The series is tied - each team has had their ups and downs through the first 120 minutes. The next one is important. The Devils have home ice right now and they are 4-1 at The Rock in the playoffs. In Game 1 the Devils finished minus-4 in Fenwick (Corsi +7). John noted in the recap that the Devils were +5 in Fenwick after two periods.The Rangers blocked 21 shots that game as well. In Game 2 the Devils dominated with a +13 Fenwick (Corsi +22).

A little over a month ago, Arctic Ice Hockey posted the playoff stats links from www.behindthenet.ca. One of the links provided was a Fenwick (shots on goal and missed shots) line for each team over 60 minutes. It also shows when goals occur with the indication of a vertical line. You can see trends for instance shooting droughts and increased possession with the puck as the game goes along. What can these graphs tell us about the first two games and when can we expect tomorrow?

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Devils fans, players, and management are all patting themselves on the back for their on-ice performance over the past month. The players are lauding the coaches; the coaches are happy with the players; and Lou Lamoriello has even called this team "special." The media around the NHL has finally noticed the change (a change we've noticed back in October) in the Devils strategy - no longer under the stigma of a passive "trap" forecheck but an aggressive, hard skating, disciplined hockey team.

I have to say - It feels great to be a Devils fans right now. They are back where they're supposed to be: Being one of the best teams in the National Hockey League.

It's been a while for the organization and us fans since the Devils have been in this situation. Things have changed since then from a standpoint of off-ice logistics. When the playoffs started, I was worried about certain aspects off the ice.

This playoff run has turned some no-so-good stories pertaining to these off the ice issues towards the lighter end of the tunnel. More hockey games at the Rock and exposure on cable and network television available to fans across the nation are extremely important to the Devils. This team is still in debt. They are still looking for another owner. The TV ratings for the regular season weren't that good. Attendance was average.

The playoffs have been a whole other story...

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How have the Devils been shooting this season? Without looking at the numbers, it's most certainly better than last season. With just under 20 games left in this season's campaign we can get a good look at how the Devils' players have been shooting compared to their career.

Seven players have 15 or more goals. Four of those seven have 20 or more. Of the 158 goals scored, 139 have come from those seven players which tallies to be 88% of the goals scored. It would be fair to compare the numbers with just these seven players. One is a rookie, so there's nothing to compare. Here are the 7:

Ilya Kovalchuk, David Clarkson, Zach Parise, Adam Henrique, Petr Sykora, Patrik Elias, and Dainius Zubrus.

I will compare their overall (all situations) shooting % to their career. Who has been shooting below, or above? Make your guesses now as I did. After the jump are some tables and thoughts.

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There are only a few more days until the deadline and things are heating up a bit in the NHL. It's been all quiet on the Devils front yet some rumors have emerged involving the team. If the Devils were to make a trade, ILWT already has some posts up for you.

First - here's a look at the future draft picks for the Devils. They have a good amount of picks for this years draft if they want to improve their team.

Second - In Tom's weekly prospect write-up, he went into great detail about available defensemen and 2nd round availability throughout the league.

Now - we will look at the Devils situation again. Perhaps instead of trading away picks and prospects, they may consider giving up some full timers for a big trade. Los Angeles is shopping Dustin Brown and the Devils are interested per Bob McKenzie. After the jump, I will look at the current Devils who will be Free Agents at the end of the season and their odds on the Devils trading him. If teams are looking to get real NHL players from the Devils - it might be tough.

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I had a number of titles but just kept it simple. I do want to share the others with you:

Devils Day In Canada. Marty Owns Montreal Once Again. Devils Move to 4th in East with Win. Let's hear some of yours.

For the late after nationally televised game for Hockey Day In America, the NHL saw the New Jersey Devils dominate then withstand the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre. They used good passing and a strong forecheck to combat the Habs speed and sleekness. When the Devils play this close to mistake-free hockey in many situations and positions - it's tough to beat them. Tonight was just that.

The Devils were able to conclude the first two periods with goals. At the end of the first, it was a set play that featured Adam Henrique winning the offensive zone face-off - Ilya Kovalchuk shooting after gathering the puck - and Zach Parise going to the net and deflecting the puck passed Carey Price. This line quickly got off to an impressive start - eating up offensive time and getting rewarded with a goal.

