Game 7: Chasing the Keepers

Earlier tonight, I posted that the Sabres would be in store for a challenge if the Panthers started Scott Clemmensen. Well, I was half right, as the Panthers started Clemmer, but I was way off with his performance and the problems facing the Sabres.

A mere 1 minute and 56 seconds into the game, the Sabres had a 2-0 lead and Clemmensen had himself an early exit.

Mike Grier got things started as he broke in on an odd-man rush and beat Clemmensen 5 hole for his 2nd of the season, just 1 minute 11 seconds into the game.

Jason Pominville sealed Clemmer's fate with a powerplay goal a mere 45 seconds later.

Clemmensen's line: 3 shots faced, 1 save, .333 save percentage.

Enter Tomas Vokoun who started off just as shaky as Clemmensen, surrendering a goal to Matt Ellis for his first, the team's 3rd, and the game wasn't even 5 minutes old at this point.

Buffalo would add another from Tyler Myers, his second, before Florida would respond with their first.

Steve Reinprecht would get Florida's only first period marker, but just over 2 minutes later, on a great never-give-up type of play, Thomas Vanek crashed the net hard while the puck was still loose and registered his 4th.

Buffalo held a 5-1 edge at the end of the first period, and they never looked back.

Stealing a line from the on-line soccer game hattrick.org, "at this point with a safe lead, the Sabres decided to focus on their defensive aspects of the game."

While the Panthers held a decisive edge in the shots on goal department, the Sabres' lead never looked in doubt.

Going back to Myers really quick, he looked quite impressive, including his shot from the point which narrowly missed Derek Roy's stick and deflected off of Vokoun's catching glove and into the net. He certainly rebounded from a shaky performance against the Thrashers on Saturday night.


Sabres 5 - Panthers 2

Running Tally of Sabres Chasers

1.) Chris Osgood - 10/13

2.) Dwayne Roloson - 10/16

3.) Scott Clemmensen - 10/21

5-1-1, 11 points

Next up: Saturday night @ Tampa Bay, 730.

Clemmer heading South

Andy Strickland is reporting that Scott Clemmensen is heading to Florida after signing a 3 year deal worth an annual $1.2 million.

While it saddens me to see him leave the Devils, especially after how critical he was to the team last season, I'm happy to see him going to a team where he will get a considerable increase in playing time behind someone other than Martin Brodeur.

I imagine he will be competing with Tomas Vokun for the starting role once camp opens in August.

Hossa to Hawks, Clemmensen not bound for St. Louis

-Marion Hossa, the player who lost back to back Stanley Cups with two different teams, is a member of the Chicago Blackhawks.

12 years/$5.2 million

For a player who disappears in the playoffs, the Blackhawks gave way too long of a deal here.

-With St. Louis just inking Ty Conklin to a 2 year deal worth $1.3 million, former Devils backup Scott Clemmensen's list is now down to 2 potential teams. It is unclear if the Devils are one of the 2, but commen sense suggests not. I think Detroit could be a landing spot, as well as Florida.

-Craig Anderson has been signed by the Colorado Avalanche.

Free Agent Preview

Dany Heatley rejects trade- Yes, its true, the man who wants out of Ottawa badly did in fact shoot down a potential deal to the Oilers. Speculation has it he doesn’t want to play in Edmonton, others say it is to make sure Ottawa pays him his roster bonus of $4 million. Either way, there is no doubt Heatley will be out of Ottawa, and my guess is it’ll happen before the end of July 1st, maybe even before free agency opens at noon.

Scott Clemmensen to Detroit? – The former Devils’ season-savior is looking for a starting job. While he is open for a return to the Devils, his heart yearns for a starting role, if not a chance to have significant playing time. What better place to find that than in Detroit. The Stanley Cup runners up have Chris Osgood locked up for another season, but backup Ty Conklin is 33 and is testing the market. Clemmensen is 31, and when Osgood needs a break, it is quite apparent after this past season that given a chance, can be a solid starter. Yeah, his tenure in Toronto was less than remarkable, he now has confidence from being the heir to Martin Brodeur’s throne for a season.

Marion Gaborik to Rangers? – By freeing up $7 million dollars in cap space by trading away Devils’ traitor Scott Gomez to Montreal, the Rangers are in buying mode. They have an absurd amount of free agents on their current roster, as previously reported, but that are looking for a good combiniation of home grown talent and free agents. Gaborik, who has also been linked to a potential landing in Vancouver should the Canucks not be able to keep the Sedin twins, is going to need a new home, the question will be can he handle the spotlight in NY or would he prefer a potential reunion with Pavol Demitra, this time in Vancouver.

