Marty’s Return and the First Domino Falls

Tonight the Devils welcome back to arguably the greatest goaltender in modern times, Martin Brodeur, into the line-up. While Scott Clemmensen performed astoundingly well in net for the Devils, nothing beats having a Hall of Fame caliber talent in net to complement a top 10 offense.

Brodeur’s return comes at the most opportune time for New Jersey. The team has only won 1 of their past 3 games, and it was in a shootout versus lowly Tampa Bay. His air of consistency will be a great addition to the team, in essence, an addition without subtraction [with all due respect to Clemmer]. Brodeur is one of the best playoff goaltenders of all time, and in recent times, he has burned out in the postseason. This year, however, that should not be an issue considering he’s been recovering for 50 games.

10:00 PM UPDATE – Marty pitches a shutout. Its like the guy was never hurt. Congrats on #99!

On the trading front, people may say that the first domino fell with Mathieu Schneider being traded to Montreal. Others felt when the Islanders robbed Ottawa of a player and a 1st round pick was the catalyst. Today is the day that will set the tone for the next week.

Chris Kunitz, a fantasy hockey power play dream, has been traded to Pittsburgh for Ryan Whitney. The Pens also received a prospect in the deal.

Kunitz is a great winger with solid potential, and is an invaluable asset on the power play. Whitney really has not been the same player since he came back from his injury in mid December, so hopefully a stint out on the west coast will reset his game.

Hours later, the Canadiens made a minor move trading Steve Begin to Dallas for Doug Janik.

Now, many people flock to hockeybuzz.com to catch “insider” rumors. I’ll save you the time and the obnoxious laughter which would ensue:

Disclaimer: these are rumors from eklund with my comments.

Eric Cole to NJ – Why would the Devils take on a winger worth 4 million when they are stacked at the position? If Gionta is part of the deal then maybe, but both are UFAs. Still, the Devils need a top tier defenseman and Cole doesn’t quite fit that mould. Plus, the move is pretty much is a lateral one. Cole has a better shot, but Gionta is quicker.

Scott Gomez – Phoenix, Edmonton, Florida – wow, where to begin with this one. Let’s start with the Rangers. They are the ONLY team currently holding a playoff position who has more goals allowed than they have scored. Next, Gomez is the offense, heck, he is that team. It sickens me to say that being a Devils fan and all, but the guy IS single handedly keeping the Rangers in it.

Focus now on Phoenix, who would they trade, Jokinen? Jovo? Morris? It just doesn’t make any sense what so ever. Add into it that the team needed to get a loan to pay rent and the lease, why would they take on a salary of ONE player who makes close to $8 million a season.

The Oilers are a possibility if it weren’t for that minor detail called the SALARY CAP. They currently sit roughly $2 million under it, Gomez would put them $6 mil over, who would they get back, Souray? Why not add another overpaid defenseman who doesn’t perform up to his pay? I’m sure Ranger fans would love that. Actually, it does sound like the kinda move that would get Glen Sather excited… it just may happen.

As for Florida, a team struggling to figure out what to do with one All-Star, I don’t see a Bouwmeester-for-Gomez deal although it would work with their cap space. The rangers need help on offense, not defense. There is no spark in that system and they trap way too much. I’m just glad the hypocrisy train has pulled a 180.

Olli Jokinen – Sabres, Hurricanes, Flames – Don’t count on it being the Sabres, regardless of how injured their front lines are, their defense will take them no where. Toni Lydman has more turnovers than Entenmanns Baked Goods, Jaroslav Spacek refuses to shoot on a regular basis, Teppo Numminen is just plain old, yadda yadda yadda. The point is, the defense needs work, and if they want offensive help, there are better players on the market who are FAR more consistent this season than Jokinen. However, the possibility is there that the team and fans have just grown so sick of the Max Afinogenov saga that the rumors could reemerge from the Draft where my sources were confident that Jokinen was heading to the Queen City, before the last minute deal to the desert.

Calgary has already flat out stated they’re comfortable with the team they’ve got. To get Jokinen, it would require more than 1 regular being shipped to Phoenix, why mess with chemistry now?

