Patrice Bergeron scored the game-winning goal at 4:42 to defeat the Devils, 1-0, tonight at the Prudential Center.

Mark Stuart took a shot from the point that deflected off of Brodeur. The puck came right to Bergeron, and the center put it home for his 18th goal of the season.

Zajac and Parise had a great opportunity to score at 2:20 of the overtime period. The line kept the puck in, and Parise fired the puck short-side and high. Rask was just able to get a piece of the puck and deflect it away for the save.

The Devils led the shot category in the third, 9-8. Boston leads the overall shots, 30-20.

Both teams will earn a point, which can be a big point for Boston. If the Thrashers win, Boston will still hold eighth place in the conference.

The Devils had a great kill late in the period. Elias was sent to the box for tripping Patrice Bergeron at 17:06 of the third period. The Devils didn't allow the Bruins many chances, and afterward the Devils had some good chances in the offensive zone.

The Devils had the first powerplay opportunity of the night at 7:03 of the period. They had a few good chances, but didn't register a goal.

Here are some updates from around the league. The Rangers lead the Islanders, 4-2, in the third period. The Thrashers lead the Maple Leafs, 3-2, in the third period. The Capitals and Senators are tied, 4-4, in the third period.

Brodeur had to make a great save 44 seconds into the first period to keep the Bruins off the board. Michael Ryder brought the puck into the zone and skated around Andy Greene. He took the puck to the net and tried to slip a puck low on the glove side. Brodeur stretched his arm and stoned Ryder.

The Bruins lead the period in shots, 9-6. They lead the game total, 22-11.

While there hasn't been a goal, the Bruins have the better scoring chances through two periods. Boston has made Brodeur work to keep them off the board through two periods. The Devils, on the other hand, haven't put much pressure on Rask.

Here are some updates from around the league. The Rangers scored three goals and lead the Islanders, 3-2, in the second period. Atlanta is leading Toronto, 2-1, near the end of the second period. The Capitals scored two goals to pull even with the Senators, 3-3, in the second period.

There hasn't been much to talk about this period. At 10:26 of the second period, the Bruins lead the shot category, 4-1.

Lemaire reunited the line of Parise, Travis Zajac and Jamie Langenbrunner. Patrik Elias shifted back down and will now center the second line of Kovalchuk and Zharkov.

Here are some updates from around the league. The Islanders lead the Rangers, 2-1, in the second period. Atlanta leads Toronto, 2-0, in the second period. Ottawa leads Washington, 2-1, in the second period.

The Bruins led the shot category, 13-6, in the first period.

That wasn't a great period at all. The Devils couldn't breakout, and they never put any pressure on Rask or the Bruins defense. Brodeur had to play well to keep the Bruins off the board.

Here are some updates from around the league. The Islanders are beating the Rangers, 2-0, after one period. The Ottawa Senators are beating the Capitals, 2-1, after one period in Washington, DC.

The Bruins once again had a great scoring chance at 17:13 of the first period. Daniel Paille held the puck behind the net, and fed a pass to Steve Begin on the crease. Brodeur stopped the initial shot and a rebound to keep the Bruins scoreless.

The Devils fourth line almost created an empty-net chance for the Devils at 13:37 of the first period. The forecheckers of the Devils forced goalie Tuukka Rask to make a bad pass, and the puck sat in front of an empty net. Dean McAmmond tried to knock the puck home, but the Bruins cleared the zone.

Martin Brodeur made a diving save at 11:21 of the first period to keep Boston off the board. After a turnover by the Devils, the Bruins worked the puck to the point. A Bruins defender shot the puck toward the net, where Brodeur made the initial save. The puck bounced to his right, and Sturm tried to jam the puck home. Brodeur covered the puck with his blocker hand to freeze play.

The Bruins have really come out firing, and they've dominated play here early in the period.