Ironman Chris Chelios – Who needs a leader? Anyone, anyone? The question many teams will be asking before even contemplating taking a chance on Chelios is can his 42 year old body handle half a season, let alone a 60+ games.

Martin Havlat back to the City of Angels? – Chicago probably wont make an offer, seeing as they haven’t even given the man a call, so the Kings would probably be more than willing to bring him right back. I’d almost guarantee a return to the black and purple [I cannot help but laugh at their colors]. On a quick personal note: I really hope the Devils do not make a pitch for him, as much as some fans would love it, he is way too frail for this team. Sure the points will be a great addition, but loss in games played could be better suited by being filled with some of the prospects from Lowell.

Rob Scuderi – A solid playoff performance revived this man’s career, and what more of a perfect time than right before hitting the free agent market. The Pens have been pretty quiet when it comes to attempting to retain the defender, and he is only a few hours from entertaining offers from other clubs. The Devils should make a pitch, as he is a solid top 4 defender, especially on this team. He’s quick, and can move the puck well, something that is desperately needed on the defensive corps.

Claude Lemieux – please just retire, playing in China didn’t help your transition back to the NHL and it showed. It only proved how desperate the Sharks were for help considering you ate up significant chunks of playing time. A playoff hero twice in Jersey, thanks, but hang them up already.

Brian Gionta – the mighty mite will probably be wearing a different uniform next season and it’s a shame too because he is a victim of the impending salary cap drop next season. If the owners felt more confident in the state of the league and believed the cap would not plumbet next year, there is no question Gionta would remain in Jersey. The problem is me may be unwilling to move very far down from his previous $4 million a year salary. If he would take a home-town discount, the Devils would undoubtedly make a pitch for him, but as we all are well aware of, money can influence many decisions. If the Devils do not keep him, look for the Sabres to make a move. He’s still got the wheels on ice so he would fit right in with their fast paced system, and he is originally from Rochester, which is a mere hour away from the Queen City.

John Madden – do not expect him back in New Jersey. His role diminished rapidly last season as the new NHL proved that checking lines were all but obsolete. Given the right system, he could be effective again, so his career will go on. My guess is either his hometown of Toronto, or taking the New York State Thruway over a few bridges to Long Island. Why the Islanders, you ask? Well, look at their GM, their trades and all other moves they’ve made, and answer that question for yourself. Happy trails, John! Good luck.

Brendan Shanahan – Please stay in New Jersey, please. You played well, you added leadership, and you even added a few goals. Please stay!!! Was I begging, too much? Oh well.

More to come tomorrow....

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.

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.

20 Games A.B. [After Brodeur]

The Good

Scott Clemmensen – Hands down playing lights-out hockey right now. He could be considered the MVP of the Devils, or at least sharing that title with their leading scorer Zach Parise. Once Marty went down hurt, and Kevin Weekes could not achieve a level of consistency, Clemmensen rose to the occasion. Amidst the rumors of Khabibulin and Roloson, Clemmer took it upon himself to establish an air of consistency in net for the Devils. Making save after save, Clemmensen allowed the devils to focus their efforts on attacking the other team’s next, which then allowed them to get hot. 6 wins in seven games and nine of 10 helped thrust the Devils right in the middle of the playoff hunt. This type of streak is uncommon for goalies not named Brodeur on the Devils. Also, with today’s victory, his 11th, Clemmensen has the most wins of a Devils goalie not named Brodeur since Chris Terreri in 1993-1994. [Special thanks to Steve Cangailosi for that statistic.]

The Devils Offense – Yes, you did read that correctly, the Devils offense is Hotter than Jessica Biel in her bikini scene in Summer Catch [see here]. They have accounted for 33 goals in 9 games in the month of December alone, which translates to just below 4 goals a game at 3.67. Since the loss of Brodeur 20 games ago, the Devils have tallied 5 or more goals in a game 6 times, that’s right, 6 times, including back to back 5 goal performances against Buffalo and Ottawa. The top two lines are gelling well, and are firing on all cylinders. If a team plans on going far into the playoffs, they need at least two solid lines who can provide a scoring threat. The Stanley Cup finalists from last year, Pittsburg and Detroit, proved that last season, and it continues on back down the line.

Zach Praise continues to wow the crowds with his ability to single handedly carry this team as well as put points on the board. Travis Zajac has rediscovered his scoring touch which he seemed to lose last season in a sophomore slump. Patrik Elias is also on fire right now, with a 10 game, 17 point streak going and has tallied points in 15 of his last 16 games where he has added 28 points to his season total. Prior to that, he had only 8 points in 15 games. His current point pace would put him on the cusp of 100 at 95, which would be his highest since he added 96 in 2000-2001. Both he and Parise are in the top 10 in the NHL, and the last time 2 Devils players finished in the top 10 in scoring, assistant coach John MacLean was donning an A on his jersey.

