Devils Trade Arnott to Washington

Last summer, the Devils went back to the well and brought back another veteran who helped them win, literally, a Stanley Cup.

As every Devils fan recalls, Arnott was forever immortalized when he buried a cross ice feed from Patrik Elias behind Ed Belfour to clinch the Devils’ second Stanley Cup in franchise history in double overtime.

The hopes at the beginning of the season were that Arnott would be the staple for the 2nd line and be able to get the offense to move in the right direction. For the first half, that’s exactly what he was doing, leading the team in goals for nearly the first 3 months.

But with the change in command [Lemaire taking over for MacLean], Arnott’s play began to drop off considerably. In fact, Arnott had slipped to centering the third line, and was consistently held off the scoring sheet. Fans even noted that it was almost impossible if Arnott was playing unless he was called for a penalty, fanning on a shot from the point on the power play, or getting a rare point on a goal.

There were continuous questions if the Devils were going to move Arnott, or if Arnott would ask them to move him leading up to Monday’s deadline.

Recently, Arnott openly stated if he could be moved to a team in the playoffs, he would accept the trade. He would refuse, however, to be moved to a team that is fighting to earn its spot because if he would be making a lateral move and would prefer to stay with the Devils.

Today, just at the Trading Deadline, the Devils abided by wishes of their former hero and were able to move him to a team in the thick of the playoff race.

Washington proved to be the best, and possibly only, suitors for the 36 year old veteran center. In return, the Devils got a larger, younger, and quite frankly a better center in at least terms of face-off percentage and a draft pick.

Dave Steckel is an average center overall, but is great on the penalty kill, and late game situations, including winning clutch face-offs. He also is willing to get into the dirty areas and create traffic. His major drawback, according to scouts and observers, is the face he does not use his side to his advantage nor to his benefit. He will fit in easily on the Devils bottom two lines, and with a price tag only $1.1 million over the next two seasons, is a low-risk, decent reward player.

Along with Steckel, the Devils received the Capitals’ 2nd round pick in the 2012 draft.

Steckel will be in the Devils’ line-up Wednesday night and will be wearing Arnott’s old #25.

The quest for the post season resumes with the Devils being 9 points out with 20 to play.

Rangers Will Get Richards

Leading up to today, there has been rampant speculation that Brad Richards will be traded.

More recently, the list of teams has dwindled from “a Pacific Division team” (Los Angeles) and a “team in the Atlantic” [New York Rangers].

As recently as yesterday that the market had been cornered and a rumor out of the Richards camp that he’ll only waive his No Trade Clause to go to the Rangers.

With Richards becoming an Unrestricted Free Agent on July 1st, and looking for a hefty raise that could price himself right out of Dallas, the time for the Stars to move him is now.

On the other side of the potential deal, the Rangers have time on their side. Yes, Rangers General Manager Glen Sather wants to make moves to improve his team today, but he does not NEED to get Richards done. The problem is, and is also the biggest question over Ranger Fans’ heads, does Sather feel he needs Richards now?

I think yes. I think this deal gets done today, but the problem is the closer it gets to the Deadline, the more likely it becomes that Sather does to resort to his old free-wheeling ways and succumbs to Dallas’ high demands.

Currently, the asking price is believed to be Artem Anisimov, a first round pick and another player/pick/prospect. Earlier this morning it was reported that Dallas wanted Anisimov, the 1st and two of the three latter options. Obviously that is an outstandingly high price for a rental, but if Richards wants to stay on Broadway, is willing to deal, and Sather feels he is the final piece of the puzzle to get them to an extended playoff run, look for the deal to be completed.

If he’s not that critical to the Rangers’ post-season blueprint, the July 1st is only 4 months away.

Bergfors moved to 2nd Team in 3 Years

In New Jersey, Niclas Bergfors was labled as an unmotivated player with an attitude problem. He had tremendous potential, but just could not get it in gear and fell quickly into disfavor with head coach Jacques Lemaire.

Bergfors was then given a new lease on his career when he was packaged with Johnny Oduya, Patrice Cormier and a 2010 first round pick late last season.

In 27 games with the Thrashers, Bergfors registered 8 goals and 9 assists to close out the 2009-2010 campaign.

But Bergfors entered the 2010-2011 season with just as many question marks as he had just before leaving New Jersey. His motivation came again under fire and he was often a healthy scratch by head coach Craig Ramsay.

Today, Bergfors finds himself packing and on the move again. He has been traded along with Patrick Rissmiller for Radek Dvorak and a 2011 5th round pick.

Will this move finally get Bergfors on the right path and get his promising career on the right path?

Keeping Hope Alive

Photos are property of Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images

After two nights ago, panic could have set in.

Two nights ago, the Devils could have said, “that’s it, we’re mortal again,” and packed in their season knowing they had let an opportunity to keep pace slip away, falling further behind the pack.

Two nights ago has now turned into nothing more than a minor speed bump, at least for tonight.

The Devils opened up tonight’s game as tense as they left Friday night’s contest against the Lightning. The Panthers controlled the flow of play for the first half of the first period as they mounted chance after chance on the Devils. Martin Brodeur, however, was equal to the task, showing little to no signs of a 9 game layoff while he recovered from a knee injury.

