Battle Of Hudson

The Rangers will try to snap their three-game losing streak by starting a four-game road trip with their first stop in Florida to face the Panthers. Despite once again being shorthanded, this is a game they should win. So will they even though it looks like Michael Nylander and Henrik Lundqvist won’t be available? Who knows. This team is schizo and you can never tell if they’re going to bring their ‘A’ game. Somehow, their 40 points still lead the Atlantic. But they have played two more games than the Devils (39 pts) and three better than the Islanders (37). So it’s imperative that Tom Renney’s club show signs of life no matter who is out.

Expect Brad Isbister to make his Ranger debut. As discussed in our last entry, I was befuddled by his recall from Hartford in place of prospect Ryan Callahan. I’m going to be positive in this entry by bringing to light what Isbister can bring to this soft bunch. First off, he has size (6-4, 224). It’s whether he actually uses it which will be the the key. It’s not like Isbister isn’t capable. This guy once scored over 20 goals for the Islanders and racked up 100 penalty minutes three times in his career. He also will go to the net. The other area he can help is in team toughness. Isbister has never shied away from dropping the gloves. On a team that rarely sticks up for each other, that can only be positive. So will Isbister play to capability or continue what’s been a very disappointing career? We’ll see.

Series info: This is the final meeting of the season between the Blueshirts and Panthers. Florida took the first game 4-2 on October 25 at MSG while New York responded with a 4-3 shootout win at BankAtlantic Center on November 8 and a 2-1 win at MSG December 10. If the Rangers prevail tonight, they’ll own the season series.

Series History: All-time, the Rangers own a 30-18-6-2 record against Florida, including 15-9-2-2 on the road. Really though, does anyone like these four columns? It’s so confusing. Thanks Bettman!

Newsworthy: The Rangers will get center Matt Cullen back for this game. The second line pivot missed the past couple of games with a knee sprain. If Renney was smart, he’d reunite Cullen with Jarkko Immonen and Brendan Shanahan. But with Nylander out, look for that unit of Shanahan-Straka-Jagr to be together instead. So who will Immonen and Cullen play with? Petr Prucha??? We’ll see…Florida enters play 14th in the East with a 12-18-6 record (30 pts). They’re led by team captain Olli Jokinen. As usual, one of the game’s most overlooked No.1 centers is having an All Star season with a team-leading 14 goals, 22 assists and 36 points. There’s nothing he can’t do. Too bad he plays on Florida. The Panthers are coming off a 7-3 rout of Toronto which included two goals from gritty vet Gary Roberts. It was their second straight win.

How else can you sum up this organization demoting forward Ryan Callahan back to Hartford in favor of veteran Brad Isbister? It’s just another typical move by a team who has not properly developed most of its prospects for years. It’s like the winter classic Ground Hog Day which features the witty Bill Murray who plays a weatherman whose day keeps repeating itself and turns into a comedy. Well, at least he was after his beautiful producer played by Andie MacDowell. It had a happy ending. When it comes to mishandling prospects, the Rangers continually see their shadow.

What exactly did the 21 year-old Callahan do to be sent down? He certainly was effective in his 10 shifts in another disappointing loss to the Islanders. More than you can say for a few other guys who got more ice-time. If anything, off his effort, he should’ve been rewarded with another game at Florida.

But this is how this organization is. They’re all talk. They’ve been known to give young players the shaft before. In the past they talked up the overhyped Jamie Lundmark every training camp. And he even had a great preseason playing with Bobby Holik a few years ago. But once the season began, there he was dead and buried behind the Ranger vet logjam at center which included Holik, Eric Lindros and Mark Messier. It’s no wonder Lundmark went from a promising finish his rookie year to a disinterested spectator whose days were numbered when Dominic Moore outplayed him last Fall. That same Lundmark who was ruined here is on his third team with Calgary playing mostly 3rd/4th line and currently has no goals.

Let’s also look at the case of Nigel Dawes for a second. The former 2003 fifth round pick and former Team Canada standout (remember when he tied Zach Parise for most points in the WJC- yes that same Parise the Rangers passed up for Hugh Jessiman) The 21 year-old Manitoba native impressed in September and was good enough to make the club over Jarkko Immonen. But he rarely ever saw more than 7:00 of ice. The one instance this wasn’t the case was when Coach Renney actually shifted Michael Nylander to the third line with Dawes and Jason Ward in a shootout win at Toronto. And how did that work out? Dawes scored his first ever NHL goal and played very well taking regular shifts. Instead of being given a chance to stay there, he soon lost that ice-time and was relegated to a healthy scratch. Now Dawes is back with Hartford where he’s scored just one goal. Sure, he’s notched several assists. But is there any reason he’s down after ripping up the ‘A’ for 41 goals (35 reg. season) last year? Of course not. And who on our third and fourth lines which couldn’t score into a whorehouse has as much potential as him? Exactly.

