Parise aiming for Saturday return to Devils line-up

Devils star left winger Zach Parise will likely return this Saturday against Montreal. Parise was contemplating making his return tonight against the Islanders, but felt he was not ready due to conditioning and further injury risk. Parise is priority #1 and 1A for the Devils this off-season to sign him to a long-term extension. He is favored to become the Devils new captain at the start of 2011-2012 season. Since he is aiming to return Saturday, he will not play this Friday against Philadelphia.

Parise will not play for Team USA at this May's IIHF World Championships in Slovakia. This also due to injury risks and preparation for next year as well as impending restricted free agency. Contract talks between the Devils and Zach Parise have not yet started, but are likely to do so as soon as GM Lou Lamoriello finishes his evaluation of the team after the season is over. It usually takes Lamoriello 4-6 weeks to evaluate the team after their season ends, so expect talks to start in mid-late May.

Devils almost Mathematically eliminated from playoff contention after 2-0 loss to 8th seed Buffalo, offense runs out of gas

The Sabres could have had an empty net for the entire 60 minutes and the Devils still would not have scored. Thomas Vanek and Nathan Gerbe scored in the first period to lead the Sabres to a 2-0 shutout win over New Jersey. The Devils out-shot the Sabres 30-28, but Ryan Miller did not have to make any difficult saves. Coach Jacques Lemaire simply said, the Devils were not ready for the pace.

With the loss, the Devils drop to 12 points behind Buffalo with 7 games left to go, so a loss to the Islanders on Wednesday coupled with one more Buffalo win would mathematically eliminate the Devils from playoff contention. Also, Buffalo has to earn just three points on the Devils to eliminate them. Realistically, the Devils have to win all of their remaining games and Buffalo, Atlanta, Carolina and Toronto have to lose all of their games for them to win. SO, there you go, too much to handle for New Jersey.

Looks like the off-season officially starts for the Devils tonight even though there is 7 games left. All they have to play for is pride at the moment and continue to market their youth. Expect some call-ups from Albany for their remaining games once the Devils are mathematically out.

Devils lose, Buffalo Wins, no playoffs a formality for Devils

Marc-Andre Fleury made 26 saves in a 1-0 shootout win for the Penguins against the Devils as Jersey's offense continues to have trouble scoring. James Neal scored the lone shootout goal and Brian Rolston, Ilya Kovalchuk and Patrik Elias missed for the Devils in the SO. Brodeur made 21 saves in the losing effort and was the Devils best player today.

The Devils lost both defensemen Anton Volchenkov and Colin White with lower body injuries and both will most likely miss tomorrow nights game against Buffalo. Mark Fraser will likely be re-inserted back into the line-up and the Devils will likely call up another defenseman for the game from Albany, most likely either Olivier Magnan, Rob Davison, Dan Kelly or Harry Young.

With the shootout loss and despite the point, the Devils are now 10 points behind Buffalo and unless they win all of their remaining games, there is no shot for the Devils to make the playoffs. So, the miraculous run is finally over and in the rear view winner. Great Run Devils, but needed to win games in November and December.

First look: Devils projected 2011-2012, 25 man roster

This is without free agency and draft implications, so things will definitely change when I write my post-mortem on Devils on April 10/11:

Forwards:

Zach Parise, Travis Zajac, Nick Palmieri
Ilya Kovalchuk, Patrik Elias, Dainius Zubrus
Brian Rolston, Jacob Josefson, Mattias Tedenby
Vladimir Zharkov, David Steckel, David Clarkson
Extras: Tim Sestito, Adam Henrique, Alexander Vasyunov

Defense:
Colin White, Anton Volchenkov
Henrik Tallinder, Mark Fayne
Bryce Salvador, Mark Fraser
Extras: Tyler Eckford, Matthew Corrente

Goaltenders:
Martin Brodeur
Jeff Frazee

Devils playoff hopes all but done after loss to Bruins

It would have been a huge miracle had the Devils made the playoffs, but after the 4-1 loss to the Bruins tonight coupled with Sabres, Maple Leafs, Hurricanes, and Rangers regulation victories, it would take an even bigger miracle for the Devils, who are now 9 points out with 9 games remaining and 11 points behind the Rangers. Ilya Kovalchuk had the lone Devils goal in the loss. Shawn Thornton, Zdeno Chara, Milan Lucic and Mark Recchi had the B's goals. The Devils are now 0-3 against Boston this season and have been outscored 11-2 by them.