Devils coach Jacques Lemaire continued to juggle the lines in tonight's games. He moved rookie winger Vladimir Zharkov to the second line with Ilya Kovalchuk and Travis Zajac. Dainius Zubrus spent pre-game warmups with the second line, but he is now on the fourth line with Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond and Dean McAmmond.

Zach Parise blocked a Dennis Seidenberg shot at 4:50 of the first period. Parise immediately went to the ice, but he got up and skated to the bench. He hasn't missed a shift in the period.

Bruins defenseman Mark Stuart almost gave the Bruins an early lead. He hit the left post with a shot from the point at 1:50 of the first period.

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Here were tonight's starting lineups:

Bruins

Marco Sturm-Patrice Bergeron-Mark Recchi; Zdeno Chara-Dennis Seidenberg; Tuukka Rask.

Devils

Zach Parise - Patrik Elias - Jamie Langenbrunner; Martin Skoula - Paul Martin; Martin Brodeur

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The Devils come into this game two points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for first in the Atlantic Division. New Jersey does have a game in hand against their rivals.

The Bruins are currently eighth in the conference, two points ahead of the Atlanta Thrashers.

Martin Brodeur will start in net for the Devils. Tuukka Rask will start for Boston.

Devils coach Jacques Lemaire will dress the same players who played Sunday in Philadelphia. Jay Pandolfo, Rod Pelley, Anssi Salmela and Mark Fraser are tonight's healthy scratches. There were some line changes, as Dainius Zubrus moved back to right wing on the second line. Brian Rolston moved back down to the third line.

Here are tonight's line combinations:

Zach Parise - Patrik Elias - Jamie Langenbrunner

Ilya Kovalchuk - Travis Zajac - Vladimir Zharkov

Brian Rolston - Rob Niedermayer - David Clarkson

Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond - Dean McAmmond - Dainius Zubrus

Bryce Salvador - Andy Greene

Colin White - Mike Mottau

Martin Skoula - Paul Martin

Martin Brodeur

The Matchup: The Boston Bruins (34-29-12) face off against the New Jersey Devils (44-26-5). This is the fourth and final meeting between the two teams this season. The Devils currently lead the season series, 3-0-0.

The Last Bruins Game: Boston lost to the Buffalo Sabres, 3-2, last night in Boston. David Krejci gave the Bruins an early 1-0 lead, but the Sabres responded with three straight goals to take a lead. Bruins coach Claude Jullien pulled Tim Thomas after he gave up three goals on 14 shots. Tuukka Rask stopped 19 shots after coming off the bench. Ryan Miller stopped 40 shots in the victory.

The Last Devils Game: The Flyers thumped the Devils, 5-1, Sunday in Philadelphia. Martin Brodeur allowed four goals on 19 shots and was pulled after the second period. The Devils broke Brian Boucher's shutout with Ilya Kovalchuk's 39th goal of the season. Boucher made 32 saves for his sixth win of the season.

The Last Bruins - Devils Game: The Devils defeated the Bruins, 3-2, March 15 in New Jersey. Rob Niedermayer, David Clarkson and Zach Parise scored three goals on 12 shots against Thomas, chasing him from the game in the first period. Blake Wheeler and Patrice Bergeron scored to pull within one, but the Devils held on for the win.

Tonight's Matchup: The Devils need to play better than Sunday in Philadelphia.That game was an absolute stinker, and I think it was expected after a playoff-clinching game Saturday against Montreal. But this late in the season isn't a great time to turn in stinkers. The Devils currently sit two points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the Atlantic Division title. As I discussed here, the Devils want to be in position to clinch the second seed. The only way to do that is defeat quality opponents, and the team has one in Boston tonight.

It seems like the Devils elevate their game when playing playoff-bound teams. A great example is this weekend's game. The Devils played a solid game against the Canadiens, going 2-for-3 on the powerplay and dominating play. That's what they need to do tonight. The Devils will face Rask, one of the best goalies in the league, tonight at the Rock. They need to pressure the Boston defense early and often. If they can jump ahead and control the play, they should do well. Not only that, but Boston is playing in the second game of a back-to-back. The Devils, who had the day off yesterday, should be the fresher and more explosive team in this game. I think the Devils will return to their 60-minute effort tonight and play a solid game against a struggling Bruins team.

