With only eleven games remaining in the regular season, the New Jersey Devils are on the outside looking in. Jersey's Team dropped out of the top eight on Thursday night after their fifth consecutive loss, a 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Boston Bruins. With a win tonight, combined with a Rangers and/or Islanders loss, the Devils could be back in the playoff picture.

The Devils will match-up against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Prudential Center at 7:00. New Jersey played a dominant game in Boston on Thursday night, but couldn't escape with two points. Jersey fired a whopping 40 shots on goal in the 1-0 loss, but Bruins' goalie Tuukka Rask got them all. Jaromir Jagr scored a garbage goal in his debut with the Bruins; the puck took a bounce of Jagr's skate (as he interfered with Bryce Salvador) and past Marty Brodeur. If the Devils can play the way they did in Boston two nights ago, they will be in good shape.

The Maple Leafs are coming off a 5-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers--who are all of a sudden in the hunt for a playoff spot. Toronto currently holds the fifth seed in the east (20-13-4) and would drop to sixth with a loss tonight. In the only previous meeting between these two teams this year, the Maple Leafs pulled out a 4-2 victory. That game came during the Devils' six-game losing streak in which Johan Hedberg played in place of the injured Martin Brodeur.

Ilya Kovalchuk has been making "great strides" in the rehab of his injured shoulder, but will not be back in the line-up just yet. Devils' coach Pete DeBoer said that he expects Kovalchuk to be back for more than "the last couple of games." This is extremely good news for Devils fans; the push for a playoff spot will become just a little easier when Jersey's best player is on the ice.

Photo by Frank Gunn/Canadien Press.

Joffrey Lupul will not play tonight for the Toronto Maple Leafs after taking a shot to the head on Thursday night against the Flyers. Lupul, who broke his arm in January and missed an extended period of time, did not make the trip to New Jersey with the team.

Steve Sullivan will make his return to the New Jersey Devils tonight; Sullivan, who was acquired from the Phoenix Coyotes on Wednesday, will be paired with Patrik Elias and Andrei Loktionov on the Devils' first line. With Sullivan in the line-up, the Devils appear to have four lines that are occupied by NHL-caliber players.

The lines for tonight are as follows:

Forwards: Elias-Loktionov-Sullivan; Zubrus-Zajac-Clarkson; Ponikarovsky-Henrique-D'Agostini; Carter-Gionta-Bernier
Defensemen: Salvador-Zidlicky; Greene-Fayne; Tallinder-Harrold
Goaltender: Brodeur
Scratches: Volchenkov, Larsson, Kostopoulos, Josefson, Barch

Make sure to check back for your post-game recap, brought to you by Raj Vaidya. Follow us on twitter and "like" us on facebook for the latest news, reaction, and analysis to everything New Jersey Devils! The rest of our writing staff (Scott, Joey, and Mike) can be found on twitter, as well.
 

Running With The Devils will return from its brief hiatus this evening as Jersey's Team battles the Boston Bruins. Previews and recaps were not available for the last two games due to personal issues with the writing staff, but things are back to normal tonight.

Content Writer Raj Vaidya is back on board after a brief absence from the blog. Raj will cover tonight's full game recap; Raj provides a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the blog and it is exciting to have him back.

Our facebook and twitter accounts will be more active than ever now, so be sure to follow and "like" us.

The New Jersey Devils have a tough game ahead of them tonight against the Boston Bruins. With only 12 games to go, every point is bigger than ever; Jersey is going to have to start winning on a consistent basis if they want to make the playoffs.

The Devils currently occupy the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. Their record of 15-12-9 is not exactly what fans had in mind at this point in the season, but it is good enough--for now. New Jersey is in control of their own fate: continue to win, and they're in. One or two more losses might throw them off that track, so tonight's game is a great place to start winning.

The Bruins occupy the fourth seed in the east with a 23-8-4 record. They are just one point behind the division-leading Montreal Canadiens, who play Winnipeg tonight. A lot is at stake here for the Bruins, so they will be playing hard. Boston has not lost to New Jersey in the last five meetings between the two teams.

