The Malkin-less, Crosby-less, Orpik-less (wow, does Pittsburgh have any relevent players dressing tonight..oh yea, Alex Kovalev...hahahaha, ummm did it just awkward in here or is it just me??) head to NJ to take on the red hot NJ Devils. Yea, that's right Paul Martin, NJ is a hot hot team at the moment so STFU..

The Broadcast: TV: MSG+(HD); Radio - 660 AM WFAN

The Last Devils Game: Tampa Bay skated into town and lets be honest, they did a pretty good job but Marty was a little better and Kovalchuk slapped home the game winner that few in this league would have been able to stop. The Devils are 18-2-2 in their last 21 games.

The Last Penguins Game: Mikhail Grabovski put home the game winner in OT to give the Leafs a 3-2 OT victory over the Pens. Pittsburgh is 3-4-3 in their last 10 and I'll be honest, it appears to a person who doesn't watch Pittsburgh a lot that Crosby and Malkin are that team. Since their departure from the lineup, they really aren't the same team BUT they are currently a playoff team so they are in better shape at the moment then the Devils are.

Tonight's Game: Keep doing what we've been doing. Get after the puck, get it on net and the way things have been going, for god sakes let Kovalchuk keep shooting.

Also, be ready for the Pens to be chippy. The lead the league in penalties, are playing frustrated hockey at the moment so I would imagine a few hooks and cross checks are coming our way tonight. Just keep your cool and don't retaliate. We all know the Caps/Pens rivalry and I am sure Steckel will be on the minds of the Pens tonight. Honestly though, the Steckel-Crosby hit wasn't dirty. Even before he put on the Devils sweater I thought that.

Hopefully NJ can test Fleury (if that's who is in net tonight) early and often and find a way to convert the man-advantage oppurtunities that Pittsburgh is sure to give us tonight.

As a side note, congratulations to David and Brittany Clarkson. They have welcomed a baby girl into the Devils family. McKinnley, 7lb 4 oz. 19 1/4 in. If David is in the lineup tonight, please be ready for some Penguin goons to try and congratulate you with their fists.

That didn't take long!! Ilya Kovalchuk watched his consecutive points in a game streak come to an end on Sunday against the Pathers but scored the game winner Wednesday night against the Lightning. With 9:50 remaining in the game, Kovalchuk took a Zajac pass and fired it past Roloson.

Thoughts on the game:

• Broduer made a nice stop on a Nate Thompson break away late in the first. Thompson had a terrific shot, Marty had an even better save.
• The lone goal by Tampa Bay was a nice deflection. You can't really do much about those goals except maybe try to stop them before they begin.
• Kovalchuk seemed to be all over the ice tonight. Everytime I looked up, it seemed like #17 was front and center with the puck.
• I don't know if I have said it before but I like what Palmieri brings to ice on most nights. He's got energy and a hunger for the puck and its good to see.
• Talinder had a nice goal through traffic to tie the game at 2.
•  Everytimg I watch the Lightning, I am always amazed at how quick of a team they are. You don't think much is happening and then all of the sudden it seems they put it into gear and are right on top of the opposition. They certainly are a dangerous team that will be a handful for anyone in the playoffs.
• Kovalchuk put EVERYTHING into that slapper that won the game, I mean EVERYTHING!!
• Give Roloson credit. Watching him in NY when he was an Islander, I thought his career was dead, that he needed to retire but he's giving TB everything he's got and it just so happens, he's got some stuff left.

The league is starting to take notice when it comes to the Devils. This is a team that is 9 points out of the final playoff spot and while making up those final 9 points isn't going to be an easy, the Devils are getting respect from other teams in the league. It's hard not to respect this team, having gone 18-2-2 in the last 22. "In my eyes, the Devils are definitely a playoff-caliber team right now," Lightning coach Guy Boucher said. "Their record in their last 22 games speaks for itself."

