The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (23-8-1) vs. the Ottawa Senators (17-12-4). This is the third meeting between the two teams this season and the Devils are 2-0 against the Senators so far.

The Last Devils Game: Flat, dull and lifeless are words I would use to describe the effort put forth in the game against the Canadiens the other night. Somehow, the Devils walked away with a win, and did so in regulation.

The Last Senators Game: The Senators knocked off and shutout the Buffalo Sabres 2-0. Brian Elliot did a nice job in net for the Sens stopping all 22 shots he faced.

The Last Devils / Senators Game: The Devils were going through a losing streak and had come home to face the red hot Ottawa Senators. Elias scored his first goal of the season with just under a minute and half left in the second and would prove to be the game winner, which happened to be his 68th GWG of his career. Langenbrunner added and empty net goal to give the Devils a 3-1 win.

Tonight's Matchup: Let me start off by asking a question. Other than the Sabres game this month, have the Devils actually played a game where they made an effort the entire 60 minutes? My answer is no. They've started games well but then fizzle somewhere in the 2nd or the 3rd period. They lost to a Florida team that had been playing awful and then beat a Canadiens team that played worse than the Devils. It's time to stop playing this way. Ottawa won't be as bad as Montreal the other night and won't go away as easily.

The power play is another issue for the Devils. Wednesday night the power play was utterly useless getting 3 shots on net in 5 chances. Not only that, they coughed up the puck at the point and watched the Canadiens march down the ice and score a shorthanded goal. The power play is supposed to cash in on chances every once in a while, not put the team in a hole.

Zach Parise has been snake bitten recently and just can't seem to put the puck in the net. All players go through this but it can get frustrating for players and fans when they do. It seems like Lemaire is going to shake up the lines a bit tonight to see if he can break Parise out of this funk that he's been in.

On paper the Senators look a little beaten with injury after injury but that might be what the Sabres thought the other night and they watched the Sens shut them out. If NJ comes out with another performance like Wednesday night, look for the Senators to walk away with the win...easily!!

This is one of those game where at the end of it, I sit there, scratching my head and saying WHAT!!?? This was a very sloppy game on the part of the Devils. The power play was disgusting all night. The Devils did a terrible job at covering the points and keeping the puck in the zone during the power plays. The Devils had 5 chances on the power play, one being cut short due to a hooking call on Nidermayer and I think 3 shots total found their way to the net. To make matters worse, the Devils gave up a shorthanded goal due to an absolute breakdown by Langenbrunner. I'm not sure what he was doing but I expect more from a guy wearing a "C".

Montreal tried their best to give this game to NJ, which they eventually did. The obviously were set on playing a trapping game and were very poor at doing so. The Canadiens gave NJ too many chances on the power play, although as I mentioned, the Devils did nothing with those chances.

Pikkarainen did manage to tie the game at 1 on a very flukey goal that went off Price's glove (which I think the puck would have sailed over the net anyway), off the post, off the skate of Price and into the net. I thought McAmmond did an awesome job staying onsides during the play because he appeared way ahead of the puck but did a nice toe drag to stay onsides.

It appeared to me that neither team really wanted to win this game but with a few minutes left in the third, the Canadiens made a costly mistake. Rolston carried the puck into the zone and Tomas Plekanec made an attempt to swipe the puck away which allowed Elias to get behind him and bang home Rolston's rebound.

It's not to often that you can put in a lackluster performance and skate away with 2 points. I hope Lemaire kicks some butt in practice this week and a much more energized team shows up tomorrow night against the Senators.

I will agree with the decision on the 3 stars of the game although Pikkarainen's goal was so lucky, I'm not sure star #2 doesn't belong to Rolston for his heads up play seeing that Elias was going to make a play on any rebound and shot it low on purpose.

The Matchup: New Jersey Devils (22-8-1) vs the Montreal Canadiens (15-16-3). This is the first meeting of the season.

The Devils Last Game: After coming out flat against the Florida Panthers, the Devils played a very strong game against the Flyers. With 3 quick goals in the first, the Flyers were never able to make a game of it. Bergfors and Elias both had a chance for a hat-trick.

