SB Nation - New Jersey Devils

Top 10 New Jersey Devils Moments of the Decade: Part 2, Numbers 10-6

Steve Lepore — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:00:17 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

It's been an eventful decade here in the Garden State when it comes to hockey. Two Stanley Cups, three Prince of Wales trophies, five Atlantic Division titles, seven 100-point seasons. Oh, and the Devils' goalie cemented his name in the conversations of "Greatest to ever play the game". Over the next week, I will countdown the 10 best moments since 2000. The countdown continues today, with numbers 10 through 6, and wraps up on Wednesday with the Top 5.

10. Martin Brodeur ties Patrick Roy's All-Time NHL Wins Record in His Hometown of Montreal (March 14, 2009)

There was always a certain charm in Martin Brodeur's homecoming visits to play the Montreal Canadiens. Not only born and raised in the hockey-mad city, Brodeur grew up the son of a Canadian Olympic Gold Medal goaltender, Denis, who worked for the Canadiens as the team photographer for more than 20 years. Young Martin would come with his father to practices and games and watch the stars he idolized from an angle that any young Quebec boy would kill for. Of all the legendary Habs, however, the one Brodeur most idolized was Patrick Roy.

All of that certainly made it all the more special when Brodeur went into a Saturday night game in Montreal in March of 2009 which the chance to tie St. Patrick's NHL record for regular season wins by a goaltender. This would be not only in front of his family, friends and neighbors, but in the arena where Roy himself made much of that history. Not to downplay the history being made, Roy himself attended the game.

The game, broadcast in Canada nationally by the CBC, was classic Brodeur. A tight, 3-1 affair, Brodeur made the saves he needed to at the times he needed to. The Devils got early goals from Patrik Elias and Brian Rolston to take a 2-0 lead. The Habs responded on a goal by Tomas Plekanec, but Brodeur and the Devils seemed to dominate the rest of the way. The shots on goal were 32-18 in favor of New Jersey after two periods.

In the third, the control continued. The Devs outshot the Canadiens 16-5 in that frame for a total of 48-23. Jamie Langenbrunner put the game away with 7 minutes left with a goal, and New Jersey never looked back, gaining Brodeur the historic win. A fist-pump and celebration in front of his net happened as the clock ran out. In pure Brodeur fashion and pure Devils fashion, the moment was accepted for what it was, but hey, there was another game to be played three nights from now.

What really made the moment special was how the crowd handled it. For what was technically an enemy player, Brodeur received thunderous applause and a standing ovation from the 21,273 in attendance at the Bell Centre. Roy stood from his luxury box and applauded. Brodeur's father was in tears. Hockey's mecca had been the stage for another grand moment in the sports history, and was fully recognized and celebrated as such.

BONUS HONORABLE MENTION: Um, last night? Martin Brodeur Breaks NHL Regular Season Shutout Record against Pittsburgh (December 21, 2009)

9. The Devils Dominate Lemieux, Jagr and the Penguins to Win the 2001 Eastern Conference Final

It was hard not to just stand up and be amazed by Mario Lemieux during the 2000-01 season. Retired for three years and now running the Pittsburgh Penguins as an owner in an attempt to save them from bankruptcy, "Le Magnifique" announced in December of 2000 that he would return to the National Hockey League full time as both a player and an owner for the Penguins, stating he believed he could help the Penguins, and he wanted his young son, Austin, to see him play.

Many people are skeptical of legends who make comebacks. Remember, Michael Jordan would return to basketball less than a year later and make a mockery of the whole notion that a great athlete could recapture his past glory. Mario was always different, though, and this was no exception. Lemieux would go on to have one of the more remarkable seasons in sports history.

Super Mario made his comeback official on December 27, 2000 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. In a game that was televised around the world, Lemieux assisted on a goal 33 seconds into his first shift. There was no doubt this would be the real thing. Not only did #66 amass an unheard of 76 points in 43 games (26th in the scoring race), he took a fairly mediocre Penguins team (well, beyond him and Jaromir Jagr) to the Eastern Conference Final this year. Many were rooting for Mario as the story of the year, however, the Stanley Cup Champion New Jersey Devils were standing in his way, and boy were they standing tall.

The 2000-01 New Jersey Devils became every Lou-aid drinker's saving grace. Egads, a Devil team that could lead the NHL in scoring! The Devils had their best season in franchise history, going a ridiculous 48-19-12-3 (Remember the 4th column in the standings?) for a total of 111 points. They scored an NHL-high 295 goals, and gave up only 195, the team's lowest total since 1997-98. They had seven 20-goal scorers (Can you name them all? The answer is at the end of the post*) and three players with 80 or more points (Alexander Mogilny, Patrik Elias, Petr Sykora).

Combine that with the still classic Devils defensive trio of Scott Stevens, Ken Daneyko and Scott Niedermayer, plus budding younger stars like Brian Rafalski and Colin White, and Martin Brodeur (another 40-win season) had all the help he needed to guide New Jersey to another first place finish in the Conference and Division. They had some trouble in the first two rounds of the playoffs, though. The Carolina Hurricanes fell down 3-0, but took the series to six games in round one, and the Devils needed two overtime victories on their way to a seven-game win over old nemesis the Toronto Maple Leafs. But they were in the conference final for the 4th time in team history, and were set to take on the Penguins. The Devils were a favorite, but they knew they needed to play well.

Boy, did they ever. The Devils played poorly for about six minutes of this entire series, during one period of Game 2 at The Swamp. They'd lose that game 4-2, but go on to shutout Pittsburgh in games 3 & 4 (3-0 and a dominating 5-0) to set up a Game 5 at the Meadowlands. Jason Arnott scored at 57 seconds of the first, and the Devils never looked back, beating the Pens 4-2, ending the series at 4-1, and finishing Lemieux's magical story with him sitting in the box for a cheap slash and cross check on John Madden with a minute to go. Every storybook ride has an ending. Of course, that classic line would turn out to be all too true for the Devils less than two weeks later, when they lost to the Colorado Avalanche in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

That loss has left a sour taste in a lot of Devils fans mouth about this year, but there's no reason not to celebrate this team. While many feel the Stanley Cup slipped from our grasp, and probably did, they were still likely the best version of New Jersey's team that has ever been put on ice to date. They took a Pittsburgh team with two of the greatest players of their era (three if you count Kovalev) and absolutely manhandled them. It was a true Devils-styled victory.