Shots were 31-29 Devils, but Tim Thomas continues to be the difference in their match-up this season. I have decided to end the R.I.P 2010-2011 New Jersey Devils, because simply put, the season is now basically over and all that is left to play for the Devils is for pride. While, the Devils are not yet mathematically eliminated, they would have to win all of their remaining games and see what happens. Chances are very high, it might come down to the final regular season game on April 10th against these same Boston Bruins, but those chances could take a huge dip should the Devils lose one more time.

The Devils will play the Penguins on Friday in Pittsburgh and should they win, the Sabres match-up will be very crucial to them.

NHL suspends Penguins forward Matt Cooke for the remainder of regular season and round one of playoffs

Last season Matt Cooke laid down one of the NHL's most controversial hits to the head of Bruins forward Marc Savard and likely ended his career or at least created a long-term injury. However, no punishment of any kind was given other then the NHL putting in its most veteran officiating crew for their next match-up and having league executives oversee that game. Commissioner Gary Bettman, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly. NHL Vice President and Dean of Discipline Colin Campbell and NHL Director of Officiating Terry Gregson were in the crowd at that game and the NHL had veteran officials Bill McCreary and Stephen Walkom as well as veteran linesmen officiate the game. It was a chance for the NHL to send a message that time, which would have likely seen a reduction of head shots this year. But, that was not the case.

Earlier this year, Cooke was suspended 4 games for his hit from behind on Blue Jackets defenseman Fedor Tyutin. Last week during the NHL General Mangers meeting, the League outlined a 5 step punishment/head shot/concussion protocol, which was aimed at preventing head shots, repeat offenders, and making the game and equipment safer. The protocol would be effective immediately as of last Wednesday at noon ET. While this protocol will not 100% eliminate head shots, it will give stiff warnings to players and the punishments that come with it by breaking the protocol.

Yesterday, Matt Cooke elbowed Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh in the face and McDonagh himself was shaken up. Today, the NHL came down hard and suspended Cooke for the rest of the regular season and round one of the playoffs, meaning 4-7 games depending on how long the Penguins first round series will go. It was the right decision in my view and I expect the Penguins organization to receive a fine of some sorts and Head Coach Dan Bylsma to get warned or fined as well. I wish they could have suspended Zdeno Chara as well to send a hard message.

R.I.P 2010-2011 New Jersey Devils: Top 5 coaching candidates for Devils if Lemaire goes back into retirement (Part II)

I know its still early to talk about the offseason, but I know the field of candidates will be lengthy. Like I said, if Lemaire goes back into retirement like he has planned, Lou will conduct a very lengthy search most likely it will take until mid-August at the latest to hire a coach. Here are the top 5 candidates who could be useful to the Devils in no particular order:

Andy Murray (Former Blues and Kings Coach):

-He is a former Los Angeles Kings and St. Louis Blues coach who play a defense first style and preaches a neutral-zone trap and aggressive fore-check. Jacques Lemaire is currently using a similar philosophy so he is likely the favorite. Plus, it is very likely that Lou will not hire a first year coach after the failed John MacLean experiment.

Ken Hitchcock (Former Stars and Flyers coach):

-He will definitely receive serious consideration like Andy Murray, because he also is a defense first coach, but he does not preach an aggressive fore-check, which might hurt the Devils. Hitchcock is a great teacher of the game, but he does not have good long-term relationships with the players. But, nevertheless, he might fill Lou's desire due to plenty of coaching experience.

Michel Therrien (Former Habs and Penguins coach):

-He is a no nonsense coach, who preaches team defense meaning forwards have to help defenseman out in the defensive zone. There were plenty of rumors that he was offered the position before MacLean was hired but those rumors were untrue. Currently, he is a scout for the Minnesota Wild and could succeed current Wild coach Todd Richards, who is on the hot-seat and has been since the beginning of the year. Plus with GM Chuck Fletcher's relationship with the Penguins and Therrien having coached there might force Michel to stay with the Wild Organization, but he will receive serious consideration from Lou Lamoriello and Lou loves to hire former Habs coaches. Also, he started the foundation for Pittsburgh's 2009 Stanley Cup Championship.

