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Martin Brodeur Makes History with 104th Career Shutout! New Jersey Devils Vanquish Pittsburgh Penguins 4-0

John Fischer — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 03:55:57 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

The New Jersey Devils played a fantastic game in Pittsburgh and they congratulate Martin Brodeur for becoming the all-time leader in shutouts with 104. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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What a fantastic game for the New Jersey Devils. The Devils and the Pittsburgh Penguins played one intense game right from the start. This was a game between the two best teams in the league and both teams left it all on the ice. And the Devils didn't just beat the Penguins. They Devils vanquished them by a score of 4-0. They conquered the Igloo. The Devils won all three road games in Pittsburgh.

It was a great, full 60 minute effort by the New Jersey Devils and it will never be forgotten. Tonight, Martin Brodeur earned his 104th career shutout. He is now the all-time leader in career shutouts, surpassing the ridiculous total put up by Terry Sawchuk. And to think, it came against a very hot (remember, they won their last 5 games prior to tonight) Pittsburgh Penguins team. A Pittsburgh Penguins team who was averaging over 3 goals per game on offense. A Pittsburgh Penguins team lead by Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, two of the best hockey players on Earth.

And Martin Brodeur stopped them all. Brodeur made 35 saves and he was fantastic. 8 saves on the penalty kill. Shots from the slot, shots right in front, wraparounds, shots from the point, and point blank shots. The post had to make an appearance to deny Sidney Crosby late in the game, but Brodeur's glove was just as good near the end as it was all season long. Unlike his last shutout - against Buffalo - Brodeur truly had to be great against Pittsburgh. He was better - he was perfect.

And that's how he made history in becoming the all-time leader in shutouts. Thank you, Martin Brodeur.

Here's the recap from NHL.com. Visit Pensburgh for the Pittsburgh point of view, which surely must be filled with disappointment. If nothing else, WATCH THE HIGHLIGHTS. Watch Brodeur make big saves. Watch the Devils score some fantastic goals. Watch the Devils triumph in Pittsburgh. All thanks to NHL.com:

The best part about this game going down as one for the ages after Martin Brodeur's record-breaking shutout was that the Devils played a great game against the Penguins. Both teams went hard after every loose puck, they went hard after each other, and only for the middle of the second period did one team fall flat - and the Penguins paid for it with two goals against.

The third line of Jay Pandolfo, Rob Niedermayer (9 for 15 on the faceoff dot), and Nicklas Bergfors was solid against Pittsburgh's top opposition. Pandolfo and Niedermayer in particular were great on the penalty kill tonight, as the Penguins were punchless yet again on the man advantage. The second line of Brian Rolston, Travis Zajac, and Jamie Langenbrunner had a few good chances (Langenbrunner struck the post with a powerful slapshot, he nearly made the game 5-0 New Jersey) and were able to keep up pressure when available. I wish Zajac didn't go 5 for 15 on faceoffs, but that can be forgiven tonight. Even the fourth line was noticeable, namely Vladimir Zharkov hustling all over the place.

But the line of the night wasn't on Pittsburgh. (Though Evgeni Malkin made his presence felt with 6 shots on net and 21:54 of ice time.) No, it was EMP. Patrik Elias-Dean McAmmond-Zach Parise. They were dominant for the first 40 minutes of the game and the only complaint I have for Jacques Lemaire is why did he switch up the top two lines for the third period? Not that ZZ Pops was bad; but there was no need to change. Nonetheless, EMP bombarded the Penguins in the second period. Zach Parise didn't score a goal, but you can't complain with nine shots on net and three assists. He will get his goals soon enough. Dean McAmmond continued to play out of his mind, surely making the fans at the Igloo wonder who in the world is Dean McAmmond. With two shots, two assists and swarming down low throughout the second, they will remember the name: McAmmond. And Patrik Elias did cash in on a rebound for the Devils' third goal and got the puck to Parise who made the rebound that Mark Fraser put in for goal #4 and to send Marc Andre Fleury to the bench. Elias had 3 shots along with his points and the line did as well as they did against Atlanta on Saturday. I don't know why Lemaire split them up, but he did. I want to see this line continue to flourish, if only while they are still hot.

Poor Marc-Andre Fleury! He had some sloppy defensive coverage in front of him, sure, but he was just beat by four great shots on net. Bryce Salvador put his shot perfectly from the point - his goal was certainly no fluke tonight. Niclas Bergfors came down hard on the wing and found the hole to the far post on the power play early in the second. Elias shot was perfectly placed from the loose puck, and Fleury got a piece of Fraser's strike from the high slot but not enough of it. Not even 32 minutes into the game, Fleury concedes 4 goals on 16 shots - two from defensive defensemen even! - and he was replaced by Brent Johnson.

Johnson didn't get to rest much. The Devils kept pushing forward throughout the rest of the game for that fifth goal and came close more than a few times. The Penguins defense righted themselves for the third period; but New Jersey did put 14 on the backup keeper. Jamie Langenbrunner came the closest by virtue of smacking the iron with a slapshot shortly after Fraser's goal. In a way, Johnson should be fortunate that the Devils missed a few passes and shots on scoring chances in the third period. A few other decisions on some of those odd man rushes and the Devils easily score another goal or two.

By contrast, the Devils defense held steady. With about 5 minutes left or so in the second, the Penguins started to bring more and more pressure to get, well, something. You can tell from their puck possession and their body language that they aren't ending the night with nothing. Thanks to Martin Brodeur and some clutch defensive work, the Penguins, of course, got nothing.

Despite the Penguins put 35 shots on Brodeur and the PK allowed 8 shots on net, the Devils made very few mistakes in their own zone. Only twice did they cough up the puck to a free Penguin in their own zone. First, early in the second, an errant pass went right to Evgeni Malkin but Brodeur stopped him cold to bail out the defense. Second, Oduya makes a bad clearance right to a Penguin in the high slot, but thankfully he decides to try and find Jordan Staal with a pass down low and Oduya is able to pick off the pass.

Outside of that, the Devils were dominant in the slot and cleaned up a lot of rebounds. Credit Brodeur too for controlling those rebounds so well, but the 6 blueliners did an equally good job in getting clearances, settling the puck, and getting the puck up to the forwards. They had 12 blocked shots total, and the Pittsburgh offense helped out with 17 missed shots and more than a handful of poor passes on offense that the Devils took away. Johnny Oduya, in my opinion, had a great game. He had 3 blocks, he gave 22:09 of solid work, he jumped up on offense at the right time and without getting caught, and he recovered from one of his few mistakes of the night.