8. Devils Draft University of North Dakota Forward Zach Parise in the 2003 NHL Draft (June 21, 2003)

An embarrassment of riches. Names that could stockpile the Hall of Fame someday. Most importantly, one of the best draft classes ever, and the Devils were right in the thick of it.

The New Jersey Devils would be the last team one would expect to score their next superstar forward from the 2003 NHL player selection meetings, held in Nashville. The Devils had just won their third Stanley Cup, and were scheduled to pick 22nd, but when General Manager Lou Lamoriello sees something he likes, or his scouts have told him they like, he goes after it.

Parise was seen as a guy just outside the Top 10 at the draft, but it was acknowledged that he had as much talent as his Canada Cup winning father, Jean Paul. As the draft went by, both the Rangers (#12, Hugh Jessiman, one of the first round's lone busts) and the Islanders (#15, Robert Nilsson, now with the Oilers via the Ryan Smyth trade), whom Zach's father had played for, passed on the young winger. San Jose passed him at #16 to take Steve Bernier, and then Lamoriello pounced.

The Edmonton Oilers were scheduled to pick 17th, and Lou decided this was the time to take him. He traded the Devils 22nd pick and their 3rd round, 68th overall pick to Edmonton to move up and steal Parise. Commentators lauded the Devils as making yet another great player move. TSN/NBC announcer Pierre McGuire never lets anyone forget how many teams made the mistake of not choosing Parise. The Devils had solidified themselves with a scoring force for what looks like it's going to be years to come, and their best forward to come from the system since Patrik Elias. And just think, 17 other teams could've had him for free...

7. The Devils Open the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey (October 27, 2007)

Hockey... in Newark? Never gonna' happen. The demographics aren't right for it. The average Devil fan won't go there, they'll be too frightened. No one will want to take mass transit. Eh... maybe if the Nets are there too. But no, the Devils and the Devils alone announced their intention to relocate the franchise to New Jersey's largest city on February 9, 2004. The Devils and Newark reached a definitive agreement on it on January 12, 2006, and the first steel columns were erected two months later.

It seemed amazing how quickly the whole thing was coming along. The team held a topping off ceremony on March 21, 2007, just a year and 19 days after the first steel beams went up. You had to wonder if everything would be ready by October 25, 2007, when a Bon Jovi concert (the first of 10, with openers that included the Newark-area's own My Chemical Romance) would open the new place, and two days later when the Devils would get their first shot in the new digs.

I first ventured to the place on October 18, 2007, when they were allowing people to try it out. Man, was it glorious. Everything this franchise has ever deserved. Spacious concourses, a friendly atmosphere... Devils logos on the urinals! No matter how many people I bring to The Rock for the first time, they never fail to notice this (unless they're women, obviously).

The Devils have not yet had the success at The Rock on the ice that they did in the old Meadowlands building, however, it has allowed the Devils a second chance to better connect with it's fanbase. Hosting minor league games, draft parties, watch parties at the bar across the street, the occasional open scrimmage at the practice rink. All the better to see you with, I suppose. The Devils attendance has gone up year-to-year in Newark, figures to do again this year. Every time someone's doubted the Devils could do something, they prove 'em wrong, and the rink's just another example.

6. Jeff Friesen Scores the Game-Winning Goal in Third Period of Game 7, 2003 Eastern Conference Final (May 23, 2003)

We were just confused about whether or not it went in when it all happened...

We'll tell more of the story of the 2003 Devils later in the countdown, so let's talk about the 2003 playoffs. The Devils dealt easily with the seventh-seeded Boston Bruins and the third-seeded Tampa Bay Lightning in five games. Everything seemed to be going pretty smoothly for New Jersey, as any sane person had to look at them as a favorite, a rejuvenated giant given new life under coach Pat Burns. There's always another hump until you win it all, though, and the #1-seed Ottawa Senators were a large one to climb.

The Senators walked the walk as favorites in the series, defeating the Devils at 3:08 of OT (the fourth period would be a very annoying problem for Jersey in 2003, going 2-4) on a Shaun Van Allen goal to take a 1-0 series lead. The Devils came back and stole away home ice advantage in Game 2. In typical Devil fashion, the goal scorers were varied (Tommy Albelin!) and Marty Brodeur was solid.

This would be the case for Game 3 at the Meadowlands, except the goal scorers weren't so varied: there was only one, and it was Sergei Brylin. Brodeur made 24 saves to shutout the Sens in Game 3, and the Devils continued to roll, dominating Ottawa in Game 4, 5-2, with five different scorers once again. Then things took a turn for the worse.

The Sens, back home for Game 5, shut down New Jersey 3-1, including a goal from a then-little known prospect named Jason Spezza. A Chris Phillips OT winner back in The Swamp tied the series at three games apiece. You had to be scared as a Devils fan. The series would head to a deciding Game 7, and it would be on Ottawa's rink. They were also without veteran center Joe Nieuwendyk, who was kept out due to injury.

The Devils handled it, though it wasn't easy. Magnus Arvedson's goal early in the first had the Senators leading 1-0 after 20. Early in the second, however, a Sergei Brylin's shot was blocked by Anton Volchenkov... right to Jamie Langenbrunner. Jamie's monster playoff year continued as he beat Patrick Lalime to the short side to tie it. A few minutes later, Langenbrunner struck again, after a dogged effort forechecking, fired a wrister from behind the far-side faceoff circle to make it 2-1.