The Rangers have many problems starting with the lack of grit and an active D. But of all the issues they have, the one that hurts them the most is the lack of offensive support from the third and fourth lines. The same lines which chipped in during last year’s feel good turnaround season and helped take pressure of Jaromir Jagr. Do they really think career underachiever and former Islander Isbister is the answer? Just read the TSN scouting report on the 29 year-old once thought to be the next Bertuzzi:

Assets: Possesses a tremendous physical package and plenty of untapped offensive potential. Is somewhat effective in the corners.

Flaws: Takes far too many nights off, and has yet to shake the tag of chronic underachiever. Doesn’t use his size nearly enough to maximize his potential.

Does this sound like the kind of player who will make a difference? When I think of Isbister, I am reminded of two words. Classic Tease!

It’s not just that the Blueshirts are making the same mistake they have been guilty of before. Remember when they had Mike Knuble? Yes! The same Knuble who developed into a second line power forward who can score 25-30 goals with most btw coming in front of the net. Do the Rangers currently have any forwards like that? Of course not. They’re as soft as one of those Krispy Kreme donuts. And you wonder why there are many games where they outshoot opponents but wind up on the losing end. Because the goalies are able to see most and not given a particularly tough time.

To finish the Knuble note, he was only used sparingly here and wound up dealt for Rob “Cinco” Dimaio. Would anyone care to know what Knuble turned into? Dimaio was then traded for now retired Eric Lacroix, who in turn became the immortal Colin Forbes. You can’t make it up.

It is very sad to see that the Penguins’ Isle of Capris Casinos bid for a new arena to keep them in Pittsburgh was rejected today by the Pennsylvania Gaming Board, who instead rewarded it to Detroit-situated developer Don H. Barden’s PITG Gaming. What ashame for the city of Pittsburgh. Sure. Hockey will always play second fiddle to football in the Steel city. But in a town where they build a beautiful state of the art ballpark for the pathetic Pirates, why couldn’t they approve the Isle of Capris bid? The Penguins have some of the most marketable stars in all of the NHL in second-year whiz kid Sidney Crosby and talented rookies Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal. Wouldn’t it make sense to do everything in their power to keep the Pens? This team has a chance unlike the freaking AAA Pirates!

In response to Steve about that Sabres-Devils game, I know you won’t want to hear it. But how much of that audience could be attributed to the city of Buffalo? A city that’s gone so ga ga for their team that they’ve soldout every game at HSBC Arena. Remember how close the Sabres were to being relocated? Now look at them. All that young talent they drafted along with the lockout saved their franchise. Btw…if you look at the uncertainty surrounding the Pens’ situation, it is a little similar. Will someone swoop in at the final frantic minute to save the day? We’ll see.

The Islanders completed their second deal with the Flyers in a five-day span. A few days after trading defenseman Alexei Zhitnik for Freddy Meyer and a conditional pick, GM Garth Snow(this still seems strange) cut some more salary by swapping Mike York for Randy Robitaille. Makes plenty of sense for the Fishsticks but hardly any for the new Siberia of the NHL Philadelphia. By cutting payroll, Snow is preparing to make room for re-signing Jason Blake. Already with a team best 19 goals and on pace for a career season, the 33 year-old Minnesota native should be top priority. Many of us always laugh at most of ex-GM “Mad” Mike Milbury’s trades. But maybe his best was acquiring the gritty pain in the ass Blake from the Kings for just a 2002 fifth round pick (Joel Andersen). Who??? No wonder ex-Kings GM Dave Taylor didn’t last. Blake knows how to play the game and gets the most out of his size (5-10, 180). More like 5-8 probably. He is always around the puck and frequently wins the battles in the corners. Plus he drives goalies nuts. This guy just continues to get better all the time. Just ask Devil fans about him or Alexei Yashin. Right Steve?

And with that, I’ll see ya’ll later!

The Islanders January 1st 5:00 PM tilt with Buffalo has been moved to 4:00 PM, so it can be aired on VERSUS as part of a New Year’s Day doubleheader, with Boston-Toronto following at 7:00 PM.