Mike Kitchen (Former Blues coach):

-He is very good friends with Lou and has played with the Devils. He is currently an assistant with Chicago and like Murray shares a similar philosophy. His time away from a head coaching stint might have been very beneficial.

Mike Haviland (Blackhawks assistant):

-Probably the only candidate with no NHL Head Coaching experience, but he is a Jersey resident, but being an assistant on a cup winning team in the new NHL could increase his stock. Plus, he should have been hired instead of MacLean as Devils would have been much better under him.

R.I.P 2010-2011 New Jersey Devils: Devils get must need win in Columbus to keep slim playoff hopes alive, Sabres lose in OT

David Clarkson had two goals and Nick Palmieri broke out of his scoring slum to lead the Devils to a 3-0 shutout win over the Columbus Blue Jackets in Ohio. Brodeur made 13 saves for his 115th career shutout. The Devils basically outplayed the Blue Jackets in all facets of the game.

With the win, the Devils are now 7 points behind the 8th seed Sabres, who lost in overtime to Nashville. The Devils and Sabres will meet up next Saturday March 26th in Buffalo in a match that will likely decide the Devils playoff fate. For that to happen, the Devils need to get through Boston on Tuesday and pesky Pittsburgh at Consol Energy Center on Friday. Not an easy task.

R.I.P 2010-2011 New Jersey Devils: Devils playoff hopes likely over after 3-0 setback to Capitals

Once again, the Devils seemed to have major problems solving the oppositions goaltending, this time it was Capitals Michal Neuvirth. Neuvirth made 33 saves in the shutout and Brodeur was not sharp when he needed to be making 9 saves on 12 Capital shots. Mike Knuble scored twice and Jeff Schultz scored also for Washington. The Devils were 0-4 on the power play including one 4 minute one.

Ilya Kovalchuk had two breakaways against Neuvirth, but once again it was the goalie who looked sharp. Both trade pieces Jason Arnott and David Steckel were out of this game with undisclosed injuries. With the loss, the Devils are still 6 points out of the 8th spot Buffalo. The Sabres have a game in hand.

The Devils now basically have to win 10 of their remaining 11 games to at least have somewhat of a shot, but now that scenario remains unlikely due to offensive woes. The Rangers moved to 10 points behind the 7th spot Rangers after they routed the Habs 6-3 at Madison Square Garden.

R.I.P 2010-2011 New Jersey Devils: Devils still cannot solve Senators as playoff chances take severe hit

Even if the Devils make the playoffs, every loss up til then will be severe. Yesterday, the Devils fell to the Senators for a second time in 9 days and continues to have problems solving Senator goaltending. Ryan Shannon scored once and Chris Neil had two to lead the Sens to a 3-1 win over New Jersey. Brian Rolston scored the lone Devils goal.

Shots were 34-24 Devils, but Sens goaltender Curtis McElhinney was dialed in yesterday. Tonight, the Devils return home to face the Washington Capitals and will wear their Red, Green and White jersey's like they did last season on St. Patrick's Day. With the loss, the Devils are still 6 points out of the 8th seed behind Buffalo. Buffalo plays host to Atlanta tonight.

R.I.P 2010-2011 New Jersey Devils: Devils rally to beat Thrashers 4-2 in a controversial ending

Evander Kane thought he had the tying goal with about 50 seconds left in the game, when elevated his stick to deflect the puck into the goal, but it was ruled no goal due to a high stick. It was probably the first time a call from Toronto went the Devils favor this season, so maybe good times are ahead for them. The Devils fell behind 2-0 in a span of 65 seconds late in the first period on goals by Tim Stapleton and Chris Thorburn, but a Travis Zajac goal shortly after that proved to be crucial as they trailed 2-1 after period 1.

