother Rob Niedermayer doing well for a successful Devils squad, the return of Scott Niedermayer to the blueline could put the Devils over the top. However, the cost for getting Niedermayer may be costly by the time the NHL Trade Deadline rolls around in early March. More importantly, bringing in Scott Niedermayer or any other defenseman would create many of the same questions I'm asking about Martin now.

Let's assume we're in late January and Paul Martin is performing very well along with the rest of the blueline. Assume all of the short term questions are answered. Should the Devils make a move to get a top defenseman if Martin is already doing well at the #1 spot? If not, would a blueline of Martin, Oduya, Greene, Mottau, White, Salvador, and Fraser as the spare defender be good enough for the rest of the season and the post season?

2. What should the Devils do about Paul Martin, the impending free agent? Per CapGeek, the Devils have one major unrestricted free agent for the summer of 2010 and it's Paul Martin. Martin is getting $4.5 million for the 2009-10 season and if he plays as well as he has been in prior years, he'll be looking for that much money or more. If he isn't, well, as a UFA, I imagine many teams will definitely offer him a significant amount of money anyway. However, the Devils have a number of important restricted free agents to tie up in David Clarkson, Niclas Bergfors, Rod Pelley, and Tyler Eckford among others; not to mention Mike Mottau is a UFA and will certainly get a raise. The Devils could very well spend the 2010 summer just keeping those guys and that's it. And that's not even considering 2011 (Langenbrunner UFA, Parise RFA a.k.a. The Summer of Zach Parise Getting Real Paid) The Devils may not be able to keep Martin at any cost anyway, but they'll have the space to give him plenty.

Given that the Devils are 16-5-1 without Martin this season and that Andy Greene has filled his spot on the defense to everyone's delight, is keeping Martin that much of a priority anymore? That very well could depend on the other defensemen's performance? Could the Devils possibly go without Martin in the future, in the hopes Greene is for real and can play as well as he does for a few more seasons? What if Oduya shows he can lead a defense in the next few months?

These are all, I think, valid and thoughtful questions at this juncture and so they require some thoughtful answers. Of course, we may not begin to see the answers until the Feel free to answer them how ever you'd like in the comments.

Reviewing My 2009-10 Expectations for New Jersey Devils Defensemen and Goaltenders

John Fischer — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 16:14:52 -0000

More photos » by Rich Schultz - AP

Johnny Oduya about to hug the most impressive defenseman on the Devils this season, Andy Greene. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)

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Back in August, I wrote a series of posts basically coming up with expectations for each Devil on the roster. Not all of them were statisically based, a lot of them came arbitrarily. Still, I felt it was better to state what I wanted to see out of each player prior to the season. Now that the New Jersey Devils have played a third of the NHL season, it's a good time as any to see how my expectations are bearing out. Today, I will focus on the defensemen and goaltenders. If you're looking for the forwards; that went up earlier this week, you can find it here.

Now, for a lot of defensemen, I will likely state that the player has exceeded my expectations largely because of the injuries to Paul Martin and Johnny Oduya. In their absence, Andy Greene and Mike Mottau have played significantly more minutes than they otherwise would; and Colin White and Bryce Salvador took on additional responsibility as well. In retrospect, I was fortunate in my selection of the six defensemen for those posts as they are regulars. Cory Murphy isn't on the active roster; Matthew Corrente has been scratched upon Oduya's return; Tyler Eckford was only up for a few games; and Mark Fraser remains the only call up to stick around - and he'll likely be a scratch whenever Martin returns. I didn't expect those four to be up in New Jersey.

Lastly, I will say this prior to the jump. Please leave your thoughts on how the Devils defensemen and goaltenders have been playing so far in the comments, as well as any criticism for stupid-in-hindsight expectations or what I say below.

Martin Brodeur, What I Said Then:

I see no reason to believe Martin Brodeur won't be one of the best goaltenders in the league in 2009-10. If Brodeur and the coaching staff feel he can/wants to play 70 games based on workload and such, then by all means, Brodeur should play 70 games. Again, I see no reason to believe that Brodeur will somehow get that much worse at age 37 than he was at 35 or 36. I won't give a stat line prediction, but I do expect Brodeur to set the NHL record for career season shutouts in 2009-10. I also expect him to continue playing at a high level, finishing among NHL leaders in goals against average, save percentage, and - of course - wins. Do I think he can accomplish all that? Of course!

What has he done so far:

	GP	MIN	W	L	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Martin Brodeur	28	1681	19	8	61	2.18	751	690	.919	2

Yeah, he's been pretty good. Brodeur's on pace for at least 70 games (76.5 to be precise, but that won't happen); Brodeur is indeed currently among league leaders in wins (#1), GAA (tied for 7th), SV% (11th), and shutouts (tied for 7th and one away from breaking Terry Sawchuk's all time record of 103). Yeah, Brodeur is meeting my expectations. Will critics and foolish people realize that age or games played is not a factor with Brodeur at this point? Sadly, no. Reality is a struggle for them.

Yann Danis, What I Said Then:

Given he could see very little ice time next season, it's almost pointless to come up with any statistical expectations outside of general ones like staying below a 3.00 GAA and above 90% for save percentage (and Danis hit those marks with the Islanders last season). Danis just has to stay prepared throughout the season, don't get discouraged when he realizes it's been a month or two since starts, and perform competantly when he does see ice time in a game. And I think that's all we can really expect from him.

What he has done so far:

	GP	MIN	W	L	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Yann Danis	3	140	2	0	5	2.14	65	60	.923	0

Well, he got a few starts, but the last time he was seen, he conceded 3 goals in one period to Dallas and Brodeur came in for him. Granted, those goals weren't his fault. I don't think he's been sitting because of that, despite the number of games, Brodeur hasn't seen a lot of rubber and so he's not as fatigued as a goaltender who faces 30ish shots per game. Therefore, Danis hasn't been given much of a chance even though in the two full starts he did get, he looked good in both games. Which falls perfectly in line with what I said in August, actually. So Danis is currently meeting my expectations so far.

Before I get to the defensemen, I'd like you to check out this chart I made for each of the six defensemen. I compiled the even strength on-ice/off-ice numbers from Behind the Net. Rather than clumsily state each stat for each defender, you can see it all in one place. So if the following reviews of my expectations seem a little flimsy, this chart should provide more meat on this meal of content.

Notice how everyone of the six defensemen have a positive quality of competition and a high quality of team. Since Lemaire has only recently been using his fourth line for 10 minutes or so, that means more defensemen are out there with top forward talent. Also, since Martin and Oduya were injured, that meant Greene, Mottau, White, and Salvador not only took on more minutes but better opposition. Another interesting common thread is that all of the defensemen don't have much of an effect on the Devils scoring goals; but they matter in the other three stats. Back to the players:

Paul Martin, What I Said Then:

Paul Martin is very important to the Devils' blueline and as such I think we can comfortably expect him to remain important and remain a defensive force. I am expecting him to put up more assists, though, at least 30 should be the goal. A cynical person may say that's entirely possible since it's a contract year for him. However, Martin's in the prime of his career and I think he will have the opportunities to achieve at least 35 points. He'll still remain as the Devils #1 defenseman and next June, we'll be hoping he sticks around.