While the year isn't over, this has to be one of the best games if not the best game I have seen from the New Jersey Devils in 2009. They went into the building of the defending Stanley Cup champions; a hot Penguins team, a high scoring Penguins team; and a Penguins team led by Crosby, Malkin, and Fleury having great seasons. A tall order for any team. And they gave a consistent 60 minute effort. They didn't sit on leads, the penalties they took were either necessary or just bad calls by the ref (someone want to explain what Zharkov did for his minor?), and they matched Pittsburgh in intensity and workrate. Even if Crosby scored at the end or the Penguins got a fluke goal, no Devils fan would be unhappy with how well the entire team played tonight. The 4-0 win by New Jersey was honestly earned by the whole team. A fantastic victory rewarded with a four day break through Christmas.

Of course, the star of the night was Martin Brodeur and that's the way it should be. A shutout against anyone is difficult. Moreso when it's on the road and against an elite opponent. But Martin Brodeur has always been a goaltender who doesn't let the hype go to his head. He focused giving his team a chance to win, he played his way and without nerves, and he got the desired result. And so we have seen history tonight.

Thank you all for commenting in the GameThread, thanks to Steve for putting it up, and again thanks to all the readers. Please leave your thoughts about tonight's game in the comments.

And again, thank you, Martin Brodeur. I don't care what others may say, you truly are the best goaltender of all time. Here's a short collection of highlight saves he's made in the past via NHL Network:

Martin Brodeur sets all-time shutout mark, Devils down Pens 4-0

Hooks Orpik — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 03:29:06 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

about 23 hours ago: New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur makes a glove save in the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Pittsburgh Monday, Dec. 21, 2009.(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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Devils vs Penguins coverage - Devils vs Penguins recap - Devils vs Penguins boxscore - In Lou We Trust

Fresh off a five game winning streak, the Penguins looked mostly lifeless against their division rivals the New Jersey Devils. The huge story of the night is, of course, Martin Brodeur. Brodeur set the all-time shutout record, passing Terry Sawchuk with his 104 blanking effort of the night.

Nothing worked well for the Pittsburgh from the get-go, when defensemen Bryce Salvador threaded a puck through several bodies (most of them Penguins) to open the scoring. New Jersey would roar out of the gate when official new Penguin killer Niclas Bergfors drilled a shot by again an obstructed Marc-Andre Fleury. The Pittsburgh PP would get two chances, but convert neither early in the second before Zach Parise, Dean McAmmond and Patrik Elias had a great shift and eventually buried it to stretch the lead for 3-0. Just a few minutes later, about half-way through the second Mark Fraser scored again and it was time to put Fleury out of his misery.

Brent Johnson came in and stopped the bleeding --unfortunately not literally for Jordan Staal who caught a puck to the face. Staal would return at the beginning of the period, sporting a full shield and looking a lot worse for wear. From there the Pens and Devs killed time to the end of the game.

Sidney Crosby rung a shot off the post with about 1:40 left, and with about :40 left Evgeni Malkin had a great chance. Brodeur was up for it, and it was his night.

Frustrating night for everyone in black-and-gold. Max Talbot got baited into a 10 minute misconduct late in the 2nd and threw his helmet when walking to the room. One of those nights where nothing worked.
8th straight game for Malkin taking a penalty, this time a hook. Not to be out-done, Crosby took an interference minor when he slashed the stick out of a player's hands. (Yeah, the bloggers are frustrated too, can you tell?)
Fleury deserved a better fate,on every goal he never got a good look at the puck, or there was a mad scramble in front of him. Hard to fault a goalie when the team in front of him plays so poorly.
Johnson did really well to finish things out, making 14 saves on 14 shots. Things could have gotten really ugly if Johnny wasn't sharp.
Kudos for the Pittsburgh crowd to give a nice round of applause to Brodeur, recognizing his achievement. Almost fitting he breaks the record against a team that he has a .890 career save percentage against and one that's chased him out of the games more than any other.
The lone brightspot was the faceoff circle: the Pens won 59% of the draws, including Crosby's 19 wins on 26 draws (73%) and Staal's 8 wins on 11 tries (73%). But that's kind of like saying Custer's boys got a few good shots in at Little Big Horn.
You think that was a bad joke? Listen to this zinger by Paul Steigerwald on FSN (with about 1:40 left in the game) Referring to how hard former Hobey Baker trophy winner Mike Mottau got hit, Steiggy quiped: "Not as hard as Hobey Baker went down though -- he went down in a plane crash!" He then laughed and apologized for joking about "how he left us" before laughing some more.

No winning streak lasts forever, sadly, and this is in the flames of Hobey Baker's plane wreckage at five games. Not a bad stretch, but the Penguins have now only scored 1 goal in the past two games. They'll have one chance to feel good about things before the brief Christmas break when the Ottawa Senators come to town on Wednesday.

New Jersey Devils Deny the Ottawa Senators Points with 4-2 Win in Martin Brodeur's 1,030th Game

John Fischer — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 04:52:53 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

There was a lot of hitting going on in tonight's game, but the Devils hit Ottawa hard in response to their goals with two of their own. And then Bryce Salvador took this one shot... (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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Only one record was broken tonight, Martin Brodeur is now the all-time leader in games played by a goaltender with 1,030 games. In this 1,030th game of his career, Brodeur was very solid, faced 29 shots, and survived a collision with Jonathan Cheechoo. His saves kept the Ottawa Senators from taking over the second period en route to a 4-2 win by the New Jersey Devils.

First and foremost, tonight's game was vastly better by both the home and away teams than the Devils-Montreal game on Wednesday. The fans were more vocal in their chanting, the intensity on the ice was much higher, and both teams actually tried to win tonight's game. For a neutral, this game had it all - plenty of hits, big saves, fluke goals (one of which was absolutely hilarious), and slick goals.

Now, let's get to the analysis. Despite a 7-2 record this month, the Devils haven't been getting results because they've been the flat-out superior team on the ice. They've been getting them by being the better team for stretches of the game (usually a period or so) and holding on to their leads. Tonight's game would fall into that category. Don't get me wrong, the Devils were much better tonight than they were on Wednesday overall. However, was it a solid, complete effort? No. And the Devils should be thankful it wasn't for the Senators either.

NHL.com has their recap up, complete with links to the boxscore and other stats. Peter R has an excellent recap already up from the Sens' perspective at Silver Seven. Ottawa fans are right to be frustrated about a 0-for-6 performance on the power play as well as the fact that their goals didn't really come from the run of play. Read on further for my thoughts on the game.