Both teams made acquisitions before the trade deadline yesterday. New Jersey acquired winger Steve Sullivan from the Phoenix Coyotes for a future seventh-round pick. Sullivan is on his way to New Jersey for a physical and will not play against Boston tonight. The Bruins added Jaromir Jagr (Dallas), Wade Redden (St. Louis), and Kaspars Daugavins (Ottawa). With new offensive threats, the Bruins will be a dangerous team as we head into the home stretch.

Photo by Charles Krupa/AP

Over their last ten games, the Devils are 3-3-4. The Bruins are 5-4-1. Tonight will be a good match-up. If all goes well, Raj will be recapping a win in his return to Running With The Devils.

Puck drop is set for 7:00. Be sure to follow Scott, Joey, Mike, and Raj on twitter for their latest reaction and analysis to everything New Jersey Devils.

The New Jersey Devils will face-off against the Ottawa Senators on Monday evening at Scotiabank Place. Puck drop is set for 7:30 PM. The Devils (15-11-6) are hoping to jump ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the east; a Jersey win and Toronto regulation loss would make that possible. The Senators (17-9-6) sit at fifth in the east and will remain there regardless of tonight's outcome.

The Devils are coming off their second straight victory, a 2-1 win over the Florida Panthers on Saturday night. Unfortunately, Jersey's Team lost its best player to injury during that win. Ilya Kovalchuk has been sidelined for a couple of weeks after crashing hard into the boards in the third period on Saturday. Kovy suffered a shoulder injury, which will not require surgery, and left the game without returning. Harri Pesonen has been recalled from the Albany Devils to fill Kovalchuk's roster spot.

The Senators are riding the momentum from an impressive win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night. Ottawa opened up a four-goal lead before the first twenty minutes expired and did not look back. Tampa forward Tyler Johnson led the comeback in the third period, tallying two goals, but the Sens held on for the win.

Photo by William Perlman/The Star-Ledger.

Over their last ten games, the Devils are 5-4-1. The Senators are 5-2-3.

The last meeting between these two teams came on February 18. Stephen Gionta put the Devils ahead early in the first period, but Ottawa tied the game in the third and later won in a shootout.

Both teams are looking to improve upon their record and create separation between themselves and lower-seeded teams heading into the home stretch. With only sixteen games remaining for both clubs, each point is big. Expect a hard-fought, physical battle between the Sens and Devils tonight.

The Devils and Senators are both battling some tough injuries. Jersey will be without Alexei Ponikarovsky tonight after he was placed on the injured-reserve list, retroactive to March 19. Ottawa will be without Jason Spezza, Erik Karlsson Craig Anderson, and Milan Michalek (who was also placed on IR).

My projected outcome has the Devils winning this one, 3-1. Martin Brodeur will have another superb night; Henrique, Clarkson, and D'Agostini will chip in with goals.

For all of your latest Devils news, reaction, and analysis, be sure to follow us on twitter. You can also like us on facebook. Be sure to follow our staff writers (Scott, Joey, and Mike) on twitter, as well.

Go Devils!

The New Jersey Devils will square up against the Florida Panthers today in Newark, New Jersey, at the Prudential Center. This is the first meeting of the season between the two teams. The Devils (14-11-6) are looking to move up from their seven-spot in the east. A Devils win combined with a Toronto Maple Leafs regulation loss will push the Devils to sixth in their conference. The Panthers (9-16-6) will be stuck in last place in the east regardless of today's outcome.

The Devils are coming off an impressive win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday evening. Martin Brodeur was stellar in his return to the crease, stopping 17 of 18 shots and even adding a goal of his own. The Devils are 4-5-1 over their last ten; with the home ice advantage and some momentum, Jersey's Team is in a good position to win this contest.