What he has done so far:

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	ATOI	SOG	PCT
2009 - Paul Martin	9	0	2	2	1	0	0	0	0	23:57	9	0.0

Now, this is a bit unfair as Martin has played a whopping 9 games before getting hurt. The low number of games means you should probably take his on-ice/off-ice numbers with a grain of salt. I'd take it anyway because Martin has been excellent in preventing shots from occurring. Yes, the goals against go up but I'd like to attribute that more to his regular partner in those 9 games as well as the possibility that the opposition had to take higher quality shots as the quantity hasn't been there. Defensively, great. Important, you bet - despite how the other defenders stepped up in his place, I think it's fair to say the Devils would want him back. Offensively, eh, not so much. He wasn't shooting much himself prior to injury and now because of it, I doubt he'll hit 30 points unless he gets hot upon return. Overall, I was pleased with Martin prior to the injury and with that small set, I'd say he was meeting my defensive expectations but not my offensive ones.

Johnny Oduya, What I Said Then:

I really do think the best is yet to come from Oduya. Given that he was the only UFA to be retained before July 1 (and to be the second-highest paid defenseman on the team), I would like to think that the Devils would agree. Therefore, I expect Oduya to do quite a bit in 2009-10. I want him to be the a definitive #2 defenseman: score 6-8 goals, put up about 35 points, regularly play 20 minutes or more per night, and get better on-ice/off-ice numbers on even strength. How Lemaire will use him on special teams, I think, will be a big factor as to hitting these offensive goals. If Oduya is a regular on a power play unit as well as being out there for Parise's and Elias' lines, I think he should hit those marks. Overall, I want Oduya to improve - and I really do think he has not hit his ceiling after 3 years of NHL hockey. Even cutting down his mistakes would represent such an improvement.

What he has done so far:

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	ATOI	SOG	PCT
2009 - Johnny Oduya	15	1	0	1	-4	16	0	0	0	21:34	13	7.7

Prior to Oduya's injury, he really struggled to start the season. While he started off in that familiar #2 role along side Paul Martin, he was the weaker link in that pairing. He was burnt or made lethal mistakes in his own end for goals and it was pretty obvious. It's why his goals against when he's on the ice is so high and why the shots against when he's on the ice rises. I even wrote this post about Oduya trying to figure out how bad he has been. Not at all the best way to start a season, especially after signing a sweet deal. Then he suffered an injury that kept him out for November. After the injury, Oduya has looked a lot steadier and even potted in his first goal (and point) of the season. While he starts off with Mark Fraser, he's done well enough for Lemaire to give him about 20 minutes or more a night. So I'd like to think he's improving from that poor October he had. However, given his rough start, I have to say that Oduya is not currently meeting my expectations. I hope he continues to improve and turns it around; the talent is truly there.

Colin White, What I Said Then:

Essentially, I expect White to build on this 2008-09 season defensively (as in maintain these numbers or do better) improve his performance on the penalty kill, and continue working on keeping the penalties in minutes total as low as possible. Even if he can continue to cause fewer shots on net when he's out there like he did last season, then I would be very pleased. As far as physical play goes, I wouldn't mind more hits and blocked shots; but not at the cost of getting out of position or allowing more shots. White's not going to score a ton of points or be the team's hit-machine; but he definitely can be one of the better #3 defenseman in the NHL. And so that's what I'm expecting out of the 31 year old defenseman.

What he has done so far:

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	ATOI	SOG	PCT
2009 - Colin White	30	1	5	6	3	6	0	0	0	20:10	13	7.7

As one of the top 4 remaining after Martin and Oduya went down to injury, White has showed why he's been a fixture on the Devils' top 4 for years. The shots against fall when the defensive defensemen is out there and he's facing the highest quality of competition behind Martin. It is a bit concerning that the goals against goes up while playing with a relatively high level of teammate quality. However, he's doing what I wanted to see. He leads the team in hits (50), tied for the team lead in blocked shots (44), and currently leads the defense on the penalty kill. On top of that, he's been very good with discipline. The only regular to have fewer penalty minutes is Andy Greene. I know, who would have thought Colin White as a disciplined defenseman when you consider how much of a PIM machine he was earlier in his career? I know some Devils fans don't fancy White, but you have to respect what he's done so far. White is at least meeting my expectations, if not exceeding them by a little bit.

Mike Mottau, What I Said Then:

Other than that, given his salary and his career, I don't know how much more one can really expect or Mike Mottau. It's great that the Devils gave him the opportunity and Mottau broke through to the NHL after all these years. But he is replaceable/can be improved upon. Yet, I don't think Devils will do that unless someone really impresses in training camp or until Mottau is free to leave next July. Until then, I expect Mottau to still remain as a regular defenseman. I think he'll start with White once again, but I fear that he may end up on the third pairing more often than not. I doubt that Mottau can score 20 points or more or improve his defense enough to get on a penalty killing unit or really clamp down on shots from the oposition. If he can provide small reductions in the shot against rate while on the ice in such a position, great.

What he has done so far:

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	ATOI	SOG	PCT
2009 - Mike Mottau	28	1	1	2	2	17	0	0	0	22:50	29	3.4

Last season, he had significant changes on goals scored in a game when he stepped on the ice. This season, not so much. Like White, the shots against drop when Mottau's out there; but unlike White, the shots for also drop (and significantly so) - the goals don't change much. Despite having the second most shots on net among defensemen, it hasn't translated into points. But that's fine as I didn't expect much offense from him to begin with. Regardless, Mottau's minutes got jacked up after injuries to Martin and Oduya and he's handled the additional workload very well. That's something I didn't expect - just when I thought he was providing fair value for what he's worth as he did last season, he's now providing additional value by being steady overall with increased minutes. For that alone, I'd say Mottau is meeting my expectations. (Though, 17 PIM, Mottau? Watch your stick, please. And for the love of God, stop passing the puck into or across the slot in your own zone. Do those two things and I will have 0 complaints.)

Bryce Salvador, What I Said Then:

As far as what to expect? Well, I want Salvador to cut down on his minor penalties while maintaining his hits and blocked shots. One of his strengths is being physical and I don't want him to taken away from that - just that he should be more composed and intelligent about it. Also, I want him getting in the shooting lanes more often if only to cut down on the number of shots opponents take when he's out there. Lastly, if he's even kept on the penalty killing unit, then he needs to work on all facets of that play. The Devils PK unit wasn't strong last season and he was one of the reasons why. Again, at age 32, can we really expect him to do much more other than refine his game and hope his experience will lead to better decisions on-ice?

I expect him to be more defensively sound, but I know he's not going to turn into a supreme shut-down defenseman every night. Even if Colin White wasn't on the team, is he even a top-4 caliber defenseman? I doubt it based on his first full season with the Devils. And so I expect he will remain as the Devils #5 defenseman. At $2.9 million/year for 2 more seasons after 2009-10.