At the end of the second, Patrik Elias skated in a huge circle to create his own shot. Once he was in position in the high slot, he wristed one towards the net. David Clarkson was skating through the slot and the puck hit his elbow and deflected in the net.

The third saw your typical Devils at this part of the game. Getting hammered with shots, letting up a goal down a man, and letting the opposing team get back into the game after 40 minutes of great hockey. Yet this time, the Devils and Matt Taormina answered back with a dagger. The defenseman's one time slap shot squeezed through two players in front of Price who didn't see a thing. It was 3-1, and that's the way it ended.

Marty and Co. were very good throughout the whole game. They were good at their one-on-one battles, their positioning, clearing rebounds and loose pucks around the net. Marty was very active playing the 3rd defenseman role, even poke checking a couple pucks away from some Habs. Montreal didn't give up and even pulled Price with just under 2 minutes to play. But the Devils were not in the mood to let up a late goal.

Peter DeBoer has been quoted many times about wanting his team to play "at another level" since coming back from the All-Star Break. They are now 8-1-1 since then. They are now 4th in the Eastern Conference with 72 points (tied with Boston for 2nd most points in the East). Whatever level the Devils are on, it's a good one. It's good to be a Devils fan.

I have a few bullet points on the game after the jump.

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The NHL Trade Deadline is ten days away. It becomes a frantic time for fans, media, and teams in the upcoming days. Fans and media try to get whatever news the quickest. Teams look to improve their run into the playoffs or into the playoff picture and teams trying to dump players looking to rebuild with young players and draft picks.

The last couple of years have been different for the Devils. Two years ago saw "rental" Ilya Kovalchuk come to New Jersey. Last season had speculation that the Devils may go fire sale after their horrendous season, yet only parted with Jason Arnott (and Jamie Langenbrunner earlier in the season).

This year however, the Devils are in a buyers spot. Hovering around the 6 spot in the Eastern Conference, Lou may be looking to once again get an addition to help the team in the coming 40-50 days left of the regular season and the playoffs. He's been busy this season already, acquiring defenseman Kurtis Foster and winger Alexei Ponikarovsky. There's already been rumors involving the Devils (wait..rumors involving the Devils?!?) in which Marek Zidlicky wanted to come to New Jersey. He's been scratched and awaits his destiny, as does Pavel Kubina.

If the Devils were to make a move, they have plenty of draft picks available is a team is willing to go that route. I thought I would take the time to inform fans what picks the Devils actually have. They have made a lot of moves in the past year that it becomes confusing at times. After the jump are the future draft picks of the Devils.

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Last night's 4-3 shootout loss against the St. Louis Blues was a game where most would be slightly disappointed. The Blues came back and beat the Devils at their own game essentially. Considering the Blues play since changing coaches and the fact that the Devils have achieved 12 of 14 points (5-0-2) in their last 7 games, we shouldn't be disappointed.

During the game, a couple plays happened where one was immediately reviewed and one will be reviewed today. Both occurred in the 3rd period with the Devils up 3-2. Both changed the game dramatically in retrospect. The first was just about a minute into the period. Kurtis Foster skated from in front of the net and checked Chris Porter. Porter goes down and they make the call slightly after. It was boarding - a 5 minute major and a game misconduct. Bye Bye Foster.

The second was the tying goal. Roman Polak fired a shot from the point through some traffic. That traffic contained Patrik Berglund who tipped the puck and deflected through Johan Hedberg. The call on the ice was a goal. His stick was high on the deflection so they went to Toronto. "The call on the ice stands" said the ref and it was 3-3. We all know the rest.

I thought now would be a good time to go over these reviews as they are available thanks to the interwebs. After the jump are the videos, some quotes, and my thoughts on both calls.

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For the fourth straight game, the Devils put up more than 3 goals. For the fourth straight game, the goaltending has stepped up at opportune times. For the fourth straight game, Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise, David Clarkson, and Patirk Elias have at least a point.

For the fourth straight game, the Devils have won.