Let's start off with some praise. The Devils' special teams were very good tonight. After a miserable power play performance on Wednesday, the Devils were better on the man advantage. OK, Rob Niedermayer took a dumb/cheap (depends on your perspective) high stick to negate a second period power play; and the Devils didn't do much on the power play late in the third. But they did score on their first power play with an excellent set-up by Andy Greene that made it easy for Jamie Langenbrunner to put home. How the Ottawa Senators didn't jump up on Greene or prevent Langenbrunner from getting behind them that close to Brian Elliott is beyond me. Well done and for converting one of them, that is a result and that's an definite improvement alone over Wednesday's 0-for-5 performance.

Apparently, that was the only shot they put on Elliott on the power play tonight. I would have liked them to attempt to put more on net on that third power play, but they didn't have to though. New Jersey was up 4-2 and just by holding onto the puck and cycling, the Senators' chances of a comeback became bleak and so there you have it.

But the real stars on special teams were Martin Brodeur and the penalty killers. They were busy, but they were ruthlessly effective. The Devils took 6 penalties tonight, and even a 5-on-3 disadvantage for 1:22 in the third period. Normally, I'd be screaming about this type of discipline. Yet, I felt that some of the calls the refs made were, how should I put this, "iffy." Ottawa got away with similar behavior - even Cheechoo colliding his knee into Martin Brodeur's head got nothing from the refs; but the Devils seemed to get caught with restraining fouls.

No matter, the killers stepped up and played huge. They remained poised in their own end, they prevented Ottawa from getting to any rebounds, and their clearances were mostly good. Even in the second period in killing off Jamie Langenbrunner's "tripping" call, two Devils sticks were lost and the PK units were still out there getting stops. Solid stuff. They even outletted three scoring chances after killing first and second calls on the 5-on-3, but the attempts on net weren't so good. Even so, they were great; Brodeur came up big on 9 power play shots against (3 from that 5-on-3) and the Devils really roared on the ice after that last big kill. Great work by the PK units for New Jersey.

However, let's go onto a mixture of praise and criticism. Before all this, I advise you to check out the game highlights from NHL.com to get a brief remainder on all the big plays in the game.

The Devils did a relatively good job for the first 40 minutes of the game. The key word here is relatively. Relative to the Senators, the Devils held up well. They kept pace with them in shots (20-22, Ottawa after the second), they battled with the Senators in a physical way (the official stats show the Devils outhitting the Senators 36-27), and the Devils responded to Ottawa's goals with goals of their own. After the Senators would have a few good shifts, the Devils would go out and do the same. Were the Devils great? Were they controlling the game? No, but they weren't letting Ottawa dictate the game either. After all, their first goal was a bizarre fluke from Alexandre Picard from the point that just found it's way in. It's not like they were bossing the Devils around in the first or second periods.

Yet, the second period in particular was just so odd. Brodeur had to be called on to make huge saves; but he was beat off a fluke deflection and hung out to dry on a bad line change by the Devils. In all fairness, Jarkko Ruutu made an excellent move on his breakaway to ensure Johnny Oduya wouldn't stop him at the last moment. In fact, the Devils committed multiple bad line changes, where the defense fortunately recovered or Ottawa duffed the shot. I liken that period to that sandwich cookie you can get at the Mrs. Field's kiosk on the lower concourse. The icing in the middle of the cookie was all over the place, much like the Devils' defense for much of the second period. Sloppy, full of sugar, and making you wonder whether it was a good choice to pay $5.50 for such a filling, unhealthy cookie. Yet, the two cookies (Brodeur and the Devils' offense), ensured that the icing (defense) wouldn't fall onto the ground or on your clothes. Brodeur made some huge stops on the Senators, and the offense put 8 on Elliott to keep them honest. Most notably, Brian Rolston and Jay Pandolfo scored some pretty good goals to keep the Senators down and the Devils up 3-2. Was the sandwich cookie good? Eh, it was OK. Was it a solid period for the Devils? No, but relative to the Senators' performance, it was decent.

Yes, that's my metaphor and I'm sticking to it. Moreover, I believe that second period performance was the best second period effort I've seen from the Devils since the Buffalo game despite it's flaws.

Then the third period came and the Devils played passive hockey for most of the first 15 minutes. OK, I get that the Senators had an extended power play complete with a two man advantage. I get that the Devils did battle for possession throughout the period. But only 3 shots on net? One of which being the most hilarious fluke goal I've seen for the Devils in years? I know this was in the highlights, but it deserves it's own video.

AAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Poor Brian Elliott! The other goals were not totally his fault and he played pretty well, but this was bad. Caught off his line on a routine save and the worst possible scenario just happened! Bryce Salvador scored his first goal of the season and did so in a way to make Ilkka Pikkarainen's first goal of his NHL career look like a goal scorer's goal. Wow. Fortunately for Elliott, it wasn't the game winner. But it did drop Ottawa's confidence as well as make the game even more of a challenge.

Still, the Devils didn't build much on the goal; what really got them going was the euphoria of killing off a 5-on-3 while up by two goals. And now I'm scratching my head. Yes, this is what I wanted to see; but why could we not see this earlier in the game? Or even earlier in the third period? The Devils only put 3 shots on Brian Elliott and that's really concerning given that the entered the period with a one goal lead. Why so passive? Did Salvador's strike put them more at ease? Did they think they could sit on the lead? Was it just that Ottawa was that aggressive going forward (possible, they were down one). Was it something else? The Devils are 7-2 this month and I'm baffled at how they keep getting results with less than 60 minute efforts.

I'm also baffled with Zach Parise. Despite what happened in practice yesterday, Jacques Lemaire had him playing with Travis Zajac all night long. He had an early breakaway that Elliot did very well to stop and throughout the night, he seemed a bit lost. Yes, he had 3 shots on net (more than any Devil); but I think the frustration at him not scoring any goals in this month is starting to set in. Think about it. In that time frame, Ilkka Pikkarainen has scored his first goal; Jay Pandolfo scored his first goal since his injury tonight; and Bryce Salvador opened up his account with a bizarre goal. But Parise? Nope. Zajac was fairly quiet tonight and was beaten plenty on faceoffs (2 for 6). Maybe they do need to be split up for a few games.