The Senators tied the game early in the third on a Radek Bonk goal, and things were so tense headed down the stretch, you almost knew these teams would be headed for a third OT in the series. The Devils were not about to let that happen, though. With just over two minutes left, a clear by John Madden sent Grant Marshall breaking down the left wing. He had Jeff Friesen with him, but he seemed guarded, so he kept skating in. However, all of a sudden, Marshall had drawn the other Senator defender to him, leaving Friesen alone. He fired the pass of his life to him (the shot of his life is for the Top 5) and Friesen, who by all accounts, probably could've won the Conn Smythe that year, made a great, quick deek and slipped it past Lalime.

There was some worry shortly after, as ESPN play-by-play man had thought, somehow, that the puck didn't go in. He quickly corrected himself, though if I remember correctly, all of us were cheering too loudly to hear, anyway. The Devils were off to Stanley Cup Final, thanks to some great goaltending, rock-solid defense, and very timely scoring. They've played off that script before, and would do so again in the next series.

*= Alexander Mogilny (43), Patrik Elias (40), Petr Sykora (35), John Madden, Sergei Brylin, Randy McKay (all 23) and Jason Arnott (21).

New Jersey Devils Morning News, Dec 22

TibbsBeastoftheEast — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:22:14 -0000

Devils notes: Brian Rolston an Olympic team possibility - (The Bergen Record)
Devils' Martin Brodeur becomes NHL's shutout king in 4-0 win over Penguins - (The Bergen Record)

Devils head to Christmas break in first place overall in the NHL - (Fire & Ice)
Brodeur makes history with 104th shutout in 4-0 win in Pittsburgh- (Fire & Ice)
Live post: Brodeur breaks NHL shutout record in 4-0 victory in Pittsburgh- (Fire & Ice)
Devils bracing for "important" game against Penguins tonight- (Fire & Ice)
Another Olympic showdown for Brodeur- (Fire & Ice)
Optional morning skate for Devils today; Brodeur to start tonight- (Fire & Ice)
Notebook: Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury can't match Martin Brodeur - (The Star Ledger)
NJ Devils goalie Martin Brodeur secures all-time shutout record in 4-0 win over Pittsburgh Penguins - (The Star Ledger)
Devils-Penguins, as they played - (The Star Ledger)
NJ Devils Martin Brodeur to face potential Team Canada teammate Marc-Andre Fleury - (The Star Ledger)
NJ Devils goalie Martin Brodeur participates in morning skate - (The Star Ledger)
Brodeur sets NHL shutout record - (The New York Daily News)
Devils' Brodeur has shutout record - (The New York Post)
N.H.L. Scoreboard: Brodeur Blanks Pens and Sets League Shutout Record - (The New York Times )
Video: Marty and Devils React - (Msgnetwork)
Martin Brodeur Makes History - (Msgnetwork)
Fischler: None Like Brodeur - (Msgnetwork)
Brodeur sets new record with 104th shutout - (NewJerseyDevils.com)
What they're saying about Marty - (NewJerseyDevils.com)
Head of the Class - (NewJerseyDevils.com)
Ramsey joins Street Devils program - (NewJerseyDevils.com)
Martin Brodeur Sets All-Time Shutout Mark in a 4-0 Victory Over the Penguins - (NHL.com), Check NHL.com as they have all sorts of things on Brodeur
Brodeur's collection is half a puck short - (NHL.com)
Barrasso awed by Brodeur - (NHL.com)
Devils' Brodeur is NHL shutout King - (NHL.com)
Rumor Roundup: Eastern Conference trade bait - (The Hockey News); Paul Martin
THN.com Blog: Comparing the new and former shutout kings - (The Hockey News)
Power Rankings: Winter meltdown - (The Hockey News)
Stats - (Yahoo NHL)
Standings - (Yahoo NHL)
Devils Team Report - (Yahoo NHL)
Is it the Penguins, Capitals, Devils and everyone else in East? - (Yahoo NHL)
Brodeur shuts out Penguins - (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
Brodeur banks record by blanking Pens - (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
Brodeur without peer - (Daily Gleaner)
Cox: A Devil of a time out west - (Toronto Star)
St. Léonard's Martin Brodeur sets all-time NHL shutout record - (The Gazette)
Brodeur's shutout record may stand test of time - (USA Today)
Consistent Devils surge to the top in latest power rankings vote - (USA Today)
Test your knowledge about Brodeur - (USA Today)
Another game played, another record broken for Brodeur - (Examiner.com)
Martin Brodeur breaks All-Time Shutout Record: Yann Danis learning - (Examiner.com)
Career shutout leaders - (Globe and Mail)
Martin Brodeur sets all-time shutout mark, Devils down Pens 4-0 - (PensBurgh)
The 2000s top 10 players - (Sportsnet.ca)
Brodeur's shutout record may stand test of time - (Daily Record)
Martin Brodeur Breaks Sawchuk's shutout record with 104 - against the Penguins - (FanIQ)
Martin Brodeur Vs. Brett Favre: A Tale of Two Athletes - (Bleacher Report)
NHL: Highs and Woes of The Atlantic Division - (Bleacher Report)
Live Blog NOW! Brodeur gets his 104 career shutout. Devils #1 in NHL - (Hockeybuzz.com)
Devils @ Penguins, 12/21/09 — Woolgathering - (Interchangeable Parts)

AROUND THE NHL
The 10 most embarrassing hockey moments of the last decade - (Yahoo NHL)

MISCELLANEOUS
New Jersey High School Hockey - (hockeybuzz.com)
'He's the perfect captain for team' - (National Post)
Just the grit Canada needs - (National Post)
Former MSU goalie wins top student-athlete award - (Detroit Free Press)
2010 WJC: Team Canada preview - (hockeysfuture.com)
Taylor Hall Leads Canada in 2010 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships - (Bleacher Report)
Team Canada finds its captain - (leaderpost.com)

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

1 day 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.

Up next: Zach Parise, Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils

FrankD — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:39:54 -0000

More photos » by Don Heupel - AP

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[SBN Devils blog - In Lou We Trust]

Earlier this week Martin Brodeur reached a new milestone in his career, surpassing Patrick Roy for games played by a goaltender with 1,030. No doubt an impressive feat, especially since he's recorded 579 wins in the process (and hey, 105 ties). But I think the one record that is still looming overhead, posing as a bit of a motivator and perhaps storm cloud for Devils opponents is Terry Sawchuk's shutout record.

