Pre-Game Lowdown: The Rivalry Continues

And so tonight marks the second clash of two Tri-State rivals, the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers, who’ll be facing off on the other side of the river in the Big Apple. As of late, there seems to be an occurrence of internal hysteria in Devil Land amongst fans anticipating the puck to drop whenever these two teams meet. Is it because we’re still having trouble adjusting to the fact the Devils can’t manhandle the Rangers like they did before the lockout? Is it because Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundvquist has been mastering Martin Brodeur, who hasn’t won a regulation game against the Rangers in over two years? Is it because the Rangers seem to outdo the Devils at every trade deadline and free agent opening since 2007, or that the Devils seem to be constantly compared to their cross river nemesis when a chance becomes opportune? Perhaps. Perhaps not.

Going into tonight, both teams have developed a pair of eventful timelines since their last meet. The Devils have gone 4-1 since their turbulent 0-2 start, whereas the Rangers enjoyed a dynamic seven game winning streak that was halted two nights ago by the San Jose Sharks. The Devil’s 2-0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes was a reminder Martin Brodeur isn’t done rewriting the history books as he goes into tonight’s game just one win short of tying Terry Sawchuck’s shutout record, which was acknowledged by Devils writers and fans. As nice as it would be to see Marty tie the record at the garden, he should be more focused on getting his first regulation win against the Rangers since 2007, and should know as long as the Ranger’s offense continues to stay in maximum overdrive, he should be lucky to leave this game with a point let alone shutout.

As it’ll seem to be every time the Devils encounter the Rangers this season, they’re going to be a monumental obstacle. Rookie sensation Michael Del Zotto proved his two goals in his first two games wasn’t just a fluke as he continues to stay hot early in the season. The Devils will also have to deal with another familiar feature of the Ranger’s game with Sean Avery playing tonight, who missed the meet the two teams had a few weeks earlier, while he was recovering from an injury. No doubt he’ll try his usual antics, which the Devils, in particular out of numerous teams, seem to have the most trouble overcoming.

Hoping to generate some scoring, Jacques Lemaire is trying some new combinations on offense and defense, which is the best he’s going to have to do at least until Patrik Elias returns, whose much needed presence will hopefully stabilize the offense to some degree. Danius Zubrus will center Zach Parise and Jamie Langenbrunner, while Travis Zajac will play in between rookie Niclas Bergfors and David Clarkson. On defense, Lemaire separated his top defensive pairing and is reuniting Paul Martin with Bryce Salvador, while Johnny Oduya is skating with Andy Greene. Hopefully the Devils can equal their season high goal output of three tonight, or surpass it with these new combos. Personally, I’m not a fan of Zubrus being anywhere near Parise, and think it’s going to be a mistake to separate Pairse and Zajac. I guess we’ll find out tonight if my claim’s correct.

While it’s unlikely to change tonight, I want to cover a few concerns I have about this team. First, Mike Mottau and Colin White shouldn’t be the second defensive pairing and shouldn’t be together. This is another mystery likely to go unsolved as to why Lemaire didn’t separate these two or assign either of them a more appropriate role.

I was watching the Pittsburgh St. Louis game the other night and really admired the Pen’s power play success. What I noticed was they converted their chances into goals by working the puck down low instead of being predictable and relying on the point and making the aspect of keeping the puck to the outside a priority when in possession. I think this is the origin behind the Devil’s early concerns regarding their special teams. Nine times out of ten, the power play units always seem to keep the puck on the outside as they wait for somebody on the blue line to get open for a shot. To make matters even more frustrating, the Devils and Lemaire are doing this, while they have Brian Rolston currently manning the point on the second power play unit.

I’m done with complaining about Brodeur starting on a nightly basis and I promise you won’t see another write up of mine dedicated to the topic for the rest of the season. Lemaire and Lou let it happen since Marty calls the shots, which is something that’ll never change as long as Marty is the face of the franchise.

It’s old news the Devils waived Cory Murphy and signed Dean McAmmond. While my hopes were high on Murphy, Greene was playing more stellar hockey and was simply more deserving of the opportunity. The McAmmond signing is another head scratcher for me. He signed with the Lowell Devils, who I think can benefit from his experience and play that’s still commendable at his age (36). It could be a good depth move and insurance policy should the injury bug find its way in the Devil’s locker room.