Carolina is Carolina, very few people will care about rumors about them, heck even fewer cared about their playoff games and run to the cup a few years ago. More focused on that week’s NASCAR race than the parade.

Thomas Kaberle – Sabres – Speaking of Buffalo, while Eklund was sitting at home this afternoon, he set up pictures of all 30 NHL teams on his wall. He took a dart, closed his eyes and said “whatever team this lands on, I’m going to tag as being the destination for Thomas Kaberle.” When he did that, he hit the logo that looked like the banana slug. That story is entirely fictional, although it is very believable. Why else would he pick the Sabres for Kaberle. Now, you might argue that I just stated the Sabres need help on defense, and that is a very fair point. There is just one, teeny tiny flaw with this rumor: HE PLAYS FOR THE MAPLE LEAFS. Last time I checked, bitter rivals, let alone bitter division rivals, generally do not trade with one another. It just doesn’t make any sense. Now if it’s a multi-team deal, okay well then maybe it could happen. But you don’t make teams above you that much stronger when you’ve got a blue chip like Kaberle in your hole. Toronto needs a whole mess of help, so its not that simple to nail down who they would target, but don’t count on it being a goalie. Ugh.

For the last part of my article tonight, I’m going to make some predictions. This list my change over the next 6 days, but as of right now, these are my hunches based upon rumors I have read or logic:

1.) Vinny is going to stay in Tampa. It doesn’t make sense to move him immediately following him agreeing to a long-term deal last summer.
2.) Bouwmeester will stay in Florida. They just beat the Rangers tonight, are a mere 5 points from 5th but 1 point from being out of it. They are in the hunt and with both Vokun and Johnson performing admirably in net, I think they might change their tune and try to make a run beyond the 1 round and out prediction many analysts have made.
3.) Gomez isn’t going anywhere, his contract is too big, and he’s too important of a person in the Rangers game plan. If Sather does make a move, I honestly think Ranger fans will tear down the Garden, and I am not even remotely kidding. I could honestly see a revolution outside of MSG on Wednesday if Gomez is traded.
4.) Sean Avery will not wear Ranger blue this season. Too many teams will do everything in their power to put a claim to him on reentry waivers. He’s the A1 Steak Sauce to the steak that is the Rangers’ playoff hopes. Well, him and Gomez.
5.) The Devils will not move any of their 3 goalies. The best chance they have is if Ryan Miller is out for longer than anticipated. Right now, he still remains day to day with a high ankle sprain. This is one of those predictions that could change.
6.) This trade deadline could be more unimpressive than last seasons. We could very well have seen the biggest moves with Whitney for Kunitz and a prospect. [which, by the way, was highway robbery by the Pens.]

There you have it, my 6 picks for the night. I will add to it later on, but that’s all for now.

The Kid Keeps Living up to the Name

And not in a good way.

Its not secret at this point that Sidney Crosby is becoming one of the biggest whiners in hockey. He cries when he doesn't get a penalty called against him [something which is rare since the NHL seems to tell its officials to give him the benefit of the doubt and have all calls go for him], he flops around trying to draw penalties, and he only goes after someone when their back is turned.

Want proof? Here's a video of the highlights from Sunday's game against the Capitals. Focus on the 37 second mark until the end.




Notice something mentioned in the first paragraph? How about the cross check after a simple shoulder bump. This isn't the first time Crosby didn't appreciate a little physicality of Ovechkin, and like a stubborn 5 year old who didn't get his afternoon cookie, throws a tantrum in a cheap way. For the next video, watch starting at the 2 minute mark on.



Yeah, Ovechkin may get the elbow up a little bit, so fine, check him back, don't throw a sissy little left hook into the guy's face with your glove still on. Man up, Sid, and drop them.

Personally, this is why I hope the Caps get another shot against the Penguins in the playoffs. It'd be really nice to see Ovechkin get under Cindy's skin for a whole series and maybe even produce some more hits like this one:

Rumor Line: T-minus 10 days

My limited sources have been chirping in with some various rumors for me to litter my blog with. Here they are, take them for what they’re worth.