I wasn’t take solace in the Devils getting higher ratings, merely mocking the folks who say that no one wants to watch Devs Hockey because it’s supposedly boring.

Anyway, no NY Hockey tonight, UNLESS you count the 1-hour extravaganza known as the NY Hockey Report. Columbus rematches with Detroit and Dallas takes on Anaheim. Both should be VERY interesting. Of course, Nashville-Chicago won’t even be on Center Ice tonight, so even if that is a great game, it probably won’t be seen by anyone.

Good news for Puck fans, BOTH games will be simulcast on Yahoo.com

So even if you don’t have CI, you have yourself a good doubleheader.

What can really be said about another inconsistent undisciplined effort against the most bitter rival in which the Blueshirts fell to the Islanders 4-3 at MSG? I’ve come to the conclusion that this team sucks. They’re so imbalanced it’s sad. How much can a team rely on aging superstars Jaromir Jagr (2 goals, assist) and Brendan Shanahan (league-leading 23rd plus a helper or two) to win enough just to qualify for their second straight postseason? Take away the Broadway Dynamic Duo along with top pivot Michael Nylander (missed 2nd straight with flu) and the often overlooked Martin Straka (2 more assists) and this team has little offense.

Aside from that, there’s the lack of a solid D which repeatedly backs up, allowing opponents to dictate rushes and get shots from inside the slot which sometimes wind up in goals (See the latest Isles hat trick winner Jason Blake on the tying goal in the first which eluded a napping Kevin Weekes). It’s just amazing that this continues to happen. Do you think somebody would want to put a body on that pest or on the suddenly revived Isles’ captain Alexei Yashin, who once again lit the lamp by ripping a shot topshelf which turned out to be the winner as the Fishsticks held on for the one-goal win to pickup their 17th victory of the season and pull within three points of the still somehow first place Rangers. What’s more alarming for a team that’s now dropped three straight is that they have played three more games than the Islanders and two more than the second place Devils, who picked up a mercy point in a 4-3 shootout loss to Atlanta tonight.

Of course, the injury excuses were made by Devil fan and Ranger studio host Don “Spinmaster” LaGreca on ESPN Radio during the postgame. As frustrated Coach Tom Renney pointed out during his postgame conference, forget the fact that the Blueshirts were without a few key players (Nylander, Cullen, Malik, Lundqvist). They didn’t engage their opponents physically enough once again and took the kind of penalties which usually cost a team games. Hence…Renney called out his best two players about the silly penalties they took which resulted in a 3-1 Isles lead and a Blake natural hat trick. Speaking of which, for as great as he’s been on Broadway, when does Jagr not take a bad penalty? Especially this season. Is it from not being in top condition due to offseason shoulder surgery? Or just frustration? If you saw how he tackled Sean Hill for no reason, you’d think he forgot to take his med. It was bad enough that Rangers were being sent to the box at a wild rate in the pivotal second. But then Renney made it worse by pulling a bush league move by sending out that waste of space Colton Orr to rough up Brendan Witt. End result: Another two minutes wasted even if the Isles didn’t score.

Why is Orr even on the roster? He can’t beat anyone convincingly in scraps. He hardly ever sees regular shifts from Renney. So what’s the point of having him on the roster? At least Ryan Hollweg can skate good enough and hit. Too bad he has stone hands because he sure puts in an effort and gets chances. Maybe next time, No.44 will be a little selfish on a shorthanded two-on-one and not try a silly cross pass to a cutting Darius “Ghost” Kasparaitis. I’m still trying to digest how Hollweg and Kaspar actually were in that position. Oh well.

Now, you can kill Kevin Weekes for allowing Blake’s first goal and maybe a little for Yashin’s water bottle popper. But let’s be honest about this team for a minute. If either goalie doesn’t have a great night, they can’t win. Just look at the five-game win streak they had before this three-game slide. In every one of those victories, each netminder was splendid in backstopping the team to wins. That’s how weak the D is. So go ahead. Kill Weekes for not playing to capability. But how many times are Rangers going to let opponents do whatever they want in their end? Where is the grit? Oh wait. It left when Dominic Moore put on another jersey and Jed Ortmeyer is still not back.