The tables turned as the Devils controlled the flow of play during the latter stages of the period and were able to nearly equalize the shot chances, trailing by 1 in that category heading into intermission.

The second period would prove to be the decisive one as the Devils came out red hot. Their determination was fueled by the efforts of their grinders who broke the scoreless draw. Rod Pelley’s shot from the left point was kicked out to the same-side faceoff circle, where David Clarkson made a diving rebound attempt that beat goaltender Tomas Vokun short side for his first goal in 18 games.

Just 3 minutes later, after the Devils were given a power play by the Panthers, Brian Rolston fired a faceoff win from Dainius Zubrus into the back of the net for 2-0 lead. The goal came just 3 seconds into the power play.

While the Devils again shut down their opponents during the 2nd period, the third period was not without drama. Both teams split chances equally until about 5 minutes remaining when Florida began to control the pace as the Devils went into a prevent mode.

Their defense and Brodeur’s shutout were finally broken when Marty Reasoner ripped home a behind the net feed from Michal Repik short side on Brodeur to pull them within 1. After a few icing calls and 3-plus tense minutes later, the Devils escaped South Florida, and their 4 game road-trip with a 2-1 victory, going 3-1 overall.

With the win, Brodeur moved to 9-1-1 over his last 11 starts, Ilya Kovalchuk had his 12-game point streak snapped, and Jason Arnott could have played the final game of his 2nd stint with the Devils.

Following the game, Arnott told Tom Gulitti of the Fire & Ice Blog that he’d prefer to be moved to a team already in the playoff hunt, and that if he had the choice between another team fighting for their post season lives or staying with the Devils, he’d prefer to stay.

If the Devils are to move Arnott, and recent trades around the league are any indication, they should receive a 2nd round pick and then some in return. One of the drawbacks for Arnott, however, is his age, but his leadership and experience alone should outweigh that minor fact. He does become an Unrestricted Free Agent at the end of the year so a team gearing up for a long playoff run could almost certainly benefit from a player like Arnott.

As for the rest of the team, a few weeks ago, I could have seen them making a move to improve the defensive corps. Following their recent hot streak, however, I do not foresee general manager Lou Lamoriello making any moves as he could see any changes drastically affecting the chemistry and current team spirit.

With only 9 points separating the Devils from the 8th and final playoff spot, the Devils need any and all help they can get, but one area which they do not need any real help is their own roster. What was once looked upon as a flimsy, suspect AHL defense has now become one of the premiere shut-down units in the league, allowing 2 goals or fewer over the course of the past 10 games, and only once since early January.

Hope comes in all forms lately. A win in regulation, a win in overtime, heck even a loss in overtime provides a glimmer of hope if all other games fall the Devils’ way.

But with 20 games to go, there is little to no room for any more moral victories and the Devils need to find ways to earn or steal points here on out.

Wednesday brings the Lightning back into the Prudential Center where another two critical points are on the line.

Who will be still on the roster and who, if anyone, will find a new home tomorrow by the 3 pm trading deadline? Only a few short hours separate us from finding out.

Devils Seek to Rebound

Two days after failing to keep pace with the teams above them, the New Jersey Devils seek to get back to their winning ways when they visit the Florida Panthers.

On Friday night, the Devils were beat at their own game, seeing their 8 game winning streak snapped by the Tampa Bay Lightning. With the loss, the Devils failed to earn two critical points which would allow them to keep their bleak playoff hopes alive.

Before the end of the game, further up the East Coast, the Carolina Hurricanes polished off a 4-1 victory over the Pittsburg Penguins and the New York Rangers embarrassed the Washington Capitals 6-0 in DC.

That left those scoreboard watching with a complete feeling of hopelessness as they knew how pivotal the 2 possible points were in this game. By the start of the 3rd period, the Devils were in a 2-0 hole, and the fans knew the results of the other games, but feared a possible devastating point-less effort.

When Mark Fayne’s 4th goal of the season had somehow found the back of the net, fans began to hope that if they couldn’t get the two, maybe they would be able to steal A point from the Lightning on home ice.

Unfortunately, recent history was not on their side. Prior to this matchup, the Devils had won 12 of their past 13 games against the Lightning, with the only loss came on the memorable 3-1 defeat last season which had to be played over the course of two nights as the Prudential Center had lost power during the second period of that matchup.

Tonight, as Devils fans head to bed, they can rest and breath a little easier as fate dealt them a favorable hand in their quest for the playoffs.

The Hurricanes could not ride the wave of success they had against Pittsburg the night before into Montreal. While their offense had the right paperwork to get across the border, apparently the defense did not as they surrendered two first period goals en route to a 4-3 loss to the Canadiens.

In Buffalo, the Sabres hosted the Red Wings and while the Sabres did secure a loser point, they failed to gain the extra point of ground on the 8th seeded Hurricanes, losing 3-2 in the shootout to Detroit.

Toronto also failed to gain the extra point on Carolina as they too fell in the shootout to Pittsburgh, 6-5. The Penguin offense rebounded in staggering fashion, but their defense also failed to make it into Canada.