First, out of New York, Rangers’ GM Glen Sather is considering approaching Chris Drury about a possible trade. Drury, who has a no movement clause, needs to give his permission should the Rangers wish to trade him. As of right now, speculation has Sather in initial talks with the Colorado Avalanche about Ryan Smyth. Just a reminder, however, that Smyth says he wants to stay in the mile high city, while Drury signed with the Rangers because it has always “been his dream” to play for them. Again, I’m told these talks are in the very early stages.

Next, we jump across the border as into Canada’s capital as the Senators are rumored to be making another move quickly on the heels of the move to reacquire Mike Comrie earlier this week from the Islanders along with Chris Campoli for Dean McAmmond and a first round draft pick. Earlier this season, there were rumors swirling saying that Ottawa was interested in acquiring Ilya Kovalchuk for Jason Spezza. They died down, but are now growing some legs again. It is believed that if the Senators think they still have an outside chance of the 8th and final playoff spot in the East, they’ll pull the trigger on Kovalchuk. Knowing Bryan Murray, and how horrendous he has been as GM this season, even if the Sens bottom out, they’d still make the deal and try to reunite Kovalchuk with Danny Heatly and make a late run, even being 15 points back on Sunday night.

Also out of Atlanta, rumors are also beginning to pick up surrounding one of the pieces of the Marion Hossa deal with Pittsburgh last season. Colby Armstrong is believed to be being shopped around by General Manager Don Waddell, and one of his main persons of interest is Pittsburgh’s Jordan Staal. With defenseman Sergei Gonchar back, Pittsburgh is making a run at the bottom spots in the playoff hunt, they could be looking to add pieces to improve an inconsistent roster. Yes, the Pens do sit a mere 4 points from the final playoff spot, but they are playing in a very strong Atlantic Division and of their next 8 games, 6 are against teams currently holding playoff positions. A lot will be learned of Pitt by the deadline.

Keep a close eye on the status of Ryan Miller the next few days. As of right now, the report is his ankle injury, suffered when he was run into by Scott Gomez, is listed as a high ankle sprain. The biggest issue with ankle injuries is that that are all different. Some players heal quicker than others, and with Miller being such a vital piece in the Sabres puzzle of success, they need him to be 100% to not only maintain their playoff position, but perform well in the post-season. If Miller’s ankle doesn’t heal, or the injury is worse than reported, the team will need to think long and hard about their goaltending situation. Right now, they intend to rely upon Patrick Lalime.

The problem with Lalime is that he’s 2-7-1 on the season, but has a 3.07 goals against. The last time he was the #1 starter, it was in Chicago last season, before that, pre-lockout Ottawa, where he has some playoff experience. He can be a premier goaltender, the problem is consistency. One trading partner, should they need to resort to that, is New Jersey. Starting next Thursday, the Devils will have 3 NHL-ready goaltenders, future hall of famer Martin Brodeur returns from injury, current started Scott Clemmensen has 25 wins on the year, and backup Kevin Weekes has both starting, playoff, and Stanley Cup experience. While Brodeur is obviously untouchable, Weekes and Clemmensen could be had for the right offer. Again, all is contingent on the extent of Ryan Miller’s ankle injury.

Devils Ride Parise's Back-to-Back 2 Goal Nights to Victories

For the first time since mid-January, the Devils lost two of their previous three games this past week. Some felt that the Washington loss did not sting nearly as much as their loss to the Kings.

On paper, when comparing the two records side by side, anyone would agree with that statement. However, when looking inside the numbers, you can see that Los Angeles came into the game absolutely on a tear. Winning five of their previous 6 games and earning points in 6 of their last 7 [the first game of this section was an overtime loss to Dallas], the Kings came into Newark kicking some rear-end and taking names. The teams they defeated were no simple task: Colorado, Minnesota, Chicago, Ottawa [okay, maybe that one should have been a win, no matter who you are], and the same Washington Capitals who dominated the Devils last Tuesday night at The Rock.

So the Devils had some motivation, like they needed any extra, going into Monday night’s contest with the New York Rangers. The same Rangers team who were utterly embarrassed by Dallas at MSG Sunday by a count of 10-2. Going into the contest, the two teams were knotted at 2 wins a piece in the season series, but the Devils had won the previous 2 match-ups including an 8-5 victory in the Prudential Center.