Back on December 7th, Brodeur tired Sawchuk's shutout record (103) with a 3-0 win over the Sabres. He, the Devils and NJ fans are still waiting for 104. The rest of the league is waiting as well, and will happily continue to wait as long as necessary. Brodeur currently leads all goaltenders with 22 wins, just one better than Marc-Andre Fleury.

As of right now the Devils and Penguinshave a firm holding in the Atlantic division, each tied with 51 points. The first place tie carries over to conference standings as well, where Washington sits just one point behind the two in second. In essence, tonight's game is a big one. Especially when you consider how poorly the Penguins have played against NJ this year.

October 24th: 4-1 loss
November 12th: 4-1 loss

It's not the end of the world by any means, but the opportunity to rebound in the season series presents itself tonight. On the calendar the Devils have put together 8-2 record for the month of December and skate into Pittsburgh as winners in four straight.

Offensively the Devils are - well, the Devils. Zach Parise leads all skaters with 37 pts (15g, 22a), while Jamie Langenbrunner and Travis Zajac are both hovering around that same area with 29 and 27 points each, respectively. Although Parise is chipping in where he can (two assists against Atlanta the other night), he's yet to score a goal in the entire month of December (10 games).

Puck and thread drop at 7:30.

And just for giggles, who do you think will score Pittsburgh's first goal?

New Jersey Devils Morning News, Dec 22

TibbsBeastoftheEast — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:31:12 -0000

Tops in NHL with Devils vs. Penguins - (The Bergen Record)
Devils, Penguins heat up Igloo - (The Bergen Record)

Last game before Christmas is a big one - (Fire & Ice)
Niedermayer, Salvador, Oduya sit out playful practice in Pittsburgh - (Fire & Ice)
NJ Devils' Brian Rolston enjoying a bounceback season - (The Star Ledger) - (Fire & Ice)
Fraser big plus on Jacques' backline - (The New York Post)
Stats - (Yahoo NHL)
Standings - (Yahoo NHL)
Devils Team Report - (Yahoo NHL)
Decade dynasties - (Toronto Sun)
Devils plan to pad winning streak - (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
Devils-Penguins Preview - (CBSSports.com)
For Devils, all's well that ends well - (NHL.com)
Penguins and Devils Battle for First Place - (NHL.com)
Devils turn the tables - (National)
Someone Give Goalie Martin Brodeur a Break - (Bleacher Report)

LOWELL DEVILS
Devils Weather Bruins, 2-1 - (LowellDevilsHockey.com)
Davison nets winner for Devils - (EagleTribune.com)
Lowell 2, P-Bruins 1: Davison's power-play goal wins it - (Providence Journal)

TRENTON DEVILS
Cyclones Shutout Devils, 2-0 - (TrentonDevils.com)
Sorry T-Devils are shut out - (The Trenton Times)
T-Devils winless skid hits 5, shutout 2-0 by Cyclones - (Examiner.com)

AROUND THE NHL
THN.com Blog: A holiday wish for each NHL team - (The Hockey News)

MISCELLANEOUS
Corrente playing with an edge - (stcatharinesstandard.ca)
Moore among four cut from US World Junior team - (NHL.com); Wohlberg
Red Wings defenseman Brian Rafalski discusses role on NHLPA's search committee - (MLive.com)

Game 35 Preview: New Jersey Devils at Pittsburgh Penguins - 12/21/2009

John Fischer — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 05:00:18 -0000

by Bill Kostroun - AP

Expect a better performance out of Martin Brodeur tonight against Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

View full size photo »

The Time: 7:30 PM EST

The Broadcasting Info: TV: MSG+; Radio: 660 AM WFAN

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (25-8-1) at the Pittsburgh Penguins (25-10-1)

The Last Devils Game: The Devils offense took it to a defensively-challenged Atlanta Thrashers team all night long. The Devils win itself was dramatic as turned a 3-1 deficit after the first period to be up 4-3 after the second and then finished 5-4. In my recap of the game, I offered praise to Yann Danis and the forwards while criticizing Mike Mottau, Colin White, and Ilya Kovalchuk. The Devils' win extended their winning streak to 4.

The Last Penguins Game: Not to be outdone, but the Penguins continued their own winning streak with a shootout win over the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres were stingy, only it was Patrick Lalime holding it down, and the Penguins' offense was very inefficient with their shooting. Nonetheless, Kris Letand and Marc-Andre Fleury came up big and so they won 2-1. Hooks Orpik of Pensburgh recapped the Penguins' fifth straight win here.

The Last Devils-Penguins Game: For the first 30 minutes, the Devils were outplayed by the Penguins. Martin Brodeur was the only one there from the start to keep the Devils in it. While Pittsburgh struck first, the Devils finally arose to dismantle the Penguins in the second half of the game. Nicklas Bergfors got the equalizer (and 2 assists later on) and the team rolled from there on to win 4-1 in Pittsburgh. Steve recapped the game here at ILWT, Hooks Orpik lamented how the Devils won despite Pittsburgh's efforts.

The Goal: Focus on this game only - particularly in the first period. Much will be made and deservedly so. The two top teams in the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference (and the league, really) face off with the winner getting on top. Already, the Devils won twice against Pittsburgh, twice in Pittsburgh, and twice by the decisive score of 4-1. It may be easy to get caught up in recent success along with the short-term importance of this game. Jacques Lemaire must ensure that he and his team won't because they cannot afford to be distracted against a now-healthy Pittsburgh team. Moreover, they cannot afford a sloppy defensive effort in the first period like they did against Atlanta - the last Pittsburgh-Devils game had the Penguins outplay the Devils for that first period. The gameplan should not be to have Martin Brodeur bail out the team until later in the game again (not that it was in the last game, only that actually happened). Beating a strong team like Pittsburgh will require the full focus of the team right from the very beginning.

Read on further for my thoughts on the game, a wild guess at the Devils line up, and some insight into the Penguins thanks to Frank D of Pensburgh.