What he has done so far:

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	ATOI	SOG	PCT
2009 - Bryce Salvador	30	0	6	6	6	28	0	0	0	19:34	21	0.0

I was pretty down on Salvador after last season. And in some ways, he hasn't exactly thrilled me with what he has done this season. He currently leads the defensemen with 9 minors, he fought twice (without Martin and Oduya, why is a veteran defenseman taking himself out of the game for 5 minutes, I ask you?), and the shots against actually rises when he's on the ice. All with the lowest quality of competition among these six defensemen. What I do like is his confidence to shoot the puck more, his durability, and he's been good on the PK. Per Behind the Net's PK numbers, the shots against per 60 do drop significantly (40.5 to 31.7) when he's out there; and only Andy Greene can say he's been on the ice for fewer power play goals against (Salvador: 5, Greene: 2). In terms of physical play, Salvador does have 41 hits (second on the team), and 38 blocked shots (tied with Mottau for second most on the team). That all said, I want to see more from Salvador. I want the shots against rate to fall when he's out there, especially if he's not facing strong competition. I want fewer penalties from #24. I can say he's looked like a #4 defenseman, and not just because he is one by default now. Since I set my expectations low, he's met my low expectations and exceeded them a little; but I want more from Salvador.

Andy Greene, What I Said Then:

Therefore, I expect Greene to have a better 2009-10 season. Hopefully, he won't get significantly injured like he did last season, ruining any momentum gained as the season goes on. While I don't think he should be on the power play, I do expect him to contribute a little more on offense - hopefully 10 points or more - and to take more shots. Defensively, I don't want to see the shots against per 60 minutes rise by 5 when he's out there; his positioning and decision making to step up on a forward needs to get better. Greene's not a physical player, he's not big, and he's not going to develop into a stud defenseman. But that's OK, all he has to do on the third pairing is play well enough at both ends such that he and his partner can spell the top 4 and work over the opposition's bottom lines. I think Greene can do it, and he'll pretty much have to perform better to stay as the Devils' #6 defenseman.

What he has done so far:

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	ATOI	SOG	PCT
2009 - Andy Greene	27	5	12	17	7	4	4	0	3	23:41	34	14.7

To think, he didn't start the season on the third pairing! After a few games of Cory Murphy not being impressive, Lemaire gave Greene a shot and he never looked back. When Martin and Oduya went down, Lemaire put his trust into Greene and it has paid off significantly. He's already exceeded what I wanted from him on offense in terms of points and shots; and I never would have guessed he could handle an average of 26 minutes for a month. He doesn't succumb to pressure as much as he did last season and that's a big improvement. Instead, he's very calm with the puck either for a clearance, on the breakout, at the point, or when he jumps up on offense. He's the best disciplined defenseman among the regulars, he has 44 blocked shots, and he now creates a lot of questions. Should he be on the USA Olympic team? What do the Devils do when Martin returns? Is he a true top pairing defender after playing like one for the last 18 games? Did Lemaire and/or Lou think he had this in him? The only part of Greene's season that doesn't sparkle is that the shots against rate rises by 4 when he's on the ice; but that's mitigated by the drop in the goals against rate. That suggests that Greene's allowing quantity but not really quality. Greene has exceeded my expectations by almost-ridiculous levels so far this season.

Overall

You really can't complain about the current blueline with how they have played so far this season. Greene has been a relevation; White and Mottau have been good; Martin was good prior to injury; and the only defenders I'd like to see more from is Oduya (who's doing that now) and Salvador (who is meeting my admittedly low expectations). There's no problem in net, as usual. Consider that most of the top forwards have been meeting or exceeding expectations, then is it a surprise that the Devils have started this season at 21-8-1?

Please leave your comments about the defensemen and the goaltenders in the appropriate place called the comments. Thanks for reading.

Martin Brodeur Earns 103rd Career Shutout as New Jersey Devils Beat Buffalo Sabres, 3-0

John Fischer — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 03:13:44 -0000

More photos » by David Duprey - AP

Martin Brodeur earned his 103rd career shutout. Here is one of the 22 saves he made. This puck went on to be picked up by a Devil and then pushed up ice on a breakout. (AP Photo/ David Duprey)

Browse more photos »

Sing with me now!

There's only one Martin Brodeur! There's only one Martin Brodeur! There's only one Maaaaaar-tin Brodeur!

Martin Brodeur didn't have to make many big saves or pull out any highlight-reel worthy moves to stop the Buffalo Sabres. He did his job, he did it well, he was solid with his stick, and he controlled all the rebounds to places where his teammates can clean it up. Martin Brodeur earned his 103rd career shutout, tying him with the all-time leader, the legendary Terry Sawchuk. If 4 Vezinas, 3 Cups, and well over 552 career wins weren't enough to convince you of his greatness, then this should clue you in. If not, I have no words for you. Congratulations to Martin Brodeur.

That said, the 3-0 victory was also an excellent team win. While the first 15 minutes or so weren't great, the New Jersey Devils went on to apply - get this - consistent offensive pressure and just out-worked the Sabres for much of the game. The Devils had sequences where shift after shift just kept going after the Sabres. Most of the second period was an exercise of this domination, and even late in the game the Devils made a point of it to get the puck forward and put shots on Ryan Miller. It was what I wanted to see, it was what I think the team needed to do after two lackluster performances on offense, and it was glorious. NHL.com has their recap up of the Devils' victory, complete with links to the boxscore and other stats.

For the Buffalo perspective, read on at Die by the Blade later on for their recap. I would expect frustration to be the theme, but that's just me. The Buffalo faithful really let their displeasure known in the second and third periods and honestly, I don't blame them for booing. Their team just fell flat after the first period and deserves criticism for it. Read on for my further thoughts on tonight's win.

As the schedule turned out, this would be the only Devils road game between the beginning of the month and December 19 (where they travel to Atlanta). I figured the opposition would be tough and at first, it was a close game. I felt Buffalo were a bit better in the run of play for most of the first period. The Devils didn't look as sharp with their passes, they were a bit too passive on defense, and didn't get much sustained pressure going.

Fortunately, late in the period, they didn't need to do that as Brian Rolston and later Travis Zajac scored off the rush. They were well set up plays, truth be told. Vladimir Zharkov cut outside, fed it down low to Patrik Elias, who put it right on Brian Rolston's stick for the far-post shot that slid in. Well done. Shortly thereafter, the Devils hit back on a long breakout created by Colin White, Zach Parise dished it off to Zajac who ripped one through Ryan Miller. The Devils didn't look all that great, yet led after the period 2-0.

Then the domination began. When you're down 2-0, don't take a holding call to start a period! Apparently, Clarke MacArthur forgot that and he regretted his infraction. Nicklas Bergfors used Parise well on a screen to beat Miller and put the Devils up 3-0. And then the pressure came. The forechecks surprised Buffalo's defense. The neutral zone play was solid. And in the rare chance that Buffalo actually had the puck in a position to do something on offense, the defense either negated it, the Sabres either lost it while trying to set up a "good shot," or Martin Brodeur made an easy save. Only once did the Sabres get the puck in close on Brodeur, literally in the dying seconds of the second period - and the goaltender made sure he smothered it.