The Last Canadiens Game: The Canadiens lost 4-3 to the red hot Buffalo Sabres (8-2 in their last 10) but the game ended on a bizzare note. At the 19-second mark, Montreal used its timeout with Buffalo killing a penalty for the final 2 minutes after Tony Lydman was sent off for high sticking. The scoreboard clock did not begin to run for well over 10 seconds when play resumed.When a stoppage in play occurred with just over 7 seconds showing on the clock, the referees signaled that time had expired.

Tonight's Matchup: Lets get a few things out of the way. Marty ties Roy's record of most games played by a goalie, Scott Gomez is back in town for the first time this season, Gionta is hurt or we'd say the same about him and the Canadiens are a team, to me, that one can overlook.

Cammalleri is the real scoring threat for the Canadiens with 18 goals on the year but the rest of the team is under performing. They are also in a little bit of turmoil in the goalie position because Gainey offered to trade Jaroslav Halak to the Flyers, which rumors have it that Halak asked for a trade.

The Devils aren't without a little controversy themselves as Lemaire sort of called out Johnny Oduya.

Bergfors has been extremely hot lately coming of a 2 goal game and has 6 gaols in the last 10 games. Parise has been putting up a number of assists lately but hasn't been able to put a puck in the net since the Nov 28th matchup against the Islanders.

Hopefully the Devils that came to the rink on Saturday night is the same team that shows up against the Canadiens. That Devils team was much better with passing and shutting down the oppositions chances than the team that showed up on Friday night.

The Canadiens don't scare me, even though you know Gomez will be giving it his all and then some tonight. Marty would love to get #104 against his hometown team but that's not something I am ever going to predict.

Prediction: Devils win 4-2

Since the Devils have had a few days off between the Philly game and the Montreal game tomorrow night, I thought I would talk about a few news worthy items that are making headlines with the Devils right now.

Paul Martin - Lamoriello had mentioned this week that Paul Martin is not ready to start practicing with the team. Martin has been skating on his own but still has half a cast on his arm. With only 4 games before Christams, its doubtful we will see him before then. If the Devils send a defenseman down to Lowell (or waivers but I don't think they'll go that route) before midnight on Saturday, this could be a sign that Martin is ready to return durning the roster freeze. Given the success the Devils have had over the last month and a half, I am still axious to get Martin back into the lineup.

Martin Brodeur - Is going to have a special mask for the "Jersey Throwback" night on March 17th. The mask Brodeur will wear will be a replica of the mask he wore in his first NHL game. That mask was all red except for stickers—white background with “Devils” in red letters—on each side. Did you know Marty is the only member on the Devils to have worn the original "Christmas Tree" jersey?

Marty is expected to play against Montreal tomorrow night which would tie him with Patrick Roy for the NHL record for number of games played by a goaltender at 1,029. I would hope that the Devils give Marty the night off on Friday vs the Senators because the Thrashers and Penguins games following the Sens are games I want to see Marty in.

That's it for now..we will get back to our game previews tomorrow as the Devils welcome Scott Gomez and the Montreal Canadiens to The Rock. In the pre-season I had mentioned this as a game I was excited about because of the Gionta and Gomez reunion but Brian Gionta has been out since November 13 with a broken foot, so we'll have to wait until next time.

So the question being asked immediatley after the game is did the Devils looked past the Panthers to tomorrow nights game with the Flyers. I really don't think so. Sure, the Devils weren't as crisp tonight as they have been and once the Panthers got the lead, I am sure they started to believe in themselves a little more. It's tough to lose games when you outshoot your opponent as the Devils did tonight (28-22).

Frolik was a Devils killer tonight ans Weiss always seems to be a thorn in the side. The thing that worries me is that the Devils looked great on Monday night, so-so on Wednesday night and not so good tonight. It's been a steady decline, especially that second period of tonight's game. The killer was the breakaway goal for Florida in the 3rd which I am still not even sure how he ended up with so much room. The Devils had gotten a lucky goal prior to the breakaway and had everyone thinking comeback but that just took the air out of the team.

