After a tumultuous three grueling days of practice and uncertainty to the make-up of the roster, the Devils are getting set to face the Ottawa Senators in Ottawa tomorrow night in a battle of two struggling teams. Martin Brodeur will make his return from a deep bruised elbow to start in goal and will likely start against the explosive Red Wings on Saturday night as well. The last time the Devils faced a struggling franchise, it was a nightmare blemish against the Islanders, losing 2-0, so they do not want to take Senators lightly. Every game from tomorrow night on is a must win game for the team.
The uncertainty of the past three days was whether John MacLean was going to be fired, well he was not. MacLean is safe for at least the next two games. Many around the locker room are expecting GM Lou Lamoriello to make a trade, even though Lou has not admitted whether he is working on a deal or not. Lamoriello did not endorse coach John MacLean or say whether he will make a deal. This is typical Lou talk as he usually is very secretive about his business and player personnel decisions. But, with the Christmas trade freeze a little over a week away on December 19 at midnight, it is imperative the Devils break out of their offensive slump, otherwise major changes will be made. The freeze runs through midnight December 27th, so it seems very likely the Devils will make a move. If they want to deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs, they will have to do it by midnight tonight December 9th, because Leafs GM Brian Burke's freeze is midnight tonight unlike the NHL's.
Speaking of the Devils playoff chances, it is safe to say, the Devils cannot think about making or missing the playoffs, they simply have to win consecutive games. During the 2005-2006 season, the Devils trailed the Atlantic division leading rival Rangers by 19 points at one point, but rallied to win the division in the end. In fact, they won the division in the last game of the year. That night, the Devils defeated the Canadiens 4-3, the Rangers fell to the Senators, and the Flyers won their game, but the Devils had the tie-breaking scenario with Philly. So, this year it might be the same for the Devils in regards to the 7th or 8th spot as some team(s) hopefully begin to struggle and fall out. Winning the Atlantic is no longer a possibility. But, as I said they cannot think about the playoffs, they just have to put together a streak of wins and take it one game at a time. Most of all, they have to score goals at large amounts. If you allow 5 and lose, you at least want to score 3 or 4, not 1 like the Devils have been doing.
Ilya Kovalchuk today is the latest Devil to take blame for the teams struggles. Brian Rolston admitted not living up to his contract about a month ago and is still not living up to it. Kovalchuk is having a tough year offensively with only 5 goals and 6 assists. Many people around hockey expect him to explode very soon and when he does, the Devils hopefully will follow suit. But, they cannot wait for him to break out, they have to break out as a team.
Tomorrow nights game will mark the return of Anton Volchenkov to Ottawa. Volchenkov left Ottawa this past summer to join the Devils. He admitted, he would be nervous, but good nervous. Volchenkov has been one of few bright spots for the struggling Devils this season since he returned from a mild concussion, broken nose and sore-neck. Next Saturday, Kovalchuk will return to Atlanta as a member of the Devils for the second time. Last time, the Devils defeated the Thrashers 3-0, but a nervous Kovalchuk had no shots on goal and was uneventful, much like he is this year so far.
The Devils today placed forward Stephen Gionta and Defenseman Olivier Magnan-Grenier on waivers and assigned defenseman Anssi Salmela to Albany for conditioning. If Magnan and Gionta clear waivers, they will be assigned back to Albany. Salmela is only allowed to be in Albany for maximum two weeks, but is expected to be activated of IR very shortly. Both Gionta and Grenier struggled as the Devils did for the most part. Gionta has no points, but has 5 penalty minutes so far this season. These moves likely mean Alexander Vasyunov is going back into the line-up tomorrow night. There is also a strong possibility Vladimir Zharkov could be called up from Albany very soon. Zharkov has been playing well and recently has been on a tear in the AHL. He has no goals in the NHL during his stint last year with the Devils.
John MacLean's job as I mentioned is probably still in jeopardy, but is safe for at least the next two games. After Detroit Saturday night, the Devils so not play until Wednesday against the Phoenix Coyotes at Prudential Center. That would give Lou a three day window to relieve MacLean of his coaching duties or make a trade if he thinks the time is right and the move is right for the sake of bettering the team, which has always been his philosophy. A coaching change would likely have to be made Sunday or Monday to give the new coach at least two practice days. Some of the players which could be moved are Jamie Langenbrunner, Brian Rolston, Dainius Zubrus, Patrik Elias, Travis Zajac, Colin White, Bryce Salvador (even though he is injured), Anssi Salmela and David Clarkson.
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