I cannot praise the offensive pressure enough, the Devils didn't hold onto their lead and they were really unfortunate (largely thanks to Ryan Miller) to not blow the game completely wide open. I wanted to see an aggressive offense from New Jersey's forwards and I saw it tonight and it was great. The second period was just fantastic hockey by the Devils. On this note, enjoy tonight's highlights from the game with this embedded video from NHL.com.

Jacques Lemaire rolled four lines, all of whom were effective, throughout the second and even all the way into the third period. As the forwards pushed forward, this gave less opportunity for Buffalo to attack. And when they did, the defense and backcheckers did a great job making it difficult with 20 blocked shots and only 22 allowed on net. Excellent work at both ends, in my view. When you see the fourth line of Rod Pelley-Dean McAmmond-Ilkka Pikkarainen out for a shift late in the third period - like with 100 seconds to go - that's a sign that the entire team has played very well that night.

Praise is definitely deserved for Brodeur. But nearly everyone had a good game tonight! Zach Parise roared with 7 shots on goal and an assist. Nicklas Bergfors had 6 shots and a power play goal. Travis Zajac (seriously, that line was cooking) had 4 shots, a goal, and went 7 for 11 on faceoffs. Brian Rolston had 4 shots and a goal. Patrik Elias had 3 shots and went 4 for 8 (good for him at least). Vladimir Zharkov didn't get a shot on net, but he did set up a goal, so that's definitely good - 3 assists in his last 3 games. Rob Niedermayer was solid on the penalty kill, leading that effort on special teams. Even the fourth line had a presence, Dean McAmmond stood out the most as he hit the post in the second, and got his two shots in the third: first by taking a long shot and his second was his own rebound. (Buffalo defense, you got burned by Dean McAmmond). The team as a whole blocked 20 Buffalo shots while only allowing 22 to go at Brodeur. Bryce Salvador and Mark Fraser each had 4, and Jay Pandolfo was close behind with 3. Johnny Oduya skated his socks off with a 26:13 effort; Andy Greene and Colin White rarely made a wrong move; and even Matt Corrente looked good in limited minutes (9:03, only one to play less than 10 minutes). Mike Mottau has played well for New Jersey, but he really wasn't needed all that much. I honestly can't say that any Devil had a bad game. Lemaire got the team fired up after a mediocre first period (despite scoring 2 goals at the end) and it clearly showed on the ice.

The Devils went on to outshoot the Sabres 37-22 (led after 2 periods 25-11, mind you), win more faceoffs (23-16 NJ), and nearly had 3 more goals. Dean McAmmond went high on a low Ryan Miller and only got post in the second period, Travis Zajac's shot while streaking to the net hit the far post on a feed from Parise, and Parise had a goal waived off when the video replay saw a kicking motion on the puck late in the game.

The only faults I could think of the team's performance had to do with discipline and special teams. During a power play, Brian Rolston, rushing back to prevent a shorthanded scoring chance, tripped up a Sabre - which wiped out the Devils' man advantage. In terms of straight-up minors, Bergfors took a late hooking call in the second and Fraser hit a Sabre with a high stick in front of the crease in the third period. Sure, the Devils (with some help with the Sabres) killed these penalties; but they could have been avoided altogether. On the flip side, the Devils' power play wasn't so great. Out of 4 opportunities (well, 3 minus Rolston wiping out the Devils' second power play of the second period), the Devils managed to only get 5 shots on net. They didn't do anything on the first power play of the game or the one they had in the third period. Of course, they did score a power play goal and for the Devils, that's perfectly fine.

And really, those faults are really small blips in comparison to the excellence of the (eventual) overall team effort, the coaching adjustments, Martin Brodeur, the effectiveness of the defense, and the play from all 12 forwards. If this is what the Devils look like now, just wait until the Devils get Paul Martin, Dainius Zubrus, and David Clarkson back from injury.

This was a great win for the Devils and I hope this inspires them to continue what they did in Buffalo tonight at the Rock. Once again, congratulations to the New Jersey Devils for a quality win and congratulations to Martin Brodeur for his 103rd career shutout.

Thanks to all who have commented and/or read the GameThread, thanks to Steve for making the GameThread, and thanks to you for reading this. Please leave all your thoughts about tonight's game in the comments.

New Jersey Devils Morning News, Dec 7

TibbsBeastoftheEast — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 13:14:22 -0000

Devils up next: Sabres and Ryan Miller - (The Bergen Record)
Devils face America's best - (The Bergen Record)

Patrik Elias, Devils shoot down Red Wings - (The Bergen Record)
Devils defenders have a long chat; Two-man advantage adjustments - (Fire & Ice)
Elias explains quick departure; Brodeur believes Miller will be U.S. starter - (Fire & Ice)
Terreri filling in as second goalie as Brodeur gets afternoon off - (Fire & Ice)
Pandolfo and Oduya return to help Devils win - (Fire & Ice)
Devils turn back the clock to 1995 - (Fire & Ice)
Patrik Elias scores winner and then leaves building - (Fire & Ice)
Live post: Devils win 4-3 in a shootout - (Fire & Ice)
Lemaire recalls happy faces of 1995 Stanley Cup - (Fire & Ice)
White will play vs. Red Wings; Sending Halischuk down was difficult decision - (Fire & Ice)
Remembering the 1995 Stanley Cup team; Danis still waiting - (Fire & Ice)
NJ Devils coach Jacques Lemaire tweaks 5-on-3 power-play unit - (The Star Ledger)
NJ Devils post-practice report - (The Star Ledger)
NJ Devils early practice report: Martin Brodeur not practicing - (The Star Ledger)
Jacques Lemaire enjoyed seeing '95 NJ Devils and return of injured players - (The Star Ledger)
Patrik Elias wins shootout for NJ Devils and then leaves hurriedly - (The Star Ledger)
NJ Devils rally for 4-3 shootout victory over Detroit Red Wings - (The Star Ledger)
NJ Devils GM Lou Lamoriello makes 'tough decision' to send rookie winger Matt Halischuk to minors - (The Star Ledger)
NJ Devils-Detroit Red Wings: As they played - (The Star Ledger)
Colin White in NJ Devils lineup; Matt Corrente will sit - (The Star Ledger)
Is former NJ Devils defenseman Brian Rafalski a future Hall of Famer? - (The Star Ledger)
Back injury will keep Brian Rafalski from facing NJ Devils - (The Star Ledger)
NJ Devils send Matt Halischuk to Lowell (AHL); Johnny Oduya and Jay Pandolfo activated - (The Star Ledger)
No roster move yet for NJ Devils - (The Star Ledger)
Healthy Devils best Detroit in shootout - (The New York Daily News)
Brodeur: Sabres' Miller 'no doubt' top U.S. goalie - (The New York Post)
Brodeur steals shootout win over Red Wings after Devils lapse - (The New York Post)
As Devils' vets return, decisions to be made - (The New York Post)
Watch Postgame Reaction - (Msgnetwork)
Devils 4, Red Wings 3 (SO) - (NewJerseyDevils.com)
Devils honor '95 champs before facing Wings - (NewJerseyDevils.com)
Pandolfo, Oduya activated; Halischuk to Lowell - (NewJerseyDevils.com)
Devils-Sabres Preview - (FOXSports.com)
Devils honor '95 champs before facing Wings - (NHL.com)
NHL Standings - (Yahoo NHL)
Devils' players stats - (Yahoo NHL)
Devils Team Report - (Yahoo NHL)
Red Wings' Tomas Holmstrom proud of reaching 200-goal mark - (Flint Township/Swartz Creek Advance)
Red Wings-Devils wrap-up: mental mistakes cost Wings more points - (MLive.com)
Sabres ranks among NHL's top 7 in PPG - (Buffalo Business First)
Devils face Sabres - (hockeybuzz.com)
Devils vs. Red Wings, 12/5/09: A Documentary Feature About Boomer’s First Trip To The Rawk - (Interchangeable Parts)
Devils vs LightningBOLTS!, 12/4/09 - (Interchangeable Parts)

