SB Nation - Johnny Oduya

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

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

More photos » by Rich Schultz - AP

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

New Jersey Devils Morning News, Dec 16

TibbsBeastoftheEast — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:51:00 -0000

Marty Brodeur is the enduring Devil - (The Bergen Record)
Zach Parise frustrated by drought - (The Bergen Record)

Brodeur approaches another milestone night against Canadiens - (Fire & Ice)
Devils, Langenbrunner take advantage of rest time; Lemaire believe goals will come for Zharkov - (Fire & Ice)
Jamie Langenbrunner returns to Devils’ practice - (Fire & Ice)
NJ Devils' Johnny Oduya still not at top of his game following return from injury - (The Star Ledger)
Devils try to continue streaky Hab-it - (The New York Post)
The Morning Skate: Another Record for Brodeur and Watching the Blues - (The New York Times)
Cangy: Brodeur NHL's Ripken - (Msgnetwork)
Devils-Canadiens Game Preview - (Msgnetwork)
Brodeur eyes more history vs. Habs - (NewJerseyDevils.com)
Devils make annual hospital visits - (NewJerseyDevils.com)
Not much holiday cheer around Flyers, Rangers - (NHL.com)
Another milestone in the offing for Brodeur - (NHL.com)
NHL Standings - (Yahoo NHL)
Devils' players stats - (Yahoo NHL)
Devils Team Report - (Yahoo NHL)
Canadiens-Devils Preview - (CBS SportsLine)
Allan Muir: Devils return to top of NHL Power Rankings - (CNN)

LOWELL DEVILS
Devils Dominate Falcons, 6-1 - (LowellDevilsHockey.com)
Devils Weekly #11 - Weekend Split Puts Lowell in Second Place - (LowellDevilsHockey.com)

AROUND THE NHL
Has technology made attending early season games obsolete? - (Yahoo NHL)
The 10 best hockey fights of the last decade - (Yahoo NHL)

MISCELLANEOUS
Life after NHL still good for Brick's Jim Dowd - (Brick Township Bulletin)

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.

Pick 'Em: Best Capitals Draft Pick of the Decade

David M. Getz — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 18:00:27 -0000

by Nick Wass - AP

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Readers who venture outside the friendly internet confines of the the Rink may have noticed that, in anticipation of ~~the end of the decade~~ 2010, Puck Daddy has been compiling the best and worst of the last decade, including the ten biggest goon moments, the best and worst contracts, and NHL's best and worst decisions. Yesterday saw Ryan Lambert of The Two Line Pass take a look at the five best and five worst draft picks of the last ten years.

Being a Capitals blog we figured it would make for some interesting discussion to ~~pilfer the idea~~ alter their framework every so slightly to suit our favorite team and take a look at some of studs and duds of recent Washington draft classes. To make things a little more interesting, we decided to eliminate lottery picks, which in essence means no Alex Ovechkin, no Nicklas Backstrom, and no Karl Alzner.

To start things off, let's take a look at the five worst:

5. Jakub Cutta (Defense, 2nd round, 61st overall, 2000)

Cutta was billed as a guy with an ideal frame, but a project nonetheless. At the time of his draft people knew there were questions about his skating, his ability to move the puck out of the zone at the next level, and whether he would ever use his 6'3'', 214 frame as effectively as possible. The problem was, nothing ever really panned out. The skating never became NHL caliber, there wasn't any offense to speak of as a pro, and while Cutta laid out a big hit every once in a while, he was far from an intimidating physical force. All told Cutta saw action in eight games over the course of three seasons with the Caps, earning himself a minus-5 rating. By 2006 Cutta would be back in his native Czech Republic, and he's been splitting time between his homeland and Russia for the past few years. It's not always fair to look back and evaluate a pick using 20/20 hindsight, but the fact that Paul Martin was taken with the 62nd pick certainly doesn't make this one any easier to swallow.

4. Josh Godfrey (Defense, 2nd round, 34th overall, 2007)

Yeah, it's still early, but thing don't look very good for Godfrey, who's now in his second season with the ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays. Part of us wants to say that the blue line is stacked at Hershey, that Godfrey's still young, and that he was drafted as an offensive defenseman who would have to spend a lot of time working out the kinks in his own end before he had a chance at the NHL. Another part of us says that guys who spend more than one season in the ECHL don't usually do much at the NHL level - and that's not enough for someone picked 34th overall. The fact that, other than Kings prospects Wayne Simmonds and Oscar Moller, no one picked after Godfrey has seen much NHL playing time helps keep him from rising on this list - for now.