In their second afternoon game this weekend, New Jersey defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2. It was somewhat like yesterday's game in Philadelphia where they Devils took an early lead, continued dominance in the middle period, chased their opponent's goalie, and held on a multi-goal lead in the 3rd period. Once again the team's top players were exactly that. The defense even contributed with a goal and an assist. Martin Brodeur was excellent and came up big in the 3rd period to secure the win. He even got an assist, his 4th of the season.

I have a few mroe thoughts on the game after the jump. To see the other side of things, go to PensBurgh for their recap.

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There's only one more game (tonight) until the All-Star break. The four-day event which contains a draft, a skills competition, and an exhibition is in Ottawa this year. No Devils will be there, as Adam Larrson and Adam Henrique will opt out due to minor injuries. This will be the Senators first time hosting the event. They get to remove themselves from a group of cities and teams that have yet to host NHL's second biggest regular season event (the Winter Classic being the other).

The Devils had the luxury of hosting an All-Star Game in 1984, only a couple years after their move to New Jersey. Two Devils were apart of that (defender Joe Cirella and Glen "Chico" Resch who we are all aware of). Here's the introduction of the Wales Conference. What I hate about this video is the announcer's tone when introducing Ranger players as it was held at the World's Most Overrated Arena which happens to contain asbestos. The two Devils heard cheers and boos as well.

Now, the Devils are in a new home. A home in the middle of it's 5th year of operation. Newark, NJ joins the list of six cities yet to hold the event. The Prudential Center joins of a longer list of new arenas yet to hold one. Only seven NHL arenas have opened since 2000. Of those seven arenas, only the Wild and Stars have held All-Star games. Will Newark get one? Will the Devils host one soon?

My guess is yes, but not for a few more years. With Pittsburgh's new arena and the Garden being renovated, these will most likely be on top of the NHL's list. They have not announced last year's yet, though rumors are it may be in Columbus or Anaheim. I remember hearing Devils Chairmen Jeff Vanderbeek mention during one of his Jersey Tours a couple summers back that the organization will apply to one. I don't know if they have or if they haven't.

I think the organization should get on this in the next few years. Why? Well a couple of reasons.

One is the exposure. It's already a top selling arena in the world. But more is always better. It would help local exposure in hockey as well. Fans from around North America would see the jerseys of all teams across the state. The local media would hopefully ride this and give exposure to the Devils.

Another is finances. A four day event can bring in some "mula". It could also increase season tickets sales (since it may be the only way to get tickets to the All-Sat game at a reasonable price). That would surely help the Devils finances problems if they are grave as the rumors (and they are rumors) suggest.

The City of Newark has been under a reconstruction itself. It's no longer the crime infested city in a toxic state. Laugh all you will outsiders, but I walk my 3 blocks from the light rail station to my car after every game at 10 p.m. every Devils home game. The restaurants around the arena are fun, the Gateway Center also has some quick bites, and transportation is never an issue. The biggest is the new Courtyard Marriott being built right next to the Rock.

I feel once the hotel is finished, and few more pre/post game spots open, the area around the arena will be ready for prime time.

So I ask you. Will the Devils get an All-Star Game soon? What do they need to do to get one? What does the Newark area need to do? In lieu of the weekend break coming up - I ask you: What do you think?

There's been some talk about the murky state of the Devils finances and debt. Every couple of months, some report comes out that sends a message that the end of the Jeff Vanderbeek era as Devils owner has begun; that the Devils are bumming out on debt payments; that the whole Newark arena idea was a bust. This sends an array of speculation through fans that the team will move away or soon to be superstar free agent Zach Parise will go to more clear waters.

As the great George Carlin would say - "Calm down....have some dip." Seriously.

Around the start of training camp, a report from the NY Post suggested that the Devils missed out on a huge debt payment and were on the verge of bankruptcy. John did a great breakdown on the article and the Devils response (yes, the Devils responded). I suggest reading it if you haven't and or brushing up on it if you don't remember it. The Post article was written by Josh Kosman and there were many, many inaccuracies (including getting the first day training camp wrong). Around the same time - I did a timeline of the Devils financial situation since the mid-90s. It's never been easy with the Devils from a business standpoint - but nothing happened then (i.e. no move to Nashville).