LOWELL DEVILS
Devils Shocked by Monarchs, 6-5 - (LowellDevilsHockey.com)
Devils iced in a thriller - (The Lowell Sun)
Palmieri leads Devils to a win - (The Lowell Sun)

TRENTON DEVILS
Devils Force OT, But Royals Win Again, 4-3 - (TrentonDevils.com)
Devils Comeback Falls Short - (TrentonDevils.com)
Reading Wins Back and Forth Match 5-4 - (TrentonDevils.com)
Reading vexes T-Devils in OT - (The Trentonian)
Justin Coutu Returned To Trenton Devils - (MLN - The Raw Feed)

MISCELLANEOUS
Ross gets a Devils' rush - (Denver Post)
DiNardo memorial hockey game to benefit their kids - (The Jersey Journal)
Spitfires skate to easy 9-5 win vs. Petes - (Windsor Star ); Adam Henrique

New Jersey Devils Give Up 2 Goal Lead, Pull Out Win over Detroit Red Wings in Shootout

John Fischer — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 05:09:07 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

Patrik Elias showed up in the shootout and scored the shootout winning goal to give the New Jersey Devils the win. Chris Osgood is frozen at this point in time. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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Last Saturday, the New Jersey Devils snowballed their way to a huge 6-1 win over the New York Islanders. As the game went on, the Devils played better and went on to dominate on the ice and on the scoreboard. Tonight, the opposite happened as the Devils hosted the Detroit Red Wings. The Devils started off great, slowed down a bit in the second period, and then reverted to how they looked last night in the third period. In the process, the Devils conceded a two goal lead and the game was forced into overtime and followed by a shootout. The Devils won there, the final became 4-3, and so NHL.com has your recap complete with the relevant stats.

The Devils prevailed there, but I can't honestly say I'm pleased with the performance. I know, I know, it's a results-oriented business and the Devils just picked up 4 points in 48 hours. Fine. But the Devils could have and should have done better tonight, especially because they played so well and worked so hard in the first period. Credit the Detroit Red Wings for responding after being beaten on first twenty minutes, they eventually took the game over and made it a game.

Winging it in Motown has their recap up and joehass wonders why Patrick Eaves wasn't used in the shootout for Detroit given that he had a goal and an assist. Read on my extended thoughts on tonight's game.

Let's talk about the goaltenders first. Martin Brodeur and Chris Osgood, I felt, played well. Both goaltenders had to come up huge at various points. Brodeur bailed the Devils out of the third period, whereas Chris Osgood robbed the Devils a few times earlier - most notably Ilkka Pikkarainen's backhand. A bit odd to say given that both gave up 3 goals each. However, only one of the six goals scored in regulation was really a soft - Johnny Oduya's individual effort sliding right through Osgood's legs. The other goals were off rebounds where the goaltender had no chance on (Jamie Langenbrunner, and one deflection by Patrick Eaves. Here's a video of the game's highlights from NHL.com. See for yourself:

Now, you can see where the momentum lied in the shots by period. The Devils' first period was very strong. They bossed the Detroit skaters around, they moved the puck up ice at will, they owned the neutral zone, and outshot the Wings 11-7. They were doing what I said I wanted them to do in the game preview - be aggressive on offense. If you had seen that period, then you became increasingly amazed at how the Devils took their foot off the proverbial pedal. In the second period, Detroit pulled one back (Kris Draper on a rebound), the Devils responded with a goal of their own (Rob Niedermayer on a rebound created by Vladimir Zharkov), and then Detroit capitalized on a power play near the end of the period (Thomas Holmstrom on a tip). Sure, the Devils were leading after the period, 3-2; but the Red Wings clearly made adjustments that the Devils didn't have many answers for and so outshot the Devils 11-9. No longer was Detroit being outworked, no longer was Detroit constantly giving away the puck in the neutral zone.

And then the third period came and it reminded me so much of last night, it was sick in retrospect. It started off well enough. Jay Pandolfo nearly had a goal when his shot from the high slot was stopped by Chris Osgood. The puck bounced up, over Osgood, and was about to slide in only for Brad Stuart to swoop in and clear it off the line. From that point on, Detroit took over in pinning the Devils back, forcing them to clear the puck right back to Detroit, and repeat. Patrick Eaves got the equalizer off a deflection and Martin Brodeur should be thanked for keeping the score tied. After all, the Devils only put 3 shots on Osgood in the third (11-3 Detroit in terms of shots). Where were the Devils of the first period? Where was the aggressive offense? Truthfully, the Devils escaped the third period and were fortunate to earn a point with that kind of "offense."

Overtime saw the Devils actually make an effort to score a goal and came close when a deflected shot by Travis Zajac beat Osgood, but was denied by the post. Alas, this game needed a shootout and the Devils pull out a win. The fans (it was a very good and loud crowd at the Rock) were real happy with the win, nearly everyone standing for every shot and Devils attempt. Exciting stuff, but I can't help but think that most would have liked to have seen the Devils continue to do what they did in the first period and put the game out of doubt. But Detroit responded real well and the Devils wilted. I also can't help but think of the following cliche: good teams know how to win games that they perhaps shouldn't have. The Devils did just that in the last two games. So I guess they are a good team.

A few Devils stuck out tonight, in my opinion. I felt Jay Pandolfo (17:58, 1 A, 2 SOG) and Johnny Oduya (21:01, 1 G, 3 hits) had good games. I was a bit concerned with how they would look after not playing for at least a month, and my concerns were quickly erased. Both hustled pretty well and didn't make too many noticeable mistakes as they played significant minutes. Well, Oduya did jump up on offense, got caught, and didn't really recover well as Darren Helm unloaded a shot that Kris Draper eventually knocked in. But Oduya was just a part of that, the other Devils should have helped out in recovery; so I wouldn't kill him for that one. Rob Niedermayer had a good game, he had 3 shots on net and went right to the net at the right time for the Devils' third goal. He played just over 19 minutes (19:17) and statistically I can only fault him for going 5 for 13 on faceoffs. I also felt Colin White (21:00) and Mike Mottau (24:57) had a solid game on defense. This is especially good news for White as he left Friday's game early due to "lower body soreness." Tonight, he stayed in and feels pretty good afterward according to Gulitti's postgame report.