3. Keith Seabrook (Defense, 2nd round, 52nd overall, 2006)

Also an offensive defenseman, the Capitals were hoping Seabrook would one day be a powerplay quarterback, or at least an offensive threat from the blue line. However, Seabrook underwhelmed offensively, first by scoring 13 points (two goals) in 37 games at the University of Denver and then by scoring 17 (four goals) in 59 games with the WHL's Calgary Hitmen - all while failing to make marked progress in his own end. In 2008-09 Seabrook finally became the offensive force people thought he was capable of being by registering 55 points (fifteen goals) for the Hitmen, but questions persisted about whether it was because he was growing in to his talent or because he was an overage player. Currently in the Calgary Flames organization, Seabrook still has a chance to become an NHL player, but never came close to getting a contract, let alone a game, with the Caps.

2. Joe Finley (Defense, 1st round, 27th overall, 2005)

The Caps would eventually sign Finley in the summer of 2009, but his future seems to be up in the air. After playing as a forward in camp, Finley's back on the blue line with South Carolina this season. If Finley ever makes it to the NHL, it's almost certainly going to be in a limited role as an enforcer...and you don't aim to draft a part-time enforcer in the first round. 36 of the first 45 players taken in the 2005 draft have played in the NHL, and has four of the five and seven of the ten taken after Finley. The issue at this point wasn't the talent pool. It was the selection.

1. Sasha Pokulok (Defense, 1st round, 14th overall, 2005)

How could it be anyone else? There's no way the Caps should have been picking 14th in 2005, but they sure didn't do themselves any favors in picking Pokulok. Billed as a physical specimen with skating ability and offensive upside, Pokulok was beset by concussion problems each of his three years in the Capitals organization. In the end, Pokulok wasn't able to stick in Hershey, let alone Washington, earning himself the dubious (and unfortunate) title of "Worst Capitals Pick of the Decade".

Honorable Mentions: Steve Eminger, Ted Ruth, Maxime Daigneault, Boyd Gordon

Now that that's over, let's take a look at the five best:

5. John Carlson (Defense, 1st round, 27th overall, 2008)

He's played just three games at the NHL level thus far, but is there any reason to think Carlson won't be a very, very good NHL defender? With size, skill, and smarts he's bested every challenge thrown his way since the draft, finishing second in the OHL in scoring among defensemen and second among rookies last year, and registering 18 points in 24 games for the Bears this year. Carlson may very well be a top pairing guy in the very near future, and in a league that prizes two way defensemen as highly as the NHL does that's a heck of a return on the 27th pick.

4. Johnny Oduya (Defense, 7th round, 221st overall, 2001)

Hey, we said these guys were going to be Capitals draftees, we never said anything about whether the team signed him. With only one point and an minus-1 rating, Oduya's slumping this year but he's nonetheless a legitimate top-four guy defenseman in the NHL, something that can only be said for a handful of the 200 players taken before him.

3. Alexander Semin (Left Wing/Right Wing, 13th overall, 2002)

At September's Capitals Convention members of the team's scouting staff were insistent they'd been lucky with Semin, who has grown three inches and added thirty-five pounds since the time he was drafted. Even if there was some luck involved, Semin is a elite offensive player who may just be the most naturally talented guy in the NHL. Picking thirteenth overall you expect to get an NHL caliber player - but getting a guy with Semin's ability in that spot is a steal. He might not have the career top 2002 pick Rich Nash will, be there's no doubt Semin was the most talented player available at the this spot - and your GM picking that guy is all you can ask for.

2. Semyon Varlamov (Goalie, 23rd overall, 2006)

We'd be lying if we said there wasn't a part of us that was still scared Semyon Varlamov was going to burn out (insert obligatory Jim Carey reference here), but what he's doing at his age, well, that just doesn't happen very often. The Capitals get credit here for being willing to use their first round pick to take a netminder in what was regarded as a weak draft between the pipes. The next time you want to criticize George McPhee for going off the board, remember that sometimes the risk pays off.

1. Mike Green (Defense, 29th overall, 2004)

Twenty-ninth overall isn't exactly scraping the bottom of the barrel, but no one expected this. Fifty-one goals and 159 points in his last 180 games, a historically great season, a Norris Trophy nomination at age 23, and comparisons to Paul Coffey would make Green a great pick just about anywhere, but at the end of the first round it's practically criminal. Thank the Lord the Stars saw something they liked in Mark Fistric.

Honorable Mentions: Mathieu Perreault, Oskar Osala, Braden Holtby

While the issue of the worst draft pick seems pretty cut-and-dry (seriously, if anyone thinks it's someone other than Pokulok, we'd love to hear why), the best pick is up for debate - and we want to know what you think. Vote in the poll, and let us know who you picked in the comments section.