Speaking of grit. Did anyone notice how visible the Rochester kid Ryan Callahan was in the actual 10 shifts he got (7:22)? He even created a chance off hard work forcing an Isle at the blueline and forcing Rick DiPietro to make a tough save. I like this guy. He should get at least a couple of more minutes next game at Florida. That’s if Renney has the balls to play him again. He definitely didn’t do anything to say he shouldn’t be in there when the Rangers thankfully begin a four-game road trip where they’ve won 11 of their 18 this season. After traveling to Florida, they visit Tampa before a rematch vs the Isles at Nassau Coliseum and then conclude the trip in Ottawa.

So, what needs to happen for this team to show some life? How about anyone but the Big Four scoring? Oh. Since Jarkko Immonen was a reason for sparking Cullen before he went down, what did the two-way center do to merit only getting 10:12 of ice-time. This while Hollweg saw over 13:00? I like Ryan but you got to be kidding me. If Nylander and Cullen were out, shouldn’t Immonen be getting 14-15 minutes? That’s the problem with this team.

In assessing Thomas Pock in his game back to the blueline where he teamed with Michal Rozsival, the 25 year-old Austrian didn’t distinguish himself. He was hesitant to move the puck in his end creating problems and didn’t take control enough offensively.

A thought in response to Steve’s comment about how the Sabres-Devils game drew a slightly better rating (0.3 to 0.2) than the Crosby-Ovechkin showdown on Versus last week:

If that’s what the NHL calls progress, then they got severe issues bud! Oh…and if you’re wondering why this league is in trouble, look no further than some of the marginal penalty calls in that Ranger game tonight. Two phantom goalie interference penalties in particular were just sad. This is what the league wants?

One observation on all these games winding up in shootouts. That is not what it was supposed to be geared towards. Too many crucial extra points are getting decided that way. And even some teams are starting to play for it in OT. At this point, I am convinced the points system needs to be adjusted. But will it? Come on. There’s a better of chance of Santa Claus making an appearance at the Felix household!

Finally, there’s this:

1.Rangers- 40 out of a possible 70 points
2.Devils- 39 of a possible 66
3.Islanders- 37 of 64
4.Penguins- 35 of 66

Can you say parity?

There’s also this. With their 5-2 win at Buffalo, the Canadiens now have 45 points. That’s five less than the Sabres and five more than the “third seeded” Rangers. They also have one more point than the Southeast leading Thrashers with two less games played. But hey. The system works.

And with that. We’ll see you all tomorrow including what should be quite an interesting NY Hockey Report show where myself and cohost Gary Harding are sure to give it to our host Joe Mac on the Rangers. Tune in at our usual time of 8:05 live:

Almost forgot. I’d be remiss if I forgot to mention the nice ceremony the Rangers had to honor the newest 600 goal members Jagr and Shanahan presenting each with silver sticks along with a nice video tribute which included highlights from their career. The best part was that they brought in both their families along with ex-teammates and 600 goal scorers Steve Yzerman (who got a loud pop), Ranger killer Mario Lemieux and of course hockey and Ranger legend Mark Messier. The tribute was very nice. But that Jagr Czech Republic girlfriend was hot! Good stuff.

Scoring Summary
1st period
Atlanta – Marian Hossa (SH) – 23rd of the Season, unassisted, at 7:59
2nd period
Devils – Sergei Brylin (PP) – 9th of the Season, from Parise and Rafalski, at 6:37
Devils – Johnny Oduya – 1st NHL GOAL, from Langenbrunner and Zajac, at 9:09
Atlanta – Jon Sim – 9th of the Season, from Kovalchuk, at 16:25
3rd period
Devils – Jamie Langenbrunner (PP) – 14th of the Season, from Gomez and Elias, at 6:43
Atlanta – Marian Hossa (SH) – 2nd of the game, 24th of the Season, from Vishnevski, at 7:02
Shootout
ATL, 1. Kozlov SCORES on Brodeur
NJ, 1. Parise stopped by Lehtonen
ATL, 2. Hossa SCORES on Brodeur
NJ, 2. Gionta stopped by Lehtonen

Game Recap:

A game that saw the pendulum of momentum switch numerous times saw the Devils looked fired up on offense and at times lost on the other side of the puck. Hossa’s first goal was helped by a non-call from the ref when Jamie Langenbrunner had his stick ripped from his hands by a Thrasher. Either way, a fantastic goal from Hossa.

The Devils tied it on a pretty play from Sergei Brylin, after what Mike Emrick called a play that seemed broken “like 7 times”, Brylin moved in a backhanded it in the smallest possible opening to tie the game.

In some good things happening to good people news, Johnny Oduya finally cashed in on a roaring, end-over-end shot that almost seemed to take an arc. It was so curious looking, that the refs decided to review it, much to Johnny’s visible dismay. However, goal good, 2-1 Devils.