Brian Rolston – Back after missing 14 games with an ankle injury, Rolston has began to find his scoring touch as well. While he only has 4 points on the season, he has goals in two of his last three games, all the while playing on the third line with a rotating cast of characters, today he was with David Clarkson and Jay Pandolfo. As Rolston works his way back to 100% health, look for him to continue to add firepower to the offense.

Mike Mottau and Jay Leach – Many people, myself included, were confused and maybe even a little upset that Mike Mottau was retained in the offseason. I, for one, thought he was too much of a liability and his inconsistent play would doom the team considering he would have to play a good amount of minutes this season. This season, however, Mottau has played 28 out of 31 games, logging an average of 18 minutes of ice time. His plus minus sits at a comfortable plus 9 while he has contributed 6 assists to the team. He has become very smart with the puck as the season has progressed, and his awareness on both sides of the puck is something desperately needed on this defense.

Leach has also been a pleasant surprise. While Andy Greene had been injured and Sheldon Brookbank continues to be as useful as wet toilet paper, Leach has stepped up to earn playing time with the Devils. He received two games in early November, then was sent back to Lowell, only to be recalled again on the 23rd. Since that recall, Leach has not missed a game, playing in all 10 of the Devils’ contests. Typically Leach is paired with Mottau, and has contributed just as effectively. He adds both size and a take-no-crap attitude on the defense, and is not afraid to throw down the gloves. In today’s game, for example and as Ken Daneyko pointed out in the post-game, Leach and Rupp were quick to stand up for their teammates who were being harassed by the Flyers players. While both Leach and Mottau are not major offensive threats from the blue line, by bringing consistency and solid defense to whichever line they pair up allows that forward set to take more chances and be a much larger threat down ice.

The Bad

Surrendering Leads – Yes, the offense is potent, and yes, they have managed to hang on or come back for the eventual victory, but far too many times already the Devils have gotten leads, and given them up. Today, they had a two goal lead on the Flyers before surrendering a goal in the 2nd and another in the 3rd to allow Philly to still gain a point by forcing overtime. Since the beginning of the current hot streak, the Devils have surrendered leads on six different occasions, including a four goal lead against the Rangers, a game the Devils eventually would win by three goals. Only one of these instances, however, have the Devils failed to emerge with a point in the game and that was at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres, a game where the final was 4-2. The other instance where the Devils lost was a 3-2 shootout loss to the Maple Leafs.

Kevin Weekes – Enough has been said about the poor performance of Weekes in the previous article about the goaltending. My biggest gripe: rebound control. Rebounds mean second chances which unfortunately have turned into goals in most cases for the struggling and the now back up to the 2nd backup.

John Madden – While he hasn’t been performing poorly, Madden hasn’t played in back to back games with a supposed flu bug, but with the team firing on all cylinders and the defense rising to the occasion, many have been speculating that Madden might be on the chopping block, especially after his absence from the active roster Friday night against the Senators, which was the last game before the holiday roster freeze. Madden and his sub-$3 million price tag have recently been subject to movement as he as a valuable asset for a team needed a solid defensive forward. It will also free up some cap space going into free agency next summer as Travis Zajac will need his contract renewed along with a handful of other Devils, Madden included. Don’t get me wrong, I love Madden, he’s a gritty player and always plays hard, game in and game out, I am just speculating what I have read on nj.com.

The Ugly

Colin White – Please, for a moment, forget the points and the plus minus total, they are VERY deceiving. Yes, he has 10 points, one of which is a goal, but how many of those assists are of the secondary nature? His shot against the Leafs was saved and the rebound was buried by Mike Rupp in one heck of an offensive effort by the 4th line and Whitey, but early in the 2nd, he looked lost as the Leafs netted the equalizer. Today, on the Flyers’ first goal, he didn’t even lay a finger on Jeff Carter as he scored on the power play as they pulled the score within one. He has been way too large of a liability on defense, I would rather see Sheldon Brookbank starting in his spot, and that says a lot because I despise Brookbank.

Whitey was a force to be reckoned with in the past, but ever since nearly losing an eye in an accident in practice during the summer of 2007, he has not been even remotely the shell of the player he used to be. I don’t know if it is because of his injury or what, but he just does not seem to know what is going on. His awareness has plummeted and his physicality is almost non-existent during play. Sure, he will act tough after the whistle once in a while and go face to face with an opposing player, but he never fights anymore, and takes stupid, lazy penalties. Sadly, he is under contract at $3 million a season until 2013, that’s right, four more full seasons of this contract blunder. If he would do more with his size, I would be more opt to let him get away with his defensive blunders, but he wont even be tough with his size. He’s like a telephone booth, big but freakin’ useless nowadays. Maybe a team will come calling that will have a need for White and the Devils could luck out with unloading the remainder of his $12 million contract. Only time will tell.