Whatever happens between now and the end of the season, whether the Devils live to play game 83 and beyond or go home for a long summer, at least this team has given us something to watch. Admit it, most of us just wanted to shut the TV off before Christmas and forget that this season ever happened.

I am completely prepared to be called a Homer!!Now, go ahead, I know I am going to be called a homer but you have to give some thought as to nominating Jaques Lemaire for the Jack Adams this season, no matter what happens from here on out. If you look at the beginning of the season, you see a team struggling and unable to accomplish anything but frustrating an entire fan base. Sure, moving Jamie Langenbrunner out of town was probably a smart move but John MacLean didn't know how to make this team work. He couldn't get production from one of the most dangerous snipers (Kovalchuk) in the league. Once Lemaire got here, whipped them into shape, this team is finally playing like we thought they would be. Some people don't want to blame Johnny Mac but this run over 22 games speaks volumes on his ability to lead a team from behind a bench. It doesn't matter, Lemaire is here now and this team is doing things that 2 months ago we never thought were possible. As far as I see it, the 2 most important things the Devils need to do once the season is over is 1) sign Parise long-term and 2) find a way to convince Jaques Lemaire to stay.

The Lightning come in to town to play the new look Devils tonight at The Rock. Ok, I'm just kidding around with the "new look" stuff because it is only one player that is different tonight. In 5 previous meetings this season with the Lightning, David Steckel has yet to register a point against them. Hopefully tonigt he will have some type of impact. Arnott had an assist for the Caps in his first game with with Washington, just saying!!

The Broadcast: TV: MSG+2; Radio - 660 AM WFAN

The Last Devils Game: On the road in Florida to finish up a 4 game road trip, David Clarkson and Brian Rolston each found the back of the net and helped NJ to a 2-1 win over the Panthers. They finished the road trip 3-1-0. Jason Arnott failed to register a point in what would be his last game in a Devils uniform.

Tonight's Game: We saw these Tampa Bay Lightning just last Friday night on their ice and we didn't come out of their building with a win. The Devils did a decent job keeping Stamkos and St. Louis quiet all night but it was the rest of the team that made noise. The Devils will need to do the same thing with Stamkos and St. Louis but not allow their 2nd and 3rd lines to gain any momentum in this game.  For me, Lecavalier has looked much better recently than he has in years. He is certainly skating a lot better and he is always a worry for me on the ice.

Tonight is a big goalie matchup. Dwayne Roloson has won three straight, allowing five goals in the last three starts, Martin Brodeur has won four straight while allowing just four goals over that stretch.

This is the 4th and final meeting between these two teams tonight. The Devils lead the season series 2-1 this season and have outscored the Lightning 12-7.

The Playoff Watch: If I don't mention this, I seem to get hate mail stating that I am not a real fan and that I don't believe in this team. So, without getting into a debate about  the realistic chances of making the playoffs, I will just mention that the Devils currently sit 9 points behind idle Carolina for the 8th and final spot (Carolina takes on Buffalo in a HUGE game tomorrow night). Oh, and by the way, if you're going to send hate mail my way, why don't you actually be a man and use your real email address!!!

In case you missed the road trip, the Devils put together a great video...

Johan Hedburg has been named one of the NHL's 3 stars for the month of February. Hedberg went 7-1-1 with a 1.43 goals against average and a .943 save percentage with two shutouts in 10 games. What Hedburg has done for the Devils has helped this team steal some games, headlines and the attention of the league as the Devils are trying to do what no other team has ever done, secure a playoff spot while 27 points out of the playoffs at the halfway point.

Congrats Johan, you continue to prove that you were one hell of a pick up last summer. There is an argument out there that he just might have been the most important signing last summer.

The Devils send Jason Arnott to the Washington Capitals for David Steckel and Washington's 2012 2nd Round pick. Steckel is owed 1.1 million for the next 2 years, becoming a UFA on July 1, 2013.

