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.

I couldn't have asked for anything more from the New Jersey Devils last night. Congratulations to Marty Brodeur for tying the legendary Terru Sawchuk for career shutouts but we will get to that. First, some thoughts about the game.

The Devils put on a clinic last night. You want to know how to win hockey games, look at last nights performance and that is how you win hockey games. They were able to sustain consistent pressure, rolled all for lines quickly and effectively. Shift after shift they just took it to the Sabres and from the word go, they put their foot on the gas and didn't stop until the final horn sounded.

From the Sabres perspective, I think they have to be thankful that they didn't get blown out of the building. Ryan Miller did a good job keeping the Sabres in the game as it could have easily got out of hand quickly in the second period.

It's a rare thing when I feel I can go through the stat sheet and feel that everyone had a good game. Parise had 7 shots and an assist, Zajac had 4 shots and a goal, Rolston scored his 10th of the season, Elias did a decent job on the faceoff and the list just goes on and on. When the team plays this well, you can overlook the few things the Devils did wrong, like the penalty Rolston took while the Devils were up a man. Overall, this might be the most satisfying feeling about the Devils I've had this season because I fel Buffalo is a very deep and talented team and the Devils just took it to them.

Marty didn't have to do anything special in net tonight. There were no huge, momentum swinging saves or highlight reel kind of saves but he did the little things perfectly. He controlled the rebounds to places where his teammates could clear or move the puck up ice and he was solid with his stick and his positioning all night. Early in the second when the Devils were taking it to the Sabres and Buffalo was having a hard time getting shots on net, I thought that maybe this was the night he would tie the record. After the game, I sat on my couch and wonder how people view Marty as anything but what he is, the greatest goalie of our lives. We may never see a player achieve the things that he is doing ever again. 4 Vezinas, 3 Cups, well over 552 wins, as of right now 103 shutouts, the most minutes every played by a goalie in the history of the league, I ask those Marty haters out there, what more do you expect? What more will it take to admit how great he is? I'll admit, I get down on Marty sometimes because he makes mistakes out there but I will also be the first to admit that we will see few players like him in our lives. Congratulations Marty on tying a record few people ever saw as a breakable record.

Now I am going to get on my soapbox for a minute (no the Marty rant wasn't a soapbox kind of moment). Directv, Comcast and the NHL need to work something out. I'm not a Directv subscriber but many people did not get the game last night because it was televised on Versus and as many of you know, Directv doesn't not carry Versus because of a disagreement with Comcast (who owns Versus) over cost. It's sad for me to think of Devils fans out there (or Hockey fans in general) who don't get to witness record tying or record breaking moments because there are companies out there who can find a solutions that offers their viewers the oppurtunities to see these moments. The NHL has done a terrible job handling this and I really hope that Betteman takes his head out of his ass soon and helps Directv and Comcast rectify this situation.

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (19-7-1) @ the Buffalo Sabres (16-8-2). This is the second meeting of the season.

The Last Devils Game: With the celebration of the 1995 Stanley Cup team, the Devils came out of the gate with emotions high. The problem was that the emotional lift didn't carry them through the entire game and the Devils watched a 2 goal lead evaporate. In the end, shootout goals from Parise and Elias sealed the deal.

The Last Sabres Game: The Rangers held Buffalo scoreless until late in the game and were able to beat the Sabres 2-1. It was one of those game where the opposing team's goalie steals the show and gets the victory for his team.

The Last Sabres/Devils Game: Buffalo got out to a lead quickly and they never looked back. They took it to the Devils 4-1 but this was during the streak in which the Devils were unable to put together a decent effort in their own building.

Tonight's Matchup: The Devils are starting to slip back into the team we saw under Brent Sutter, the team that seems to sit back a little on a lead and then play too much defense in order to get the win. Sometimes it works and sometimes, like Saturday the opposition finds a way to erase that lead. The Devils MUST hit the gas at all times. The Sabres are not a team that you can sit back on, at any point in time.