In terms of Devils who stuck out for not being noticeable (this makes sense, hear me out), I'd have to point the finger to Patrik Elias and Brian Rolston. Last week, they were a dynamite duo. Tonight, they weren't really there. Rolston had 3 shots on net and played 14:57. None of those shots were of particular importance and he managed to get blocked twice and miss the net three times. I didn't think he had an impact. Elias got the win-clinching goal in the shootout, but he did little else in the game. He also played far less than I thought, only 14:05, put 1 shot on net, and was thoroughly beaten at the faceoff dot (3 for 11). The offense has a whole suffered as the game went on, and these two really do need to take more initiative to prevent this from happening in future games.

I do have to credit Detroit's defense in part of stifling New Jersey's offense. Nicklas Lidstrom is an absolute joy to watch on the blueline. He knows where to position himself, when to step up on a player, when to drop back, and he is so slick with the puck. A few times in the game, a Devil forward would have the puck and carry it over the blueline only to just dump it away because he knows he can't beat Lidstrom in a one-on-one battle. It's no wonder he's known as a dominant defenseman. Naturally, he played 30:48 for Detroit because he really is that important. Jonathan Ericsson also came back from injury and put in a good (not perfect, but good) effort in playing 28:24 (!!), often along side Lidstrom. Overall, the Red Wings' D cleaned up a lot of rebounds and Lidstrom alone made things difficult for the Devils' offense after the first period. Not that the Devils' offense was particularly interested in attacking them by the third period.

So what's next? The Devils have four games in the coming week and they really need to be more consistently positive on offense. That means putting shots on net through all three periods. That means not allowing the opposition to dictate the play when up with a lead. That means not giving up a two goal lead in a game. I think it'll get better, hopefully by Monday when they go up to Buffalo. Thanks to Steve and commenters in the GameThread, as well as all of the readers. Feel free to leave your thoughts, questions, complaints, stats I missed, and anything else you feel about tonight's shootout win in the comments.

New Jersey Devils Morning News, Dec 5

TibbsBeastoftheEast — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 13:34:28 -0000

Devils notes: Jay Pandolfo, Johnny Oduya to return - (The Bergen Record)
Devils pull out win over Lightning in final minute - (Fire & Ice)

Greene steps up again; Rolston rifles one - (Fire & Ice)
Devils’ rookies have an impact in comeback win over Tampa Bay - (Fire & Ice)
Devils defenseman Colin White questionable for Saturday’s game with lower-body soreness - (Fire & Ice)
Live post: Downie PPG ties game a 3-3 in third; Zharkov earns first NHL point - (Fire & Ice)
Steve Yzerman at The Rock to see Devils-Lightning - (Fire & Ice)
Peters knows he needs to play better; Pikkarainen showing improvement; Lemaire: Kids need to play - (Fire & Ice)
Devils will hold out Pandolfo and Oduya until Saturday; Brodeur to start, Pelley back in - (Fire & Ice)
Breaking an ice ceiling: Female hockey broadcaster from NJ cracks NHL barrier - (The Star Ledger)
NJ Devils rookie defensemen Matt Corrente and Mark Fraser are two tough customers
Injury late in game could sideline NJ Devils defenseman Colin White
NJ Devils capitalize on power play to take 3-2 victory over Tampa Bay Lightning
NJ Devils-Tampa Bay Lightning: As they played
Brendan Shanahan recalls some emotional days with NJ Devils
Did Ilkka Pikkarainen get the message when NJ Devils sent him to minors?
Neither Jay Pandolfo nor Johnny Oduya will return to NJ Devils lineup
Devs beat adversity, Lightning - (The New York Post)
NJD Notes 12.04: Lemaire quotes - (NewJerseyDevils.com)
Pandolfo, Oduya sit out one more
Devils Beat Lightning With Goal in Final Minute - (The New York Times)
A BIG GOAL; With countless records under his belt, New Jersey's Martin Brodeur ... - (Kelowna.com)
Red Wings-Devils Preview - (SportingNews.com)
Defeat is plenty of a penalty for Tampa Bay Lightning in 3-2 loss to New ... - (Tampabay.com)

LOWELL DEVILS
Devils Upend Sound Tigers, 5-1 - (LowellDevilsHockey.com)

MISCELLANEOUS
NHL scores with Shanahan - (Toronto Sun)
Gross: NHL wise to hire Brendan Shanahan - (The Bergen Record)

Game 27 Preview: New Jersey Devils vs. Detroit Red Wings, 12/5/2009

John Fischer — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 06:00:17 -0000

More photos » by Rich Schultz - AP

Martin Brodeur and Andy Greene consider the puck. They consider it a friend that really needs to be placed in it's proper home - behind the opposition's goaltender. Will Greene get to do this for 30 minutes again against Detroit? Will Brodeur even play against Detroit? (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)

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The Time: 7 PM EST

The Broadcasting Info: MSG+ for the TV, 660 AM WFAN for the radio

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (18-7-1) vs. the Detroit Red Wings (13-10-4)

The Last Devils Game: The Devils somehow and someway pulled away with a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning despite a poor offensive effort from the home team. Jamie Langenbrunner's tip-in of Andy Greene's shot was the difference maker, and, hey, it's a win. I recapped the game just last night (or a few hours ago, really).

The Last Red Wings Game: The Detroit Red Wings hosted the then-worst-in-the-Western Conference Edmonton Oilers prior to traveling to the NJ metropolitan area. As further evidence that Detroit isn't having the best of seasons, the Oilers outplayed and outdid the Red Wings in their own building, going on to win 4-1. Joehass of Winging It in Motown summarized the loss as a poor one. I can't disagree, honestly.

The Goal: Show some aggressive offense. I want to see the Devils do the opposite of what they did against Tampa Bay. I want the Devils to press the issue. I want the Devils to not sit back or let Detroit dictate how the game will go should the Devils take the lead - in fact, I want the Devils to keep attacking until they build a sizeable lead. I want the Devils to continue battling for pucks and forechecking for more than a period. I want to see shots put on net, instead of missing because players want to try and pick out the far post on a shot. Not even the 1995 Stanley Cup Championship Devils team - who is being honored tonight - would have succeeded against Detroit with offensive performances like that. While the Red Wings aren't the powerful force that they have been for much of the last 15 years, I don't see how the Devils can beat these Red Wings if they put up an offensive performance like the one they gave to Tampa Bay.

Read on for further thoughts about the game.

First, there's the line up issue. Now, as reported by Rich Chere on Friday, Johnny Oduya and Jay Pandolfo should be in tonight's lineup. They were kept out of the Tampa Bay game, but Jacques Lemaire said they would be ready this weekend, so by logic, they're in:

"No one is coming back," Lemaire said. "It was either tonight or tomorrow night, so we figured tomorrow night. It's hard to play two games in two nights when you haven't played for a while. The games are so intense. They didn't have a lot of practices."