Gametime is 7:00 p.m., and you can catch all the action on MSG Plus and WFAN Radio.

Here are the lineups from today's practice (players in red were the extra skaters):

Zach Parise - Patrik Elias - Jamie Langenbrunner

Ilya Kovalchuk - Travis Zajac - Brian Rolston

Dainius Zubrus - Rob Niedermayer - David Clarkson

Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond - Dean McAmmond - Vladmir Zharkov

Rod Pelley - Jay Pandolfo

Bryce Salvador - Andy Greene

Colin White - Mike Mottau

Martin Skoula - Paul Martin

Mark Fraser - Anssi Salmela

Martin Brodeur

Yann Danis

Going into tonight’s game, the Devils sit in fourth place, two points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the Atlantic Division lead with seven games left. That’s important to note, because the difference in points puts the Devils fourth in the conference, while the Penguins sit in second place. And while two spots might not seem like a huge deal, the Devils road to the Cup may depend on their conference position come playoff time.

There’s no doubt the Devils want the second seed going into the playoffs. It gives them home-ice advantage for the first two series, and they could avoid the Washington Capitals until the conference finals. Also, if the standings remain the same and only New Jersey moves into second, the Devils would play Montreal in the first round. This would be a great matchup. The Devils play well against Montreal, and they play good hockey on the road in the Bell Centre. Not only that, but Martin Brodeur owns his hometown team. The future Hall-of-Famer’s career record against the Canadiens is 38-16-0 with five ties. I think Brodeur’s record alone shows the importance of grabbing the second seed. The Devils can play a team they dominate, and they also earn home-ice advantage.

The most important part of the number two seed is avoiding the Capitals for the first two rounds. The Devils are 3-1-0 against the Capitals this season, and they would probably play well against them. But facing the Capitals early could be trouble. Why not get the higher seed and face them for the chance to win the conference? Their goaltending might not be great, and the defense might be spotty. But the Capitals are the best team in the league, and with the way Jose Theodore is playing right now, they could be a hot team coming into the playoffs. Clinching the second seed allows the Devils to completely avoid them, making the first and second round series potentially easier.

The fourth seed would take away several of the advantages of the second seed. The Devils could only clinch home-ice advantage for one round, and they would probably have to face the Capitals in the second round. The Devils are 3-0-0 against the Senators, currently the fifth place team. While the first-round may not be tough, the second seed increases the chances of seeing the Sabres or the Capitals in the second round. Both teams present a daunting opponent. Not only that, but the second-round matchup would give the other team home-ice advantage.

The second seed is the most desirable position for the Devils. By taking fourth, they’ll miss out on several advantages, including getting home-ice for the first two rounds of the playoffs. Also, the Devils will be able to avoid a matchup with the Capitals until the conference semifinals, if both teams make it that far. With only seven games left, the Devils need to make a push for the second seed. With a game in hand and only a two point deficit, there is no reason why the team can’t leapfrog Pittsburgh for the Atlantic Division crown – and the number two seed.

Photo Credit: Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press

For me, the Ottawa Senators are one of the surprise teams of the year. The 2008/2009 found themselves 10 points out of the playoffs and struggled most of the season. When the season ended Dany Heatley became a thorn in the side demanding he be traded away. In return for Heatley, Ottawa got Jonathan Cheechoo who was been outright awful recording 5 goals and 9 assists in 61 games and Milan Michalek who has proved to be a decent pickup.