There have been two big reports since September - both from anonymous reports, both from the NY Post, both written by Josh Kosman. What are they?

One was that Wendy's owner and billionaire Nelson Peltz was looking to buy the team (or a portion of the team). What was also interesting was the $100 million the Devils owed in debt in September turned into $250 million in November (that's a bad APR!).The big thing in this article was the securitization of the MSG TV deal to pay debt. This pretty much means any or all profit from the TV deal will be invested to pay the debt now instead of gradually paying it over time.

There have been multiple reports that Brick City LLC (Mike Gilfillan and Ray Chambers) were looking to sell there 47% stake in the Devils. There were reports Vanderbeek was going to purchase that portion (a report written by you guessed it Kosman).

The other report, in which Devilman3030 made a FanShot for was yet again about debt payments. The big thing here was also about that securitization deal. The deal was scheduled to be finalized around now (mid to late January). But that new anonymous source suggested the deal won't be done in the month that they have. That the NHL will step it's foot in if it doesn't (even though the NHL said it isn't an ultimatum). Soo? Okay? This article stated nothing new - that saying a deal (that has over a month until the NHL gets involved - but not with authority) may not get done.

Where the Devils are at now is still the season where ticket sales and season ticket sales are up. Where attendance is averaging over 1,000 more people this season than last season. Where they are making money through their social media outlets and Mission Control through marketing and ticket promotions. Even seeing fans doing their part in suggesting and linking ticket deals to fill the arena.

I will conclude this by how I am taking all this news as well as a few questions that are still in the air from actual reports.

A big missing link in all these stories is the state of Brick City selling their stake in the team. Maybe they can't find one? Maybe they can't reach a deal with Peltz? Who knows - and we won't until a deal is reached and a new owner is announced. I feel once this part of the financial situation is concluded, Vanderbeek and co. can and will continue to do whats best for the Devils. That includes signing Parise.

Fans and/or the public will never know the full story. This is a private business and their documents are sealed. When the Devils release a report announcing (or denying) something they wish to disclose - then we can make and discuss speculation from that report. There's no use in freaking out over "sources close to the situation." You may as well call that an E5.

Thanks for reading. Hope the dip was good.

The Devils have just passed the mid-way point of the 2011-2012 season. There is much to discuss about this team: their strengths, their weaknesses, their inconsistencies, etc.. One major talking point has been goaltending. This season, head coach Pete DeBoer had many questions regarding the Devils situation. Would veteran goalies Martin Brodeur and Johan Hedberg share the helm? Would the future Hall of Fame netminder go back to his days of taking the majority (not 70-75 games) of starts.

I was responsible for the goaltending portion of this season's ILWT preview. I stated Marty would get close to 60 games, even 65 with Moose getting the rest. I also stated that Marty starting both games on back-to-backs should be held to a minimum, which they have. DeBoer has stated he will use both goalies in this instance. Around the end of November, I compared both Marty and Moose. At that point, they played in about the same amount of games. I wanted to see if they would continue to share to helm.

Well at roughly the midpoint of the season, how has DeBoer used his goalies? He was only faced with an injury dilemma in November when Marty was injured with a sore shoulder. How have each of the goalies been in consecutive starts or more? How have they been in a more sharing role (back and forth)?

There's more after the jump including a poll.

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With the 18th home game tonight (and 39th overall), the Devils 2011-2012 season is just about at the halfway point. The first three months of the NHL season are over, the NHL's marquee regular season event in the Winter Classic is fresh in our memories, and the 2011 calender year is over. I thought now would be a good time to look at the Devils attendance numbers so far this season. Since moving to Prudential Center, I've gathered information on attendance and promotions to assess the Devils ticket sales numbers and trends.

The first few months on the NHL season have a lot of competition in terms of what's on and going to a game. The NFL is in full swing, the MLB postseason takes over October, and college football has 120 teams to cover. Since the NHL schedule is long - it's known that the sport's hype and marketing increases once football is over. More games are on national broadcasts and the intensity of the game increases as the playoffs near. The beginning of the season is where most teams see their lowest attendance numbers (the Devils included). But this season's first half has been different - The NBA was locked out until recently. Has that changed anything from a Devils attendance standpoint?