Clemmenson did a decent job tonight and I sure was real comfortable playing in our building, which used to be his building. To me, the Panthers wanted it more and deservingly got it. Hopefully the Devils find that hunger quickly because the Flyers are coming into town tomorrow night and they've pretty much embarrassed twice this season.

Goalies:
M. Brodeur - Thought he played OK against the Wings, played outstanding against Buffalo and made some big saves against Carolina to keep them from tying the game.

Forwards:
R. Pelley - He's been part of a much improved 4th line, which I give most of the credit to his linemates. He doesn't score but he's generating some shots. He's not great but he's not bad (notice the new color).
T. Zajac - Had an up and down week from me. He got a few points, his faceoff wins were good against buffalo but less than 50% in the others.
P. Elias - Like Zajac he was good in a couple games, not a factor in the others although when he lined up to take the shootout agasint the Wings, the entire arena knew the game was about to be done.
Z. Parise - Played the role of assist man this week but as per usual, he gets the job done. See that shooutout goal agasint the Wings, I think he took Osgood's jock in the process!!
N. Bergfors - 2 goals and an assist, evertyhing is just about going this kids way. Sadly for Sweden, he was deemed ineligable for the Olympics this week.
M. Halischuk - Played vs TB, scratched the rest of the way.
J. Langenbrunner - Jamie just keeps racking up the assists.
B. Rolston - Starting to feel like he's getting a point in every other game, so he's due tonight? D. McAmmond - I love what this guy is bringing. Yea, he's not putting up points but sometimes you can overlook that if the intangeables are being done correctly.
R. Niedermayer - 1 goal, 1 assist and 1 magnificent screen.
J. Pandolfo - a couple of assists, can I really ask for anything more?
I Pikkarainen - Still gets my vote as weakest member on his line.
V. Zharkov - has been a pleasent surprise. Points are points and if you do that, you get no complaints from me. (see Rolston's rating this week!)

Defense:
M. Fraser - Gotta block shots better. Anytime the go off your stick, off your leg and in your own net, you're not getting huge props from me.
A. Greene - By far the most productive d-man on the team.
M. Mottau - Does the little things right and rang one off the post against the canes.
B. Salvador - He's banging some bodies which is good..right?
C. White - I don't know about Colin...he's our for another few years but there are times I forget he's even out there.
J. Oduya - First game back he gets a goal and then back to his ways.
M. Corrente - Plays a little bit but sure is a scrappy little guy.

Individually, there aren't a lot of guys that stand out to me this week but it was more team efforts that got it done.

Player of the week - (Tie) Marty for the milestone and Andy Greene for an awesome game against the Hurricanes.

The Devils and the Pathers are teams traveling in different directions at the moment. Florida is 1-5-4 in their last 10 while NJ is 7-2-1 in that same stretch. I've always felt bad for the Panthers because other than the run they put together in '96, the Panthers haven't given their fans much to cheer about since. Big name after big name has traded in their Florida address for something else, anything else..

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (21-7-1) vs. the Florida Panthers (11-14-6). This is the second meeting of the season between the two teams.

The Last Devils Game: The Devils started off well against the Hurricanes the other night going up 3-0 in the second before the Canes got 2 goals to make a game of it. The Devils held on scoring an empty net goal to give them the 4-2 victory. Highlights here if you missed them

The Last Panthers Game: The Columbus Blue Jackets hosted the Panthers and just killed them 3-0. The Panthers, as mentioned above are 1-5-4 in the last 10 and haven't been able to assemble much of an offensive attack in those 10 games. Highlights here if you missed them

The Last Devils-Panthers Game: Seems like a different team now doesn't it? The Devils went into Florida with a 1-2 record hoping for some luck to put together their first winning streak of the season. The Devils won 3-2 in regulation on a late tip in goal by David Clarkson.

