TV: MSG Plus (HD) RADIO: WFAN 660 AM

Last 10 Games: New Jersey 8-2-0; Ottawa 5-5-0

Know Your Enemy:  The 6th Sens

What The 6th Sens is saying about the Senators:

"In light of Craig Anderson channelling his inner Colorado Avalanche yesterday and completely defecating the mattress in his 22 minutes and 10 seconds of play against the Buffalo Sabres, the Senators three game winning streak is over. Mind you, it was only a matter of time before he looked like any other incapable goaltender that we have grown accustomed to seeing man the pipes over the past few seasons. It's about time too. Like some fans, I was beginning to get a little worried and treated each win like it was a bad birthday gift from a family member."

What we think of the Senators:

Yea, the Senators kind of suck BUT they took it to us last week and when you are trying to make NHL history and squeak into the playoffs after being so far out of it, even the suckiest teams can find their game one night. That's exactly what Craig Anderson did last week in NJ. Hopefully tonight is a much different story.

Season Series: Ottawa leads the season series 2-1. Tonight is the final time they will see each other this season.

Last Meeting: March 8, 2011 - Senators won 2-1

Tonight's Game: Put the puck on net. The Senators just gave up 5 goals on 41 shots in their most recent game. In the game before that, the Senators gave up 6 goals on 33 shots to Buffalo. Craig Anderson looks like anything but the capable goalie we saw last week in NJ.

The Devils are going to need to beat this team 5 on 5 tonight. Surprisingly, the bad Senators are everything but bad when a man of theirs is sitting in the sin bin feeling shame. Their success rate this season on the PK is 83.1%, which is tied for the twelfth best in the NHL. The Devils were 0 for 4 last week against Ottawa and 2 for 8 this season with the 2 goals coming in the December 10th Matchup.

The Devils need to come out strong and put this team away early. I don't like to look ahead in the schedule but a very tough Washington Capitals team comes to NJ tomorrow night and this team is in Ottawa tonight. They need to come out, put Ottawa away early, conserve their energy and find a way to show up tomorrow night. With that said, having Washington in town tomorrow night is dangerous because the Devils could completely overlook the Senators tonight and find themselves dealing with another loss and missed oppurtunity to grab more points.

Playoff Race: Devils currently sitting in 11th with 70 points. Toronto sits in 10th with 72 points, plays at Florida tonight. 9th place Carolina with 74 points is idle tonight and 12th place Atlanta, with 70 points plays host to Philadelphia tonight.

And finally, Brian Leetch thinks the Devils will fall short of making the playoffs. That's fine, everyone is entitled to their opinions but should I be shocked that he picked the Rangers to hang on to their playoff spot? Isn't that kind of like if Scott Stevens were to come out and say the Rangers would miss and the Devils would grab their spot? The only comment worth making about the video below is that Brian Leetch doing commentary/analysis on camera is about as awkward as American Idol contestants doing Nirvana songs!!

TV: MSG Plus 2 Radio: 660 AM WFAN

Last 10 Games: Atlanta 4-4-2 New Jersey 8-2-0;

Know Your Enemy:  Ice Man

What Ice Man is saying about the Thrashers:

"After dramatic win in Philly can we mention the ‘P’ word again in Thrasherville?"

What we think of the Thrashers:

We just saw them the other night in Atlanta and the Devils found a way to win. Yes, they needed OT to do it and I would have much rather not have given a point away to a team that we were chasing BUT the Devils found a way to kill off a 2 min tripping penalty only to have Atlanta hand the Devils a 4 on 3 by getting called for tripping themselves. Like the rest of the night, the Devils made Atlanta pay for going down a man as Zajac put home the game winner.

Season Series: Devils lead Season Series  2-1

Last Meeting: March 11, 2011 - Devils won 3-2 in OT

Tonight's Game: Final meeting this season between the two team and we need more of the same as the Devils make a push towards the playoffs. I know everyone is high on this playoff push and I would really like to see them get to the playoffs but even though we’ve gone 7-2 in their past nine games, we have only been able to go from 10 points out of a playoff spot to 8. Even though we keep winning, it doesn't seem like we are getting closer. From a fans perspective, I find that stat frustrating.

Hopefully, it isn't frustrating the players because in all honesty, a regulation win tonight put NJ in a 3 way tie with 70 points, 2 behind 9th place Carolina and 6 behind the 8th place Rangers.

This might be huge news for NJ. Dustin Byfuglien is questionable for Tuesday’s game against New Jersey after he left practice early Monday. The All-Star defenseman has a lower-body injury that caused him to miss last Wednesday’s game at Carolina.

Like the other night, the Devils need to take advantage of the man advantages that are handed to them. As always, New Jersey has played nine one-goal games in a row and has come out victorious seven times. Just for my own sanity, I would like to see NJ get away from this for one night, come out, pound a few home and not have to sit on the edge of my seat all night!!

TV: MSG(HD) Radio: 660 AM WFAN

Last 10 Games: New Jersey 8-2-0; Atlanta 3-6-1

Know Your Enemy:  Thrashing The Blues

What Thrashing The Blues is saying about the Thrashers: (keep in mind they blog about the Blues too!!)