The Panthers are injury-plagued, but still managed to defeat the New York Rangers on the road on Thursday evening. Goalie Jacob Markstrom was the first star of the game, as he stopped 44 of 45 shots. Florida is 3-6-1 over their previous ten games; don't underestimate these fiesty Panthers--they can give the Devils a run for their money.

The last meeting between these two teams came on April 26, 2012, in a decisive Game 7 in the first round of the playoffs. Adam Henrique scored the series-clinching goal in double-overtime to send Jersey's Team to a 3-2 victory and to the next round of the post-season. The Devils were heavily favored in that series, but Florida put up a good fight. Expect more of the same tonight.

Photo by Associated Press/Julio Cortez.

Matt D'Agostini will make his debut with New Jersey tonight after having been acquired from the St. Louis Blues for a conditional draft pick on Friday. D'Agostini has 1 goal and 1 assist on the season, but is a solid fourth liner. Hopefully, he can be useful tonight.

The season is winding down, with only 17 games left to play. Each game is more and more important for the Devils, especially if they have any dreams of catching the first-place Pittsburgh Penguins. Dainius Zubrus is inching closer to a return to the line-up each day and will be a big part of this team's success going into the playoffs.

Both teams are dealing with some injuries tonight. Devils' forward Alexei Ponikarovsky is questionable; Dainius Zubrus (wrist) and Henrik Tallinder (lower body) are out. Panthers' forward George Parros (upper body) is day-to-day. Goalie Jose Theodore (groin), defensemen Michael Caruso (wrist), Mike Weaver (lower body) and Dmitry Kulikov (wrist) and forwards Stephen Weiss (wrist) and Kris Versteeg (knee) are on injured reserve.

Devils Army, it is your job to ROCK the ROCK tonight! Puck drop is set for 7:00.

For your latest Devils news, reaction, analysis, and more, be sure to follow us on twitter and "like" us on facebook. You can also follow the Running With The Devils staff on twitter: Scott, Joey, and Mike.

Carolina Hurricanes (6-4-1) @ New Jersey Devils (8-1-3)

This is Carolina’s first trip to the rock this season. The Canes are 6-3-1 in their last 10 and 4-2-1 on the road. Carolina is currently sitting in 1^st place in the Southeast Division and in 3^rd place overall in the Eastern Conference

The Devils Last Game

They rolled into Pittsburgh and behind Clarkson’s two goal night and another from Ilya Kovalchuk, the Devils completed a weekend sweep of the Penguins. You can read Scott’s recap on that game right here.

The Hurricanes Last Game

They traveled to Long Island last night to take on the Islanders which turned out to be a very high scoring affair. Carolina, who battled back a number of times in this game was able to grab the lead at 4-3 in the third and hang on for a 6-4 victory.

Tonight’s Game

The Canes have speed and talent. The Staal brothers, Jeff Skinner, Alex Semin and as of very recently, Jiri Tlusty are guys that can give you problems. The Devils will need to play disciplined hockey, stay out of the box and stick to the PDB system and I think we can stop the Canes top guys and get pucks into their net. Too many chances on the PP might be a deadly scenario for us tonight, despite our recent PK success.

The Penguins were successful at clogging the middle of the ice on Saturday afternoon but then got away from that on Sunday night which allowed David Clarkson to get back to doing his thing, which apparently is pumping pucks into the net on a nightly basis. I would expect that the Canes saw that on tape and will take that approach tonight.

NJ’s Possible Line Combinations

LW	C	RW

Zubrus will be scratched again tonight and Tallinder looks to be a healthy scratch again.

Guys I Will Be Watching Tonight

For Carolina – Jiri Tlusty has 3 goals and 2 assists in his last 2 games and points in four of his last five. Jussi Jokinen is having the best season but he ALWAYS seems to be a pest when the Canes and Devils get together.

For NJ – Of course we have to keep our eye on Clarkson. The guy is having a tremendous season and you have to hope it can continue, no matter what that means come July. Elias just keeps piling up the assist numbers and while I’d like to see more goals, assists are important as well. And finally, Adam Larsson who is coming off arguably his best game of the season.