Should the Devils pull out a victory tomorrow versus the Panthers, they’ll be 1 point back of Florida, 4 back of the Maple Leafs, 5 behind the struggling Thrashers, 7 behind the Sabres and returning to 9 points back of the Hurricanes. All of those scenarios, of course, are dependant upon all games falling in the Devils’ favor, including the Thrashers knocking off the Maple Leafs in regulation.

Sunday will also mark the first game back from Martin Brodeur after sitting the past 8 games with a knee injury suffered in the Devils’ Super Bowl Sunday victory in Montreal.

Ilya Kovalchuk also seeks to extend his career high 12 game point streak. Over the course of the 12 games, Kovalchuk has 7 goals and 7 assists.

Lastly, Sunday could, and quite possibly, will be the end of Jason Arnott’s second stint with the Devils. With the Trade Deadline looming Monday afternoon at 3, and his desire to be part of a team in the playoffs for a chance at a Stanley Cup, it is safe to assume Arnott will not only waive his No Trade Clause, but also request to be traded. Lou Lamoriello has not commented on the situation but it is safe to assume, he would try to accommodate the aging center.

Game time for Sunday’s tilt is at 5 pm.

My Take on the Upshall Hit/Suspension

Two nights ago, I was perusing my Twitter account reading over the updates from various writers. From TSN analysts and experts, to the various few blogs and independent writers I follow, there were a hodgepodge of quotes, links and other “alerts” filing up the page.

Then one in particular caught my eye: “watched the highlights of our game. my hit on Bartulis was without a doubt late, but i had absolutely no intention of injuring him.”

That was from Phoenix Coyotes’ forward, and former Philadelphia Flyer, Scottie Upshall.

A few minutes later, he added a follow up: “I hope his MRI tomorrow is a positive one...”

I hadn’t seen the hit before reading the Tweets but what I had envisioned and what actually happened were astoundingly different.

I anticipated a Matt Cooke on Fedor Tyutin check from behind resulting in an uproar that would undoubtedly reignite the “Players have no respect for one another” debate that raged on two weeks ago following the actions of Cooke and another player, Devils’ Anton Volchenkov.

Instead, what I saw was much different.

Early in the 2nd period of the Tuesday night game, Upshall went hard to the net following up the initial shot which Bobrovsky appeared to fumble just a little before corralling under his glove. Oskars Bartulis stopped just ahead of the goal line and before the puck was completely covered, and before the whistle sounded, Upshall leveled Bartulis with a shoulder to shoulder check.

Bartulis, unfortunately, was airborne for long enough that he had no time to brace for the impact with the boards behind the net, and Upshall was quickly engulfed in a swarm of orange and black jerseys.

While Bartulis was being attended to, Upshall was given a two minute minor for Boarding.


[For the record: I absolutely HATE the title of the video]



The Coyotes would eventually prevail in overtime off a Shane Doan power play goal.

Upshall would post his tweets much later that evening and it wouldn’t be until the next day that it was learned Bartulis would be out for the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury suffered from the aftermath of the hit.

Upshall’s fate would not be determined until midday on Wednesday, but it was almost as if you could tell he all but sealed it with his initial Twitter message.

The hit seemed borderline at worst, regardless of Upshall’s own admission of wrong doing. He was playing aggressively, anticipating a rebound in a 1-0 game in which is team was losing. The competitive nature alone of two playoff-bound teams would be enough to get even a fan’s adrenaline going. The intent was probably that of trying to fire his team up and help set the tone for a better period. Upshall unloaded a clean hit in which his shoulder connected with that of the unsuspecting Bartulis.

That same admission of guilt but Upshall, however, is more than likely what condemned him.

Yes, Flyers fans fairly wanted more games as their player is out for the season while his ‘assailant’ gets a two game slap on the wrist. But the fact of the matter is Bartulis was too far from the boards for it to be considered a legitimate boarding call, and there is almost no way you can argue the intent of the hit was to bring injury upon him.

Whether you agree with the suspension or not, I personally do not, you have to at least respect the actions of Upshall following the game.

Knowing full well that the League watches over the athletes’ correspondences through the various social media outlets in order to ensure everyone is living up to the standards of being a professional, Upshall still put himself at the mercy of his superiors by admitting wrongdoing in the play (“my play was without a doubt late”).

He also made it a point to sway the critics by outright saying “I absolutely had no intention of injuring him.” I think this point was noticed by everyone on the ice, as even though the Flyers’ players surrounded him, nothing came of the incident later in the game. Upshall was not targeted by Flyers’ enforcers, nor were any of his teammates, and the game played out like a normal one between two teams sending a mutual message for a potential encounter in a few weeks.

Either way, just or not, Upshall made a classy move with his Tweets following the game. He fell on the grenade of his own doing and is now sitting two games for it. In a time where “players do not respect one another” [That’s twice I’ve quoted Mike Milbury], it is evident that Upshall felt genuine remorse for his actions. It is the type of ownership that is the perfect quality for a role model, one who will play the game hard, own up to mistakes and still show care for his opponents.

To Scottie Upshall, you’ve earned at least one new fan in me.

To Oskars Bartulis, may you have a swift and speedy recovery.

Your Disease is Killing Me

Earlier this season, and even before the season started, I had written that the New Jersey Devils would be wise to trade Jamie Langenbrunner.