Patrik Elias scored early in the 2nd to tie the game at two and Jacob Josefson broke the tie midway through the 3rd and Kovalchuk added an empty netter after the Kane no goal to seal the victory. Shots were 23-20 Devils in the game, though Atlanta dominated period 1. Josefson now has goal in consecutive games after scoring his 2nd career goal. Mark Fayne had a rough game, but was on the ice for 3 of the Devils 4 goals so he manged to go from a -1 to a +2 rating. The win coupled with a Buffalo loss in regulation moves the Devils to 6 points behind the 8th seed Sabres.

Next up for Devils is a St. Patrick's Day date with the Senators in Ottawa as they will try to avenge their loss to the Senators last Tuesday at home. On Friday, the Devils will wear their retro jersey's against the Washington Capitals. Jason Arnott will reportedly miss the game against the Devils with an undisclosed injury. The Devils and Sabres will square off on Saturday March 26th in a pivotal match-up.

R.I.P 2010-2011 New Jersey Devils: Salmela finn-ishes Islanders of in overtime

The Devils top two lines had a rough game, so it was evident that there was going to be a surprise winner and it was Anssi Salmela, who scored his first of the season and it was a big one. Jacob Josefson scored his first NHL goal to give the Devils a 1-0 lead, but the Islanders scored the next two, Blake Comeau had a short-handed goal and John Tavares scored on a deflection off a face-off. David Clarkson tied it up at 2 midway through the 3rd.

Shots were 35-15 Devils, but Montoya stayed squared with the puck. Brodeur looked good, but was shaky on the Islander goals. Rookie of the year contender Michael Grabner had another shorthanded chance and Ilya Kovalchuk had a rough night. Next up for the Devils is Atlanta again on Tuesday night, this time at Prudential Center.

R.I.P 2010-2011 New Jersey Devils: Devils battle adversity, beat Thrashers in Overtime to get back into playoff chase

Travis Zajac had two goals, one of them the overtime winner against Atlanta to beat the Thrashers 3-2 at Phillips Arena. Ilya Kovalchuk scored the other Devils goal. Blake Wheeler and Dustin Byfuglien scored for Atlanta. Special Teams made the difference as the Devils went 3-6 on the power play and the Thrashers 1-3.

This time, the Devils took advantage and scored on a 5 on 3 in the 2nd period. The Devils trailed twice, 1-0, and 2-1 in the game, but managed to battle back. Kovalchuk said that this was do or die and they got the key victory. Shots were 30-26 Devils. Both the Thrashers and Devils had power plays in overtime, but the Devils took advantage of theirs and Atlanta had numerous chances as well.

Now its time for a quick flight back home for the Devils and a match-up against the Islanders tomorrow night. Should be another tough one for the Devils.

R.I.P 2010-2011 New Jersey Devils: Devils take Senators lightly, lose 2-1, playoff hopes take huge hit

The Devils had everything playing in their favor outside of their building. Buffalo lost to Pittsburgh and Toronto lost in overtime to the Islanders, but they failed to take advantage and lost to the NHL's worst Senators. Erik Condra scored both of the Senators goals and Patrik Elias scored the lone Devils goal.

The Devils also continue to fail to solve Craig Anderson, who has now beaten them twice this year. Back in October his former Colorado team beat the Devils 3-2 at Prudential Center. He stopped 31 of 32 Devils shots and Marty Brodeur stopped 19 of 21, but both goals were not his fault. The Devils failed to score on two 5 on 3's and that was the turning point of the game other than the fact that they took them lightly.

The Devils remain 8 points out of the 8th and final playoff spot. They next play Friday against Atlanta in Georgia and then have to fly home for the next night against the Islanders on Saturday.

R.I.P 2010-2011 New Jersey Devils: Devils defeat Islanders 3-2 in shootout in a match-up of two hottest teams

The Islanders and Devils are the NHL's two most dangerous franchises right now and the Devils gutted one out via a shootout 3-2. Brian Rolston came up huge with a power play goal in regulation and the decisive shootout tally. Ilya Kovalchuk continued his hot play with a goal in both instances much like Rolston. Josh Bailey and Blake Comeau scored for the Islanders.

Rolston scored 4:09 into the second period on the power play and Bailey at 17:06 also on power play to tie it up at 1. Kovalchuk scored 2:52 into the 3rd period to give the Devils a 2-1 lead and Josefson with an assist picked up his 1st NHL point. Blake Comeau at 16:18 tied the game up at 2 to force overtime.

