The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (32-14-1) vs. the Florida Panthers (21-20-8). This is the 3rd meeting of the season.

The Last Devils Game: A few words to describe it would be, awful, atrocious, horrendous, shocking and unpleasant. The Islanders gave the Devils an old fashioned beat down the other night (afternoon) running away with the victory 4-0.

The Last Panthers Game: The played the Atlanta Thrashers in a pivotal matchup to try and climb their way back into playoff position. Neither team is known for defense or shutouts but that is exactly what the Pathers did to the Thrashers, shut them out 1-0.

The Last Devils-Panthers Game: Florida came into The Rock and caught the Devils by surprise, or at least caught me by surprised. The basically pushed the Devils around and skated away with a 4-2 victory, getting their first 3 goals within 24 minutes of the game.

Tonight's Matchup: Survive!! That should be the motto for the first period. As bad as that sounds, the Devils need to survive the first period and not get into another 2 goal hole that the seem to love doing lately. The need to just get back to the basics, get some better passing and breakouts going and maybe doing that will lead to sustaining some type of offensive pressure which will lead to quality chances at getting pucks in the net. The bottom line is whatever the game plan was on Monday, THROW IT OUT AND TRY AGAIN!! The Panthers shouldn't be overlooked because they're on a nice 3 game winning streak right now and 5-4-1 in their last 10.

As reported yesterday, Patrik Elias has been diagnosed with concussion symptoms, which apparently is different that having an actual concussion, but has been put on IR so he will sit out at least until at least next Tuesday. His absence in the lineup isn't a minor issue but at the same time, it's not going to mean a guarenteed losing streak. The Devils also called up two wingers despite having having Andrew Peters and Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond as healthy scratches, which makes me wonder why we have them.

I can only guess at the lineups at this point.

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (30-10-1) vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning (16-16-10)

Season Series: The Devils have won all three previous meetings this seasons. The Devils won the two meetings in Tampa Bay utilizing the shootout and beat TB at home on Dec. 4th when Jamie Langenbrunner broke a 2-2 tie with 38.1 seconds left. The Devils have not lost a season series to Tampa Bay since 2006-07.

The Last Devils Game: Hard to find anything negative to say about it. The Devils came out of the game and really gave it to the Stars and kept it going through the 2nd and 3rd periods and Marty rolled to his 106th shutout.

The Last Lightning Game: The Lightning were on a roll and then Buffalo got 3 goals in the first 2:11 of game and outlasted the Lightning 5-3.

The Last Devils / Lighthing Game: As I mentioned above, the Lightning and Devils looked to be headed to an extra frame again until Jamie Langenbrunner tipped an Andy Greene shot from the point with 38.1 seconds remaining.

Tonight's Matchup: I give part of the credit to the success against the Stars to the pregame festivities. I think having the Stanley Cup in the building and celebrating a championship certainly makes a team hungry for wanting another, especially the guys that weren't here for one.

I'd like to see Marty get a rest tonight as he's had to do some work in the last 4 games and could probably benefit from a night off and the Lightning have a few guys that can be scary at times, which is a good workout for Denis.

There's no reason the Devils can't sweep the season series with the Lightning tonight as long as the continue the same work ethic they had against the Stars. I'm sure having lost the 3 previous meetings with the Devils is playing in the Lightning's head as well.

Prediction: Won't be a shutout and based on the previous three games, it will be a close one. Devils win 4-2 with an empty net goal.

For a view of this game from the Lightning's aspect, visit our friends over at The Hockey Bay Blog

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (29-10-1) vs. the Dallas Stars (18-12-11). This is the second meeting of the season.

The Last Devils Game: Defensively speaking, the Devils could have played much  better but thanks to Elias, McAmmond and Langenbrunner's first Hat Trick, the Devils defeated the Wild 5-3

The Last Stars Game: They just couldn't seem to get anything going against the Canucks. Everything the Stars tried to do, the Canucks had an answer. The bright Star at the moment is Loui Eriksson, who netted his fifth goal in a three game span.

The Last Devils / Stars Game: It wasn't a very good game from the Devils point of view. Yann Denis got the start and quickly got the hook after 3 quick goals in the first by Dallas. NJ was able to regroup and tie the game at 3 but the Stars came out in the 3rd and pounded NJ for 2 more to give them a 5-3 win.

Tonight's Matchup: Better passing tonight would be a good place to start and maybe hanging on to the puck a little more instead of trying to move the puck too much. I thought NJ was trying to force too much against the Wild the other night. The Devils will also need to do a better job on the other side of the puck as the defense wasn't very solid the other night against the Wild and the Stars are far more talented with the puck than the Wild. I don’t think that it’s a coincidence that in games Salvador has missed, the defense has looked worse and GAA has gone up.

Clarkson and Salvador will miss tonights game. It will be the fourth game in a row that Salvador has missed because of a lower-body injury—believed to be his right ankle. Clarkson will miss his third consecutive game after re-injuring his right leg on Wednesday night against Pittsburgh.

Tonight's game marks the halfway point in the Devils season (hard to believe) and the Devils have certainly gone above and beyond expectations this season but they can't start to fall apart now.

The Devils will also be celebrating the 2000 Stanley Cup tonight at The Rock. Later today I will be posting a piece about that great run in the Spring of 2000. Cole from The Other 6 Seconds will be sharing his thoughts from the Stars side of things as well, so I do hope you check back.

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (25-8-1) at the Pittsburgh Penguins (25-10-1). This is the third meeting of the season, the third time in Pittsburgh this season and the Devils have won the first two games 4-1 each time.

The Last Devils Game: It started badly as the Thrashers got up 3-1 in the first. Marty was told to have a seat and Denis took over and the Devils hade a 4-3 lead after two and eventually hung on to win 5-4.

The Last Penguins Game: The Penguins continued their winning streak and took care of the Sabres in a shootout 2-1. It was the Pens 5th in a row.

The Last Penguins / Devils Game: The Penguins struck first and the Devils looked pretty terrible the first half of the game. Bergfors would put the equalizer in and the Devils wouldn't look back after that as they completely picked apart the Penguins team in the second half of the game.

Tonight's Matchup: It's sort of a Battle Royal really. In the last 10 games, New Jersey is 8-2-0 and Pittsburgh is 8-1-1. The Penguins and the Devils are tied for the League lead in points (51) and wins (25) but the difference in my eyes is that everyone expected this from Pittsburgh this season.

Usually I am complaining that the Devils showed up in the first period and then the effort slowly got less and less during the second and third but Saturdays game was the opposite. NJ looked flat in the first and then got it going in the second and third.

I'm sure Pittsburgh is focused on the fact that NJ has come into their building twice this year and had their way with them. Pittsburgh seems like a much healthier team this time around so look for them to be out to make a statement tonight.

I thought Brodeur needed a rest going into the weekend and he got a little bit of that on Saturday night as he took a seat after the first period, I just hope it was enough. The Devils Defense has to be better than it was on Saturday night because that first period was about as bad as it gets. A few line shuffles and they settled down a bit but I thought they could do better. The have to know the Pens offense struggled in the last game and will be looking to have a solid game tonight.

These are the games we love, the important (yes, even in December) games where the Division is on the line.

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!!

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

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.

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.

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.