Henrik Lundqvist, who allowed the flu to keep him on the bench while Stephen Valiquette was lit up like the 4th of July on Sunday, was back in net for the Rangers. Coach Tom Renny had his team pressing the entire first period, trying to lure the Devils into making a mistake which the Rangers hoped to capitalize on, and were successful in drawing numerous first period penalties, but had nothing to show for it.

David Clarkson squared off against Erik Reitz in a sloppy fight which neither player truly grabbed an upper hand until Clarkson landed a few solid punches before taking Reitz to the ice. Fights like this one were exactly what this rivalry seemed to have been missing as of late. Neither side seemed willing to really take it to the other, physical wise, until Monday’s game.

There were countless hits into the boards, “extra curricular activities” as Doc Emerick calls them, following whistles, gave this game all the makings you would expect from a Devils-Rangers game.

Following a Colton Orr victory over Mike Rupp in what I have to admit was a solid, the Rangers seemed to not only take the momentum from the Devils, but take some life out of the Prudential Center as well.

But less than four minutes later, the Devils stole it all right back, as Bobby Holik found a Breandan Shanahan rebound right in front of Lundqvist and stuffed it 5 hole before the keeper could get into a butterfly position.

Thanks to a Brandon Dubinsky penalty at 1315, the Rangers found themselves short handed for the second time in the game. Zach Parise made sure they would pay for it as he leveled the score, putting home a Travis Zajac rebound for the power play goal and his 31st goal of the season.

The Rangers would only be able to muster 11 shots in the third period, with only two or three giving the crowd any semblance of nervousness.

Parise would seal the victory with an empty netter as Scott Clemmensen would notch his first shutout victory since 2003-2004, and his 23rd win on the season.

Wednesday night brought with it the plummeting New York Islanders to the Prudential Center. This time last season, Devils fans would cringe at the sight of either New York metro area team on the schedule because regardless of how bad of hockey they were playing, the Devils just could not seem to find a way to beat them.

This season, however, the Devils had not dropped a contest to the Islanders in 4 tries.

The Islanders struck very early in the first period after some nice passing, and horrendous reaction timing by goaltender Kevin Weekes, Radek Martinek scored on pretty much an open net.

Great positioning helped lead the Devils to the equalizer as time was running out in the first. After a blue line pass from Johnny Oduya, Paul Martin’s shot was deflected in front of the net, and the rebound kicked right to, surprise surprise, Parise who hit the back of the net for the 3rd time in 2 games.

After a Kyle Okposo power play goal, Jamie Langenbrunner would pull the Devils even again on a power play with a blistering slap shot through a great screen in front of the net. The shot came off a great feed from Martin who registered his 2nd point of the night, as did Parise who received a secondary assist.

This time, however, the Devils did not surrender the go ahead goal, and instead added their own in the 2nd half of the 3rd period. Again on the power play, swift passing and great positioning helped set up Martin’s shot from the point the goaltender Jamie MacDonald was unable to control. Parise pounced on the loose puck and ripped it into the back of the net fro his 2nd of the game and 3rd point overall.

The Devils would try to get Praise the hat trick when the Islanders pulled their goalie but when it was clear he would not be able to get a clean shot off, he elected to pass it off to Langenbrunner who netted his 2nd of the game, giving Parise a 4 point night.

Weekes stopped 23 shots to notch his 5th win of the season, while MacDonald stopped 45 shots.

NOTES: The win was their 11th in their past 13 games… With the win, the Devils tied Washington for 2nd in the Eastern Conference with 73 points… With 50 shots in the game, the Devils passed 40 shots in a game for the 4th time this season… Parise moved into a tie with Philadelphia’s Jeff Carter for 2nd in the league in goals scored with 34… Langenbrunner scored 2 goals in a game for the 4th time in 8 games, and he now has goals in 5 of the last 8… New Jersey will now have a tough weekend as they take on the leaders of both conferences. First Boston on Friday and then San Jose on Sunday on NBC. Both games will be at the Prudential Center in Newark.

McIntyre Has a "Friesen" Weekend

Okay, so the title is slightly cheesy and some may not get the association but this past weekend recent Devils' acquisition David McIntyre had a pair of solid games for Colgate University. His performance and tendencies over the weekend brought one former Devil name to mind: Jeff Friesen.