Tonight's Matchup: Put together a decent 60 minutes and I think you walk away from this game with 2 points under your arm. I don't want to brush off the Panthers at all but with a -8 goal differential in their last 4 games, how can you not? The Devils are, without a doubt the better team tonight but there is one thing going in favor for Florida tonight.

Scott Clemenson will get the start against his old team, against the team who's season he saved last year. I'm sure Clemenson would love to stroll into The Rock tonight and steal one from his former employer. Not helping the Devils focus is that the Flyers come into town tomorrow night and I am hoping NJ isn't looking past tonight's game.

Marty is the rumored starter tonight although at this time it isn't yet confirmed. I'd rather see Denis in tonight so Marty can get ready for Philly tomorrow night. Marty has started the last 8 and played in the last 15 games so I think he's in need of a night off. Since we don't know who's in tonight, this little stat needs to be mentioned as these won't stop coming into my inbox until the record is Marty's. Brodeur's last shutout over Florida occurred Oct. 26, 2006, when he turned aside 29 shots in a 2-0 victory. It was his fifth over the Panthers in his career.

I do think the Devils take care of businnes tonight and handle the Panthers 3-1.

I guess I am turning into one of those fans that expects too much out of his team. The Devils spoiled me on Monday with the clinic that they put on against the Sabres but they came out in the first period looking like they might do it against the Hurricanes too. I thought that the Devils were firing on all cylinders and thought they might put the game away in the second. They looked so good  in my opinion, that I was starting to wonder to myself if playing like this in Decemeber was actually a bad thing. Maybe they heard me because Carolina would quickly be back in the game.

Aaron Ward got way too deep covering Bergfors that he didn't give Cam Ward much of a chance on the Elias goal. It was a flukey kind of goal but what fan wouldn't take it? Andy Greene's first of the night was a thing of pure beauty as his team, especially Niedermayer, really helped him out and got great positioning on Cam Ward. Greene knew to hold on to it just long enough for that shooting lane to the top corner open up and fired it in.

The Devils came out in the second looking like they might continue to take it to the Canes as Greene got real low and put in his second of the night. From there, the Devils seemed to slow down. The Canes got on the board with a lucky goal that went of Fraser and beat Marty and then got within one goal on a nice shot by Rutuu. The Devils were able to hold off the Canes as both Marty and Cam Ward came up with some pretty big saves. Niedermayer sealed the deal with an empty net goal at the end of the 3rd.

I don't think the Devils looked past the Canes and I don't think the Canes played like a team that is the owner of the worst record in the league. Cam Ward looked pretty good for a guy who's missed a lot of time. In the end I didn't have a great feeling about this game. Like the Tampa Bay game and the Detroit game last weekend, I felt the Devils survived. Anytime you get up 3-0 and allow the other team back to get within 1 goal, you can't walk away feeling too happy about the performance but a win is a win and each time they win, they get the "Winner" stamp of approval (stealing one of my favorite lines..)

Panthers stroll into town tomorrow night followed by the Flyers on Satruday so the Devils have a busy couple of days ahead.

Devils come home tonight and host the Carolina Hurricanes which is the first game of a five game homestand. I can't say a lot of negative things about this team after the Buffalo game the other night and that scares me a little bit.

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (20-7-1) vs. the Carolina Hurricanes (7-17-5). This is the second meeting of the season.

The Last Devils Game: The Devils put together one amazing game in Buffalo. When the Devils got the lead, they didn't sit back on the lead, they jammed it down the Sabres throats even harder. Broduer notched his 103 career shutout tying the legendary Terry Sawchuk.

The Last Hurricanes Game: Carolina hasn't been playing well at all this season so I was really surprised to see them go into Pittsburgh and beat the Penguins 3-2. They did get a 3-0 lead before the Pens started fighting back but were able to weather the storm.

The Last Devils / Canes Game: Better known as shutout #102 for Marty, Jamie Langenbrunner got the lone goal of the game and the Devils won 1-0 which also happened to be their first win of the season at home.

Tonight's Matchup: Carolina is the owner of the worst record in the league and its gotten so bad that they healthy scratched their captain for Monday's tilt against the Penguins but the Devils can't afford to overlook this team.