As I said, I also look into promotions and special events being held during Devils' games. This season's schedule was released well after the regular season started. I have some good and some not so good thoughts on that. After the jump is more on the numbers. How have the first three months compared to previous seasons at the Rock? Have promotions increased their numbers? That and more after the jump.

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Haven't done this in a while but there is a some news to report on the injury side of things. The Devils have had some major injuries pop up over the course of this season with some minor ones in between - but it's not as bad as last season - thank goodness.

First some cleaning up:

Travis Zajac returned on Scott Niedermayer night on December 16th against the Stars. In his 5 games back - he's been getting mostly 3rd line minutes with Mattias Tedenby and David Clarkson. He played with Parise and Kovalchuk last game and nothing really happened. Suffice to say - he's playing like a player who just returned from a major injury.

Adam Larsson returned from his trip back home to Sweden over the holiday's and he feels refreshed. He spent Christmas with his family and attended his grandmothers funeral. For a young kid like him, I think this is just what he needed. His play was diminishing and he needed a mental break from his time in a new country on a new team with new players and people. He on;y missed two games and it will be nice to have the 4th overall pick back in the lineup.

More injuries and thoughts after the jump:

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From a results standpoint - the Devils have had some trends over the season. They've had their ups and downs so far yet lately they have been turning up the heat (and just in time for winter too!). They've won 6 of their last 8 and in 4 of those wins, they've scored 4 or more goals. On top of that, in 5 of their last 8 games, they have generated 30 or more shots - something that hasn't come easy for the Devils this season. Prior to this run - the Devils lost 4 straight (right after going 8-3). Prior to those 15 games - they lost 5 of 6.

You can see the trends on their schedule as well. I wanted to find a way to compare some shot attempt stats to their trends. What the Devils did in a span of games and comparing a series of the same amount of games can tell how the Devils have progressed or declined at points in the season. I gathered all the even strength data from timeonice.com to calculate some shot attempt percentages (Shot %, Fenwick %, Corsi %). I calculated the numbers for every 10 games (so games 1 to 10, 2 to 11, 3 to 12....up to games 24 to 33).

This can show a number of things. Pete DeBoer's new system took the Devils some time to adapt to it and play their game. His system calls for attacking the puck, skating hard on every shift, and smart breakout passes. Have the Devils been playing his system and is it working? What was the low point of the season so far? What was the high point? After the jump are some graphs and some thoughts.

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The Devils top line has been on fire the last nine games. Superstar wingers Ilya Kovalchuk and Zach Parise are beginning to produce at the level we have been waiting for since the beginning of last season. Rookie center Adam Henrique has been put in the middle and asked to play up to their level at age 21 and has not missed a beat. The Devils have won 4 of their last 5 games, and this line has been a big reason for that. They have controlled play and scored goals in all situations as well as in a timely fashion.

This line has not been recently put together. They have been together for most of the season and it's taken a while for them to gel. Devils fans all around and some around here at In Lou We Trust have lobbied to split this line up, and I can't say I blamed them. The counterargument was keep them together for the sake of keeping the Dainius Zubrus - Patrik Elias - Petr Sykora together (the Devils best line of the season at that time). Currently, I feel these arguments may have to be put on hold - at least until Zajac has played in a few games, has got his game legs and timing down, and is completely 100% ready to play the way we know he can play. Until then - 9-14-17 - should stay together.

In their last nine games, they have tallied 12 goals, 21 assists with a shooting percentage at 13.64%. It's pretty remarkable. I have a little more after the jump, including some more stats and additional thoughts.

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Despite the rollercoaster win against the Senators, the New Jersey Devils did suffer a loss during yesterday's game. Defenseman Andy Greene did not play in the game to undergo x-rays on a lingering foot injury he suffered a handful of games back. It turns out he suffered a broken toe and will be out four weeks. This is the first injury for the Devils defense where a player will be out quite some time. Four weeks puts his return a week into the new year. Looking at the Devils schedule, he could miss around 14 more games. The Devils did make some roster moves to accommodate Greene's injury - they called up Matt Taormina and Alexander Urbom.