A Tale of Two Goalies

On November 1st, many hockey fans officially wrote the Devils off as done for the season. Martin Brodeur tore his biceps tendon on his catching arm, knocking him out for the better part of the season.

After the official announcement later that week, the Devils’ options looked grim.

Option A: Trade for one of the few available goaltenders out there. Dwayne Roloson of Edmonton was struggling before Brodeur was injured, but of course, hit a hot streak, thus sending his trade value through the roof. The same can be said for Nikolai Khabibulin of the Blackhawks. Initially, he wanted to be shipped out in favor of not platooning with off-season acquisition Cristobal Huet. But, like Roloson, he hit his stride just when Brodeur got hurt, and also increasing his trade value.

Option B: Continue the season, and see how backups Kevin Weekes and Scott Clemmensen would perform carrying the workload of the future Hall of Famer.

Option B appears, at least as of the past month or so, the wise choice. In the first 6 games after losing Brodeur, Weekes started four of the six games, losing 3 of 4 by an average of two goals. Clemmensen, over his two starts in the span, surrendered a total of 5 goals but only receiving 2 goals of support.

Then on November 15th, against the Washington Capitals and in front of a nearly sold out Prudential Center, something clicked with the Devils. The Devils got out to an early 1-0 lead, but as the early trend had shown, they would vanquish the lead by allowing two tallies from the Caps. Then, just 41 seconds into the 2nd period, Jamie Langenbrunner netted his fourth of the season. Patrik Elias added a power play goal to take back the lead. Former Devil added the tying goal for the Caps before the end of the 2nd. The Devils and Caps would trade two goals before the end of regulation. After a scoreless overtime came the shootout. Clemmensen stopped shootout guru Kozlov, superstar Alex Ovechkin and Boyd Gordon. The Devils first shooter, and the player who nearly single handedly carried the Devils during the fallout of Brodeur’s injury, netted the only goal in the shootout to give Clemmensen his first win of the season.

With the offense clicking, Clemmensen was able to focus on being the last line of defense, rather than being the superstar to replace Brodeur for the time being. He won two starts in a row for the first time in his career, and, following a victory by Weekes, Clemmensen extended his streak to four games.

He dropped a game to the Pens, but then fired off yet another four in a row. The first four gamer was against weak teams, beating Florida twice, the Tampa Bay Turmoils [Lightning], and last seasons 8th seed Capitals. This one, however, was much more significant. Clemmensen helped guide the Devils to back to back overtime victories over the Flyers and Canadians, both teams who have extremely potent offenses. He then withstood a barrage thirty five shots from the Penguins, only allowing one behind him as the Devils stopped Pittsburg. Then, in one of the best offensive games in the NHL this season, the Devils surrendered a four goal lead against the Rangers, only to retake the lead with three goals in the third period to clinch a remarkable 8-5 victory.

Over this span, Weekes had only gotten one start, which he did manage to win. The game against the Islanders was a 5-2 victory where Weekes was able to stop 25 of 27 shots. But in his next start, almost three weeks later, he struggled mightily. The Sabres bombarded the goalie with 34 shots on goal, of which he only stopped 30, and at least two of the goals were entirely on his shoulders.

On the first goal, Tomas Vanek took a Derek Roy rebound and buried it to the vacant side where Weekes was not even close to covering. While the goal could also be attributed to the pathetic defense by the struggling Colin While, the loose rebound is entirely on Weekes. This was a common struggling point of Weekes’ night, rebound control, as there were far too many which defenders bailed him out on, but they could only do so much as Vanek netted another rebound goal late in the 3rd to put the game out of reach.

Clemmensen came back last night against the Maple Leafs and played well enough to win the game, but the offense could not find its potency. The Devils got a late goal from Parise to tie the game and force overtime, but after a fury of activity, they failed to score, and if not for a brilliant spin-o-rama by Jason Blake, the shootout could have realistically gone on the entire night.

Clemmensen is hands down the most consistent player on the Devils right now. He provides a good backstop for the defense which can help open the offense up. If given an early lead, it provides him with confidence which then translates into victories. Sadly, you cannot get this type of guarantee out of Weekes, who, with the diminished amount of playing time thanks to the successes of Clemmensen, is far too inconsistent for this team to be the starting goalie. For proof, see the first dozen games since Brodeur was injured.

For now, I'll place my money on Clemmensen to carry the Devils. His 8-3-1 record, 2.38 goals against and his cool demeanor are all the evidence you need.