Yesterday’s 4-2 win over Tampa Bay gave the Devils their third straight win and a nice 6-1-3 start to the first ten game block of the season.  It was a team effort all around, with Martin Brodeur only having to make seventeen saves, while four different Devils scored in the final two periods last night.  Special teams was the difference in the game, as the Devils killed all four Lightning penalties and even scored a shorthanded goal – while the power play went 2-3 (both on 5-on-3’s) with an assist from Lightning coach Guy Boucher – more on that later.

Though the ten-game mark had been long-talked about as Lou Lamoriello‘s first ‘evaluation’ of the team in this shortened season, already one decision was made before the game last night – Stefan Matteau played his sixth game in place of the injured Danius Zubrus, kicking in the first year of his entry-level contract.  For his part, Matteau played well in just over ten minutes of icetime, and nearly scored at the end of the first period off a nice feed from Ilya Kovalchuk.  Although I wasn’t in favor of keeping him here, Matteau honestly doesn’t look out of place.  His offensive game could use a little polishing, then again the same could be said of Jacob Josefson, who’s been here a couple of years already.

I was also surprised the injury to Zubrus wasn’t a factor against a hungry Lightning team that was coming in off a losing streak.  However, the Devils played one of their best games of the season, outshooting Tampa 22-12 in the first two periods (including 11-4 in the second) in spite of having to kill off three straight penalties in the latter half of the middle period.  After being held scoreless in the first by Tampa’s Anders Lindback, the Devils jumped out in front at 3:28 of the second, with a goal by Adam Henrique off a rebound from an Anton Volchenkov shot – already Henrique’s third in his abbreviated stint since returning from injury.  Tampa Bay tied it on one of their few chances in the second at 13:19 when always-pesky Martin St. Louis worked the puck down low and found a wide-open Nate Thompson with a pretty feed in the slot, and Thompson put it home for his second goal this season.

Shortly after killing off one penalty, the Devils had to kill off another due to bench abuse of officials.  It wouldn’t be the last time that call was made, but this time it put the Devils in a bind with their second straight penalty just seconds after killing off a Krys Barch tripping minor.  However, the Devils took advantage of a turnover and Kovalchuk found himself with the puck on a two-on-one.  For some reason, defenseman Sami Salo gave Kovalchuk way too much room to shoot – even if Travis Zajac was the other guy on the two-on-one and the book says you take away the pass, you don’t ever give a guy with 400+ NHL goals a clean look just off the side of the net if you can help it.  Even a slumping Kovalchuk who was a topic in the pregame with ‘only’ two goals and five assists in nine games going into last night.  Kovy put home one of his snappy wristers and gave the Devils back a lead they would not relinquish at 17:34 of the second.

Frustrated by a Devils team defense that limited their chances, and a questionable penalty call on St. Louis at 13:29, Lightning coach Boucher went ballistic after Adam Hall was also sent to the box eighteen seconds later, giving the Devils an extended 5-on-3.  Still ‘chatting’ with the linesman even as the puck was about to be dropped, Boucher got t’d up and the Lightning were even more desperate trouble with two extended five-on-threes coming up.  It took nearly a minute and a half for the Devils to finally score on the 5-on-3, but when Andy Greene‘s wrister found its way home through traffic at 15:02, the game was practically sealed.  Just fourteen seconds after beginning their next five-on-three, the Devils made it 4-1 when Patrik Elias shanked a shot from the side of the net that somehow went in, and he greeted his own fortunate goal with a matter-of-fact shurg.

At 4-1 with less than five minutes left, it should have been over for good, especially with still a 5-on-4 power play coming to the Devils.  After that penalty passed came one of those NHL calls where Victor Hedman got sent to the box for hooking, but David Clarkson also got sent to the box for embelishement.  Now with room to operate on a 4-on-4 the Lightning struck quickly when Matt Carle scored off a turnover at 17:45.  Second later, another turnover by Adam Larsson (who otherwise played well in his 17:38 of icetime) onto the stick of Vincent Lecavalier could have proven disasterous, but Lecavalier shanked his partial breakaway and finally the Devils were able to finish the game off, despite Ryan Carter missing an empty net late.

I’ll have more on this weekend’s crucial home-and-home with the Penguins later today, and also probably be giving the NHL a piece of my mind about their draconian weather policies vis-a-vis fans and arena staff being able to get to the game.