Catch us on Twitter during the game (@RWTDBlog, @shetldar27 and @RealScottRobb) and come back after the game for our recap.

Tampa Bay Lightning (6-3-0) @ New Jersey Devils (5-1-3)

This is the first meeting between the two teams this season.  The Devils took 3 of the 4 meetings between the two teams last season.

The big news of the day is that Zubrus will be a scratch tonight, dealing with what’s being called an “Upper Body” injury and Stephan Matteau will suit up for his 6^th game meaning that his entry-level contract will now kick in. It has been widely publicized that this is no way guaranteeing that he will stick around just that we are now using year 1 for him.

The Devils Last Game – Beat the Rangers 3-1 thanks to Marty and Clarkson.

The Last Lighning Game – Lost in Philly and in my opinion Vinny L made a HUGE mistake getting into a fight down a goal with only 8 mins remaining. The Lightning are paying him to be on the ice, not in the box.

Tonight’s Game – This game will tell us a lot about the Lightning. They are on their first losing streak of the season and a win tonight could help prove that they are a top team. Lose tonight and they will most likely start to feel the pressure of a 3 game losing streak. Are these guys for real of just a team that had a better start than last season?

Game plan is easy for NJ if they watched the tape from the TB/Philly game. The reason why Philly won was their intense forecheck, both 5 on 5 and when Tampa was on the PP. Tampa has some dangerous weapons but we have the guys to shut those down.

I would really approach this game the same way we did the Rangers. Forecheck, bang some bodies around and get traffic in front.

Here are the possible line combinations for the Devils:

Forwards

Stefan Matteau - Travis Zajac - Ilya Kovalchuk

Patrik Elias - Adam Henrique - David Clarkson

Ryan Carter - Stephen Gionta - Steve Bernier

Krys Barch - Jacob Josefson - Bobby Butler

Defense

Bryce Salvador - Mark Fayne

Anton Volchenkov - Marek Zidlicky

Andy Greene - Adam Larsson

Goalies

Martin Brodeur

Johan Hedberg

New York Rangers (4-4-) @ New Jersey Devils (4-1-3)

The Rangers return to the Prudential Center for the first time since the words “THEY SCORE!!!...Henrique…IT’S OVER!!!!” was so gloriously shouted by Mike “Doc” Emrick.

The Devils Last Game – Give them credit for what they did on Sunday afternoon in Long Island. Coming off a game against the Islanders that was very back and forth, followed up by a shellacking by the Penguins, I wasn’t sure where this team stood. Shortened season = compressed schedule = no time to practice and fix things had me worried about Sunday. They did an excellent fighting through a scoreless 55+ minutes.

The Last Rangers Game – There were a lot of questions going into their matchup with the Lightning but I thought the Rangers did a great job against a fast and high powered team like the Lightning.

The Last Rangers/Devils Game – This is all you need to know and I’ll take ANY excuse to post it again.

Tonight’s Game – No matter where it is in the season, what place the teams are in or anything else really, a Devils and Rangers game ALWAYS gets me hopped up.

The game plan for tonight should be very similar to the game we had for Sunday’s matchup with the Islanders.

This is the first time that we get to see the Rangers line of Nash/Gaborik/Richards that everyone has been talking about.  We will certainly have to have one of our best defensive efforts because that line is incredibly expensive talented but we can’t overlook the Rangers second line (much like the Islanders top two lines).

The Rangers defense is a little more talented than the Islanders D but it is extremely important to put shots on net. Surprisingly the Rangers averaging 30.5 shots against per 60 minutes which, for a team so committed to shot blocking a season ago seems VERY high. This would suggest the Devils will get a decent amount of pucks to the net.

When the Devils get the man advantage, it would be best to fire as many pucks on net as possible. The PK seems to be Lundqvist’s weak spot this season. He has a 92.3% save percentage at even strength but a disappointing 82.1% save percentage on the PK. Same can be said about Marty (91.1% and 84.6% in the same categories) so our PK will need to step up just as much as theirs.