My logic was simple, he quit on the season after being benched, he whined about it to the media, and then seemed to mentally checked out just in time to watch the team unravel in the playoffs.

Was my logic factually sound? Absolutely not. Was it based entirely on facts? I cannot confirm, nor deny any of the occurrences behind closed doors, but I can tell you that it looked like he quit on the team to me during the end of season games, and the team looked unmotivated during the post season, which I feel warrants a strike against the captain.

The Devils did not deal their captain, nor did they remove the captain’s C away from him. All fair moves with sound logic by rookie head coach John Maclean who seemed focused on maintaining team stability as a way to get the season off on the right foot.

The season, however, failed to meet any of the expectations which everyone had established for them as it began.

In one of the worst starts in franchise history, the Devils went from projected Atlantic Division Champions, to worst in the league, literally.

Is it fair to place the entire blame on the Captain? Not at all.

The rookie coach should undoubtedly shoulder a majority of the blame. He was the one who failed to keep the team motivated on a consistent basis. He failed to change his game plan after game after game of pitiful efforts and lack of any offensive production. He was the one who couldn’t finish a post-game interview without saying the word “uhhh” fewer tha 3 times in a sentence. [Okay so that last one doesn’t really have any bearing on team successes or failures, it was just awful to listen to.]

Even after MacLean’s firing, the Devils did not immediately turn their season around. Under new head coach Jacques Lemaire, the Devils initially continued to flounder.

However, as soon as a certain piece of the machine was removed, something happened.

On January 7th, the Devils traded their Captain back to the Dallas Stars for a conditional draft pick.

The next night, two nights after falling to the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2 in very disheartening fashion, the Devils matched up against those same Flyers and put forth a much more spirited effort. They failed to win the game, but it was as if a weight had been lifted from their shoulders and they begin to play with more heart, energy and focus.

After playing the Flyers, the Devils squared off against the Tampa Bay Lightning. This pivotal game was the first of 16 wins out of their past 19 games.

Post-Langenbrunner, the Devils are 16-2-2. They have cut a 27 point deficit in the playoff race down to just 9. They’re also a mere 4 games from returning to .500 hockey.

On the other side of the trade, the Dallas Stars had looked poised to contend for top spot in the Pacific Division. Their trade for Langenbrunner was motivated with aspirations of solidifying an already cruising team in their quest for a deep playoff run. At the time of the trade, Dallas was a solid 24-13-5.

Since then, it has been an abysmal downward spiral for the Stars. They’ve gone a dismal 7-10-1, and went from the Pacific Division lead, to now being on the outside of the playoffs looking in and needing help to claw their way back in to the race.

Now, Dallas’ playoff hopes are nowhere near as perilous as the Devils, seeing as the entire Western Conference has apparently become one jumbled pack of teams beating the hell out of one another over the bottom 4 spots. [Detroit and Vancouver seem to be locks for the post-season]. 5th through 12th place are separated by only 4 points going into play tonight. But the Stars should undoubtedly be concerned as their recent trends have not only planted the seeds of doubt into their heads, but they’re starting to grow roots.

Of course, this could be a complete and utter coincidence that one team who did not have one player to start the year could go from division leaders to missing the playoffs after acquiring him, but the turnaround of the New Jersey Devils since dealing Langenbrunner has been outright remarkable.

Seeing the statistics makes you think even more, could Langenbrunner, a two time Cup winner, really be a curse?

Either way, it should make the final 20+ game push to the end of the season for both teams that much more interesting.

Hotter than Hell

18 games ago, the Devils were for all intensive purposes playing for pride.

Marred in one of the worst seasons in team history, they were destined for a lottery pick, and quite possibly the best odds to win the #1 pick overall in the June draft.

Climbing out of last place seemed to be just as much of a challenge as even thinking about the playoffs without feeling the pit in your stomach knowing it would be impossible.

Even with the initial coaching change, the Devils struggled to regain any semblance of their old winning ways under Jacques Lemaire. Ilya Kovalchuk was having one of the worst seasons in his career and was at one point on pace for under 30 goals. Martin Brodeur looked as human as ever and the rest of the team looked lost, confused and defeated even before giving up goals to their opponents.

After back to back losses to the Philadelphia Flyers, the latter being their 4th loss in a row and 29th on the year, the Devils could easily have listened to the critics and some of the more casual fans and packed it in for the season. They could have traded away their expiring contracts, pulled up some of the younger players to give them a taste of NHL action, and called this season an official bust. But they didn’t quit.

Less than 24 hours after falling in a hard fought 2-1 loss in Philadelphia, the Devils hosted the then-surging Tampa Bay Lightning.

It was this game that the Devils said, ‘Enough’ and turned their season completely around.

The offense not only finally clicked, but they exploded, putting up season highs in goals and winning margin in the 6-3 victory. Training after the first two periods, the game seemed to be destined for the same path of recent games, the team, however, refused to cave, and put up 5 goals in the 3rd period.

Their next game would not come until the following Friday when the two teams would meet again, this time in Tampa. The layover should have killed any momentum the team had built with the 6-3 win, but it didn’t. Even after allowing the first goal, the team re-focused and exploded for another 4 goals in the first period. That lead was never challenged and so began the first steps in this recent 18 game hot streak.

