With about 6 hours to go until puck drop at Madison Square Garden between the Devils and Rangers, the number one question is still, why did Devils coach John MacLean bench his $100 million dollar man Ilya Kovalchuk against Buffalo yesterday? We will never get an answer to that question, but the feeling is that it was a team decision whereby MacLean tried to send a message to his players by trying to bring them together, which he failed miserably against Buffalo last night. Another reason could be Kovy's play as of late as he also has struggled, but this could be MacLean's make or break point in his young coaching career. MacLean probably had a feeling the Devils could have a meltdown of sorts like last night and that the team could not sustain the same effort they had in Montreal for consecutive games, so he definitely was trying to send some sort of message. Maybe he was trying to look ahead to tonight and probably wanted him to be mentally sharp to face his nemesis in Sean Avery, who knows. So, tonight's game will definitely tell a lot about the Devils with or without Ilya Kovalchuk.
Martin Brodeur will return to the Devils goal tonight after making a relief appearance last night against the Sabres. It will likely be another Brodeur vs Lundqvist showdown, which for now Lundqvist owns Marty. My feeling is that Kovalchuk for now is likely to be scratched again just due to the fact that the Devils have two days off before playing in San Jose out west this Wednesday. Tonight's game could hinge on whether MacLean keeps his job as Devils coach, which many believe is in jeopardy.
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