Now, after what happened in Atlanta, I'm pretty confident in how Martin Brodeur, Colin White, and Mike Mottau will perform much better tonight. Here's why:

Martin Brodeur was really hung out to dry on the first two goals against thanks to White and Mottau not defending well. Even so, Brodeur didn't look good at all in giving up 3 on 6 shots. Brodeur is notorious for following up a poor performance with a fantastic one, so Penguins fans, don't expect a lot of gifts.
White and Mottau looked much better when split up after the first period. Mottau calmed down when playing with Johnny Oduya, and White showed more confidence next to Mark Fraser. They both weren't entirely bad, just together for one period on Saturday for whatever reason. While Gulitti thinks that Jacques Lemaire is leaning towards keeping them separate, I think Mottau and White should be back together. I don't think one bad period will have Lemaire undo a consistent defensive pairing, especially given that Lemaire kept Travis Zajac and Zach Parise together for Friday's game against Ottawa despite splitting them in the practice prior.

Therefore, I will guess that the lineup to reflect that - the usual defensive pairings return and Brodeur will start again and play to prove a point.

The only other change I would like to see is Ilkka Pikkarainen back in the lineup for Andrew Peters' spot. While Rod Pelley and Vladimir Zharkov made the most of their minutes and Peters actually was robbed of a goal, the fourth line didn't see 10 minutes with Peters out there. Peters cannot keep up with Pelley's and Zharkov's speed. With Pikkarainen, Lemaire could do that as he is a much better skater than Peters. And you know Pikkarainen will definitely get some hits in. In fact, now I'm wondering how exciting a line of Zharkov, Pelley, and Pikkarainen could be - all three will definitely hustle against Pittsburgh. Another reason to try them out. Therefore, I'd like to see that happen.

Incidentally, I think Lemaire will keep the three forward lines he had against Atlanta together to at least start against Pittsburgh.

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

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

Martin Brodeur
Yann Danis

Now, there's one other part of the Devils' team that I think will be important: the power play unit. Pittsburgh isn't exactly an extremely well-disciplined team. They are tied with five other teams for the sixth most minor penalties this season with 163; they are alone with the sixth most number of penalties this season with 195; and they are tied with Ottawa for the seventh highest penalty minutes per game average. Are they as bad as Tampa Bay or Philadelphia? No. But they aren't good either. When the Penguins do take a minor for one reason or another, the Devils will have to make them pay the price in some way or form. Wasting chances against a team like Pittsburgh just makes the game harder than it needs to be.

As for Pittsburgh, they finally healthy, with Sergei Gonchar most notably back running the defense. Moreover, their elite players are playing at an elite level; and the team as a whole is hot. Again, they won their last 5 games, defeating Montreal, Florida, Philadelphia twice, and Buffalo. To get some insight into how the team is performing, I asked Frank D of Pensburgh a few questions about the team.

Question #1. Pittsburgh goes into this game with 5 straight wins against a Devils team who hasn't exactly won their last 4 games with fantastic performances. What have the Penguins been doing in their last 5 games that has made them so successful, and will it give them an edge in tonight's matchup?

FD: To be honest nothing really stands out as the focal point for Pittsburgh's recent success. If anything I'll say this. 1) They are finally all healthy for the first time this season (although that may change barring some sort of injury report on Mark Eaton, who left the game early Saturday night) and 2) Marc-Andre Fleury is stepping up in the crease. Over the last five games Fleury has not given up more than two goals in either of those contests. Two goals three times, one goal twice. When you get a performance like that and throw in an offense like Pittsburgh has, it was seem like the logical outcome would be a win. And it has been. And God willing, it will continue to be.

	GP	MIN	W	L	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Marc-Andre Fleury	30	1767	21	8	68	2.31	766	698	.911	0

Question #2. In Pittsburgh's most recent win, Hooks Orpik noted that the Penguins missed the net 19 times and were blocked 20 times. Given the sheer amount of offensive talent on Pittsburgh, was it just a bad night for the offense or a sign of the team starting to fade in their hot streak?

FD: Well there's no doubt that they were playing against a very good Buffalo team. Former Penguin Patrick Lalime got the start over the unflappable Ryan Miller and you could hardly tell the difference. Lalime was playing like it was 1996 again - taking away the angles, making ridiculous saves on rebound after rebound and had a strong defense in front of him to take care of the dirty work of blocking shots. Pittsburgh met their match Saturday night. Had it not been for a shootout (Pens are 6-0 in that department this season) it'd be hard to say whether or not the Pens would've walked away with the 'W.' I don't think there is any sense of the team's hot streak fading. I genuinely feel they met a very prepared, very intense Sabres team.

Question #3. While it's expected to see Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin lead the Penguins in scoring, I'm quite surprised that Bill Guerin is third on the team with 9 goals and 13 assists. How well has Guerin been playing; is his production a result of his good play or by playing with superior talent?

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	ATOI	SOG	PCT
2009 - Bill Guerin	36	9	13	22	7	28	4	0	3	17:49	103	8.7

FD: On Thursday night against the Flyers, Guerin made a pretty strong play to keep the puck in the Penguins' zone and ultimately scored a goal off of it. It was just about as good a two-way play as you can want from any forward. Guerin isn't putting together many multi-point games this season (so far he has only one - three assists on Oct. 28 against Montreal), but he is maintaining a certain level of consistency as of late. Since November 14 Guerin hasn't gone more than two games without registering a single point. In that 17-game span, he's picked up six goals and six assists. This is the sort of performance Pens fans have wanted from Billy G and I think I speak for a majority of the fans when I say the Pens are definitely a better team for it. I don't expect his surge to cool off, especially since he's trying to make a run for Team USA. PS - He didn't register a point against the Sabres. If the pattern holds true, then he's due a point (or more) against the Devils.

Question #4. Sergei Gonchar will be on defense for the first time this season against the New Jersey Devils. He's been logging big minutes, at least 23 minutes a night since coming back from injury. I'm sure his return was great for the team's defense; but could you go into more detail at how well he has played so far? What should Devils fans expect from him tonight?