Also, now that I'm looking at the stats, I'm also baffled with Nicklas Bergfors only playing 9:26? Was he OK? I mean, Pikkarainen got more time (10:14) than him. Given that he put up no shots and he was most notable coming out of the box for second call on the 5-on-3, getting the puck, closing in on the keeper, and whiffing on a shot; maybe he wasn't. Better luck tomorrow, I suppose?

Nonetheless, some other Devils not named Brodeur had a few good games. The fourth line looked good, as Pelley and Pikkarainen combined for 9 hits and McAmmond picked up an assist on Salvador's goal. Patrik Elias had a solid night with 2 shots, an assist, and a fantastic night at the dot in going 7 for 8. Andy Greene and Salvador were both monsters on the penalty kill, with Greene killing 5:02 and Salvador killing 4:57; they were mostly steady on even strength to boot outside of the second period. Despite taking 3 minors tonight, Langenbrunner was instrumental not only on the power play goal but in setting up a screen for Rolston's slap shot. And speaking of, don't look now, but Brian Rolston now has a 4 game point streak as he scored a goal with his trademark blistering shot. He very well could be earning his money and that is a very good thing.

Yet, I'm sure you're left with all of these ramblings about tonight's game with one question: Can the Devils keep succeeding without playing a consistently good performance all game long? I'd love to say no, but this month has proven this mostly wrong. Maybe I'm demanding too much and the Devils only need to do just a bit better than the opposition to succeed? I'm not sure. I really hope the Devils can play better throughout each period to not only win some non-ugly (or inconsistent-effort) games so we don't have to find out the hard way.

The Devils conclude a 5 game homestand with a 4-1 record and now go on the road for their next 3 games. Tomorrow the Devils will play Atlanta. Maybe a change in scenery will have the Devils give a better overall effort. After all, their most complete game this month was in Buffalo. Here's hoping they'll do that.

Again, congratulations to Martin Brodeur for now being the all time leader in games played. Thanks to Steve for putting up the GameThread and thanks to the commenters and readers in said thread and for this recap. Again, check out Silver Seven for their side of tonight's game. Please share your thoughts and feelings about 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.

Florida Panthers Played 60 Minutes, Defeated a New Jersey Devils Team Who Did Not, 4-2

John Fischer — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 04:11:51 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

This is what the Devils fans felt like after the Frolik goal too. Have to do better next time, Devils. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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What did I say in my preview for this game?

The Goal: 60 minutes will get you two points.

Ah, I was proven right tonight. The Florida Panthers played for the whole 60 minutes, the New Jersey Devils did not. There's your summary. Here's a link to the NHL.com recap complete with all your stats. For the Florida take, check out Litter Box Cats where the Panthers fans should be grinning from ear to ear for what they saw tonight. Credit the Panthers, they played far better than what their recent form and team stats indicated. The four game winning streak by the Devils is over, thanks for reading, and good night.

...

OK, OK, I'll put in more of a complete effort - something the home team did not do. Read on for my further thoughts.

Let's start with the highlights of the game, there's plenty to point out here from this NHL.com embedded video:

Let's review:

The first goal against came from a pass (of sorts) to the high slot where Jordan Leopold had the time, space, and position to fire a shot home.
The second and third goals against came from deflections - both by gliding Panthers right in front of Martin Brodeur, first by Michel Frolik and then later by Shawn Mattias. Ultimately, 24 minutes was all it took for the Panthers to score enough to win.
The Devils' goals included one well placed hard shot courtesy of Brian Rolston on a 3-on-2 and one unfortunate deflection by Keith Ballard that gave Dean McAmmond his first goal and Peter R of Silver Seven a reason to go "Whooooooo." So that's one shot off the rush and one fluke.
Michel Frolik snuck behind an aggressive Andy Greene (not that you could have faulted him, the Devils were pressing on offense and had the momentum), received a fantastic outlet pass from Nathan Horton, made one move, and finished it off cleanly.

I don't know about you, but I'd say the first three goals against weren't the fault of Martin Brodeur nor do I think they would have been stopped if Yann Danis had been playing. I'm just saying. I'd also say that Florida scored twice on high quality chances (Leopold and Frolik's second goal) and scored the other two off of being at the right place and with the right deflection (Frolik's first and Mattias).

In contrast, the Devils tried to create those chances, but they failed to do so. They had opportunities. They had plenty of odd man rushes. They attempted many passes across ice to get Scott Clemmensen to do what he's awkward at - lateral movement. Thanks to the Florida defenders playing right on the blueline (and doing well at it), Devils attempted shots from the wings - one went in and many went wide. They attempted longer shots through traffic. And for what? Not much. Especially late in the third period, but I'll devote a whole separate paragraph to that mess.

This yielded more shots than the Panthers, but the Devils wasted a lot of these opportunities. Officially, the Devils had 15 blocked shots, 11 misses - I'd say they were blocked by their own players at least 3 or 4 times in the third period alone, but I'm quibbling. My point is that the Devils weren't accurate or efficient with their shooting and as a result, the

But what bothers me - and most of the fans at the Rock, who were quite lively and loud tonight - was that it took a 3 goal deficit before the Devils decided to turn up the intensity. Honestly, the first period wasn't so bad. Despite Florida trying to use a neutral zone trap (don't say otherwise, I saw 5 in the neutral zone on a few breakouts), the Devils got 9 shots on net and had the better run of play. They looked a bit inconsistent on offense, but with some more hustle and just a little more focus, I thought at the time that the Devils could do what they have done many times and equalize with a 1 goal deficit. That I thought that at all meant that the Devils weren't quite all "there," a bit unfocused.

Then they just fell flat on their faces for the first 5 minutes of the second period, which threw the Devils' chances down the proverbial stairs. Seriously, 60 minutes means 60 - there aren't any 5 minute breaks! Bryce Salvador took a justifiable, if a bit soft, hooking call as Rostislav Olesz tried to pounce on a rebound. The Devils PK struggled to do much and Mike Mottau had no issue allowing Michel Frolik to waltz through the slot. Mottau and White both looked on as the Panthers cycled down low and as Mattias went to the net, where he was rewarded with a goal. In general, Mottau and White struggled throughout points in the game; but the Devils in general didn't look like a team that was ready to play. The first period may have felt a little sleepy, but the beginning of the second period looked Florida was just practicing out there. Terrible and the Devils ultimately didn't recover from this.

I don't want to think that the Devils needed a 3 goal deficit to "wake up," but that's what happened. Rolston gave the team a lifeline, the Devils upped their offensive aggression to give Scott Clemmensen some serious work to do, but what shouldn't be ignored was how well Florida was performing. They were calm in their own end in breaking up passes, making passes out of the zone, and getting the puck in deep on offense and put a few on Brodeur. The Panthers ended up outshooting the Devils 13-11 in that period, despite Rolston pulling a lot of momentum back in New Jersey's way with his goal and despite two Devils power plays (which looked OK, but the Devils were shooting better after them, for some reason).