I'd like to see a little more from the top 6 forwards. I don't feel like they are putting enough shots on the opposing goalie, 74 shots in the last 3 games. I thought the first period agasint Detroit was excellent but it dropped off after that. In a game against a deep team like Buffalo, I'd like to see that first period from Saturday executed all night long.

Prediction Time: Sabres will want to bounce back from the Rangers loss and the Devils probably feel a little too content about themselves at the moment after winning 2 in a row. Sabres 3 - Devils 1.

The Devils get back at it tonight when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning. To say the Devils looked horrid in their last game would be generous.

The Matchup - The New Jersey Devils (17-7-1) vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning (10-8-8). This is the third meeting of the season and the Devils won both of the previous games were won in shootouts.

The Last Devils Game- I was afraid that the Devils would give the Canucks far too many opportunities to put the puck in the back of the net and that they did. The Devils got in a huge hole early, started to make a game of it and then got the door slammed in their face in the third.

The Last Lightning Game- Tampa Bay went up to Boston and got massacred 4-1. The reviews of that game were quite similar to the review of the Canuck/Devils game.

Tonight's Matchup- Both The Devils and the Lightning are going to be looking to make a statement in this game. Both teams are coming of very bad losses and need to bounce back. The Devils can make their fans feel much better about losing to the Canucks in the fashion that they did if they stick it to the Lightning tonight. Tampa Bay has one of the worst PK's in the league and the Devils must have huge success with the penalties they draw.

I know I personally won't be happy with another shootout win. Tampa Bay is a team that is playing much better this season than I thought they would be but they don't play consistently enough for me to call a playoff calibre team. To me, this is a team that should take a beating. The last thing I want to do is limp into a matchup with the Red Wings tomorrow night.

For thoughts on the Lightning Point of view for this game, visit our friends at The Hockey Bay.

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (17-6-1) vs. the Vancouver Canucks (14-12-0), first meeting of the season.

The Devils Last Game: The biggest win of the season so far, a 6-1 blowout of the divison rival Islanders and the 3rd straight victory for the Devils.

The Canucks Last Game: The league leading Sharks took care of the Canucks 4-2, who didn't put up much of a fight.

Thoughts on this game: Vancouver is the owner of the third best powerplay in the league so it's a no brainer that staying out of the box is an absolute must tonight. We saw what Dallas did with a few to many PP oppurtunities a few games ago. The Devils hope to see Neidermayer and Pandolfo return to the lineup tonight but will be a game time decision. Langenbrunner hurt himself in practice and we're aren't sure on the health of him at the moment.

If you go through the numbers and take the Sharks game out of the equation, I think the Canucks are a very solid team, at least on paper. Their record would contradict that statement but I know they got off to a rough start this season.

My prediction is not a good one for nj.. 3-2 Canucks.

Thanksgiving weekend is usually a weekend reserved for a parade, some turkey and some pigskin but how about those Devils. They beat the Senators the night before Thanksgiving, took care of the Bruins in a shootout on Friday and destroyed the Islanders on Saturday. That makes for a very good holiday weekend. With the 6 points earned in three games played last week, the Devils trail the Penguins by 1 point for the division lead.

Reports out today that Pandolfo and Niedermayer were skating in this morning's practice and may crack the lineup some time this week. Oduya is rumored to be joining the Devils practices tomorrow so his return may be right arount the corner.

Now the bad news on the injury front, David Clarkson will be missing the next 4-6 weeks with a non-displaced fracture about the ankle. Clarkson brings grit and toughness to a team that I don't think is all that tough at times so his place in the lineup is sure to be missed. Add his toughness and Zubrus' size to things missing in the lineup and I sit here and wonder when the injuries will catch up with the Devils.

Devils play Vancouver on Wednesday night and then Tampa Bay and Detroit on back to back nights starting on Friday. The game against Detroit on Saturday will celebrate the 1995 Stanley Cup Champion team like they did the 2003 team a few weeks ago when the Ducks cam to town.