Forwards:

The Senators have four (4) 20 goal scorers this season in Fisher, Michalek, Alfredsson and Spezza and Alexei Kovalev is knocking on the door of a 20 goal season so the goals for the Senators are coming and spread out over a couple decent lines. The Senators own the 18th best offense when it comes to goals for but own the 26th best Power Play unit in the NHL. When the Senators have needed extra time to decide games this season, they walked away with a 8-5 record in overtime which includes 4 shootout wins and 4 shootout losses. As usual, this team for me rests around the play of Daniel Alfredsson as he is their backbone and any success that the Senators may have in the postseason will come off the stick of Alfredsson in either goal form or assist form.

Defense:

Chris Philips leads all defensemen with 8 goals and Filip Kuba leads all defensemen in points with 28. The Senators defense currently ranks 18th overall when it comes to goals against. If you filter out the stats to just 5 on 5 goals, the Senators drop down to 28th but it's their penalty kill that has been outstanding. Through 76 games, they own the 7th best penalty killing squad, which can be a very telling stat once you get to the playoffs.  The Senators don't really scare me on defense though for 2 reasons. 1) They lack a guy that can absolutely shut down the opposition when needed to do so and 2) if the Senators play disciplined hockey and stay out of the box, the 28th ranked overall 5 on 5 defense isn't going to get you too far. Fans might like how well their penalty killers have done this season but do you really want to try and win a cup that way?

Goalies:

The is the Senators weakness. The Senators have relied on 3 goalies this season to get them through the season but that's not a fair stat because of a freak injury to Pascal Leclaire that sidelined him for a couple of weeks. Brian Elliott has seen most of the work this season and currently ranks 20th overall in Save Percentage. The truth is, we don't really know what to expect of Elliott once the postseason rolls around because Elliott is young and inexperienced. Pascal Leclaire spent most of his time with the Columbus Blue Jackets so he doesn't have any playoff experience either so should Elliott have a hard time, fans have to hope and pray that Leclaire can deliver.

As I said in the beginning, the Senators have really surprised me this season. If it wasn't for the Coyotes in the west, they would take the award for most surprising team and I like what the Senators are building but as for chances of seeing Lord Stanley above their heads, I can't imagine that is very likely this season. In fact, I am not sure they may even get through round one but this season has given them momentum towards getting back to that team from 2007 or even the one from 2003 that was so close to the finals.

What a let down this game was. The Flyers have had a pretty easy time dealing with the Devils this season and at a time where the Flyers injuries should have gotten the best of them, they got the best of the Devils. I certainly was afraid the Devils might not show up tonight which I sort of mentioned in the pregame notes. The Flyers made the Devils look like they were the team struggling for 8th and the Flyers were the team battling for 2nd overall.

Some other thoughts from tonight's tilt

Devils Passing: Terrible. In fact, it was so off the mark that at times it would create chances for the Flyers. Case in point, Richards rang one off the post in the second after some bad passing by the Devils.

Marty Brodeur: Not sure where his head was in this game becaus he wasn't there. At 2-0 I would have yanked him but he got the hook after the 2nd.

Kovalchuk Rings One Off Prongers Head: OUCH!!

Devils PP: Flyers up 3-0, they were giving the Devils chances to get back into it but the PP didn't do much except for 1 minute during the Carcillo Penalty.

Back to Back Game: Devils have been strong this season in Back to Backs so I can't blame tonight on that.

One Shining Moment: Kovalchuk's 39th of the year. Rolston did a great job finding Ilya in the slot who fired one home. Of course 32 seconds later, the Flyers got it back. It was just that type of night!!

There's not a lot to say after a game like this. The Flyers outplayed the Devils every step of the way and like the other night against the Rangers, had a chance to put a hurting on a rival and failed to do so. We'll see what happens Tuesday vs another team barely hanging on to a playoff birth.

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (44-25-5) at the Philadelphia Flyers (37-32-6)

The Last Devils Game: Last night the Devils clinched their 13th straight playoff appearence by knocking off the Montreal Canadiens 4-2. The special teams were very special as the work they've put into their power play during practice paid off again as they were 2-2 on the PP. The Devils ended their 4 game road losing streak.