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	ATOI	SOG	PCT
2009 - Sergei Gonchar	24	4	15	19	-3	14	1	0	1	25:10	55	7.3

FD: Gonchar will always be the sort of guy puttings shot on net. When you factor that in with a team who has some scoring forwards vying for position in front of the net, good things can happen. He may have scored only two goals since November 25, but he's picked up nine assists along the way. Redirects, rebounds or just some nifty passing is getting Gonchar on the board. To be completely fair, I feel Gonchar's defensive game is often overlooked. He may not take to the body along the lines of Brooks Orpik, but his poke check is just about as good as it gets and he is often always in the right place at the right time to bail a loose puck from the crease or help out his goaltender for a cover up. Devils fans should not only expect to see him out there on the power play, but also working the defensive zone (often to the right of Fleury).

Question #5. Lastly, a prediction of different sorts. Regardless of what happens tonight, who wins the Atlantic Division?

FD: Well at this point it would appear as if it's only between these two teams, huh? I'm going to be a homer and say the Pens take the division, but it won't be a blowout by any means.

Big thanks to Frank D of Pensburgh for his detailed (and very quick) answers. Plenty of key points in there. Bill Guerin isn't just riding with anyone, he's been a consistent producer and should be monitored as Franks notes, recent trends suggest he should have a hand in one of Pittburgh's goals tonight. The Devils didn't see Sergei Gonchar leading the Penguins' blueline in their last two games and he'll definitely be an impact player. He's been productive, he's been playing a ton of minutes, and given what Frank says, the Devils may want to consider going after Fleury's left unless the forwards think they can get around Gonchar's pokecheck.

The most important one is that while Buffalo came at the Penguins with a lot of intensity, got a great effort out of their goaltender, and got in their way many times, they couldn't beat Fleury more than once and ultimately lost in the shootout. Per Hooks Orpik's recap and Frank's comments, I can't help but feel that the Penguins are so hot right now that a team bringing an "A" effort may not be enough. No disrespect to the Sabres, but the Penguins are that good right now and this brings me back to my first point: focus is crucial. Fleury's likely going to be great again, and the Devils offense isn't going to see a defense play as poorly as they saw on Saturday night. A defensive lapse or two could be enough to sink the Devils completely. And there are a few players on Pittsburgh who can make that happen even if the Devils are defensively sound. Let me see if I can remember them...

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Sidney Crosby	35	22	21	43	14	39	7	1	3	0	132	16.7
2009 - Evgeni Malkin	29	10	24	34	13	48	5	1	3	0	120	8.3

...ah, yes. These two.

We can take solace that the Devils will be a difficult opponent for the Penguins, at least. It should be an entertaining game and hopefully both teams bring everything that they'll have on the ice. The Devils will almost have to in order to have a good chance at winning, I think.

Steve should have the GameThread up later on. Check on Gulitti and Chere during the day for any news updates. Feel free to discuss tonight's match up as well as any breaking news in the comments. Go Devils!

Top 10 New Jersey Devils Moments of the Decade: Part 1, Honorable Mention

Steve Lepore — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 23:00:18 -0000

It's been an eventful decade here in the Garden State when it comes to hockey. Two Stanley Cups, three Prince of Wales trophies, five Atlantic Division titles, seven 100-point seasons. Oh, and the Devils' goalie cemented his name in the conversations of "Greatest to ever play the game". Starting this Tuesday, I will countdown the 10 best moments since 2000, but first, a look at some of the things that didn't make the cut.

Devils Hire Larry Robinson as Head Coach... The First Time (March 23, 2000)

The Devils gave then-future Hockey Hall of Famer Larry Robinson his first shot in the coaching ranks, when former Montreal Canadiens teammate Jacques Lemaire brought him as an assistant coach when he took over the Devils in 1993. Robinson, blessed with a defensive unit that included another future Hall of Famer in Scott Stevens as well as veterans Ken Daneyko and Bruce Driver, helped bring along a budding All-Star in young Scott Niedermayer, and meshed together a defensive unit that helped New Jersey win it's first Stanley Cup in 1995.

From there, Robinson got his first head coaching job with the Los Angeles Kings in the summer of that year. After only four playoff games in the next four years, Robinson left the franchise, only to return to the Devils as an assistant for then coach Robbie Ftorek. Everything seemed to be headed in the right direction for New Jersey toward another playoff run. From December 26, 1999 to February 15, 2000, the Devils went a mind-blowing 17-3-3. But then things took a turn for the downright bizarre.

Starting with a 5-5 tie against the Colorado Avalanche on February 17th, the Devils went 5-10-2, culminating in a 5-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. Devils GM Lou Lamoriello clearly saw Ftorek as losing the team (no, the bench-throwing thing isn't on this list) and leading it toward another first-round playoff exist (the Devils had exited in Conference Quarterfinals the last two seasons). He fired Ftorek on March 23, 2000, in favor of the assistant Robinson. Larry lead the Devils to an 8-2 win over the Isles and a 4-4 record the rest of the way. However, it'd be the post-season where Robinson would prove why he was fit to run this team.

Devils Trade Brendan Morrison and Denis Pederson to Vancouver for Alexander Mogilny (March 14, 2000)

Looking for some added scoring touch to support the budding A-line of Patrik Elias, Petr Sykora and Jason Arnott, Lou did what was seen as unprecedented at that time in Devils circles: he brought in a bona fide offensive talent during what you'd call arguably the prime of his career (Mogilny was 31 when acquired by New Jersey). The addition of Mogilny did something that no one previously had: He made the Devils a team you feared offensively every night.

Mogilny has also long been credited with making then-rookie centerman Scott Gomez into the player that later bolted for the Rangers, though that can be argued, as Gomez had fewer points in the full season AlMo spent with Jersey (2000-01) than in his 70-point rookie season. That said, despite a sub-par post-season in 1999-00, Mogilny put up points in that 2000-01 season that were almost unheard of previously for a New Jersey team, with 43 goals and 40 assists, second behind Elias' 96 points, giving the Devs unheard of scoring depth.