Poll

So, who's the best Capitals draft pick of the decade?

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.

New Jersey Devils Morning News, Dec 7

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

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

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

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

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

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

Game 28 Preview: New Jersey Devils @ Buffalo Sabres - 12/7/2009

John Fischer — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 05:00:15 -0000

by Bill Kostroun - AP

I would expect Martin Brodeur to be in net for the Devils against Buffalo. The real question is whether he'll get consistent offensive support? (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

View full size photo »

The Time: 7 PM EST

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

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (19-7-1) @ the Buffalo Sabres (16-8-2)

The Last Devils Game: The Devils started off well enough, but faded as the game went on. I wasn't happy with the performance or the two goal lead conceded, but the Devils pulled out a win through the shootout to beat the Detroit Red Wings, 4-3.

The Last Sabres Game: The Buffalo Sabres didn't win in New York, as the Rangers held them out from scoring until late in the game. Despite the 2-1 loss, according to David Olesky's recap of the game, the Sabres worked very hard and just couldn't get the scoring to make up for the few mistakes they did make.

The Last Devils-Sabres Game: The Buffalo Sabres showed up when the puck dropped, went up quickly in the game, and continued to build on their success against an out-of-sync Devils team. New Jersey had quantity but did little to beat Ryan Miller, whereas Buffalo made the most of their chances. The Devils went on to decisively and deservedly lose 4-1 at the Rock, you can read my recap of that game here. For the Buffalo side of that game, here's the recap from David Olesky of Die by the Blade.

The Goal: Do not sit back with any kind of lead. This is becoming more than a pet peeve. For a majority of the Devils' wins this season, the Devils have a lead in the third period (or sooner) but they are forced to mostly play defense in their own zone due to the opposition becoming more aggressive on offense. As a result, the Devils do not go forward as much, they are changing lines instead of forechecking, and so the opposition isn't kept honest. Most of the time, this doesn't burn the Devils but it nearly did against Detroit. Buffalo is a stingy hockey team, letting up the fewest number of goals in the league with 59; goals are going to be hard enough to come by as-is. Should the Devils get a lead, they can't let a hard-working Sabres squad take control - they have to keep control of the puck and get some sustainable offense going to at least keep the puck in Buffalo's end should they be leading in the game.

Read on for my further thoughts on the game as well as some further insight into tonight's opponent by Zachary Zielonka of Die by the Blade.

It feels a bit weird, but there aren't any big lineup news to be concerned with. Johnny Oduya and Jay Pandolfo played what would otherwise by regular minutes in their first game back from injury and looked pretty good for the most part. Everyone else on the IR is still hurt and won't return soon anyway. Martin Brodeur has faced a total of 81 shots against in the last 3 games, which isn't a large amount of work so he should be fairly fresh for Monday night. Even the fourth line of Rod Pelley-Dean McAmmond-Ilkka Pikkarainen got at least 10 minutes of even strength play against Detroit, so I don't see why Andrew Peters would be needed to come in for this one. Here's my guess at the lineup, which is the same set up from the Detroit game:

Zach Parise - Travis Zajac - Jamie Langenbrunner
Brian Rolston - Patrik Elias - Nicklas Bergfors
Jay Pandolfo - Rob Niedermayer - Vladimir Zharkov
Dean McAmmond - Rod Pelley - Ilkka Pikkarainen

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

Martin Brodeur
Yann Danis

What Devils fans should be concerned isn't the lineup, but the overall offense. In the last 3 games, the Devils combined for 74 shots on net and 8 goals. While that's not a bad shooting percentage, the Devils haven't exactly bombarded many of the opposition goaltenders throughout a whole game. Zach Parise has 4 shots in the team's last two games, after putting 5 on Roberto Luongo on Wednesday. Patrik Elias and Brian Rolston combined for excellent work last week, but in the previous two games haven't been consistent factors.

I'm not saying the Devils need to change their style or necessarily their lines, but the top 6 forwards have not led the way on offense in recent games. At most, the team has done well on offense for one period against Detroit in terms of puck possession, puck movement, and in shooting - regardless of the goals they scored. I want to see more of that because it wasn't just the Devils getting into good spaces or good bounces, but it was the result of hard work. And this Buffalo team is very, very good at supressing offenses. The forwards need to remind themselves what they did against Detroit in that first period and do that for 60 minutes against Buffalo.