The Last Flyers Game: The downward spiral continue for the Flyers. What started with Emery's season ending injury has continued down the ranks as Johan Backlund pulled a groin in last nights 4-1 lost to Pitt. The Flyers find themselves in the 8th spot this morning clinging for dear life. To be fair to the Flyers last night, I thought the officiating was horrible and cost them a few goals.

The Last Flyers/Devils Game: Jeff Carter was a Devils killer again and sent the game to OT on a well placed shot. Simon Gagne caught the Devils defense on the ice too long in OT and made the Devils pay for it.

Tonight's Game: Continue what was done last night. The Flyers, as of right now are a potential playoff team and if they can find their game just a little bit, they are a potential first round opponent for NJ. The Flyers have a ton of injuries, including Devils pest Jeff Carter but to me that means its the perfect time for a hero to be born, especially in March and especially in a game like this. Games featuring rivals have a way of getting some players to just elevate their game.

I do love the chemisty that Kovy and Rolston are starting to build and it's certainly building at the right time. Both have LETHAL shots yet have a way of getting into open ice to recieve the puck.

The Flyers are a scrappy bunch and a big team so I don't think Lemaire's displeasure with Salvador last night will keep him out of the lineup.

The bottom line for NJ is to not go into this game giving the Flyers too much room. Yes, they are slumping badly but if you take them lightly, the will find a way to beat you. Just look at the season record this year, we haven't done so well against the Flyers.

In the continuing “Eastern Conference Playoff Preview” series, I’ll take a look at the Buffalo Sabres, who lead the Northeast Division and sit third in the conference with 90 points. Buffalo, a team that has flown under the radar for most of the season, sport one of the game’s best goaltenders. But can they compete with the top teams in the conference? That question remains to be answered.

Forwards:

The top two lines for the Sabres are very, very good. The top line of Jason Pominville – Derek Roy – Jochen Hecht combine for 59 goals, 90 assists and a plus/minus rating of 34. The second line is even more formidable. Tim Connolly and Thomas Vanek  control that line, with each player over 15 goals on the season. But, after those top two lines, the performance falls off a bit. Their third line only has one player with a positive plus/minus rating (Patrick Kaleta, 4), and the fourth line sports a combined -25 plus/minus rating. While the Sabres have plenty of goal scorers, they don’t have great two-way forwards. That weakness will hurt them, because good teams will take advantage of a weak backcheck or a defensive breakdown. The top two lines are scary good, but the Sabres lack of forward depth will be an issue come playoff time.

Defense:

Tyler Myers highlights a relatively unknown defensive unit. Myers, a rookie, impressed several analysts with his solid play this season. The rookie has 42 points (10 G, 32 A) and a plus/minus rating of 12 for the season. While they don’t have many big-name defenseman, the Sabres have an experienced blue line. Four of their six blue-liners have playoff experience, which gives them an advantage. Myers, Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman can all contribute offensively, which is an added benefit. But there are cracks in the blue-line. The collective group has a great plus/minus rating (+21), with the third defensive pairing of Steve Montador and Craig Rivet checking in at a  -10. The squad has also allowed goalie Ryan Miller to face 1,878 shots, which ranks 13th in the league. Overall, the blue line is a strength for the Sabres. Sure, they have their faults, but they play a solid, responsible game night in and night out.

Goalie:

Miller is one of the top five goalies in the N.H.L. today. His 2.20 goals against average ranks far below the league average. He’s also collected five shutouts on his way to a 37-15-8 record. Without Miller, the Sabres wouldn’t be in the third place. Miller can steal a game or even a series for this team. During the Olympics, the world found out what we already knew: Miller is a world-class goaltender. He’s also got the right attitude as a goalie. You never see Miller get too angry or too worked up during a game. That levelheaded attitude seems to calm the entire team, and he’s the true leader of the Sabres. He’s already set a career-high in wins, and his G.A.A. is the lowest in his career. Clearly, Buffalo’s goalie advantage ranks head and shoulders above some of the teams in the conference.