Even after falling to the Detroit Red Wings, for their 30th loss of the season, and then having the All Star Break to think about that loss, the Devils picked right up from where they left off and continued to mount a resurgence which has baffled many, but still leaves few outside of the organization and its fans believing the comeback can be completed.

Tonight, the Devils took another major step forward.

Coming off the hells of an incredible victory over the New York Rangers, the Devils headed to Raleigh, North Carolina to take on the Hurricanes. The location served as an embarrassing way to kick off 2011 when the Devils surrendered 4 goals in the first period en route to an embarrassing 6-3 loss which saw Martin Brodeur be chased from the net within the first 10 minutes. [A fact, might I add, we were reminded of no fewer than 5 times during the first 10 minutes of tonight’s game by Play by Play man Steve Cangilosi.]

Just 74 seconds into the game, Patrik Elias won an offensive zone draw back to Mark Faye. Fayne quickly wristed a shot on goal, but on its way to the net, it was tipped by Dainius Zubrus right through the butterfly of Cam War for the opening goal.

The Devils continued to push the play, but also trade chances with the Hurricanes until just past the midway point of the period. Nick Palmieri batted a crossing pass out of the air in his defensive zone, it was carried up ice by Ilya Kovalchuk who circled the Hurricane zone, almost tantalizing his opponents with it as he tried to find a shooting lane or a clear pass. He finally did after completing his first revolution of the zone and fed Henrik Tallinder for a one-timed goal that was destined to go wide of the net, but instead hit off of Brendan Sutter’s leg and beat Ward for another goal. With his assist, Ilya Kovalchuk tied his career long points streak at 10 games.

Brian Rolston would clean up a Patrik Elias shot for the team’s third goal of the period and his 10th of the season. With that assist, Patrick Elias moved to within 1 point of 800 on his career.

The two teams would play evenly matched throughout the second, with neither side tallying a marker.

Patrick Dwyer would net one for the Hurricanes to pull them back within two, as Carolina capitalized on their momentum to start the 3rd period. The Hurricanes looked like they deserved to win the period, let alone the game, from their play to begin the period, however, the Devils would answer. Zubrus would score on a wrist shot on a feed from Elias. The goal would give the Devils their 3 goal lead back and also give Elias his milestone point of 800.

Seven wins in a row. That is a phrase Devils fans have not been able to say about their team in almost 2 years. Yes, that’s years, not seasons, years.

A team that was once in last place for the league, has amassed 32 points in 18 games. They missed out on any points in the aforementioned Detroit game, and fell twice to the Florida Panthers in overtime missing out on two combined points there.

As mentioned by Tom Gulitti of The Record, 6 weeks ago, the Devils were 27 points behind 8th place in the Eastern Conference. With their win tonight, the Devils now sit 10 points back, with a game in hand with 23 to play.

The climb continues Tuesday night in Dallas where the Devils will face the Stars for the first time since they traded Jamie Langenbrunner in exchange for a conditional pick. This game will be the 2nd of a 4 game road trip which will take them back to south Florida, for a meeting with Tampa Bay and ending with the Florida Panthers. The Panthers game will be the final game for the Devils before the NHL Trade Deadline which falls on February 28th.

Walking the Line

Less than two weeks from the trade deadline, and just over 20 games to go in the regular season, the Devils are doing just that, "walking the line."

They're walking the fine line between being buyers or sellers over the next 12 days. This week could, and probably be, the defining factor for the Devils as a team for the remainder of the season.

With two games against the 8th place Hurricanes, and a match-up with the rival, and current 7th place, Rangers in between, 6 critical points are there for the taking.

If the Devils want to maintain any glimmers of hope of sneaking into the post-season, they realistically need all 4 points versus Carolina while allowing none in return. In short, they need to win their showdowns with the Hurricanes tonight and Saturday in regulation to stay alive. Should they be able to do that, they'll find themselves within 8 points of a coveted playoff spot and almost certainly be buyers at the trade deadline.

Winning has not come easily for the Devils as of late as their last two games have been decided by just one goal, and the offense has not been able to crack the three goal mark in either game. What has been consistent, however, has been the play of Johan Hedberg in net.

When Martin Brodeur went down with an MCL sprain agains the Canadiens 10 days ago, some Devils fans feared the worst. Hedberg, on the other hand, quieted the skeptics with his play over the past four games, earning wins in three and allowing an average of just over one goal per game including his relief appearance for the injured Brodeur.

Helping Hedberg has been the exceptional play of winger Ilya Kovalchuk who has netted back to back game winning goals and is riding a multiple game point streak.

The biggest downside to tonight's encounter will be the absence of defenseman Anton Volchenkov who is sitting the third and final game of his suspension.

The Devils will look to get back to their form from a few games ago and get the lead early. Obviously, playing with an early lead is much easier than playing catch-up, but when the Devils score within the first 10 minutes of a game, they usually score no fewer than 3 goals.

I see this game being a 4-2 decision, Devils on top. Kovalchuk will add two points, his goal will not be the winner, however, that will be Patrick Elias' honor as he gets back into a scoring groove.