The Devils defense overall this season hasn't been what most of us expected it to. It's been inconsistent. At some points, they have shut down teams and made good individual plays yet at the same rate they have left opposing players wide open on the weak side and left goalies Martin Brodeur and Johan Hedberg out to dry with odd-man rushes and breakaways.

Offensively, the defensive unit has combined for 5 goals and 26 assists in 27 games. They seem to have some trouble getting pucks on net when shooting along the blue line. Hitting bodies and missing the net won't get goals or generate chances.

So what did Andy Greene bring to the Devils and the defense so far this season? What will be the biggest loss in terms of Andy Greene's contributions? What will Taormina and/or Urbom bring to the table? Who else on the back unit has to step up to at least keep the Devils defense inconsistently consistent?

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In the preview, I set the goal for the Devils to win with a 60 minute effort. I might have been asking to much. Tonight, the Devils put in a very good effort to win, but with a couple of reviewed goals not going their way and a shorthanded goal against, the Devils manage to lose 4-2 against the Winnipeg Jets. It's their 4th straight loss, and are now in fear of not winning a game on their 4 game road trip. They are also in fear of dropping below 0.500, as they now stand at 12-12-1.

I also mentioned the fact the Jets score early in games. They did just that less than two minutes into the game when Dustin Byfuglien shot the puck from the point and Evander Kane tipped it during it's journey. It looked like he tipped it high, but it was low enough for the call to get overturned after the video review. Adam Henrique scored on a very nice wrist shot passed Ondrej Pavelec's glove. Ilya Kovalchuk skated into the zone and made a quick pass to Zach Parise who made a nice cross ice pass to Henrique for the goal.

In the second period, the Devils were rewarded a 5-on-3 powerplay for 1:44 after controlling most of the period. Patrik Elias scored on a sharp angle and they had a lead in a game for the first time in what seems like forever. Then, just when you see the Devils play well for close to 40 minutes, they let up a shorthanded goal after a bouncing puck along the boards escapes Kovalchuk in the defensive zone which leads to an easy 2-on-1 Jets goal.

The Devils yet again put in a solid effort in the 3rd period, but Evander Kane crashes Johan Hedberg when the puck is thrown to the net mouth from the corner. The puck squeaks in, and the video review deems it a good goal. A good but failed effort to tie it ends with an empty net goal with 30 seconds left.

I have some more on the game after the jump. Visit Arctic Ice Hockey for the Jets side of things.

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The Time: 7:00 PM EDT

The Broadcast: TV - MSG PLUS, CBC; Radio - 660 AM WFAN

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (12-10-1) at the Winnipeg Jets (10-11-4)

The Last Devils - Jets Games: A very exciting game at the Rock four weeks ago if I remember correctly. After a scoreless first period and a goaltending battle brewing, the Devils jumped to a 2-0 lead with odd man rush goals by Patrik Elias (a 2-on-1) and Adam Henrique (breakaway 1.0). Mark Flood made it interesting scoring early in the 3rd period and Jim Slater tied it up with 2:45 remaining in regulation even though Anton Volchenkov was ripped down (no call) right before the goal. Classic 3rd period Devils in retrospect. After an event-less Devils powerplay (classic Devils once again) that carried over into overtime, Zach Parise fed Adam Henrique for his second goal of the game for breakaway 2.0. Here's John's recap of the 3-2 Overtime Devils win.

The Last Devils Game: I wrote the preview before the Devils - Wild game and I will update it.

The Last Jets Game: The new Winnipeg Jets played the old Winnipeg Jets at MTS Centre Thursday night. Bryan Little scored the only goal of the game in the first period and with the help of some magic pucks, Ondrej Pavelec got the shutout. The Jets beat the Phoenix Coyotes 1-0. Bettman's Nightmare has the recap for Arctic Ice Hockey.

The Goal: The goal obviously is to win - but more importantly - win with a solid 60-minute effort. They played a game last night yet the Devils record for the second half of back-to-back games isn't that bad (3-2-0). The Jets will have a full day of rest. They can't be sluggish; they can't start slow, becuase they will fall behind quickly. The Jets have a knack for scoring (and/or letting up goals) early in the game. If the Devils start off fast with a strong forecheck and solid defense, they may be the team to jump out ahead. Thus a 60 minute effort to avoid any comebacks (like the last time these teams played) is ideal.