On Friday, Colgate played host to the #10 team in the nation, Princeton. The game was going to be a tall order for the Raiders, regardless of the home venue. Colgate was 7-14-5 heading into the game against a 15-5 Tigers team, but who had dropped 3 of its previous 5 games, all in league play, so there was a glimmer of hope.

Just past the midway point of the 3rd period, the Raiders found themselves trailing by a goal, 2-1, needing a spark offensively. On a delayed penalty, Colgate controlled play and after some good cycling, McIntyre fired a shot that banged off the post and in for his 14th of the year and the equalizer.

Their luck would come to end, however, late in overtime while on the penalty kill. Princeton had scored what appeared to be the game winning goal, but the referees had blown the play dead, saying Colgate's goaltender Charles Long had covered the puck. On the ensuing faceoff, Princeton defenseman Cam Ritchie fired a drive from the right point, beating Long for his first of the year and the game winner.

Saturday night brought Quinnipiac into Starr Rink. With the score 2-1, but this time in the 2nd period, McIntyre found himself the center of the heroics. While in the penalty kill, the Bobcats' goalie went to play a dump in by Colgate. His outlet pass, however, never reached its destination as McIntyre picked it off and quickly fired the puck into the vacant net, much to the disbelief of the keeper. It was McIntyre's 2nd shorthanded goal of the season, and 15th goal overall.

In overtime, McIntyre was mere fractions of an inch away from netting the winner, but instead, line mate Peter Bogdanich put home the rebound, giving McIntyre his 3rd point of the game, and giving the Raiders a 3-2 victory over a conference opponent.

The heroics of McIntyre this past weekend brought back memories of the 2003 Eastern Conference finals between the Devils and Senators. Late in Game 7 with the score leveled, Friesen found his way to the front of Ottawa's net and deked Patrick Lalime, giving the Devils a 3-2 lead with 2 minutes left that they never relinquished.

In the Stanley Cup finals, Friesen again worked his magic, most prominently again in game 7 as he netted two goals to help seal the Devils' victory, and their 3rd Stanley Cup in 8 years.

Now sure, Friesen’s heroics came in the spotlight of the biggest games of his life, and McIntyre’s came in the middle of a long college hockey season, but their innate abilities for stepping up in clutch situations are very similar on a cosmetic level. Will McIntyre be able to carry this rare skill with him when he joins the professional ranks over a year from now is a question that will remain unanswered. But it is still nice to see that in the Devils’ system, there lies a prospect who could be as clutch as a playoff hero from the past.

Goals of the Night - 2/6/09

A new feature i will be adding to my blog, with special thanks going to NHL.com for their embedded video option. Not be nightly, but often, I will post what I feel are the goals of the night from the Sabres and the Devils. If you feel another one trumps the one I have posted, let me hear it. Either way, Enjoy!!

For the Devils, Zach Parise nets his 30th goal on the power play on one knee:


For the Sabres, while Tim Connolly had a heck of a play off a blunder by goalie Carey Price, Nathan Paetsch, a defenseman, gets the G.O.N. Paetsch was playing on the left wing in case Jaroslav Spacek was unable to finish the night, the Sabres would not be down to only 5 defenseman. He made the most of it playing on a line with Adam Mair and Matt Ellis, and as Rick Janerette called it, "goes top shelf where Momma hides the cookies!":

Sometimes as a Hockey Fan, I Despise ESPN

Nights like Wednesday night make it really easy for hockey fans nation wide to hate the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, and more specifically, Sportscenter. Better yet, make it this entire week. We’ll stat with Wednesday night.

On a night where LeBron James registered a triple double against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, and three nights after Kobe Bryant dropped 61 on those same Knicks at the same place, Sportscenter dedicated the lead story to both men, then showed game clips, then interviews, then had in “experts” to discuss the feat. First off, it’s the Knicks. I bet the University at Buffalo men’s basketball team could beat them at the Garden. Regardless of what Mike D’Antoni has done for the franchise, its still a laughing stock. Yes, the Cavs avoided allowing the Knicks to spoil the night, but was it really worthy of being #1 in the top 10?

