It’s become an overused axiom to use the term ‘statement game’ when describing a big regular season matchup. However, this was certainly a statement weekend by the Devils against the division rival Penguins. With both teams jockeying for the top spot in the Atlantic Division, and only one more matchup the rest of this abbreviated season (is it really a quarter over already?!), this weekend’s home-and-home was key in terms of positioning as well as getting more of an early cushion against the rest of the conference. A good showing this weekend was even more important to the Devils after their 5-1 loss in Pittsburgh last weekend, their only regular season defeat going into yesterday’s front end of the home-and-home.
New Jersey’s twin 3-1 victories over the Penguins (who’d been on a five-game winning streak outscoring its opposition 23-8) were so impressive, the Devils definitely sent a message to a lot of people both inside and outside of Pittsburgh. It’s become almost cliche, the familiar theme of losing players and having others step right in, still finding a way to get the job done while defying the critics and doubters again and again. I had my doubts too, about whether a team that lost three top nine forwards in the offseason – with another on the shelf in Danius Zubrus – would have the scoring to be able to play Pete DeBoer‘s attacking system. I’m not going to claim everything’s perfect now despite the Devils’ nearly perfect record, but you certainly have to like what you’re seeing right now on a lot of different fronts, if you’re a Devils fan.
While younger players have played a key role in this terrific first quarter of the season, you have to start by talking about the two oldest players on the team – Martin Brodeur and Johan Hedberg. This weekend was a perfect illustration of how good the Devils currently have it in net, especially in a short season with back-to-backs where you need your backup to give you quality games. Age is truly still a number for the 40-year old Brodeur and 39-year old Hedberg. Brodeur calmed the waters yesterday, in spite of a choppy start and puncuated yesterday’s win with a stunning glove save on Evgeni Malkin in the final minute. Hedberg played just as well today as Brodeur did yesterday, in particular during the first period when he held the fort despite a dominant opening twenty minutes by the Penguins.
Both goalies do get a fair amount of help from their friends on defense, a veteran unit which continually defies the belief that you need a superstar on defense to win. There’s no Chris Pronger or Zdeno Chara in this bunch, nobody that’s going to log thirty minutes or scare you with a booming slapshot. What the Devils do have is a smart, professional group that goes eight deep. Perhaps the best illustration of the depth on the Devils’ defense is to look at who’s not playing – a solid pro in Henrik Tallinder, and Peter Harrold who was a revelation during last Spring have both been sitting out the last few games (and Harrold’s only game this season has been as a quasi-forward).
It’s hard to even pinpoint who the best defenseman on the Devils is on a yearly basis, though right now it’s clearly Andy Greene. Last year I would argue Mark Fayne or Bryce Salvador – and the current captain embodies the defense, the ultimate pro who isn’t flashy but finds a way to get the job done. Fayne and Adam Larsson are the only players on the unit that are under thirty years old, but the second-year Larsson has played arguably his best hockey since returning to the lineup several games back, with the new pairing of Larsson and Greene playing off each other very well. It doesn’t hurt to have teachers like Larry Robinson last year and Scott Stevens this year, but the twenty-year old former #4 overall is coming into his own now, with another 22:48 of solid hockey tonight.
Up front, the Devils have more younger players contributing. Everyone already knew about the twenty-three year old Adam Henrique after he was a Calder finalist last year and burst onto the scene nationally with two playoff series-deciding goals last Spring, but he’s seemingly taken it to another level in just his second full season with four goals, two assists and a +3 in seven games this year since returning from injury. Centerman Jacob Josefson has had a bit of a rocky start this year, but is still playing quality minutes as a twenty-one year old. It probably isn’t too early to admit I was wrong about Stefan Matteau, I figured he’d be better off with more development in juniors but over the last couple of games since he’s returned to the lineup, his game looks far more developed than an eighteen-year old’s should be…clearly pops did a good job imparting his NHL knowledge into his son.
After the younger Matteau’s hello to the NHL record book with his first goal yesterday, he followed that up with a solid game today playing nearly fourteen minutes, registering five hits and getting a crucial assist on Ilya Kovalchuk‘s second-period goal with good work along the boards to spring a puck loose. Kovy did the rest on the ensuing two-on-one firing a wrister past Tomas Vokoun to double the Devils’ lead at 11:27, in the middle of two more goals by our newest sniper extraordinare David Clarkson. Clarkson’s first came in the first period at 13:06, when he toe-dragged defenseman Deryk Engelland, then fired home a wrister from the slot. His second came at 13:20 in the second – less than two minutes after Kovy’s goal – scoring off a rebound of a Patrik Elias shot on the power play.
Clarkson is perhaps the best story for the Devils in this young season. It’s impossible to believe that the same player who scored thirty goals last year, and looks like he’s taking his offensive game up still another notch this year (with nine goals and six assists in just twelve games) was a guy who most Devil fans thought was overpaid two years ago if you can believe that. To realize that Clarkson had just eighteen points in a full eighty-two game season with a -20 two years ago is to know just how far he’s come. Then again, Clarkson has proved the doubters wrong before – former Ranger agitator Sean Avery most vocally among them, working his way up from an undrafted free agent to NHL regular, and now to legitimate NHL top-line forward.
His maturation couldn’t have come at a better time for the Devils, who had to have been wondering in quiet moments how they were going to replace the offense that walked out the door last Summer. To be fair, the forward group does have pretty much everything – star power with Kovy, a vet leader in Elias, a solid two-way player in Travis Zajac (slow start or not), Clarkson’s grit and improving scoring touch, the aformentioned younger players, and role players like our third/fourth/whatever line of Carter-Gionta-Bernier. Even our so-called enforcer role has been upgraded this year with Krys Barch engaging in a well-timed fight with Engelland yesterday during the first period, and today playing nearly ten minutes. As much as I loved Cam Janssen, he’d never sniff ten minutes in any NHL lineup.
Yes, I still think another forward is going to become neccesary sooner or later, especially if the injury to Zubrus is as serious as has been whispered. That’s tomorrow’s worry though, right now I’m just enjoying the good start of a team that’s showing improvement every week and been fun to watch in the process. Even the power play’s become more consistent lately.
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Derek
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