The Panthers then sat back a bit after Frolik's goal. After all, the Devils were down by 2, the defense was pretty solid for Florida, so the Panthers didn't have to be so aggressive on the attack. Here, the defense only made one mistake and that was critical - Andy Greene got caught on the point with Frolik well behind him. Horton's pass to him was perfect and the then 3-2 game quickly became a 4-2 deficit.

The game also became nightmare as the Devils just got worse and worse going forward. If there was a way the Devils could screw up a pass or a shot, they found it in the next 17 minutes or so. Here's an extended sample of what was seen at the Rock: Miscommunications, firing shots directly into a Panther or a Devil, flinging shots wide when the right thing to do was to put it on Clemmensen, passes hitting skates where they should have been on the stick, giveaways on long outlet passes on the breakout, Devil forwards attempting to skate through 2 or 3 Panthers, odd man rushes consistently leading with passes instead of shots so Clemmensen and the Panthers defenders knew how to read them, rebounds and loose pucks caught in between skates, and easy dumps to the corner. Did Florida press hard to attack? No, and they didn't need to with the way the Devils offense was going. The passing and shooting was garbage in the third period, and that's especially bad since both aspects needed improvement for the Devils to truly have a shot at coming back from 2 down.

Who on the Devils looked good? Well, would you believe it would be the fourth line of Rod Pelley, Dean McAmmond, and Ilkka Pikkarainen? Pikkarainen had an assist, 4 shots, and had 2 official hits; Pelley had 2 shots and 3 big official hits and by my estimate 7 actual big hits; and McAmmond got a goal. They were hustling and hitting; they were the most consistent. Brian Rolston somehow managed 6 shots on net and a goal, but somehow only got 14:38 of ice time.

Well, Lemaire wanted the top forwards out there and, well, they didn't have a good night, really. Zach Parise had an excellent scoring chance late in the second, but overall only managed 3 shots in 20:27 (missed 1, blocked twice), while he showed a lot of spirit, it didn't translate to good puck movement. Travis Zajac didn't have a good game - 1 shot, 3 blocked, 2 missed, and 6 for 15 at faceoffs in 19:22 of work. They are both very talented, but they weren't effective tonight. In retrospect, I'd like to think Lemaire would have given more time to Elias and Rolston if only because, hey, they got a goal in the game.

Nevertheless, the Devils simply didn't play a complete game and that was the source of the loss. Their passing was progressively miserable, their shooting was wasteful, and they weren't focused in those first 25 minutes which allowed Florida to dig a big enough hole for the Devils to sit in. The Panthers played a complete game and succeeded to the surprise of no one. Good for them, bad for the team we support.

After a few wins with not-so-great performances (Buffalo excepted), the Devils put out a not-so-great performance and lost. Honestly, I'd rather have the win; but such as it is. While we can dwell on it, the Devils can't as they have Philadelphia coming tomorrow. Thanks for reading and leave your comments and complaints about tonight's game in the comments.

New Jersey Devils Morning News, Dec 10

TibbsBeastoftheEast — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:35:48 -0000

Devils notes: Bryce Salvador OK - (The Bergen Record)
No record, but Brodeur and Devils beat 'Canes, 4-2 - (The Bergen Record)

No shutout record for Brodeur tonight - (Fire & Ice)
Another big night for Andy Greene - (Fire & Ice)
Salvador survives dangerous hit from Cole; Leblond back in New Jersey - (Fire & Ice)
Live post: Devils lead 3-2 in third period; Salvador returns from apparent knee injury - (Fire & Ice)
Brodeur going for record-breaker tonight - (Fire & Ice)
John Madden adjusting to life in Chicago after leaving Devils; Leblond on way back - (Fire & Ice)
A Sutter returns to Prudential Center - (Fire & Ice)
Optional morning skate for Devils today; Brodeur to go for record breaker tonight - (Fire & Ice)
Is NJ Devils defenseman Andy Greene an All-Star? - (The Star Ledger)
Bryce Salvador shrugs off neck injury to help NJ Devils hold off Carolina Hurricanes, 4-2 - (The Star Ledger)
No shutout for Martin Brodeur, but NJ Devils earn 4-2 victory over Carolina Hurricanes - (The Star Ledger)
NJ Devils-Carolina Hurricanes: As they played - (The Star Ledger)
Dean McAmmond hoping to win elusive Stanley Cup with NJ Devils - (The Star Ledger)
Jacques Lemaire: Pursuit of Martin Brodeur's 104th shutout won't distract NJ Devils - (The Star Ledger)
Will Mike Mottau return Wednesday night for NJ Devils? - (The Star Ledger)
Devils go Greene against Hurricanes - (The New York Daily News)
Devils top shelf - (The New York Post)
Brodeur became star after figuring out Rangers - (The New York Post)
Watch Postgame Reaction - (Msgnetwork)
Martin Brodeur Chasing History - (Msgnetwork)
Devils 4, Hurricanes 2 - (NewJerseyDevils.com)
Brodeur joins Bettman on NHL Hour - (NHL.com)
NHL Standings - (Yahoo NHL)
Devils' players stats - (Yahoo NHL)
Devils Team Report - (Yahoo NHL)
THN.com Top 10: Calder candidates - (The Hockey News); Niclas Bergfors
Bower happy for Brodeur's shut-out feat - (Orillia Packet & Times)
Brodeur earned his place in history - (Toronto Sun)
Close but no Cigar: Devils 4, Hurricanes 2 - (Canes Country)
Scary injury still haunts Hurricane goaltender - (Kelowna.com)
They Are Who We Thought They Were - (fanhouse.com); Martin Brodeur
FanHouse MUVPs: Eastern Conference - (fanhouse.com); Andy Greene
Devils vs. Hurricanes, 12/9/09 - (Interchangeable Parts)

TRENTON DEVILS
Caruso's Splendid Homecoming Lifts Devils, 4-3, in Gwinnett - (TrentonDevils.com)
Week 8 Highlighted By Last Minute Comeback - (TrentonDevils.com)
Trenton Devils Acquire Forward Jack Combs - ECHL - (MLN - The Raw Feed)

AROUND THE NHL
Power rankings, week 10 - (The Detroit News); Devils in 4th

MISCELLANEOUS
Former Devil Madden gives leadership to Blackhawks - (The New York Post)
Program keeping pace - (The North Bay Nugget); Jersey Hockey Fights Hunger
Cops vs. Devils: dinardo Charity Hockey Game - (myfoxny.com)

New Jersey Devils Manage to Hold on to Victory and Defeat Carolina Hurricanes, 4-2

John Fischer — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 04:44:07 -0000

More photos » by Rich Schultz - AP

This shot of celebration came in the first period, after Patrik Elias scored. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to celebrate after that first period aside from a goal and the eventual win. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)

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hile the big story may be that Martin Brodeur didn't get his 104th career shutout, I think the team's performance is worthy of more attention. Were I to be simplistic, I could say the New Jersey Devils went up 3-0 on the Carolina Hurricanes, conceded two in the second period, but managed to hold on and snag an empty net goal to win 4-2. Not completely unlike what the Hurricanes did to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night.