At first glance, this trade doesn't make a lot of sense to me. For one, Arnott's salary was coming off the books this summer as he was to become a UFA and now the Devils have added more money to their cap. Second, I'd much rather have a 2011 pick but I guess a 2012 pick is ok.

Arnott IS an aging center, I will give the masses that much and Steckel is supposed to be good at faceoffs but like I mentioned this morning, why screw with the chemistry. Maybe Arnott never lit the fire under Elias' ass like it was hoped he would, but I still think Arnott brought something to the table. Lets not dismiss that we've traded a guy that has size and has score 13 goals and 11 assists this season for a guy who's scored only 5 goals and 6 assists. While Arnott has produced like we hoped, for me, Steckel lost his game as soon as he signed his 3 year extension. His only notable play this season was cracking Crosby's skull on Jan 1st. Speaking of Sidney Crosby, he can't be happy that he'll be facing David Steckel 6 times a year now!!

My hope is that Steckel coming in doesn't ruin anything the Devils have done in their last 21 games and maybe can win a few important face-offs. Other than that, I'm not really thrilled about this move.

Give David Clarkson some credit. Some guys would have sat for a few days if they were nursing a skate cut that required 18 stitches to close it. That's exactly what happened to David Clarkson on Friday night in Tampa Bay but there he was on the ice for the Panthers game. Sure, the cut isn't on the leg which if it were, he might have had to sit some games, but rather on his forearm.

Clarkson snapped a scoreless tie at 5:46 of the second period with his first goal in 18 games. It was his first since Jan. 15, also against the Panthers while the Devils were on the road. Maybe he's just comfortable playing against the Panthers!!

Rolston followed up Clarkson with a PP Goal a 9:11 and the Marty Broduer and the Devils held on to beat the Pathers 2-1. The Devils finish their 4 game road trip 3-1-0 and remain 9 points behind 8th place Carolina. The Devils sit in 13th overall, 1 point behind the Pathers.

Jason Arnott - News came out after the game that if a team that has a lock on a playoff spot is interested in acquiring the veteran center, Arnott indicated today that he would be willing to go.

I'm really not happy about this and would like to see Lou just watch this day pass him by. The Devils are hot, hotter than any other team in the league right now and even one move can screw that up. Sure, Arnott doesn't bring  a lot to the table. 13 goals, 11 assists this season but he does do certain things on the ice well and he does bring size to the Devils. Trading him not, at this point in the playoff race doesn't make sense at all.

I even fear what happens to this team when Parise is healthy enough to return. Chemisty, confidence and momentum can be such a funny thing that one change can throw all of it out the window. The bottom line, trading Arnott won't return anything more than a draft pick to NJ and for me, its just not worth it.

Devils Next Game - The Tampa Bay Lightning head north to take on the Devils at The Rock on Wednesday night.

Anyone else get a feeling about tonight's game? This is a rivals game, despite what NJ may be saying this time around and both teams MUST have these 2 points. For NJ, it a must to get them in 60 mins while the Rangers can afford to play 65. I don't know, I just have a feeling about tonight. NJ isn't a big fighting team and I don't expect to see a lot of majors being handed out but I think the overall tone of this game is going to be nasty. Lots of huge hits, lots of scrums and we can probably expect Sean Avery to try and do what Sean Avery does best.

The Last Devils Game - They came out firing and got up 3-0 on the Hurricanes before Carolina found the back of the next in the third. They would add another with only a few seconds left to play so the 3-2 Devils win looked a lot closer than it really was.

The Rangers Last Game - Lundqvist got his 200th win last night as the Ranges defeated the Kings in a shootout. It was an important win for them as they lead the 9th place Hurricanes by 4 points now.

Tonight's Game - Like I said, I expect the nastiness to be in full effect tonight but I expect a pretty good game as well. The Rangers desperatly need the points because they are one losing streak away from being on the outside looking in and the Rangers have the ability to play a high paced game. The Devils seem to know how to score and the last time these two teams met, chased Lundqvist from goal early.