I have a little more after the jump.

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The personnel on the 4th line for the New Jersey Devils is starting to become a revolving door. Over the past week, a few interesting moves concentrating on the bottom of the forward line-up have been made by Lou Lamoriello and Pete DeBoer. Nick Palmieri was sent down to Albany and Bradley Mills was placed on waivers. These guys made it through training camp, yet only survived about a quarter of the regular season. Tim Sestito was called up and Eric Boulton who has been out with a hand injury after a knock out punch is set to return. Vladimir Zharkov was also called up a couple weeks back and then sent back down after only playing a few games.

It might not be an important issue to some since its the 4th line and they average around 6 minutes of ice time per game. Yet I feel it's a significant advantage in games if the Devils could manage to get a solid, semi-scoring, defensively stable line to help their top 9 and ultimately the entire team. I mean, wouldn't it be nice not to cringe every time the 4th line gets on the ice? Teams, media, and fans always discuss having 4 lines than can contribute. Right now, the Devils do not.

Also, if DeBoer does plan on double shifting his stars, wouldn't it be good for the personnel on the bottom line to compliment said stars. Are the players on their now going too? Right now the 4th line and the one extra are Sestito, Boulton, Rod Pelley and Cam Janssen. Do any of these players seem like they could handle playing with Ilya Kovalchuk or Zach Parise?

After the jump, I'm going to compare these players with stats from Behind the Net. I'm also going to compare them with Albany bound Palmieri and Miils (and Zharkov). Were these decisions based on play? Or is the 4th line becoming an open, in-season tryout for the second half of the season (or at least when a couple of centers get back)?

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The New Jersey Devils stand at 10-8-1. Not bad. Myself and I'm sure other fans think it should be better. There's been plenty of talk about the offense, the defense, the powerplay, the penalty kill - but what about goaltending? How's it been this season? With Martin Brodeur's shoulder injury  in late October - both he and Johan Hedberg have played about the same amount of games. How have they compared?

A few days ago, David Fine put up a FanPost on turning the page on last season's woes. I commented, and did mention a few things that continue to plague the Devils this season as well. One thing I failed to mention was goaltending, which Triumph44 replied. Looking back at the games, I couldn't really make a definite decision. They've been great in wins, awful in some losses - streaky is probably the best term. Looking at some advanced stats and doing a little research have given me some conclusions.

After the jump is some stats and some more on both goalies.

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The New Jersey Devils power play is horrible. The stats tell you it is. The performance and execution of it is. The defense (yeah, the Devils have had to play defense on their power play) is. There's no questioning it. There's no denying it. It's just the simple true. With the players on this team and the coaches on the bench and in the organization - there's no excuse for this. What is wrong with the Devils power play?

Well, there is a lot wrong with it, and we'll get into them. Sixteen games into the season - the Devils stand at 8-7-1. The power play converting at a better rate may and even would have at points changed that. I'm content with their record - but again, knowing who is on this team and what this team can do - it's a major problem this team faces in it's next 16 games, 30 games, 50 games, etc..

The Devils are dead last in conversion rate; tied for second to last in short handed goals against; near the bottom in opportunities; and second to last in power play shots on goal. If you could decline a penalty - I'm sure the Devils would actually consider doing just that. It makes me and most of you sick.

After the jump I will go into detail on some of the problems I have seen at The Rock and on TV for road games. I do have some solutions too. I know I'm not an NHL coach - but these seem like quick fixes to me. Let's get into them.

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A little over a month ago, I wrote that the New Jersey Devils have created a supporters section for fans for every single home game. Last season saw these sections during "the run" in the second half of the season for certain games and it really caught on. Completely supported by the Devils organization and management, a season ticket offer to sit in a supporter section for every single home game was available. Meetings were held, captains were picks, and Diablos 122 was born on opening night.

As a member, I'd like to share with the rest of the fanbase and other NHL fans what we do, what we chant, and just an update on what's going on in our corner. I'll be doing this monthly - and over time time, with your input and critique, Diablos 122 could become the greatest thing for Devils fans when they attend the Rock.

After the jump is much more...

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