"The Blues and Thrashers aren't mathematically eliminated from the playoffs yet, but it's dangerously close. It's another season that's over in April; another season without playoffs. Yet another one without a Cup, and one for both teams surrounded by ownership issues. Atlanta's fighting to stay put; the Blues'd like an investor to allow them to sign someone for a decent salary. It's frustrating. And it'll probably repeat next year - or at least that's how fans of the two teams feel, because we're conditioned to feel that way."

What we think of the Thrashers:

This team had so much promise just a few months ago. It looked like they were the team reaping the benefits in the Kovalchuk trade. Afterall, that trade is what gave them the draft pick that brought Dustin Byfuglien to town and just a few months ago, he was having an incredible season. Not long ago, the Thrashers embarrassed the Devils, which led to McLean's dismisal. Thrasher fans were looking forward to the playoffs but that seems to have come crashing down to earth. The Thrashers have put themselves in a familiar position, which is below the 8th place cut off line and it seems that Thrasher fans have once again, given up on this team. Sad really, they are closer to the playoffs than we are and yet we are hopeful.

Season Series: Series is tied at 1-1

Last Meeting: December 31, 2010 - Devils won 3-1

Tonight's Game: Kovalchuk said it all the other night. After the loss to the Senators the other night, this game is Do or Die. There is no reason to feel good after this game if the Devils don't skate away with 2 points and they better do it in 60 mins. They cannot afford to hand over a point to the Thrashers. You have to believe the Thrashers look at us the same way.

Power play was absolute crap the other night. The Devils need to correct that tonight. Lately, the PP has been decent but it must have taken a wrong turn the other night on the way to the rink.

NJ better pay attention to Andrew Ladd. He has 8 goals and 2 assists in his last 10 games and is by far the hottest Thrasher tonight.

Lets hope Kovalchuk shows up tonight. He once crushed the Thrasher fans by not taking a huge money deal while in Atlanta, I am sure Kovalchuk scoring a few goals tonight would really crush the spirits of Thrashers fans!!

Let's hope there's a lot of this tonight!!

TV: MSG (HD) RADIO: WFAN 660 AM

Last 10 Games: Ottawa 5-4-1 and New Jersey 9-1-0

Know Your Enemy:  The 6th Sens 

What The 6th Sens is saying about the Senators:

"Now that the Senators are toiling away with the NHL’s worst record, it’s difficult not to scoreboard watch or indulge in some serious prospect porn."

What we think of the Senators:

I guess fans can't be very happy with this team at the moment but they certainly could play the role spoiler as we approach the playoffs. The last thing the Devils need to do tonight is lose and lose ground in the race for #8 but that's exactly what the Senators could do tonight.

Season Series: Series is tied at 1-1

Last Meeting: February 1, 2011 - Devils won 2-1

Tonight's Game: Don't get caught up in what we got caught up in with yesterday's post. Yes, getting to .500 would be nice but we need to not focus on that and just focus on getting the win to keep putting pressure on the teams between us and the playoffs.

I would love to see the Devils score a bucket full of goals tonight. These 1 goal games that we've been winning lately has been doing a job on my finger nails. I look at how relaxed Ranger fans were against the Flyers on Sunday and I would love to have 1 night of that.

The Devils have to be careful with this game. A lot of teams looked past the Devils earlier in the season because the Devils were in 15th place and in some of those games (a Caps game comes to mind), the Devils took that team by surprise and either destroyed them or gave them a real tough time. The Devils can't afford to treat the Senators that way just because they are in 15th place. There are some good young players in Ottawa who are basically auditioning for 2011/2012 roster spots and a few significant veterns.

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.

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...

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

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

The Devils ride the win of an emotional win against the Carolin Hurricanes into Toronto tonight to face the Maple Leafs. This, like most of the 28 games remaining is an important game for NJ because they are trailing the Maple Leafs in the standings. Currently, Toronto sits 7 points ahead of NJ for 12th overall in the Eastern Conference. I think it is safe to say at this point that the remaining 28 games for NJ would appear to most as Game 7 situations.

TV: MSG(HD), TSN(HD) in Canada - Radio: 660 AM WFAN

Probable Lines:

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

Colin White, Mark Fraser (in for Suspended Volchenkov)
Mark Fayne, Henrik Tallinder
Andy Greene, Anssi Salmela

Johan Hedberg
Mike McKenna

Martin Brodeur (sprained RT knee) didn't make the trip to Toronto and Lemaire pretty much acknowledged he won't play tomorrow night vs. Sharks either but Hedberg did well in Montreal and at home against Carolina so I expect him to do well tonight.

The Last Devils Game: Lemaire wasn't happy with the Devils after their OT win against Carolina. I agreed with him 100% that the Devils could have played better despite the win. When playing teams where points are crtitical, the Devils can't afford to allow those teams to get to the OT period. We will see how the Devils respond to Lemaire's critism from Tuesday's game.

Game Notes:
- Third meeting of the season and the Maple Leafs have owned NJ this season, outscoring them 7-2 so far this season. These two teams last met on Dec 26th when the Maple Leafs ran the Devils off the ice.
- Kovalchuk has 3 goals and 3 assists during a five-game points streak for the Devils.
- Arnott had an assist the other night against Carolina and rang one off the pipe late in third. With the trade deadline looming, Arnott's name keeps coming up a lot and it would be nice to see him get hot here to boost his value for said deadline.
- Toronto has won four of its last five, with rookie goalie James Reimer leading the way. Reimer will be in between the pipes tonight for Toronto.