And finally, congratulations to Marty Brodeur who welcomed a new addition to his family last week AND set the record for most minutes played by a goalie passing the great Patick Roy last weekend.

Hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend but now it's back to our regularly schedule programming here at RWTD.

We've come up with a contest for our readers and we are calling it the "Hat Trick" Contest.

To Play: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with the name of the Devils player you think will score a hat trick and the game you think that it will happen. Guess right and receive a $50 gift card to shop.nhl.com. You can find the Devils schedule here.

The Rules Are:

• Only 3 entries per person will be accepted (you can't guess Parise every game for the remainder of the year).
• Entries must be receieved by the drop of the puck of the first period of the game that is being entered as a guess. (No guessing Elias in a game that's in progress when he's going into the third already having scored two goals).
• Only one winner per Devils hat trick per game. If 5 people have guessed the game correctly, then a winner of the gift card will be chosen randomly. If there are 2 Devils who score hat tricks in the same night, then 2 gift cards may be handed out, etc.

It's that simple so send in your entry's today.

It's rare that the New Jersey Devils are home at Thanksgiving but they play 10 of the next 12 games at the Rock, starting with the Ottawa Senators tonight.

The New Jersey Devils (14-6-1) vs. the Ottawa Senators (12-6-3). This is the second meeting of the season.

The Devils Last Game: It was a crazy game, getting down early to the Stars, battling back to tie the game at 3 only to watch the Stars score 2 more times to secure the 5-3 victory. Devils have 1 point in their last 3 games and need to get back to winning.

The Senators Last Game: The Senators battled back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game in regulation and then beat the Capitals in OT. (How many time has that happened to Washington this season??) The Sens have been a surprise to me this season and are now sitting on top of the Northeast Division.

The Last Devils / Senators Game: The Devils rallied from a two-goal deficit for a 3-2 victory in Ottawa on Nov. 7, as Zach Parise and David Clarkson each notched a goal and an assist while defenseman Andy Greene scored the game-winner on a power-play goal 7:20 into the third period. Martin Brodeur made 19 saves in his 1,000th NHL start to notch the victory.

Tonight's Matchup: The Devils have been on a small little slump with 1 point in 3 games and the Senators have been hot with a 4 game winning streak. The Sens did have a little bit of bad luck come their way the other night while #1 goalie Pascal Leclaire got the night off in Washington, a puck entered the bench and hit Leclaire in the cheek breaking the cheekbone. The Senators will be without their #1 goal for 4 weeks.

I thought the Devils were un-focused in Dallas. They got the lead early, let Dallas right back into the game and then took a few bad penalties and watched their penalty killers struggle. They did a decent job coming back and making a game out of it but then let Dallas slam the door shut.

The Devils will dress 7 defenseman again tonight, as they did in Dallas but Tyler Eckford will be the defensman that plays up on the wing tonight and on the point during the power play. Corrente will get to stay on defense tonight.

The Devils had a nice streak going and now they've gotten away from it. Time to right the ship and the Senators are the right team to do it against.

For Ottawa Coverage, check out Blogiun's Ottawa Blogs at http://www.the6thsens.com/ and http://www.fiveforsmiting.com/

 My prediction: Devils 4 - Senators 2

I don't get to do this very often because getting to the TV for the drop of the puck at 7pm is impossible but since this game is in Dallas and kicking off at 8pm NJ time, I figured this was the best time to do... so as they play, come chat with us here....

Dainius Zubrus suffered a hairline fracture of the patella (kneecap) on is right leg and will miss four to six weeks. Zubrus was injured when he blocked a shot from Nashville defenseman Kevin Klein 1:04 into the second period of Thursday night’s game. The force of the shot was so great that it broke Zubrus’ shin guard. This is a big loss for the Devils because you don't easily replace a big physical center like Zubrus.