Overall, the Sabres are a good young team. They have world-class goaltending and a solid blue-line corps. But the weakness comes from the lack of forward depth. After the first two lines, the production and play drops sharply. There shouldn’t be great goal scorers on the third and fourth lines, but these forwards should at least sport solid plus/minus numbers. While it doesn’t show the entire story, the plus/minus rating of the third and fourth lines can spell trouble. If the Sabres have a problem backchecking or defensively, they will be ripe for the picking. But I’d expect this team to make it to the second round, but nothing more.

Photo Credit: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

The Devils continued to work on their powerplay during today’s practice, their last before leaving New Jersey for a two-game road trip.

After going 3-for-6 with the man advantage Tuesday night against Columbus, the Devils went 0-for-3 on Thursday night against the Rangers.

The team worked a 4-on-3 powerplay, using Ilya Kovalchuk, Jamie Langenbrunner, Patrik Elias and Zach Parise. They eventually moved to a full ice 5-on-4. The team ended with a 5-on-0 passing drill in the offensive zone.

The Devils left Friday afternoon for Montreal, where they face off against the Canadians (7 p.m., MSG Plus).

The Pittsburgh Penguins are the Defending Stanley Cup Champions which means they are the team to beat, no matter what position they may finish in or what their record may be. In the standings, they've been the only consistant opponent in the Atlantic Division for the Devils but on the ice this season, it's been a different story. Don't get me wrong, they are a very talented team that just may go the distance again but I do wonder when consecutive years of deep playoff runs will start to show in their game.

Forwards:

When people talk about the Pittsburgh Penguins, it is usually Sidney Crosby that leads those discussions and why not, the guy is currently tied for the most goals in the league (45) and has 89 points on the season so far. But don't think that's all the Penguins have. If Crosby has a slow night, guys like Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal will easily pick up the slack and carry the team. Last year the Penguins picked up Bill Guerin at the trading deadline and he proved to be a valuable assett in the run to the cup and so far this season, the veteran winger is continuing to produce for the Penguins. The Penguins are so talented up front, the oppositions defense cannot afford to have a bad night or they will pay.

Defense:

I don't think the Pittsburgh defense is as strong this season. The Penguins finished 6th overall last season in "Goals Against" where as this season they currently sit 20th overall. Sergei Gonchar has remained pretty healthy over the season, has 10 goals and 34 assists which is a very impressive number and far better than any defenseman had for the Penguins in 08/09 but seems to be the only good thing on the blue line. Gonchar also has a -7 in the plus/minus column but he does log a lot of minutes per game. Kris Letang was certainly a bigger factor for this team last season but that may have had to do with Gonchar missing so much time to injury. The Penguins defense doesn't really have a physical presence on the ice and I question their ability to shut down the oppositions better players. To me, if this team is going to repeat as champions, it's going to rest on the forwards to out duel the opposition.

Goalie:

To me, Marc-Andre Fluery's game hasn't changed much at all. He's one of the league's better goalies but he's not the best. In the 08/09 season he racked up 35 wins in 62 games played and is on track to do a little better than that this season. He's on track to see around the same amount of shots for the year and probably have close to the same Save Percentage as last year. By no means are the Penguins weak in the area of goaltending and Marc-Andre Fluery is that type of goalie that can show up and steal some games, maybe even a series in the postseason.

So do the Penguins have a good shot at defending their title? Until someone knocks off the champion, you have to believe in this team. They are currently battling for 2nd place overall and constantly switch between 2nd and 4th place. The Penguins aren't better or worse home or away so finishing 4th Overall isn't going to effect them too much if they end up going deep and playing a higher seed team. If you are a Penguins fan, you have to feel pretty good about the possibilty of repeating as champions, something the city of Pittsburgh has done once before!