Mario the Martyr

Just under a year ago, Matt Cooke caught Marc Savard with his head down and opened a massive hit on him. At full speed, the hit looked dirty. Slow motion showed the true malice of the disaster, Cooke clearly locked on to Savard’s head and fired his body like a missile, knocking Savard into a daze.

To this day, Savard has yet to fully recover and even after coming back, suffered another concussion, effectively ending his season.

The impact of the hit was felt more by more than just the Bruins and the Savard family, as a new rule was implemented immediately. The league knew it wasn’t clean, but couldn’t take action due to the lack of a clear cut rule and the play was not penalized. Sports writers, outside of Pittsburg, condemned the action and Cooke. The Pittsburg front office, and the entire organization for that matter, remained silent on the issue.

Last month, during their first meeting since the Winter Classic, Cooke’s Penguins played the Capitals. The Caps held a secure lead late in the 3rd period, Cooke became the center of controversy again, as he stuck his leg out, intentionally kneeing Alex Ovechkin, setting off a scrum in the Pittsburg zone. Again, no suspension, just more ire from journalists, reporters and news anchors.

The Penguins’ front office yet again remained silent.

Last week, Matt Cooke’s luck with not being suspended finally caught up to him with his check from behind on the Columbus Blue Jackets’ Fedor Tyutin. Tyutin luckily was not hurt from the incident, but the recklessness of Cooke finally was punished and addressed by the league. The punishment was a 4 game suspension, an insult to many across the hockey universe. Especially with Anton Volchenkov of the New Jersey Devils being suspended for a head shot of his own, even though by some eyes, the elbow call was very border-line due to the circumstances.

Wouldn’t you know it, Pittsburg still stayed silent about the situation.

Then, something happened. The worm turned on the Penguins. In one of the most disgraceful displays in the modern-era of hockey, the Islanders pretty much jumped the Penguins players and set off a near NHL record for penalty minutes and game misconducts. Islander players literally sucker punching the Pens, going for dirty hits and setting fights off to the degree of leaving 5 skaters on the Pittsburg bench by the end of the game, all after the Isles staked a claim to a commanding 6-0 lead.

The actions were disgraceful and despicable, there is no question about it. Undoubtedly, both teams deserved to be punished equally and harshly.

Eric Goddard received an automatic 10 game suspension for leaving the bench. His punishment, in my eyes, should have been reduced simply for the fact the Islanders player went after his goaltender when everyone else was scrapping at the other end of the ice. Goddard was, for lack of a better term, a hero for jumping to his keeper’s aid. The NHL could have reduced this and taken exception, but they choose to hold serve, fair enough.

Trevor Gillies, who initiated the fight by throwing a high elbow and sucker punching Eric Tangradi, was given a 9 game suspension.

His other aggressor and partner in crime, Matt Martin, will sit for 3 games.

The Islanders also earned a $100,000 fine as a team.

The Penguins, other than sustaining Goddards’ automatic suspension. No fines nor suspensions for the high hits thrown by their players earlier in the game before the proverbial mess hit the fan. Nothing for their staff and their role in the event.

Apparently, that was not okay with Mario Lemieux, owner of the Penguins for over a decade. Apparently players taking liberties with how they aim their checks suddenly now has become a huge issue. A year ago, it wasn’t a big deal, but now it has pushed Lemieux to question “whether he wishes to remain a part of the league.”

It is absolutely dumbfounding how one person can decry the actions of an opposing team when he has not openly had ANY opinion in regards to an individual who has on at least three occasions made plays with clear intent to injure, succeeding overwhelmingly once.

Marc Savard will never be the same because of the actions of Matt Cooke, and had Lemieux gotten on top of his soap box and his white horse back then, no one would have said a word, other than to commend him for doing so. Now, however, thanks to his beyond obvious hypocrisy, he will come under fire by millions of knowledgeable hockey fans.

Sure, Lemieux will hide under the blanket of this is bad for the game, but what one of his own players did was so much worse for the integrity of not only the game, but for some people, Lemieux himself.

Suddenly, Lemieux has single handedly placed the Penguins above every other team in the NHL. He claims it is for the good of the game, yet when other players were being annihilated by vicious checks and illegal actions, he never so much as uttered a word. Now, that his team, his legacy, was manhandled by a thuggish act, and they responded with an equal act of violence, the culture of hockey needs to change.

Sorry, Mario. I once respected you, especially the night you returned to the Penguins on a snowy night which I cannot for the life of me remember the date nor the month. I actually cheered your success because of your no quit attitude. Now, however, I cannot help but be disgusted in how you went from not caring about how anyone else was being treated until it happened to your team.

Source of the quotes can be found in Mario Lemieux's press release on NHL.com

Kovalclutch

For their first win, the Devils knocked off Buffalo in overtime. The game winning goal came off a one timer from the stick of Ilya Kovalchuk.

A month later, the Devils again emerged victorious from another overtime victory, and again, the winner came off the stick of Kovalchuk.

Two nights ago, Dainius Zubrus netted the equalizing goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs early in the 3rd period. The Devils seemed to break free from the funk which had surrounded them for most of the game but couldn’t net the go ahead goal to give them a regulation win.