The Devils need to keep doing what they have been doing and thats simply putting the puck to the net. Things happen when you get the puck to the net. They did it the other night and Cam Ward let in some not so Cam Ward like goals.

STAY OUT OF THE BOX!!! Remember the last game where the Devils had their own little parade going to the box in the third period and nearly gave the Rangers the game?? Can't do it again tonight. Lets hope Lemaire is on these guys tonight about keeping their cool.

The Devils have the advantage tonight because they didn't play last night and the Rangers had to go the extra distance to get the win but Lundqvist only saw 28 shots so that's not a huge workload.

For some reason, I am really excited about this game tonight and I am hoping we aren't in for a major disappointment.

Probable Lines:

Line 1 Dainius Zubrus Patrik Elias Brian Rolston
Line 2 Illya Kovalchuk Travis Zajac Nick Palmieri
Line 3 Vladimir Zharkov Jason Arnott Mattias Tedenby
Line 4 Adam Mair Rod Pelley David Clarkson

Line 1 Colin White Anton Volchenkov 
Line 2 Anssi Salmela Andy Greene
Line 3 Henrik Tallinder Mark Fayne

Is it safe to say that Ilya Kovalchuk is FINALLY feeling comfortable in a Devils sweater? In the last 10 games, which includes last night against the Hurricanes, Kovalchuk has 7 goals and 6 assists. THIS is what the Devils top brass pictured when signing this guy to big money. Last nights goal was just rediculous. He kept turning Joe Corvo inside out before he used Corvo and Palmieri as a screen to put the Devils on the board 1-0 in the second. If you haven't seen the goal, you have to watch it!!

Rolston scored his 9th of the season on a rebound from an Elias shot. Elias made a nifty little cross over move to add to the Devils lead early in the third period. The Devils did let the Hurricanes cut the gap to 3-1, which made the game interesting. I know the game ended 3-2 but that Canes 2nd goal came so late that it really didn't matter. I'll be honest, Cam Ward didn't look like Cam Ward tonight. The Kovalchuk goal was rediculous because Kovalchuk can put a puck into a the net with very little space to work with, its just the type of player he is but the Rolston and Elias goals I thought he should have stopped. Whatever, I'll take it.

The Devils, who are now a hot 13-1-2 in the second half of the season. Hedberg has REALLY stepped up for us this season and the Devils now trail the 8th spot by 12 points with 25 games to play. If they can keep playing this type of hockey, they could make it very interesting.

Devils play the Rangers tomorrow night in a game where both teams need points BADLY!! Should be a great game.

I do hate having so many days off in between games. To go from Friday night to Wednesday night is too much in my opinion. Will the Devils still have whatever it is that they've had over the last few games? Sure, the rest is good for some players, like Hedberg who will once again be net tonight while Marty gets over an injury. Well, lets get to it!!

Broadcast - TV - MSG+ (HD); Radio - 660 AM WFAN

The Devils Last Game - The hot Sharks came into town and seem to control the Devils for the first two periods. Unfortunately for the Sharks, they had to play 3 periods. Rolston tied the game, Kovalchuk won it, Devils continued on being a hot hot team.

The Hurricanes Last Game - An important game against the Atlanta Thrashers and the Canes got an important win. Erik Cole put the game winner in the net late to seal a 3-2 win.

Tonight's Game: If you believe that the Devils have a shot at playing more than 82 games this season, then this game is EXTREMELY important. The Canes are 14 points ahead of the New Jersey Devils for the 8th and final spot in the playoffs. The Devils need to win and need to do so in 60 minutes tonight.

They've had a lot of time off so I am concerned about energy to start the game. I don't doubt that the Devils win find energy as the night plays on but I would like to see them come out and quickly get a lead. With Cam Ward in the net, that sometimes isn't an easy thing to do.

Try to get some calls our way. Last week when these two teams met, the Devils didn't get any man advantages while Anton Volchenkov alone gave the Canes 3 power plays.