Cam Ward is going to be back in net after a lengthy injury and while there will be some rust, I would imagine this could also be a boost to the team as well. Hopefully NJ takes the same approach they did on Monday and really try to take it to the Hurricanes.

Langenbrunner has a five-game points-streak (2 goals, 4 assists) and has 5 goals and 17 points in the last 14 games. Center Travis Zajac has notched 3 goals and 12 points over the last 12 games.

I would expect Lemaire to have the Devils focused at the task at hand and predict a 3-1 win for the Devils.

It's right around the corner so we might as well talk about it. As much as I wish every Devils player could go home and relax, refuel and get focused for the playoffs during the Olympic break, that's not going to happen. There WILL be NJ Devils representing various countries at the 2010 Games in Vancouver and here's who I think we'll be watching.

Absolutely Going To Vancouver:

Zach Parise - Parise is currently 13th in the league in goals and points and 2nd in Goals and 1st in points in the league when you narrow it down to American born players. Not only is Parise a sure thing (baring injury) to be wearing a Team USA jersey in February, one just wonders if that jersey might have a "C" on it. It should be pure joy watching this kid compete at the international level with guys like Kane and Kesler.

Marty Brodeur - Marty left the Team Canada Evaluation Camp with everyone asking "Brodeur or Luongo?" but if you take a moment and look at the numbers, Marty is the answer without question. Of course the Olympics are in Luongo's city so that may play into his favor and Fleury does have youth on his side but if Canada wants to win gold, why not go with they guy that's actually done it for you before?

Patrik Elias - Isn't he the best Czech hockey player in the world? At least that was the award handed out to him last year so I would expect the Czech's to want the best on their team. He's slowly getting healthier every day and as long as he continues that trend, then he should be there.

Maybe We'll See Them, Maybe We Won't::

Paul Martin - I thought this guy would have been a lock for Team USA until his injury. Burke said that Martin's injury wouldn't play into the decision on his chances but I'm not sure I believe that completely. He probably won't see the ice for a few more weeks so how does Team USA know he's healthy in time for the New Years Day announcement? Personally, I would put him on because a healthy Martin (who is sure to be 100% by February) logs a lot of ice time shutting down the opposition.

Jamie Langenbrunner - The last time Jamie saw Olympic ice was in 1998. When I heard he got an invite to the Team USA camp in the summer, I was a bit surprised. Sure, Jamie is a solid player who commands the point and is coming off his best offensive season so maybe I shouldn't be surprised. Personally, I have a list of players well above Jamie to make the team but he is experienced so maybe he can be an asset to all the young guys I have picked to head to Vancouver.

The Long Shots:

Travis Zajac - I actually think he's kind of a long shot. Don't get me wrong, he's a valuable member of the Devils organization and we can depend on him to bring his game to the rink night in and night out but I think he's on the outside looking in. Canada has a slew of players to choose from like Joe Thornton, Sidney Crosby, Brad Richards, Patrick Marleau, Mike Richards, Rich Peverley, Ryan Getzlaf, and Paul Statsny. I just don't see Zajac cracking a way on to the team but stranger things have happened.

Niklas Bergfors - Prior to the season I would have said absolutely not but the kid has been turning all kinds of heads this season. It's recently been said that Team Sweden is trying to get Bergfors on the eligibility list so maybe he does have a shot. If you look closely at the numbers, he's currently 9th among Swedish skaters in scoring and 3rd among Swedish right wingers so based on that, why wouldn't we be seeing Bergfors in Vancouver? I still think he's a long shot.

Johnny Oduya - Based on the contract he signed over the summer, I thought Oduya was a sure thing for Team Sweden but then the season started and he was nothing short of horrid showing little on both sides of the puck and then he gets injured and misses a large chunk of games. Now he's back and needs to buckle down and start showing everyone his capabilities but I think Team Sweden is already set with defensemen so I don't see much hope for Oduya.

The rest of the Devils roster should be home during the break getting ready for the final push of the season.