Wow.

And to think I almost shelled out $75 to witness the massacre.  There’s really no telling what exactly went wrong, (other than Madden and Pandolfo sitting on the bench when Jagr made the Devils his bitch!) the Devils executed one of the most impressive meltdowns of the adolescent season - after dominating and frustrating the Rangers for 40 minutes.  Ever see those FiberSure commercials with the holes in the food?  That is a wonderful representation of the Devils play this year - Their complete failure to recognize that the game is 60 minutes long.

Part of me wants to quickly touch on the attendance issue.  Do you think the Rangers would have made that unique comeback if the building was only half-full?  I’m going to say no.  I was saying to myself all along that it is only going to take one goal and the Devils will have to deal with an awakened giant.  My point?  The fans were as big a factor in that game as Henrik Lundqvist.  Yep, I said it.  Momentum has more of an effect on the outcome of games than you might think.  I’m not excusing the fact that New Jersey slipped into a 90-second coma, but I have an opinion.

Nothing else to do but put this one behind you and come out flying against Ottawa.  At least the Powerplay clicked again.  Baby steps, boys, baby steps.

Yay! David Hale is back!

Sure, he won’t be able to play tonight against Chicago (which, thankfully, the Hawks suck), but don’t count Davey out for Saturday’s affair with Florida.

After Lou Lamoriello claimed Hale’s injury to be minor, it was leaked that Davey underwent surgery on Oct 5 to repair a damaged retina. Yeah, sounds pretty minor.

Welcome back, Mr. Hale. We sure as heck need you.

So, Brad Lukowich is back. I gotta say, I’m quite disappointed. Let me tell you, I absolutely cannot stand him. He’s terrible.

Terrible, terrible, TERRIBLE.

Did I mention he’s terrible? Pardon me if I haven’t.

Seriously, how do we take two consecutive delay of game penalties? Come on, Brooksy, I defended you…THIS is how you

repay me?

I beg you, Hockey Gods: Please give us Hale and Matvichuk back. I’ll give you a dollar. Joe will even chip in an additional fifty cents. It’s totally worth it, because that’s exactly how much Brad Lukowich is worth.

…okay, I’m kidding. He’s not even worth $1.50…

On another note, at least the North Dakota Boys kick major butt. I like that.

Boy, the Devils miss Bill Murray already.

Add another defenseman to the injured list.  With Matvichuk, Hale, and Lukowich already sitting out, Jim Fahey is about to join his wounded comarades.

Fahey was stapled during Saturday’s 2-1 win in Montreal, and didn’t play much afterwards.  He will not play when the Devils open their 3-game-homestand against the defending champs - the Carolina Hurricanes.  The Devils will also be without five-million-dollar-man Scott Gomez.  He will miss another game after re-aggravating a groin injury.

So, the big question is - who do we call up?  Brooks has been decent filling in for Lukowich but personally I don’t think any other of Lowell’s defensemen are capable of NHL success.  (i.e: Dan McGillis)  Let me say this right now: If McGillis gets the go for tomorrow’s game, I will sell my tickets.  See me outside gate D.

Tuesday night drama, comin at ya!

Ok. This is getting a little seriously rediculous.

I could go on and on - blame the daults at the NHL’s scheduling office, I could blame Claude Julien, take a hack at Elias’ production, or even make a sly comment about Jamie Langenbrunner. (Hover over the picture.) But I believe the Devils perhaps play their worst hockey with the man-advantage.

It’s no secret that New Jersey’s powerplay is about as effective as a mesh condom. After going 0-6 during last night’s humiliating loss to their Division-rivals, the New York Islanders, the Devils now have only connected 9 times on 68 chances, despite 1:45 of 5-on-3 play last night. Shots - when they come - rattle off the glass, rocket miles wide, or hit goaltenders square in the logo. The breakout is nothing to write home about, either - I’ve seen more coordination from a dyslexic juggler. As if not scoring on the PP wasn’t bad enough, the Devils also sit second overall in Shorthanded-Goals-Against with 3.

I can’t stress enough the importance of making the most out of your powerplay opportunities. A single powerplay goal could mean the difference between earning 0 or 2 points in the standings, and those points could mean the difference between making and not making the playoffs.

The Devs need a lot of work. Things looked promising with the back-to-back shutouts, but this is what happens when you play a team thats not Florida or Columbus.

Boys, start watching the Sharks on your days off. Trust me, it’ll help.

Just one day after Danny Boy cleared waivers, New Jersey decided to sign fan-favorite Jersey native Jim Dowd to a one-year contract today. Let me tell you, there’s at least one Devils fan who is beaming right now! *cough*Joe*cough*

So, for those of you who don’t remember, Dowd, 37, started his career with the Devils in ‘91, even winning a Stanley Cup in ‘95. Just one year later, when the Devils decided they sucked and didn’t want to make the playoffs, Dowd was traded to the Hartford Whalers, thus starting his career as a Journey Man in the NHL. Such is life.

Oh, by the way…we acquired Jocelyn Lemieux for Dowd in that trade. What a blockbuster, eh?

Isn’t the saying supposed to be “in with the new, out with the old?”