Win or lose, tonight will be a good indication of how our team is doing. The Devils are in a tough run right now, playing lots of tough teams. If the Devils win, it keeps the Rangers down in the standings for a bit longer and a sign that this team can compete with teams that have quite a bit of talent, something we all questioned Saturday night. A lose, well if that happens, I am sure we will all have questions that need to be answered.

Follow us on Twitter during the game and come back after the game as we recap the action and hopefully the win!!

New York Islanders (3-2-1) at New Jersey Devils (3-0-2)

This is the second time we get to see the Islanders this season but the first time at home. The Devils are 2-0 at home this season.

The Last Devils Game – The Devils did OK the other night in Boston. Boston is a tough team. They are pretty deep team full of guys that love to just grind it out. Moose kept us in the game but when you spend a lot of time trying to clear the puck out of your end, eventually something is going to find twine. And it did, late in the 3^rd.  The Devils did manage a point but lost the 2^nd point in a shootout, which we looked terrible at.

The Last Islanders Game – They shocked the world, or at least according to NHL.com. The rolled over the Penguins 4-0 and looked damn impressive doing so. Let’s hope that team doesn’t show up tonight.

The Last Islanders/Devils Game – Opening night, the Devils took care of business in the Islanders arena. Zajac scored on a beautiful feed from Kovalchuk to open the scoring. The Islanders did tie the game but immediately David Clarkson banged home his first of the year to give NJ the 2-1 win. The Devils defense played an amazing game that night.

Tonight’s Game – Let’s start with the good news. Cam Janssen cleared waivers and is on his way to Albany. Mark Fayne and Stephan Matteau will be watching this game from above this evening, which means the Devils will see 2 new skaters on the ice tonight. Adam Henrique and Adam Larsson will dress for NJ tonight.

Hopefully Henrique can spark the scoring tonight because the Devils have had their issues when it comes to scoring. Larsson has to be a better option than Fayne so I am definitely excited for The Adam and Adam show tonight.

Don’t mistake the Islanders for some great team because of their thrashing of the Penguins the other night because the Islanders are just an average team. True, their top line is pretty good and the Devils main focus needs to be John Tavares, Matt Moulson, and Kyle Okposo. Keeping them quiet should be as easy as winning the possession battle, something the Islanders don’t really do well at.

The Islander have also given up a lot of shots this season, it’s just that Nabakov has been up to the task of keeping pucks out of the net. Let’s make tonight the night he isn’t. Get traffic in front and shoot, shoot, SHOOT the puck.

The Islanders are a tougher opponent than they were opening night only because we are a week and half into the season which has given them time to find some chemistry together, something they failed to do in a short training camp.

New Jersey Devils (3-0-1) @ Boston Bruins (4-0-1)

The Devils visit the TD Bank Garden tonight as the Devils and Bruins, the last two Eastern Conference teams without a regulation loss square off.

Let’s not beat around the bush. This is not an easy game the Devils are facing tonight. By making that statement, I am not taking away from what the Devils have accomplished so far this season. Much like the Bruins, the Devils have picked up a point in each of their games played this season but Boston is probably the best team we’ve seen so far in this short season. The defense has been good, their goaltending has been up to the task and they’ve been pumping pucks into the opposition’s goal. Boston is the only team left in the NHL to be perfect on their Penatly Kill, having killed off all 23 opportunities handed to the opposition.

The Bruins have won four in a row and eight of the past nine games against New Jersey. They've also put together a four-game home winning streak during that stretch. This the first of three meetings this season.

The Devils Last Game: They got off to another slow start and found themselves in a 2-0 hole before Elias redirected a puck in the net to cut the deficit in half. In the third, Montreal got that goal back for a 3-1 lead but the Devils didn’t give up and got a PP goal from Clarkson and then a goal from Zubrus to even the score at 3. A bad call in the OT period game the Habs a PP which they put home and skated away with a 4-3 OT win.