Now, before last night's game, the Devils would have had to send someone down to Lowell to make space on the roster for both Oduya and Pandolfo to be activated. However, it appears that Colin White is now questionable with "lower body soreness" as both reported by Chere and Gulitti. More information will come out later today, so keep checking Chere and Gulitti for updates on his status and if anyone is sent down. I really hope that it is not a significant injury, in that I hope he won't be out for a significant amount of time.

By the way, Matthew Corrente, Vladimir Zharkov, and Matt Halischuk can all be sent down to Lowell without going through waivers, so I would expect one of those three to be sent down. If it were up to me, I'd move Corrente down. Johnny Oduya can ease back into the lineup on the third pairing and start with limited minutes. Though White's injury may force Lemaire to keep Corrente and send down Zharkov or Halischuk instead. It also leads to this difficult choice. To replace White's minutes, Lemaire may either have to give Andy Greene (who played 30:11 last night and earned deserved praise from the head coach per Gulitti), Mike Mottau (27:21 last night), and Bryce Salvador (22:41 last night) even more minutes; or force Fraser, Corrente, and Oduya to play more minutes. The first option can lead to an already fatigued blueline absolutely gassed by the third period tonight; and the second could lead to some issues in the back that Detroit can exploit.

All the more reason for the Devils offense to step up, in my opinion. Jay Pandolfo won't necessarily do that, but he should be useful in spelling forwards on checking and PK duty. It's not certain who will be the goaltender, but I wouldn't fret if it's Martin Brodeur again. It's not like he was bombarded by the Tampa Bay Lightning, as he only faced 24 shots on Friday. I think he'll get the start and Danis can get starts next week. Of course, it's all a gameday decision. Which should make this guess at the lineup quite incorrect come gametime (I'm assuming White will be OK).

Zach Parise - Travis Zajac - Niclas Bergfors
Brian Rolston - Patrik Elias - Jamie Langenbrunner
Jay Pandolfo - Rob Niedermayer - Matt Halischuk
Dean McAmmond - Rod Pelley - Ilkka Pikkarainen

Andy Greene - Bryce Salvador
Colin White - Mike Mottau
Mark Fraser - Johnny Oduya

Martin Brodeur
Yann Danis

Now, in my view, Detroit has always been a powerhouse. Remember how I keep pointing out that the New Jersey Devils are the second best team across the last 15 seasons? Well, Detroit is the only franchise that can claim superiority. Both in the regular season and in the playoffs. So it's really shocking to me to see them at 13-10-4 and currently 11th in the Western Conference.

I look at the team stats and I'm further confused. The Red Wings are excellent at putting shots on net, as they average 34.2 per game (2nd most in NHL) and a decent power play at 21.1% (12nd in NHL); but they only put in an average of 2.72 goals per game (19th in NHL). The Red Wings have been solid in preventing shots hit the net, allowing only an average of 27.8 per game (6th in NHL); but they aren't so solid in goals against, allowing an average of 2.78 per game (14th in NHL) and awful on the penalty kill with a 76.9% rate of success (26th in the NHL). Is this the fault of the skaters, or the goaltenders? There doesn't seem to be a definitive #1 goaltender, as Jimmy Howard and Chris Osgood have been splitting time. Howard's got a statistical advantage which meant nothing to the Oilers.

	GP	MIN	W	L	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Jimmy Howard	14	810	7	5	36	2.67	381	345	.906	0
2009 - Chris Osgood	15	829	6	5	38	2.75	369	331	.897	1

Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk are leading the offense, but the points come from varied sources outside of those two forwards. Was losing Johan Franzen to injury that big of a deal? Perhaps? In fact, Detroit is pretty banged up right now and that could be a source for the muddled set of results they got going. While they'll get Jonathan Ercisson back tonight according to Ken Holland via Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press; they're still without Niklas Kronwall, Patrick Eaves, Brian Rafalski (questionable per Ansar Kahn at MLive), Valterri Fippula, and Jason Williams.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Henrik Zetterberg	27	10	17	27	0	6	1	0	4	0	106	9.4
2009 - Pavel Datsyuk	25	6	14	20	3	2	4	0	1	0	69	8.7

Of course, no one can discount a defense led by the brilliant Nicklas Lidstrom or an offense that still features Zetterberg and Datsyuk contributing regularly. At least, I wouldn't. But I'm still surprised that they haven't succeeded more. Not on the road (5-5-2) or overall (13-10-4). Old biases die hard, I suppose. That just makes this game more interesting than that the Devils will honor their 1995 Stanley Cup Championship winning team. Will we see the same Detroit team that thoroughly defeated New Jersey last season; the same Detroit team that has been successful all these years? Will we see the same Detroit team that got beaten decisively by Edmonton in their own building? Will we see a Detroit team somewhere in the middle of those extremes?

I truly do not know and the Devils don't even get the benefit of a full day to fully prepare for what to expect. In my opinion, I think the Devils should expect a difficult opponent regardless of their record (like, say, Vancouver) and should make a point of it to attack early and often. With a likely tired team, including two players returning to hockey after a long period of time after injury, the Devils won't likely benefit from chasing Detroit around. They need to set the tempo. Not just to be quick and constantly rushing forwards up ice, but should the Devils maintain the puck on offense, they can slow it down when necessary and take their time. Aggression isn't always about being intense, it's more about taking initiative and constantly attempting to take control of the puck, and by extension, the game.

I'll be at the game (Sec. 1, Row 16, Seat 5 as usual) and likely with a hoarse voice due to West Virginia coming to the Banks of the Raritan, a.k.a. the Birthplace of College Football to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Follow that at Protect R Turf and Bleed Scarlet if you support the Block R (like me). Either way, join us in the comments on the GameThread later in the day. If you want to learn more about Detroit, check out Winging it in Motown. If you have something to add - a thought, a question, a concern, some praise for the 1995 Stanley Cup Championship team, some news update from Gulitti/Chere/elsewhere - please share it with the rest of us in the comments. Go Devils!

New Jersey Devils Win with Late Tip-in Goal over Tampa Bay Lightning, 3-2

John Fischer — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:27:09 -0000

More photos » by Rich Schultz - AP

Tampa Bay Lightning's goalie Antero Niittymaki is seen here actually having to do something. Zach Parise looks on as part of a Devils offense that really wasn't much of a threat tonight. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)

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I am ardent believer that a not-so-good-looking win is superior to a "good" loss. I don't have the pretension of "playing beautifully" or that it is better to be "attacking" and lose rather than "hold back" and win. This is a results-oriented business and on that alone, I'm glad the New Jersey Devils defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning, 3-2. It is the first regulation win over Tampa Bay this season and makes the season series 3-0-0 in the Devils' favor. All thanks to a Jamie Langenbrunner tip on a shot by Andy Greene with 38 seconds left to play. Don't tell me there's no drama with the Devils. In any case, the win is especially nice to have with a more intriguing opponent coming to the Rock tomorrow in the Detroit Red Wings.