However, that wouldn't be honest with what happened on the ice. The Devils looked great in the first period, playing as if they were still in Buffalo. But the team declined in the second and third period, only waking up near the end to shut the door on Carolina's hopes of an equalizer. I hate to sound like someone with high expectations or a sore winner, but like the recent wins over Tampa Bay and Detroit, the 4-2 win over Carolina wasn't a great one for New Jersey. Sure, I'm glad they got the result without a shootout or a late tip-in goal; but I can't get past how the game actually went or how the Devils nearly gave up a 3 goal lead. One thing is for sure, Carolina certainly didn't play the whole game like the last place team in the NHL.

NHL.com has their recap up complete with links to the boxscore and other stats. For the opposition's perspective, check out Canes Country later for their recap. Read on for further thoughts about tonight's game.

First, for those who want a visual set of highlights of tonight's game, NHL.com has a video of that:

Now, let's start with the first period. Pay no mind to the 10-7 shot differential between the two teams, tonight was a game where what the boxscore says isn't necessarily indicative of the flow of the game. The Devils were very strong in the first, battling Canes for pucks, applying a deep forecheck, and constant stick-checking whenever a Devil was in range of the opposing puck carrier. The stick-check is a fairly basic defensive move, but the Devils were very effective with it in the neutral zone and on defense to prevent Carolina from really getting some sustained offense going.

Those loose pucks were quickly moved up ice for the Devils' own offense. While some of the passes were off, the Devils did manage to beat Cam Ward twice - one with a bit of a fluke (Patrik Elias' goal) and one great slapshot from the high slot (Andy Greene's first goal). The Devils were playing like this all the way through the period, ending with Brian Rolston keeping a Cane holding onto the puck in the corner of his own zone in the dying seconds. I took at as proof that the Devils weren't looking past the Canes, that they had the right attitude for this game, and that they're going to keep up the effort and put this game out of doubt in the second.

I was definitely wrong on the last point.

For the next 40 minutes, the Devils' team effort declined. From the start of the second period onward, much of the stick-checking and defensive work in the neutral zone that the Devils used to so much success wasn't utilized. That was a mistake and I'm amazed that it even continued into the third period. As a result, Carolina saw that they had space to go forward on offense and did just that. They started to cycle and the Devils' defense started making some bad decisions, some poor clearances, and take some bad calls. It wasn't Carolina's first goal that got the Canes going in that period, it came right from Mike Mottau's trip of Jussi Jokinen (I thought it was a dive in the heat of the moment, in retrospect, I was wrong). Sure, they didn't score on that power play, but they were far more competitive. From then on, Carolina started building confidence, gaining momentum, and pinning the Devils back more and more - all the way through the third period. It became a game again, unofficially, from that power play onward.

Officially, it became again when Brandon Sutter took a shot that took a deflection off Mark Fraser's stick and then his body, which fooled Martin Brodeur. The crowd hated this goal as it ruined the shutout. I can't blame Fraser because he was in the right position; upon looking at the goal, I wonder whether Brodeur should have had that. They were shocked by Tuomo Ruutu's shot on the power play nearly 2 minutes later (P.S. the hook by Rob Niedermayer was the only big mistake he made all night). That was just a well-placed shot, credit Ruutu for that. Still, in mere minutes, the Devils went from being up by 3 to scrambling to make sure they don't give up a third goal against. Definitely not worthy of praise.

Oddly enough, the Devils' offense was actually quite good in the first half of the second period. They put 13 shots on Cam Ward in the second period; they were able to get the puck up ice; and they scored on the first power play they got (Greene's second goal). Then again, Brian Rolston threw a bad cross-ice pass at the point that Brandon Sutter took down ice and got lucky with a deflection to score; and the power play wasted two man advantages later in the period. The Devils remained in this lull on offense for the first 8 to 11 minutes (depends on who you ask). A re-tooled line of Patrik Elias, Jamie Langenbrunner, and Brian Rolston finally had a strong shift (you see some of that in the video), and a late power play nearly gave the Devils that fourth goal, but Ward somehow stopped Langenbrunner on a rebound (also in the video). I mean, I saw it live and I'm not quite sure how he did it, but he did.

So why did the Devils end up outshooting the Canes 31-23? Well, Carolina got blocked 13 times in the game (Johnny Oduya led with 4 blocks) so their shooting wasn't exactly proficient. I also think they took too much time on offense to get a good shot. I fully understand the concept of setting up an offense. I fully understand why teams do this, but given that Carolina was giving the Devils' defense the run around for most of the post-first period game, they really should have tried firing away more often. Martin Brodeur played well, but he wasn't necessarily dominating tonight.

In contrast, the Devils offense had the game plan of getting Cam Ward moving as much as he could. Not a bad idea for most goalies, especially ones returning from a leg laceration. Especially on the power play, the Devils attempted a number of cross-ice and cross-crease passes. Again, I fully understand why a team would want to do this. If the pass hits it's target, the target can have a great chance to score. However, while the theory makes sense, the execution wasn't and so a lot of shots from sharp angles and glancing shots and those cross-slot passes weren't so effective. A lot of the attempts got on net, the Devils weren't blocked much or missed much; but there was more than a few times where you'd watch the play develop and just go "OH!" when that final pass didn't hit home.

At first, I thought Ward looked rusty; but by the end, I felt he played well in his return from injury. The goals that beat him were a deflection off Aaron Ward, a shot in the slot behind a screen, and a cross-crease pass that actually hit Andy Greene in the right spot for a goal. Not exactly shots most goaltenders could stop. That said, I wish the Devils mixed it up and tried firing more low, hard shots on Ward as he was giving up some choice rebounds. There were plenty tonight for the Devils as-is, but if they kept at it, then maybe a Devil beats the Carolina defense to one of them for the big score.