Despite chipping in 16 points in the post-season, the Devils would go on to lose the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals to the Colorado Avalanche in seven games. Mogilny signed with Toronto that off-season, only to return for an aborted, half-season stay with New Jersey in 2005-06. He was sent to Albany to make room for Elias' return from Hepatitis, and for all intents and purposes, never heard from again. Devils fans will always remember Mogilny, however, for once and for all proving that the Devils were no mere defensive juggernaut.

Patrik Elias Signs Seven-Year Contract with Devils (July 2, 2006)

Before the lockout, Patrik Elias was well on his way to becoming the offensive version of Martin Brodeur for New Jersey: putting up terrific numbers every year, but largely being taken for granted by a fanbase that wants to win the Stanley Cup every year, rather than see another 40-goal season. The young winger from the Czech Republic had put up his third 35-goal plus season in 2003-04 (38-43-81) and was one of the few Devils that showed any life in New Jersey's five-game playoff defeat to Philadelphia (3-2-5 in the series).

It was the time during the lockout that gave everyone a scare. While having a good season Mettalurg Magnitigorsk in Russia, Elias contracted Hepatitis A from food eaten in the country. The disease, chronicled largely in an NHL Network special that primarily focused on Elias' UNICEF ambassadorship, severely weakened the then 28-year old forward and kept him out of hockey for a while.

Elias didn't return to the game until January 3, 2006, with the Devils playing the Florida Panthers. Put on a line with Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta (The "Egg" Line), Elias looked as if he hadn't missed a beat. He scored eight points in his first four games, 45 points in 38 games that season, and led the Devils to an unheard of 15-game winning streak, combining the last 11 games of the season and first four of the playoffs, to lead New Jersey to a shocking Atlantic Division title on the campaign's final night in Montreal.

Elias continued a torrid pace in the playoffs. He had two goals and four assists in Game 1 of the Devils series with the New York Rangers, and went on to score 16 points in nine games that post-season. It made people notice Elias as an elite forward in this league. It also certainly drew attention to the fact that his contract was up that summer.

There were a lot of fears in Devils-land the Patrik would sign with another team. The Los Angeles Kings and Chicago Blackhawks were reported to have made serious offers. Though the real fear was that he'd sign with the Rangers. Elias alleviated those fears by agreeing to a 7-year, $42 million deal with the Devs the day after the UFA period began in 2006. He's worth every penny, and put up another 30-goal season just this past campaign. Elias will likely be a Devil for life, and hopefully never taken for granted again.

Brian Gionta Breaks the Devil Record For Goals in a Season, Devils Culminate 11-game Win Streak and Division Title With Shocking, Comeback Victory Over Montreal on the Season's Final Night (April 18, 2006)

Coupled with the 1999-00 season, the 2005-06 campaign has got to go down as one of the strangest of the decade. Head coach Larry Robinson said so himself. Robinson, re-hired by the Devils after it was announced that Pat Burns could no longer continue, had to step down after 32 games (14-13-5) when he told Lou Lamoriello at the team's annual Christmas party that the club was making him ill. Happy holidays, for sure.

More changes still were announced after a December 17, 2005 loss to Carolina. All three of the Devils major acquisitions over the off-season (Alexander Mogilny, Dan McGillis and Vladimir Malakhov) were either sent down to AHL Albany, or "retired" under mysterious circumstances. The Devils were, to put it lightly, kind of a mess. They were still figuring out how to make do with life minus Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer and Ken Daneyko on the backline, so this was sort of the beginning of a "new generation" of Devils, if you will.

After Robinson quit at the halfway point, longtime GM Lou Lamoriello took over as coach. A week or so later, forward Patrik Elias returned from Hepatitis A, and the team caught fire. A nine-game winning streak to start the new year let everyone know that the Devils would not suffer in the post-lockout NHL. It was an 11-game winning streak to end the season, however, that made the Devils onto every hockey writer's shortlist for Stanley Cup contenders.

A young forward named Brian Gionta emerged as the team's top scorer that season with Elias out. A small winger, known mostly up to that point for his willingness to go to the front of the net and personal rivalry with gargantuan and polar opposite on the height scale Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara, Gionta broke out in 2005-06, his style tailor made for the "New NHL". On March 28, 2006, he became the first Devil to hit 40 goals in a season since Elias and Mogilny in 2001. Going into the NHL and the Devils season's final night, he was tied with Pat Verbeek's all-time single-season goal scoring record of 46.

Now, the Devils were in Montreal that night, and could to the surprise of almost everyone, win the division title after struggling so much for the first half of the season. Everything worked out in their favor, as the Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers both lost shortly before. Two points and the Devils get the division over the Flyers (who would have the same amount of points, 101) by virtue of having more wins, as well as #3 seed in the Eastern Conference. The only problem was... well, the Devils didn't show up for the first 40 minutes of that game. The Habs had a 3-0 lead on the Devils at home with three minutes to go in the second period, and only Brodeur keeping things from getting out of hand.

Then, with 2:42 to go, Gionta scored a goal that would personify the type of player he was. A Scott Gomez shot popped high off of Montreal goaltender Cristobal Huet. Gionta gloved the puck out of the air, down onto his stick, and put the puck home to break Verbeek's record, and give the Devils hope going into the third period. Of course, neither the Devils nor Gio were done yet.

Not much was going on early in the third, but nine minutes to go, the Habs took a penalty and the Devils went on the power play. Some slick passing and a Brian Rafalski shot gave Gionta another close-in rebound and a 48th goal that season, just for some distance. All that, and the Devils were within a shot of tying it. Three minutes later, Patrik Elias scored a georgeous goal off a pass from Gomez, who'd made a brilliant rush up the eyes, to tie the game with five minutes left.