Jacques Lemaire had to say this about the Sabres at today's practice, as reported by Tom Gulitti:

"I think we’ve got to skate with them and we have to be better with the puck," Lemaire said. "This is a good skating team and they’re good with the puck. You have to be good. You can’t turn the puck over. I’m repeating myself every game, but now that’s the game. You turn the puck over and you’re in trouble against any team."

On that note, I was fortunate to ask Zachary Zielonka of Die by the Blade about how the Sabres have been performing since their 4-1 win in New Jersey. I think you'll find that with his perspective, the following stat line of Ryan Miller, and Lemaire's statement, you should expect a difficult game in Buffalo on Monday night.

	GP	MIN	W	L	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Ryan Miller	23	1360	16	5	42	1.85	658	616	.936	3

Question #1. The Buffalo Sabres worked hard last night in a 2-1 loss to the Rangers. While the team is 5-4-1 in their last 10 games and that may suggest that the effort has been uneven, is it fair to expect the Sabres to bring a strong work ethic against the Devils again?

ZZ: The one thing that the Sabres have shown all season is their strong play both in the offensive and defensive zones. This team likes to clog the lanes and force players out to the perimeter and that is what has made them such a good defensive team all season. The Sabres in their last 10 have had both a four game losing streak and a four game winning streak. Those streaks were due to the lack of offensive production rather than a breakdown of defensive play. The Sabres lost four of the five games by two goals or less and only scored three or more goals once in those losses. The one thing that you can count on when facing the Sabres is that they are going to play your team tough.

Question #2. The team stats on special teams show a middling power play (19%, 22nd in the NHL) and a very strong penalty kill (85.7%, 3rd in NHL). Rather than ask again about the power play, what do you think has made the penalty killing units so successful overall?

ZZ: Hard work, good positioning, and Ryan Miller. The Sabres were 20th in the league in the penalty kill a month ago and have since killed off 41 of the last 44 power plays. Ryan Miller has been the team's primary penalty killer just because he is playing so well this season. Many of the younger players like Chris Butler and Tyler Myers have also helped a a penalty kill that has struggled in the last two seasons.

Question #3. The Sabres, on paper, seem to be scoring by committee. There are 8 players with at least 5 goals this season, but no Sabres has more than 8 goals scored. Are you pleased with the current state of the Buffalo offensive production? Is there any specific player that you want to see step up and start producing more?

ZZ: Thomas Vanek. While he is tied for the team high in goals, Vanek has the potential to be a 50 goal scorer but due to injuries and his propensity to be a streaky scorer has never reached that plateau. Currently his pace of 8 goals in 24 games just is not enough offense for a player that has as high of a cap hit that he does. [JF note: That cap hit is $7,142,857 for this year...and the next 6 seasons per CapGeek]

Question #4. Let's focus on a rookie on the Sabres. Buffalo decided to keep Tyler Myers up past the 10 game mark and now he leads the Sabres' defensemen in points (15) and the entire team in average time on ice (22:00). Looks like a smart move from my perspective. How does Myers play on defense, and how big is his upside?

ZZ: Tyler Myers has pleasantly surprised every Sabres fan. He is a good defender that has good vision of the ice. He is still prone to making a mistake now and then, including Saturday night, but his +6 is somewhat of an indication as to how well he plays. Myers can continue to grow as a player and his offensive game could probably be refined some more until he becomes the franchise defender.

Question #5. Lastly, do you have a prediction for tonight's game? Hopefully not a repeat of the last Buffalo-Devils game?

ZZ: I think that a repeat of the Devils game would be sufficient. There may be a possibility that our backup plays this game so at least the Devils have that going for them. I honestly can't say what kind of performance that you are going to see on Monday. The Sabres are a hard working club but are very, very streaky when it comes to offensive production. My best bet would be a low scoring game with the first team to score being able to control the flow for the entire game.

Big thanks to Zachary for answering my questions about the Sabres. And it really does sum up why Buffalo is such a force in their own end. They give a consistently strong effort, they have an excellent goaltender in net, the Sabres tend to set up specifically to clog up lanes (expect lots of blocked shots if the Devils don't adjust), and their penalty kill is strong. To me, all of this means that the Devils' offense really needs to be much better than what the fans have seen in the last two games.

Steve will be up live with the GameThread and I'll be joining in with a medium better than a phone in the comments. Those of you with VERSUS, please jump in the comments with updates as you see fit as many still don't get VERSUS due to really dumb TV contract wars that Steve would know more about than I would. Please leave all your thoughts, questions, concerns, and any news updates about either team in advance of the GameThread in the comments here. Go Devils!

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

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

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

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

Browse more photos »

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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