LeBron’s feat was no question better than Kobe’s 61 on Monday. James’ effort helped push Cleveland over a very close game against the Knicks. Kobe’s was just enjoyment for the fans as their team fell by 9, but the game was never really in question. LeBron is a special kid, and yes, sometimes I’ll even say wow watching his highlights, but there is just so many times you can see a guy drive uncontested to the net, do some showboating slam dunk and for some reason get nominated for a top play.

Dunks are awesome, you say? Go ask University at Buffalo guard Andy Robinson how awesome his dunk against Central Michigan was in the closing seconds of their contest Tuesday night. It was so awesome that the ball rattled around the rim and came out, allowing the Chippewas a chance to not only tie the 1 point lead the Bulls had, but embarrass them in their own Arena. While the comeback for the Chipps failed, and A-Rob had no explaination after the game other than "I went up and it was here, the it wasn't," it nearly cost the Bulls a valuable Mid-American Conference game.

On LeBron’s “magical” night (heck, the way Sportscenter was covering it, you’d think it was Access Hollywood getting their hands on scenes from the next Harry Potter movie, or the paparazzi getting once in a lifetime shots of some celebrity), ESPN neglected to even MENTION Thomas Vanek’s even more rare feat prior to the Top Ten plays segment.

Vanek netted a natural hat trick, the first of his career but 5th hat trick overall for him. While the 3rd goal was a simple tip in, the first two were truly amazing. The first was a battling effort in front of the net on the power play, the 2nd was an absolute laser of a slap shot. Even before Vanek got his first goal, Drew Stafford made one of the best plays in hockey I have seen this season. Taking the puck from his back hand behind him, through the legs, around a defender and then going top shelf, glove side behind the Leafs keeper.

There was no reason that that play couldn’t have its own spot in the Top Ten, but since ESPN doesn’t have any rights to the NHL, why bother covering it, right? Nope, let’s blow the Michael Phelps bong hit out of proportion or send Pedro Gomez to the place he knows best, covering Barry Bonds and giving us nothing that we haven’t suspected. We get it, he did steroids, we know, it is not that difficult to see nor figure out. It didn’t take a court order to tell us “the steroid syringes contain Barry’s blood” or “his urine tested positive for steroids. But did we mention some samples were from 2000?” Like the MLB didn’t know? Please, they kept it hush hush because interest in the sport was coming back thanks to the home run hitters like Bonds or McGwire putting baseballs 500 feet out of the park. But that’s a rant for a whole another post.

But thank you, ESPN, for proving to the world you care so very little about hockey, and continue to feed that bias. I would rather sit and watch an entire game of Mites on Ice than one NBA game for the simple fact that at least the little kids try and play for the love of the sport. Not for $25 million a season to play half assed, or be a ball hog, or dunk over a guy 18 inches shorter than him. Give me hockey, where even the smallest guy will stand up to the biggest, regardless of how bad it will make him look later on that night.

So props to you Thomas Vanek and Drew Stafford, and heck even you Gionta for standing up to Chara, and Chara for not stepping on nor killing Gionta, these clips are for you:

Vanek's Trick & Stafford's Goal:



Mis-match: Gionta vs. Chara

A Loss, a Streak and an Addition (or Two?)