The Bruins Last Game: They quickly jumped out to a 2-0 lead last night in Carolina. The found themselves up 3-1 in the second before they gave up 2 quick goals before the end of the period. Krejci scored with 1:50 left in the 3^rd and Seguin put home an empty netter to seal the victory. Even though the score was close, the game really wasn’t and the Bruins controlled most of the play.

Tonight’s Game: We haven’t been getting off to very good starts and at 3-0-1, that hasn’t really hurt us with maybe the Montreal game being the exception. Boston is a tough team to battle back against so a good start is an important key tonight.

Boston is perfect on the PK so I don’t have a lot of hope with our PP tonight. Of course, 1 PP goal against a team not used to giving them up can make a PK unit crumble.

Patrick Elias has the hot hand as he has 2 goals and 3 assists over the last 2 games. David Clarkson and Ilya Kovalcuk have points in every game this season, so I would expect Boston to concentrate on those three tonight.

Johan Hedburg gets the call tonight, which is probably a good thing because the Bruins have beat Martin Brodeur in his last three outings in Boston posting a 3.29 goals-against average.

Tonight’s Lines: Tedenby was sent to Albany and Anderson, not Butler was called up. Looks like Janssen will sit tonight as will Larsson. Looks like Matteau will get another shot on the top line in what will be his 5^th game this season. Many wondering if this will be Matteau’s last game as the Devils must make a decision on him prior to Thursday’s game.

Sorry kid... your Bruins actually winning something is SOOOO 2011.

Chat with us during the game via Twitter and come back after the game for our recap. The Devils play a lot of hockey in the next 6 days so let’s hope we get a good start tonight.

Washington Capitals (0-3-0) @ New Jersey Devils (2-0-0)

This is the second home game of the season for the Devils and the first time we will be meeting the Washington Capitals at the rock this season. Adam Oates, former Devils assistant coach took the head coaching job vacated by Dale Hunter last summer.

The Last Devils Game: The other night, the Devils took on the Flyers at home. The Devils quickly got out to a 1-0 lead on Zajac’s second of the season before the Flyers seemed to settle down and control the flow of the game. Marty had all the answers though and Clarkson scored his second of the season near the end of the 1^st. After Kovalchuk put home a penalty shot to extend the lead to 3, the Flyers lost composure and eventually the game as Marty recorded his 120^th career shutout.

The Last Caps Game: Been kind of a disappointing start for the Caps. They’ve gotten off to an 0-3 record and really haven’t been in a game yet. They’ve given up 14 goals this season while only putting in 6. Montreal  beat the Caps in Washington by a score of 4-1 last night.

Tonight’s Game: Despite the 0-3 start for the Caps, this is a game that I am a little nervous about. The main reason would be the man behind the bench. He knows what we are about, he knows our game plan or at least has a good idea what it is and probably has a good idea on how to stop NJ.

Discipline was a bit of an issue the other night but our PK did a great job. Let’s cut down on the penalties because any PP unit that includes the name “Ovenchkin” isn’t one I want to see very often.

The defense needs to clean up the slot a little more. We’ve done a great job limiting the Islanders and Flyers to shots taken but at times they both got the puck into the slot area and had some pretty decent chances. I’m fine with a shooter beating us for a goal from the outside but if they do so in the slot, I can’t help but feel it was a breakdown and probably easily prevented.

Looks like Marty will again be in the net tonight and it looks again as if Adam Larsson will be a healthy scratch. With the way the defense is playing, it is hard to suggest they are doing the wrong thing with Larsson but I do feel between the playoffs and the start in 2013, we might be hurting his confidence a bit.

I’d like to see our PP get rolling downhill tonight. We had a 5 on 3 the other night and felt it took a while to get set up. Of course PK’s are more important but the PP has been one area I’ve been displeased with (yes you can be displeased in a 2-0-0 start!!).

Let us know what you think? Are the Caps just a bad team and not a threat tonight or is this a game we should be worried about?

As always, check us out on our Twitter accounts during the game and then come back for our recap after.