Then a bang-bangish play when Vitaly Vishnevski (a key player in Devils GameDay) slapped one on goal, and New Glasgow, Nova Scotia (same as Colin White) native Jon Sim popped in the rebound to tie the game.

The Devils were given a 5-on-3 in the 3rd and gave Scott Gomez to make his case as one of the premiere players in the NHL. He simply threads the needle so well. Langenbrunner waited a split second and fired it past Kari Lehtonen, who was fantastic at times, and made it 3-2.

Yet it was not to be, as 19 seconds later, Marian Hossa was sprung and ripped one into the 5-hole past Brodeur (Students of Foreshadowing 101 take note) to tie it at 3.

After an exciting OT, the shootout was, as usual a letdown. Kozlov and Brodeur both got it in past Brodeur, on shots that he probably should’ve had, but then again, I’m not an NHL player, so I don’t know. Parise pulled out every move (i.e. all 2) in the book and couldn’t lift a backhander above Lehtonen’s glove, and Gionta missed to end it.

Overall, a decent effort from New Jersey against one of the best teams in hockey. Probably could’ve been a win tonight, but oh well, Friday is another game. As Ovechkin and the Crapitals come it to town.

Didn’t it seem a long time ago that anyone who called a sporting event regularly for a New York NHL team was on a network? Not long ago, Doc and JD were the premiere broadcasting team in the NHL. Rosen and Micheletti weren’t far behind, and Howie Rose was even doing some work nationally (And he SHOULD be doing work nationally again).

This year’s NHL On Versus team is lead by Mike Emrick, and Billy Jaffe is their alternate reporter. Just a point on Jaffe, I enjoy his excitement about the game. Analysts at times (Brian Hayward for NBC and the Ducks an example) seem bored by their own game at times. Luckilly, Billy, as well as Joe and Chico, always are enjoying themselves.

Anyway, this year’s NHL On NBC team will continue to have the pleasure of using Mike Emrick (As the #1 Play By Play Man) and Joe Micheletti (As the #2 Team’s Inside the Glass Reporter). Emrick’s first game will be Philadelphia-Pittsburgh on January 13th at 2:00 PM, while Joe will get to stay in the Garden for Rangers-Bruins on the same day and at the same time.

January 28th will be slightly different, as Emrick will be in Detroit calling the Avs-Wings, and Joe will be in Anaheim doing Stars-Ducks. So, while you may miss them a couple games each year, know that it’s because they’re so respected in their business.

IF anyone at all cares or is out of the NY area tonight, Beninati, THE BEEZER, and Bob Harwood have a useless Penguins-Blues game. But seriously, who cares?

Also, any other Devils fans who get the NOBODY CARES argument secretly enjoy the fact that Devils-Sabres on Versus Tuesday had MORE VIEWERS than the promoted to death Crosby-Ovechkin matchup?

Enjoy this one folks.

The Rangers and Islanders renew their intense rivalry at Madison Square Garden tonight with faceoff set for approximately 7:08 PM. It will be the second meeting of eight between the clubs this season with a rematch scheduled for next Tuesday night at Nassau Coliseum.

’06-07 Series: The Islanders lead the series 1-0 after storming into MSG 16 days ago and posting an impressive 7-4 victory which featured the first career four goal game for ex-Devil Viktor Kozlov. The Isles scored the first four goals of the game in a dominant first period which saw them chase second-year Swedish netminder Henrik Lundqvist. With Kevin Weekes in, the Blueshirts mounted a rally by getting the next three in the second due in large part to Brendan Shanahan and Jaromir Jagr. But the Isles’ Kozlov scored a backbreaking goal in the final minute to net his second and restore a two goal lead. Shanahan would turn a trick of his own to cut it to one in the third but Kozlov would answer with the final two goals to spark the Fishsticks to a statement win.

Series History: The Rangers lead the all-time series 94-87-19-1 including a record of 57-32-11-1 at the Garden.

Game Info: Despite dropping their last two by a score of 15-3 this past weekend, the Rangers still lead the Atlantic with an 18-12-4 record for 40 points, two ahead of the Devils and five better than the Islanders who enter with a 16-12-3 mark. The Isles are coming off an impressive 6-0 shutout over the Thrashers which was also the return of captain Alexei Yashin. The much criticized leader continued to silence the cynics by scoring his 11th goal in his first game back from injury. While Yashin and Co. lit up Atlanta netminder Johan Hedberg for six to post their second win in three, goalie Rick DiPietro stopped all 37 shots en route to his second shutout of the season.