That all said, this was definitely not a great win for the Devils. I felt their performance could have and should have been better, especially on offense. I'll explain further after the jump. NHL.com has their recap up with links to the boxscore, highlights, and more stats. For the Lightning perspective, check out Raw Charge later (tomorrow morning?) for a recap. Needless to say, given that the game was won with a

On a quick, pre-jump note, Tom Gulitti reports some potentially bad news. I didn't notice during the game, but Colin White wasn't available for the last 8 minutes of the game. According to Gulitti he left due to "lower body soreness," and he is questionable for tomorrow. I honestly felt he had an OK game, a few hits, a few takeaways, and good positioning. He's been part of the "big 4" since the loss of Johnny Oduya and Paul Martin, and his presence will be missed if he is significantly injured.

Let's cut right to what I found most frustrating about the game: the offense. It wasn't exactly a great game for Tampa Bay either. Both teams struggled to put shots on net, with Tampa Bay coming up ahead 24-19. But extra attention should be pointed to the home team first. The Devils' offense was particularly frustrating to watch. Tepid would be the nicest way I could describe their effort. In the first period, their forecheck was looking good, the Devils maintained more possession, and I felt they were just a bit off in their shooting. No problem there; but in the second period, they basically fell flat. I think they went 14-15 minutes with only one shot on net in the second before registering a few near the end. That's simply unacceptable.

After 40 minutes of hockey, the Devils had a whopping 11 shots on net and were down 1-0. Thankfully, the Devils' defense and Martin Brodeur held up well after Vincent Lecavalier's wraparound goal in the second. Yet, New Jersey completely forgot about concepts such as "aiming shots at the net," "taking the puck in yourself on an odd man rush," and "setting up in the opponent's zone" throughout the second. Antero Niittymaki had to stand on his head in the last Devils-Lightning game; but tonight, he just had to wait until the Devils actually threatened with a shot!

Thankfully, the offense was gifted three straight power plays by the Lightning to in the first half of the third, and even they took advantage. Brian Rolston let loose with a bomb right after Rob Niedermayer won the faceoff, which proved two things. First, winning faceoffs in your opponent's zone is very beneficial. Second, Brian Rolston's slapshot is a legitimate threat. While the Devils didn't do much with the second power play, Nicklas Bergfors was the target of a Tampa Bay giveaway to the slot by David Hale (good work by Vladimir Zharkov for forcing that play). While he was gifted the scoring chance, Bergfors did well for taking full advantage and putting the puck through Antero Niittymaki's goal. Despite 40 minutes of "not much," the Devils went up 2-1.

Yet after that, Tampa Bay decided that they should respond with some aggressive offense and got the Devils into a dooming cycle of clear-line change-clear from their own zone. So the Devils contributed next to no offense after their second goal and the Lightning were attempting to do the same with mixed results. Sometimes, this works for New Jersey. Tonight, it didn't. Eventually, Tampa Bay got the benefit of a power play of their own (Mark Fraser with a hook) and they, get this, set up a play. It was a beautiful quick series of passes that left Steve Downie all alone on Brodeur's flank for the easiest goal he'll score for a while and the game's equalizer. Of course only then did the Devils wake up and try to make some plays happen (most notably Matt Halischuk nearly putting in his own rebound, but was denied by a desparate Bolt defender).

Then the tip from Langenbrunner came in and that was the game. Yet as a final piece of evidence of how poor the Devils' attack was tonight, the Devils could have scored on the empty net but Patrik Elias missed. Need more proof? Check this out. Not one Devil had more than 2 shots on net. Not Parise, not Zajac, not Elias, not anyone. 2 was the max for any one player across the team. Here's another ugly stat: the Devils had 19 shots on net, 9 shots blocked, and 14 miss the net entirely in tonight's game. That's right, the Devils didn't even put half of their attempted shots on net. That's really unacceptable against any team, in my view.

I'm writing all this now and even I'm wondering how in the world they pulled off this win. I'm looking at this highlight video and I'm still amazed the Devils pulled this one out. I can't complain too much about the defense or Martin Brodeur; but the offense was really a sore spot tonight. I almost want to say that they won in spite of the lack of shots on net.

I do have to give credit to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Not that they should categorize their effort as great, or feel that they were "robbed." They didn't build on much of anything after the Vincent Lecavalier goal and outside of Steve Downie's goal, their power play was easily snuffed by the Devils' PK. Taking three straight penalties in the third period - one about a minute in, one right after Rolston scored, and one after the second penalty was killed - is definitely worthy of criticism. The awful, awful give away by David Hale definitely sticks out like a sore thumb. And despite Tampa Bay relying heavily on the their top two lines, they put up only 24 shots on Martin Brodeur.

But after a poor Boston game, their defense held up fairly well. They were very poised in their own zone, and especially on their blueline. It was very noticible that the Devils had to dump the puck a lot tonight, especially in the second period, because a Tampa Bay player was always on a Devil attempting to enter the zone. A few of them made big plays that saved some goals (I believe it was Krajicek who ensured Matt Halischuk's late drive didn't result in a goal off the rebound?). After reading about how poor they were, I felt they did pretty good tonight. And while he didn't get a lot of work, it's not like the three goals against were Antero Niittymaki's fault. He had no real chance on Rolston's blast or Langenbrunner's tip in; and while the Bergfors goal went between his legs, he was really hung out to dry on that one. I felt he was OK.

On the Devils side, I do have to give some credit to the call-ups from Lowell. Vladimir Zharkov and Matt Halischuk were flying out there, looking to leave a lasting impression on the Devils coaches. If not to convince them to stay up in New Jersey, then to convince management that they will be ready for the NHL very, very soon. Halischuk came close to scoring and he looked poised out there. Zharkov was good on the forecheck and forced a turnover that led to Bergfors' goal, earning his first assist in the NHL. And I do mean earn, you could easily tell that he was giving his all out there on the rink. We'll definitely see him in Devils red sooner rather than later. Rod Pelley got back into the lineup and threw 5 hits in 10 minutes to show that he can handle playing on an "energy" fourth line, as well as try to keep his job. On defense, Mark Fraser was steady in the 11:17 he played, but he took a dumb hooking call late in the game. Matthew Corrente looked solid but only got 6:17 because he was in the box twice for fighting - he wanted to show he can be "tough" when necessary. Corrente has been OK in limited minutes so far in his call up, you can get a sense that he can develop into a very strong defenseman in the future. They all stood out in my eyes tonight in one way or another. It'll be a tough decision to see who goes down as Jay Pandolfo and Johnny Oduya come back.

Again, this was not a great win, but it was a win and that's the important thing. No rest for the weary, though; as Detroit comes to the Rock tomorrow night. Thanks to all the readers and commenters out there. I'll have to comment a bit less as using my phone sometimes makes me miss some of the action as I frantically tap at the keys during breaks in the action. Still, I appreciate those who read and participated. Please leave all your comments about tonight's game in the, well, comments.