To overtime they would go, and cue Mr. Kovalchuk. Starting from behind his own net, he carried the puck across center ice, eluding two Maple Leaf defenders, finding himself open on the right wing. Kovalchuk did not hesitate to fire a shot on net that beat goaltender James Reimer stick side for yet another winner.

Finally, last night, after a Travis Zajac faceoff win in the San Jose zone, Kovalchuk picked up the loose puck and ripped a shot to the stick side of Anti Niemi for his 19th goal of the season and second winner in as many nights. Granted this winner was not in overtime, it was yet another winner for the Devils and another game winning goal for the $100 million man.

The team is completely on fire right now, having won 12 out of their previous 15 games. In the games which they have not won, they have earned points in two of three. 26 points out of a possible 30 have brought the Devils from lottery pick favorites, to dark horses with an outside chance of making the playoffs.

It is no secret the team’s mentality has changed to focus on one game at a time. They have to, it’s to save their sanity, and remove doubt. They’re openly saying they’re leaving the scoreboard watching to the reporters and the fans. It’s a perfect mentality for a team that at one point this year looked dead to rights.

Entering the action tonight, the Devils sit a mere 12 points back of the 8th place Atlanta Thrashers, 14 back of the 7th place [and rival] New York Rangers. 6 critical points sit for the taking next week as the Devils will face 9th place Carolina twice and the Rangers once.

It will undoubtedly be a tall order for the team, especially without Martin Brodeur and defencemen Anton Volchenkov for at least the Wednesday game at home versus Carolina.

However, on the shoulders of Johan Hedberg and of course, the scoring machine Ilya Kovalchuk, victories against even the best teams in the NHL can be earned.

Better Hold on Tight

Two months ago, a game like last nights would have been over midway through the second period.

If those Devils would have somehow found a way to net the equalizer, as Matias Tedenby did, then surely the final dagger would have been Jeff Skinner's second power play goal with under 10 minutes to go in the third period.

These Devils, however, didn't roll over they way they would have during the first half of the season.

These Devils battled. And it paid off.

With under three minutes remaining. Ilya Kovalchuk started up ice from his own end. I had even said aloud to my friend sitting next to me in section 230, "It's time for Kovy to do something." A pair of moves through Hurricane defenders put the crowd on the edge of their seats, some even being frustrated that this rush could end in the same fashion they had seen before with a turnover, only it didn't.

Kovalchuk got to the right wing boards, drawing two defenders, and fired a shot seemingly harmless on net. The catch was that Cam Ward bad been giving up rebounds like they were the packets of cards every fan got at the game Friday night. Nick Palmieri jumped on the loose rebound and used the vacated space to lift a shot over Ward's right shoulder and in for the equalizer.

I firmly believe the Prudential Center had not erupted into such an ovation all season long.

In a game that they had to win, the Devils had overcome two power play goals by Jeff Skinner, and killed off a third penalty by Anton Volchenkov, without earring a power play of their own.

It a tense game to watch as a fan, but when the Palmieri goal hit the back of the net, fans knew they still not only had hope, but could steal this one back before regulation expired.

Just a few minutes later, Patrik Elias nearly made that hope come true as he found himself wide open in front of Cam Ward after a feed from Brian Rolston. Elias tried to drive the shot home before Ward recovered, but he toed the shot and the puck slid harmlessly into Ward's butterfly. Following the whistle, all Elias could do was look to the rafters in disbelief.

If the Palmieri goal had the crowd on fire, the Elias near miss had them believing this was the Devils' night. The buzz between regulation and overtime was amazing, people talking about playoffs (insert Jim Mora sound byte here). Others making friendly bets who will get the winner, none even wagering on any Canes. The confidence the team has shown on the ice has undoubtedly reached their loyal fans.

Even with the overtime being pretty evenly matched, there were no talks of doubt, no talks of this is the end. People are believing and the players know and feel it.

Travis Zajac broke into the Carolina zone, drew two defenders as he left a drop pass for Mattias Tedenby, late in overtime. Tedenby coolly took the pass and follow Zajac, who now assumed the role of lead blocker, into the slot and ripped a wrist shot off Ward's right arm and in, sending the 13,000+ in attendance into a frenzy of jubilation.

The win put the Devils 15 points back of the Hurricanes for 8th in the Eastern Conference. More importantly, they climbed above both the Islanders and the Senators, thus beginning their climb back to the chase.

Game 54 - Pregame Write Up

If you’re a Devils fan, you’re trying to look for the positives in anything regarding the team, especially in a point-counterpoint system.

Point: The Devils are on pace for X number of points for the season.
Counterpoint: They’re only 16 back of the 8th and final playoff spot.

Point: Brodeur went down hurt, again, on Sunday
Counterpoint: Hedberg is coming off 2 periods of relief where his only blemish deflected off Kovalchuk.

Etc.

When the Devils take to the ice Tuesday night, it will be in a critical game for their playoff lives.

Yes, it is true that from here on out, every game is considered critical, however, this game and two more within the next 12 days, come against the team holding on [more like clinging] to the coveted 8th spot.