Newsworthy: The Rangers will most likely be without top center Michael Nylander (flu) for the second consecutive game. Matt Cullen (sprained knee) will also be out and so too could be defenseman Marek Malik, who strained his groin in Sunday’s loss to the Devils and sat out the final two periods. After putting veteran D Sandis Ozolinsh on waivers, they have recalled defenseman Thomas Pock from Hartford. Also up for this game is forward Ryan Callahan. The Rochester native made his debut in a shootout loss at Buffalo earlier this month. He was leading the Pack in scoring and had a team best 19 goals. Leading goalscorer Shanahan (22 goals) also might not play..Meanwhile, the Isles made some news this weekend by trading vet blueliner Alexei Zhitnik to the Flyers for Freddy Meyer IV and a conditional 2007 pick. They’re hoping the offensive oriented Meyer can provide a spark on the blueline.

Off To Section 411: We’ll be in attendance for this one in what looks like a match-up which should favor the healthier Isles. But will Tom Renney’s banged up club respond after a closed door meeting against a bitter rival in their own building in which they have struggled to distinguish themselves? They’re only 7-6-3 at home while going 11-6-1 away from MSG. It’s hard to take this team seriously unless they turn it around and reestablish themselves on home ice. We’ll have a report later tonight on how things went.

New Jersey (18-12-2, 38 PTS, 2nd Atlantic Division, 5th Eastern Conference) vs. Atlanta (18-10-6, 42 PTS, 1st Southeast Division, 2nd Eastern Conference)
7:30 PM
The Swamp
FSNY
WFAN

Injuries:

New Jersey: RW Cam Janssen (Shoulder, Out for 12th Game), D Richard Matvichuk (Back, Out for 32nd Game)

Atlanta: D Garnet Exelby (Illness, Out for 6th Game), LW Brad Larssen (Upper Body, Questionable Tonight), C Steve Rucchin (Lower Body, Doubtful)

Last We Met:
March 23, 2006, at Phillips Arena: Devils give up a huge lead, Thrashers come back to take the lead, Gionta ties it late, Thrashers get GWG after a non-call on a blatant high-stick on Scott Gomez at the other end. ATL 6, NJ 5.

Next Meeting: 4 Days from now, same time, same place.

Leading Scorers
New Jersey
#26, Patrik Elias (LW): 12-17-29
#14, Brian Gionta (RW): 13-13-26
#15, Jamie Langenbrunner (RW): 13-12-25
#9, Zach Parise (LW): 11-12-23
#23, Scott Gomez (C): 4-18-22

Atlanta
#18, Marian Hossa (RW): 22-20-42
#13 Vyacheslav Kozlov (LW): 11-26-37
#17 Ilya Kovalchuk (LW): 18-18-36
#19 Scott Mellanby (RW): 7-12-19
#9 Glenn Metropolit (C): 6-10-16

Goaltending
New Jersey
#30 Martin Brodeur 18-11-1, 2.15, .921%
#40 Scott Clemmensen 0-1-1, 3.60, .878%

Atlanta
#30 Kari Lehtonen 13-7-6, 2.86, .907%
#1 Johan Hedberg 5-3-0, 3.01, .886%

Player to Watch Tonight

NJ
#26 Patrik Elias
The Devs in the midst of a stretch of tough opponents (as previously mentioned, the Devs have the Thrash again in 4 nights) and right now, they need a man to lead the charge, and boy has THE CAPTAIN been doing that lately. After a slow start in which many Devils fans questioned his captaincy (Even though the same fans begged for him to be given the ‘c’ all Summer) he has been on fire since the Philadelphia game two weeks ago. He has been the catalyst, and has picked up his understated physical game as well. Expect him to be key tonight (Along with the obvious Madden & Pando vs. Kovy and Hoss)

ATL
#30 Kari Lehtonen
The Devils have feasted on some on young goaltending in recent weeks (Fleury, Nittymaki, Toivonen, Huet) and Lehtonen may be next in line if he’s not up to the task of playing in NJ. Now, after a 6-goal outburst versus NY, he will be facing a Swamp team ready to feast on yet another goalie. And with that Thrasher defense, he and Vitaly Vishnevski will be important in a Thrasher win.

Prediction: Thrashers 4, Devils 3

Just a reminder to enjoy hearing from Derek, he’s a fantastic writer.