In terms of who I felt had a good night, well, Andy Greene and Zach Parise stick out as the most logical choices. Parise had 5 shots on net and 2 assists, and Greene looked fairly decent playing 24:56 and putting in 2 goals. They got stars of the game and deservedly so. Rob Niedermayer actually rates right up there too. He played fairly solid on defense, put 3 shots on net, screened Ward on Andy Greene's first goal, played 19:37, iced the game with a shorthanded empty net goal, and most impressively went 18 for 23 on faceoffs. That's just fantastic work at the dot. When Bryce Salvador took a cross checking call at the end of the game, I noticed Niedermayer was right there for the faceoff. Good thing, as he won yet another one and it allowed the Devils to kill off the game. Without Niedermayer's work, I don't think the Devils don't hold on to win tonight. He did very well - aside from the dumb hooking infraction he committed, of course.

I would also like to highlight Bryce Salvador, who took a nasty hit from Erik Cole, left the game, but managed to come back and play defense for the Devils later on. He didn't get up immediately after the hit and many in the arena were concerned. It was a scary moment, but the fans applauded when he got up after a few minutes with the trainer. I was very glad to see him return to the game and contribute 14:10 total of work on the blueline. This post-game post from Tom Gulitti covers what Salvador was thinking and how he returned from what maybe was an injury. I recommend reading it and I hope he did not sustain an injury by coming back into tonight's game.

Yet, that the Devils had to hold on to win tonight is what many of the Devils fans who left tonight game weren't happy about. That the Devils managed to get 3 goals up on the worst team in the NHL, and it nearly was given away. Why couldn't the Devils respond to those two goals with getting one more past Ward? Why couldn't they hit home on the three power plays beyond the 30 minute mark of the game? Why were the Devils being pinned back by Carolina so much in the second and third periods? Most of all, why did we see such a great first period by the Devils followed up by a poor second and third periods?

I'm hoping Jacques Lemaire will ask the players these same questions because tonight could have easily ended up as an embarrassing night if a few things went a bit differently. Carolina played well after the first period and didn't give up on the game after Greene's second goal. They didn't look like the worst team in the NHL tonight and it only goes to prove my earlier point that looking past this team or letting up on them is a big mistake. While the Devils didn't look past them, it cannot be argued that they let the proverbial foot off the proverbial pedal on defense despite allowing 23 shots on net.

There is a cliche that good teams know how to win games where maybe they shouldn't. There is another one about how sometimes a team just has to win ugly. I'm glad the Devils won their last four games. Again, this is a results-oriented business and no Devils fan can complain about the results. I'm not. But I can't help but think that they should be doing a better job in these games. Especially after playing so well against Buffalo on Monday night, one wonders what happened to that kind of effort and performance. I will say this win was better than the recent wins over Tampa Bay and Detroit because the offense was actually involved for a part of this game and the team's first period performance. However, I don't think that is saying much. I think the Devils need to get back to playing strong hockey for all 60 minutes (or even 40-50) if they want to continue their winning streak.

No matter, the Devils move on with four straight wins and have a back-to-back set against Florida and Philadelphia. Thank you all for reading and commenting about tonight's game. Please leave your thoughts and feelings about tonight's game in the comments.

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)

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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.

2010 Olympics Preview: New Jersey Devils

John Fischer — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:00:13 -0000

by Bill Kostroun - AP

Where will you see Martin Brodeur, Jamie Langenbrunner, and Zach Parise in mid-February 2010? In Vancouver, representing their country. Though, they won't be celebrating together. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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As you may or may not be aware, the 2010 Winter Olympics are coming up in less than 3 and a half months. By the end of December, all of the nations will have announced their men's ice hockey rosters. The NHL is taking part in this year's games, so expect all the top nations to be loaded with talent. Therefore, each blog on SB Nation Hockey is listing who on their team is likely to represent their nation in Vancouver. You can find the other team previews in this updated story stream.

The New Jersey Devils have more than a few Olympic hopefuls and so I'm taking a stab at categorizing their chances of representing their nation. Some are definite locks, others are more of a long shot. I'll be using the same template the other SBN-Hockey blogs, which is the same template Yanks Abroad uses for their excellent 23 Tickets feature. Read on to see which Devils I think you'll see in Vancouver and which ones need to play really well to make their case. Feel free to comment on the players listed, yell at me if I missed anyone or put them in the wrong place, or discuss the Olympics in general.

PACK YOUR BAGS, VANCOUVER AWAITS!

Zach Parise, LW, USA

Let's see, top ten NHL scorer, former Gold medal winner for USA from the 2004 World Junior Championships, MVP of the 2004 WJCs, consistently played for USA in the WCs, and the Olympics are being played on a NHL surface. The question shouldn't be whether Parise will be on the team; but how far will he lead the American offense? He's going to be an absolute blast to watch, especially on the smaller ice surface.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	ATOI	SOG	PCT
2009 - Zach Parise	24	15	15	30	19	4	2	1	1	20:30	109	13.8

Martin Brodeur, G, Canada

Age really is just a number, isn't it? He went to Team Canada's evaluation camp and the story became, "Brodeur or Luongo?" Given that Brodeur has superior numbers so far, I think the answer is clear. While I'll be supporting America in this tourney, let me give a pro-tip to the Canadians about their starter. If you want to go with youth, go with Marc-Andre Fleury. If you want to be popular, go with Roberto Luongo. If you want to win the Gold, consider starting the one goaltender who has actually led Canada to win one in the last 50 years.

	GP	MIN	W	L	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Martin Brodeur	22	1318	15	6	45	2.05	603	558	.925	1

Patrik Elias, LW, Czech Republic

Elias won the Golden Stick last year for being the best Czech hockey player in the world. Surely, the Czechs wouldn't forget about him in Vancouver? Now that he's healthy, he's showing the NHL why exactly he won it. His playmaking, offensive awareness, backchecking, and a better-than-decent shot make him an important weapon up front.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	ATOI	SOG	PCT
2009 - Patrik Elias	10	3	7	10	3	4	1	0	1	18:47	23	13.0

NEARLY A LOCK, EXPECT TO SEE THEM IN VANCOUVER

Paul Martin, D, USA

Martin has been out with a significant injury for most of the past month, he'll likely not be back to playing until the middle of December. Prior to the injury, Martin has looked good - taking on big minutes (09-10 average: 23:57) and keeping himself (and his positioning) calm in the final minute as well as he does in the first minute. Brian Burke said the injury wouldn't hurt Paul Martin's chances for representing America, per Tom Gulitti. Considering he can handle 24-27 minutes against top opposition regularly, this leads me to believe he'll be in Vancouver.