• Washington snapped the Devils’ 8 game winning streak. While doing so, they extended their own streak to 3 games.
• Washington won the season series by capturing two victories in regulation. The Devils’ two wins came in overtime, thus giving Washington 6 points and the Devils only 4.
• The Caps now lead the Devils by 3 points in the Eastern Conference.
• With his shorthanded goal, Jamie Langenbrunner has seven goals in 4 games. 2 of the 7 have come shorthanded, 3 were game winners.
• His 3 straight 2 goal games with 3 straight game winners, Langenbrunner tied an NHL record with the likes of Wayne Gretzky.
• Travis Zajac’s assist on Langenbrunners’ Game winning goal against the Penguins set a new career high for assists with 27. It also tied him for his career high in points. He broke that mark with his assist on Langenbrunner’s shorthanded goal against the Capitals, he now sits at 43 points, and is just 2 goals from breaking that mark as well.
• Brendan Shanahan now has 3 goals and an assist for the Devils. Two of the three goals have come by way of the power play. And if his current trend holds true, Shanahan is due to register at least a goal in Friday’s game against the Thrashers.
• Following the loss, the Devils announced a trade – Sheldon Brookbank to Anaheim for the contract rights to Colgate University center David McIntyre. Brookbank was a waste of a roster spot outside of the one, maybe two, good games he played for the Devils. He struggled to keep up on defense, and was an even more dismal forward while eating up 59 games. He amassed a staggering 8 assists in that time period. What possible role could he fill for the Ducks is unclear, but it does a few things for the Devils: A) Frees up over $500,000 in cap space. B) Frees up a roster spot making Lou Lamoriello’s life easier when Martin Brodeur returns to action. C) Gives the Devils another Colgate standout in their system, Corbin McPherson being the other.
• McIntyre has been touted as a great player with excellent speed and solid puck handling abilities by many scouting websites. The junior currently leads the Raiders with 30 points in 26 games, with 17 goals. Speculation has him returning to Colgate for his senior season.
• Brodeur is currently on track to make his return to the Devils for the February 26th game at The Rock against the Anaheim Ducks. While Brodeur has high hopes of returning as quickly as possible, coach Brent Sutter has no intention of rushing his rehab and even has gone as far as saying that Marty will not be playing every day like he has been used to over the past few seasons. – This is a brilliant move. The Devils should keep riding the hot hand of Scott Clemmensen while giving Marty spot starts to shake off the rust. This will allow him to be 100% in form and health wise by the time the playoffs roll around. Keep Kevin Weekes on the NHL roster but use him sparsely and as a healthy scratch.

Langenbrunner Carries Devils in 3 Straght

A few weeks ago, Jamie Langenbrunner was in the midst of a scoring slump. Then the All Star break happened.

Upon the team’s return, Langenbrunner not only took the opportunity to mock out Zach Parise for failing to score in the Elimination Shootout, but he added some goals of his own, in a huge way.

In Ottawa, Langenbrunner and the Devils maintained their hot streak by controlling the flow of play and dominating time of possession in the Senators end. Langs broke a 1-1 tie late in the 2nd period by bouncing a shot off the glove arm of rookie goaltender Brian Elliott for the eventual game winner. Just 19 seconds into the 3rd period, Langenbrunner added a 2nd and Brendan Shanahan added his second since joining the team, as the Devils won 4-2.

Then Devils then traveled to Boston to take on the 1st place Bruins. 15 minutes in, while on the penalty kill, Langenbrunner broke out with Travis Zajac, and scored on a deflected pass as it tipped off the back of goaltender Tim Thomas. Parise added his 29th in the 2nd period before the Bruins rattled off 3 third period goals. On the ropes and in danger of dropping their first game since being out west against the Ducks, the Devils battled as hard as they could to break the Bruin’s trap.

With 1:45 remaining in the 3rd period, Brian Gionta out skated a defenseman for the pukc, threw it on net where Patrick Elias deflected it with his skate and in for the game tying goal and his 22nd of the season, his highest total since 03-04 where he scored 38 goals. Langenbrunner would again step up to be the hero in overtime as the Devils won their 7th straight game as he out battled two defenders, including Zedno Chara for the winner.

His magical week was not done as he was called upon again in Friday’s contest against the Pittsburg Penguins. Down 2 in the 3rd period, Shanahan scored on the power play to pull within one. Langenbrunner found the puck on hit stick and a clean shot at the net with 31 seconds to go, thus tying the game. And in overtime, Zajac drew 2 defenders to free Langs in the slot and he rifled a one timer past Fleury to seal the 8th victory in the row for the Devils.

Thanks in large part to his recent success, Langenbrunner was named the NHL's first star of the week. Later that afternoon, he was named the NHL's first star of the month along with Buffalo's Ryan Miller, who last proved the team cannot win without him.

NOTES: Scott Clemmensen picked up his 20th victory of the season against Ottawa… Patrik Elias has more points this season at this point than he did all of last season... Elias also needs just 16 points to reach 700 for his career, and 14 goals away from 300 goals… The Devils are 26-14-2 since losing Brodeur… Brodeur has begun skating on his own, but Brent Sutter is in no rush to get him back in the lineup.