With 2:30 to go, Habs forward Alex Kovalev took a shot that Marty Brodeur kicked away, right to a Devil defender, who passed it to Jamie Langenbrunner. He raced it in on a three-on-one against the Canadiens and Huet. Langenbrunner looked over the options, called his own number and ripped a shot by Huet to give the Devils a 4-3 lead. New Jersey hung on and won the division. It was one of the best regular season nights for Jersey's team I've ever seen, and it didn't even make the top 10 list. Ill be back on Monday with part one of that. Meanwhile, leave your own thoughts in the comments and your suggestions for my Top 10.

NJ Devils & Atlantic Division Weekly Snapshot: 12/20 - 12/26

John Fischer — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 16:34:52 -0000

The performances weren't pretty, but in a results-oriented business, there can be no complaints. The New Jersey Devils won all three games last week to now stay at the top of the Eastern Conference. The Pittsburgh Penguins also won all three games, so they share the same amount of points. For a second consecutive week, the Devils lead based on having two games in hand on Pittsburgh. As a whole, the best stay better with the Devils and Penguins expanding the gap over third place New York Rangers to 16 points. The Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders had poor weeks and fell further behind - all the better for the Devils and Penguins. Remember all this when those bottom three teams scramble for points in, say, March.

Atlantic Standings

	GP	W	L	OTL	PT
New Jersey	34	25	8	1	51
Pittsburgh	36	25	10	1	51
New York Rangers	35	16	16	3	35
New York Islanders	36	13	16	7	33
Philadelphia	34	15	17	2	32

(updated 12.20.2009 at 8:21 AM EST)

Basically, the Atlantic Division is a two-team race right now: New Jersey and Pittsburgh. They are the hottest teams in the league with a 4 game and 5 game winning streak, respectively. There are only two intra-division games this week and the big one is this Monday when the Devils travel to Pittsburgh. The Devils are in a favorable spot because even if they lose the game, they still have two games on hand to make up the difference. As for the Rangers, Islanders, and Flyers, each plays one more game than the Devils and Penguins this week, so the Devils keep games in hand on everyone by next week. Another advantage for NJ.

	Potential Points	Last Week	Conf. Position
NJD	4	3-0-0	1st
PIT	4	3-0-0	4th
NYR	6	2-1-1	9th
NYI	6	1-3-0	13th
PHI	6	1-2-1	14th

One of the bottom 3 Atlantic teams that could be figuring things out are the Rangers. With an angry coach and a GM who may or may not be on the hot seat, they've clawed back up into ninth place. Good for them, I suppose. But they aren't far ahead of the five teams that make up 10th through 14th so they can't relax. The Islanders and Flyers should follow their lead soon. Here's how the upcoming week looks for the division.

	12/20	12/21	12/22	12/23	12/24	12/25	12/26
NJD		@ PIT					@ WSH
PIT		vs. NJ		vs. OTT
NYR		@ CAR		vs. FLA			vs. NYI
NYI		vs. TB		vs. TOR			@ NYR
PHI		vs. FLA		@ TB			@ CAR

On paper, this week has two pretty tough games for Devils. Then again, who isn't a tough opponent in today's NHL? Even Carolina can "bring it" if given a chance. On the other hand, the Devils have beaten the Penguins twice already and this Saturday could see the Devils sweep the Washington Capitals this season. So this week is a toss up. Depending on how Monday's game goes and how the Penguins do on Wednesday will determine whether the Devils go into the last week of 2009 in first in the Atlantic (and possibly the conference - to that end, cheer on Buffalo on Wednesday to beat the Caps).

Though, to be honest, I am very pleased where the Devils currently are. Even if they drop both games this week, the Devils won't be too far behind Pittsburgh.

New Jersey Devils Morning News, Dec 20

TibbsBeastoftheEast — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 16:04:20 -0000

Devils notebook: Paul Martin stops skating - (The Bergen Record)
Rob Niedermayer fitting in - (The Bergen Record)

Devils change goalies, then beat Thrashers - (The Bergen Record)
Pelley breaks two-year goal drought; Lemaire shuffles lines; Parise has two assists, but no goals - (Fire & Ice)
Danis comes to Devils’ relief in 5-4 win in Atlanta - (Fire & Ice)
Live post: Devils score three in second, lead 5-3 in third; Brodeur pulled - (Fire & Ice)
Lamoriello: Martin "is going to be a little while longer"; Clarkson has begun skating - (Fire & Ice)
Brodeur to start again in Atlanta - (Fire & Ice)
Patrice Cormier named captain of Canadian World Junior Team - (Fire & Ice)
Notebook: NJ Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur didn't fight decision to remove him from 5-4 victory over Atlanta - (The Star Ledger)
Martin Brodeur pulled from NJ Devils' 5-4 victory over Atlanta Thrashers - (The Star Ledger)
Notebook: NJ Devils not getting caught up in impressive record, points total - (The Star Ledger)
Devils-Atlanta Thrashers, as they play - (The Star Ledger)
NJ Devils' Jay Pandolfo getting back into groove after tough 2008-09 season - (The Star Ledger)
NJ Devils pregame report: Martin Brodeur is playing tonight - (The Star Ledger)
Devils rally after Marty gets yanked - (The Star Ledger)
Watch Postgame Reaction - (Msgnetwork)
Maven: Devs Win Without Marty - (Msgnetwork)
Dean gets it done in Devils' 5-4 win in Atlanta - (NewJerseyDevils.com)
Daneyko named honorary captain for 2010 AHL All-Star Classic - (NewJerseyDevils.com)
Stats - (Yahoo NHL)
Standings - (Yahoo NHL)
Devils Team Report - (Yahoo NHL)
Martin Brodeur: Still a Workhorse - (SportsUntapped.com)
Tough finding right words to describe Thrashers loss to Devils - (Atlanta Journal Constitution)
Patrice Cormier named captain of Canada's 2010 National Junior Team - (Hockeybuzz.com)

LOWELL DEVILS
Devils Shutout By Monarchs, 2-0 - (LowellDevilsHockey.com)

TRENTON DEVILS
Thrilling Resurgence Ends with Another Shootout Loss - (TrentonDevils.com)

MISCELLANEOUS
Gedig goes big to ground Grizz - (Vernon Morning Star)
Cormier named captain for world juniors - (National Post)