The Devils had most of the territorial advantage in overtime, but Montoya stood tall. Shots were 29-22 Devils, so Montoya despite looking shaky did not look that much shaky. Frans Nielsen scored the lone Islander shootout goal and actually gave them a 1-0 lead in the shootout. Next up for the Devils is a home game against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night. They are now 7 points away from the 8th seed.

R.I.P 2010-2011 New Jersey Devils: Kovalchuk does it again in 2-1 OT victory over Penguins

Yes ladies and gentlemen, Kovalchuk is Mr. Clutch for the Devils. This time it was against the Pittsburgh Penguins in overtime in a 2-1 victory. Travis Zajac scored the other goal for the Devils and Tyler Kennedy the lone one for Pittsburgh. It was his 5th game winning goal in the last 11 games and recently has been becoming huge for the Devils.

Shots were 30-26 Devils in a very bouncy game today as the passing was very ineffective today. Adam Mair was back in the line-up for Mattias Tedenby, who continues to be held somewhat hostage by coach Jacques Lemaire. David Clarkson played today despite his wife welcoming a baby girl to the family. The Devils will play the Islanders at 3 PM at Long Island on Sunday, another red hot offensive team.

R.I.P 2010-2011 New Jersey Devils: No more Parise, Zajac, Kovalchuk line when/if Parise returns

A line that was explosive in the preseason and opening night will be no more when Parise comes back from injury. It was a line, where Kovalchuk was tried at Right Wing with Parise and Zajac under former disastrous coach John MacLean. Kovalchuk ended up playing the worst hockey of his career under MacLean and the two seemingly never got along. Now. Kovalchuk under Lemaire, is playing on the left wing with Zajac and Palmieri and is playing like the elite player that he is.

Now, the question is where will Parise fit in and where he will play when he comes back?

The odd guys out could be either Tedenby, Josefson, Zharkov, Palmieri or Pelley. In my mind, Zach Parise would probably re-unite with Zajac and likely Palmieri at the Right Wing. Kovalchuk will likely shift to the Elias line at Left Wing and Zubrus on the right. Rolston will likely shift to the Left Wing on the 3rd line. But, first things first, the Devils cannot be distracted by when/if Parise is coming up. He will be a plus when he comes back, but Lemaire will have to be very careful with all the chemistry's.

R.I.P 2010-2011 New Jersey Devils: Kovalchuk does it again as Devils defeat Lightning 2-1, avenging Friday's loss

In David Steckel's Devils debut, the Devils beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1, rallying back from a 1-0 deficit. Ilya Kovalchuk scored the winner and Henrik Tallinder added the other goal for the Devils. Dominic Moore scored the only goal for Tampa. It was another defensive effort like it was last Friday night in Tampa, but the Devils found a way to win.

With the victory, the Devils move back to 9 points behind Carolina for the 8th and final playoff spot. Carolina defeated the Panthers last night to temporarily go to 11 points ahead of the Devils. Shots were 27-16 Devils tonight and the Devils won the season series against Tampa Bay 3-1. So, overall a good victory for the Devils.

R.I.P 2010-2011 New Jersey Devils: Parise given medical clearance to begin skating, but return 3-4 weeks away

Lou Lamoriello has just addressed the media and announced that the face of the Devils forward Zach Parise has been given medical clearance by his Cleveland Doctor to begin skating on his own. Parise initially tore his meniscus in August 2010 while preparing for the upcoming season. However, he opted against surgery, which would have kept him out until December at least. He managed to play through it, but it was evident based on his number and play that the injury was bothering him. Eventually, he aggravated the meniscus injury on October 30 in Los Angeles and had surgery and thus has been out of action since.

In 12 games this season, he has 3 goals and 3 assists, very un-Parise like numbers even though it was only through one month. If the Devils are able to sneak into the playoffs at the end of this miracle run, they will likley be pitted for a rematch of last years first round series against the Flyers. Parise's return could be huge for the Devils to beat the Flyers in the playoffs. But his return is only 3-4 weeks away at the minimum, so likley an early April return.