	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

Jamie Langenbrunner, RW, USA

Believe it or not, but the Devils captain has never represented the U.S. in the Olympics after 1998. Really. Well, if there's any time for him to have one more go at it, it's now. Langenbrunner broke out with his best offensive season last year and he's enjoying another productive year so far. Seriously, would you have expected 22 points in 24 games? I didn't. The man can play the point, join up on the rush, handle cycling down low, and even play primarly as a checking player. Langenbrunner is versatile and experienced, which are invaluable on a potentially young American roster. I think he goes.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	ATOI	SOG	PCT
2009 - Jamie Langenbrunner	24	5	17	22	8	6	1	1	1	20:32	68	7.4

IN A BATTLE, THESE GUYS NEED TO HAVE A VERY GOOD DECEMBER

Johnny Oduya, D, Sweden

Oh, how much can change in such a short while. Prior to this season, I would have said he was nearly a lock; but then he spent the beginning of this season getting burned repeatedly. The two-way defenseman hasn't shown much in terms of offense or in defense. Instead of looking poised, he's looked nervous. I had to even raise the point about how bad he was this season. Then he gets injured. So Oduya has to get back into form and play much better than he had been at the beginning of this season. Combine that situation with Sweden potentially having 6 defensemen ready and Oduya has to prove himself all over again. Hopefully, he is able to do just that.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	ATOI	SOG	PCT
2009 - Johnny Oduya	11	0	0	0	-5	16	0	0	0	21:04	9	0.0

WORK TO DO, LONG SHOTS BUT NOT OUT OF CONSIDERATION

Travis Zajac, C, Canada

Nothing against Zajac. His performance in New Jersey so far has been perfectly acceptable. He's productive, he's winning faceoffs (51.9%), he can play big minutes (21:10), and he can play in all situations. However, the problem isn't with Zajac, it's with Canada. Namely, Canada is absolutely stacked at center. We're talking about a team that could have Joe Thornton, Sidney Crosby, Brad Richards, and Patrick Marleau down the middle. Guys like Mike Richards, Rich Peverley, Ryan Getzlaf, and Paul Statsny have all made good cases, but even they are on the outside looking in (or will play as wingers). It really is just a numbers game for Zajac unless he has one amazing December. Maybe in 2014?

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	ATOI	SOG	PCT
2009 - Travis Zajac	24	7	15	22	13	10	3	0	0	21:10	58	12.1

Nicklas Bergfors, RW, Sweden

A few days ago, Bergfors mentioned how much he would love to represent Sweden at the Olympics according to this post by Tom Gulitti. Now, I first thought this was just a hope because, hey, Bergfors is a rookie. Surely, Sweden would have many forwards ahead of him on the depth chart. Then, I check NHL.com and find he's currently 9th among Swedish skaters in scoring and 3rd among Swedish right wingers (behind Daniel Alfredsson and Mikael Samulesson). That surprised me and now that hope doesn't seem so far-fetched. Given that Gulitti's post also notes that Sweden's head coach is trying to get Bergfors on the eligibility list, perhaps he's got a more realistic shot than I thought. Even so, I think Bergfors needs to show much more consistency in his game to be considered. Sure, it's understandable that he's not consistent, he's a rookie, after all. He truly is a long shot.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	ATOI	SOG	PCT
2009 - Nicklas Bergfors	24	6	10	16	3	6	3	0	2	15:33	60	10.0

MOVING UP, COULD BE CONSIDERED WITH AN AWESOME DECEMBER

Brian Rolston, LW/RW, USA

He's played for the U.S. in 2002 and 2006, he's currently 20th among American skaters in scoring, he's still got a cannon of a shot, and he's could be catching fire real soon in New Jersey. Brian Rolston, in my opinion, is even more of a long shot to make the American roster than Bergfors making Team Sweden. But if he has an amazing December, then he has to at least be in the discussion - perhaps as an reserve player in case injury strikes. I don't think he'll make Team USA but I can't say never if he's finally going to get it together in New Jersey for the next month. Mind you, that's a pretty massive "if."

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	ATOI	SOG	PCT
2009 - Brian Rolston	23	8	5	13	-1	4	4	0	2	18:33	80	10.0

NOTABLE DEVILS WHO WON'T BE IN VANCOUVER IN FEBRUARY

David Clarkson, RW, Canada

Does Canada really need an agitating winger who can score? Well, on the smaller ice surface and to give the team some more grit, Clarkson could be in a useful role. But Canada doesn't necessarily need to go that route and they may have other players who are just as useful for that role (e.g. Ryan Clowe). The recent injury basically puts him out of the running, however bleak it originally was.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	ATOI	SOG	PCT
2009 - David Clarkson	23	7	8	15	1	39	3	0	2	15:08	65	10.8

Andy Greene & Mike Mottau, D, USA

Yes, they have both been been playing out of their minds this season. But Greene had to fight to keep his #6 spot on the team multiple times last season and even to the start of this season; and Mottau is a literal "does everything OK, but nothing really well" defenseman. I appreciate what they are doing in New Jersey, but I doubt they crack the USA lineup ahead of Martin, Brian Rafalski, Ryan Suter, Erik Johnson, James Wisniewski, Matt Carle, Jack Johnson, Ryan Whitney, Alex Goligoski, and even Joe Corvo and Jordan Lepold. I'd be honestly surprised if either makes the roster.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	ATOI	SOG	PCT
2009 - Andy Greene	21	3	9	12	6	4	3	0	2	23:21	25	12.0

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	ATOI	SOG	PCT
2009 - Mike Mottau	23	1	1	2	5	13	0	0	0	22:31	23	4.3

Not Considered: Matt Halischuk (CAN), Mark Fraser (CAN), Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond (CAN), Andrew Peters (CAN), Bryce Salvador (CAN), Rod Pelley (CAN), Rob Niedermayer (CAN), Cory Murphy (CAN), Matthew Corrente (CAN), Yann Danis (CAN), Tyler Eckford (USA), Ilkka Pikkarainen (FIN), Jay Pandolfo (USA), Tim Sestito (USA), Dainius Zubrus (LTU), Dean McAmmond (CAN), Vladimir Zharkov (RUS).