If the Devils win all 3 in regulation, they can trim the gap by 6 points without taking into account any of the games in between. Overtime wins earns them a 3 point advantage on their proverbial rabbits. Anything less will severly hurt their chances. The thought alone of the magnitude of these games could drive any person understandably to near panic.

Luckily for us, the players’ current mindset is one at a time, and they leave the insanity and madness to the fans.

Since the All Star Break, the Devils have amassed a 3-0-1 record, earning 7 out of a possible 8 points with the only loss coming to Florida in overtime last Friday night.

If you’re a fan who enjoys trying to find trends or patterns in a season and believes they’ll be repeated, you’ll be happy to note that the last time the Panthers stopped a potential Devils’ winning streak, they did so in overtime and gave the Devils enough motivation to then turn around and rattle off 4 straight wins.

On Sunday, New Jersey took another step towards repeating the past by jumping out to an early lead against the Montreal Canadiens, and then playing terrific shut-down defense following Brodeur’s injury en route to a 4-1 victory. The Devils were rewarded for their effort by climbing in the standings to 13th place, tied with Ottawa and 7 points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs follow play Monday night.

Carolina enters Tuesday’s contest winning 5 games out of their last 10, including their overtime win against the struggling Atlanta Thrashers which halted a 2 game skid. Eric Cole netted the game winner after Carolina had a horrendous defensive third period in which they squandered two leads.

Recent head to head history gives the edge to Carolina as they have had the better of the two clubs including a memorable come from behind victory in Game 7, in Newark, during the 2009 Eastern Conference Quarter Finals where the Devils blew a late 3rd period lead of their own, and the surrendered the game winner with under 2 minutes to go in regulation.

This Devils team, however, is much different than the one the Hurricanes embarrassed in 2009. First, they have Ilya Kovalchuk who is finally settling in and finding his groove with the team he has been with for just over a year, and will be with for the next 14. Kovalchuk had two goals on Sunday, added an assist on Friday and has been on fire offensively as of late. He also has been contributing regularly on defense, including some aggressive back checking against Florida.

Dainius Zubrus has also been a bright spot for the Devils’ offense as he netted his 10th Sunday afternoon.

The climb is steep, the task feels almost impossible, but the Devils need to remain focused on just one game at a time.

A team that once seemed destined for the first overall pick in the draft has now given itself a new lease on life, and its fans a reason to have some grounded hope that the season can be saved, and the playoffs, just maybe, with some luck and some favorable breaks, could be made.

One way or another, if the Devils team which has emerged recently continues to come out for the remaining 29 games, fans can be guaranteed it will be one hell of a ride to the finish line.

Step 1

42 days ago, the Devils hit rock bottom. They had the worst record in the NHL, they had the second fewest points in team history and were dead last by a considerable margin.

Today, they wake up knowing that, finally, another team is behind them.

With their dramatic (and nearly heartbreaking) win over the rival Rangers last night, the Devils earned points 38 and 39. The latter helped them vault over the Edmonton Oilers who now sit alone at the bottom of the league. With the win, the Devils also pulled into a virtual tie with the Islanders for last in the East, but with more wins in regulation and overtime (fewest shootout wins is the tiebreaker, remember) the Devils are "ahead."

Recently, the Devils have been, for lack of a better term, rolling. Going into last night, they had won 7 of their last 9, earning points in 8 of 9, and with teams throughout the conference stagnating, their opportunity is now to play catch up. Two nights ago they picked up where the left off with a win at home versus Ottawa, while last night the journey took them to MSG versus the Rangers.

Just under two minutes into the game, on their first shot of the game, Ilya Kovalchuk fired a drive from the right wing boards, beating Henrik Lundqvist high short side for his 15th of the year.

The Climb Continues

To call it a climb puts what the Devils have in front of them kindly. Their feat would be like trying to climb Mount Everest in a bathing suit, with no oxygen and no stopping for sleep or rest. What's at the summit for them? A chance to sniff a playoff berth and salvage what remains of their tattered season.

Two nights ago, the Devils began their final push versus the Ottawa Senators. While the Devils controlled most of the play save for some tense moments during the first parts of the third period, the score made the game seem a lot closer. Dainus Zubrus scored off a deflection which crawled over the Senators goaltender and in for the go ahead late in the third. It was their eighth win in their last ten games, earning them their 17th point out of a possible 20.

While the fans see the nearly impossible feat for what it is, the team seems to have the right mentality to prevent psychosis and hopelessness.

In an interview with Tom Giulitti of NJ.com, head coach Jacques Lemaire said, "I'm not thinking about tomorrow's game yet. Right now my focus is on the Rangers." His players have echoed similar mentalities with their various interviews since their recent hot streak began.

If the Devils can pull out another victory tonight, they will pull the Islanders into a tie in last overall by virtue of points.

Taking it one team at a time will, again, be critical if the Devils hope to keep their spirits up during their trek. The good news is the the teams ahead of them have stagnated and hit rough patches of their own, so the Devils need to make the most of the opportunities game in and game out. Being 20 points back of the Atlanta Thrashers seems like an overwhelming deficit, but they do have games in hand over the Thrashers as well as the aforementioned streaks and skids.

The journey continues tonight at MSG, two big points are on the table in this very challenging match-up.