It doesn't matter which angle you look at tonight's game from, this game is not going to be an easy one. When it comes to Carolina, the Devils NEVER have an easy time with them.

Projected Lines:

Line 1 Dainius Zubrus Patrik Elias Brian Rolston
Line 2 Illya Kovalchuk Travis Zajac Nick Palmieri
Line 3 Vladimir Zharkov Jason Arnott Mattias Tedenby
Line 4 Tim Sestito Rod Pelley David Clarkson

Line 1 Andy Greene Anssi Salmela
Line 2 Colin White Mark Fayne
Line 3 Mark Fraser Henrik Tallinder

Goaltender Johan Hedberg

The Devils, who are one of the hottest teams in the NHL right now, who are 8-1-1 in their last 10 play host to the NHL's hottest team, the San Jose Sharks who are 9-0-1 in their last 10. The difference between these two teams, one will be playing in April while the other, in my opinion will not be.

I want to touch on something that the guys over at Puck Daddy already touched upon but its a big topic so it is important to discuss. Why are we looking at the Devils like they are a team who has a shot at the playoffs? I get it, we play the games for a reason, crazier things have happened, etc. Look at Leafs fans, they seem to understand that their Maple Leafs aren't going to be making the playoffs this season and that is a team currently sitting in front of the Devils by 6 points.

Statistically, the Devils have a 1% chance at finishing 11th overall in the conference, meaning that a shot at the 8th and final spot is a pipe dream. It doesn't mean we should stop talking about the Devils, stop watching the Devils or even stop praising them for mounting comebacks like they have in the past two games, it just means that we need to stop in game updates on the Carolina Hurricanes. It's not late April and we aren't trailing them by a few points, so please lets just stop.

My hope for the rest of the season is that the Devils continue to play exciting hockey and move up the standings as much as possible, this way it keeps the fans motivated. The draft this year is looking to be weak so a #1 pick for me isn't of much interest. In fact, I would like the Devils to move up in the standings as much as they can and pay the piper this summer for their Kovalchuk penalty they received from the league. This way, we are done with it.

So, lets focus on tonight's game.

The Devils Last Game: Last night they beat the Maple Leafs 2-1 in OT on a Kovalchuk wrister. There are few players in this league that have a wicked wrister in their arsenal but lucky for NJ, Kovalchuk has it, when he wants to have it.

The Sharks Last Game: The Sharks knocked off the Blue Jackets 3-2. The Sharks were down 2-0 after the first but mounted the comeback which saw 2 goals in the second and the game winner in the third.

Players To Watch: For the Devils, it has to be Kovalchuk. He's been on fire lately and brings a 6-game point streak to The Rock tonight. For the Sharks, it has to be Antti Niemi wh has allowed just two goals in the Sharks' last three games.

Tonight's Game: Devils MUST avoid penalties tonight. It's never ok to make a lot of trips to the box but when you do it vs a team that is ranked 22 overall on the PP, it something that can be overcome. The Sharks on the other hand, rank 4th. They WILL kill you if you make 7 trips to the box.

I worry about the energy for tonights game. This is the Devils 3rd game in 4 days and with Marty still nursing a knee injury, its very possible that we will see Hedberg in goal again tonight. On top of that Andy Greene saw 29:07 of total ice time last night while 6 other Devils players so 20+ minutes as well.

Line Projections:

With no time to practice, I can't imagine that they will be much different than last night.

Line 1 Dainius Zubrus - Patrik Elias - Brian Rolston
Line 2 Illya Kovalchuk - Travis Zajac - Nick Palmieri
Line 3 Vladimir Zharkov - Jason Arnott - Mattias Tedenby
Line 4 Adam Mair - Rod Pelley - David Clarkson

Line 1 Andy Greene - Anssi Salmela
Line 2 Mark Fraser - Henrik Tallinder
Line 3 Colin White - Mark Fayne

Johan Hedberg
Mike McKenna