9:38 PM ET: Game over, thank God. 6-5 Devils. It wasn’t pretty but it’s a win nonetheless.

9:37 PM ET: Off the ensuing faceoff a shot by the Thrashers hits the post and nearly trickles in off Marty’s leg! Holy crap. Still 6-5 Devils, 16ish seconds remaining.

9:36 PM ET: Elias scores! LOADS of pressure by the Devs on the PP and Lehtonen finally relents!

9:35 PM ET: Beautiful change for Parise stopped by Lehtonen!

9:34 PM ET: Exelby pulls Parise down along the board behind the net, Devils PP late in the third.

9:31 PM ET: Sigh. First shot on goal for the Thrashers of the third period is a goal. Tie game again, Kovalchuk with the goal on full strength.

9:28 PM ET: Ahhh but there was also a diving call on White of the Thrashers. 4-on-4.

9:26 PM ET: Johnny O-crap-ya takes a cross-checking penalty. Thanks crazy hair.

9:22 PM ET: Brylin comes away with the goal.

9:19 PM ET: WHOO! Brylin with a HUGE blast that Lehtonen appears to glove, but alas, does not! A scrum in front and Brylin…or Clarkson…or possibly Zajac…SOMEONE puts it home! 5-4 Devils!

9:18 PM ET: Penalty killed, very nice. No shots allowed on the Atlanta powerplay.

9:15 PM ET: Hooking call on Madden. Atlanta powerplay. Boo. However, a nice rush by Patty Elias shorthanded for a shot on goal that Lehtonen has to cover.

9:10 PM ET: Devils pressuring post-PP, a nice chance for Clarkson and Brylin there.

9:07 PM ET: Jim Slater crashes into Marty behind the play, interference called and the Devils will hit the PP again.

9:05 PM ET: TIE GAME! Great goal by Travis Zajac off the backhand. 4-4 and it’s a game again kids!

9:04 PM ET: Dupuis wipes out in the offensive zone, resulting in a Devils rush. That made me giggle.

9:00 PM ET: Third period underway. Let’s make something GOOD happen this period boys, mmmkay?

8:44 PM ET: End of two, 4-3 Thrashers. Considering how bad that period was I suppose we should be lucky the Devs are only down one going into the third.

8:41 PM ET: WHOO! Paul Martin with some excellent puckhandling into the Thrashers zone, Jay Pandolfo scooping up the puck with a goal!

8:41 PM ET: Less than a minute to go in this sad period.

8:34 PM ET: In less than two periods against the Devils, the Thrashers have doubled their goal output for the season. Uhm…we need some defensive help. BADLY.

8:31 PM ET: Excellent centering pass to Zach Parise is stoned by Lehtonen.

8:29 PM ET: The Devils looks absolutely awful right now. AWFUL.

8:23 PM ET: …and another goal. 4-2 Thrashers on a Bobby Holik goal. Absolutely no one contests Boultin in the corner, Holik jams home to rebound off Paul Martin’s stick. I guess the Devs decided to mix things up and not show up for the second period in this game, rather than the first or third…

8:19 PM ET: Bobby Holik was the Thrasher behind Marty for the Exelby goal. Never much liked Bobby Holik. Jerk.

8:17 PM ET: Marty Brodeur gets mugged in the crease resulting in a Garnet Exelby goal. LAME.

8:14 PM ET: Five seconds left on the double minor penalty. Some chances. Not many though.

8:12 PM ET: Klee with the clear over Martin’s stick. That’s pretty decent Klee-fense on the penalty kill. I’m totally going to run that joke into the ground tonight, by the way.

8:10 PM ET: Thrashers penalty, a double minor on Little for a high stick on Arron Asham. This is going to be a big PP for the Devs.

8:06 PM ET: We’re back for the second period…and Ilya Kovalchuk with the goal. Dammit. Tied again, 2-2.

7:48 PM ET: And that’s the end of one. Shots on goal, Devils - 12; Thrashers - 4. That’s much better guys. MUCH better.

7:46 PM ET: Devils penalty, Arron Asham is off for hooking.

7:45 PM ET: It counts! Should have not taken that long really, no kicking motion by Patty. Elias is on the board for the season with his first goal. Hooray!

7:44 PM ET: Parise to Zajac, Zajac throws a pass in front of the net to Elias, bounces off the skate or shinpad of Elias…still no word on the review.

7:42 PM ET: Nice passing by the Devils deep in the Thrashers zone, Elias appears to have scored! Under review…

7:41 PM ET: ‘nother Thrashers penalty. That’s three this period, Devs are 1-2 with the man advantage. Sterling goes off to the box for holding.

7:40 PM ET: Asham with a nice effort for a steal in the offensive zone!

7:39 PM ET: Pace has slowed considerably…

7:33 PM ET: Elias with a shot that squibs through Lehtonen but is cleared out before crossing the line. Poo.

7:28 PM ET: Power play is over but the Devils looked good. Elias playing the point with Martin, bunch of good chances. I’m moderately impressed.

7:25 PM ET: Former Devils funnyname Ken Klee takes an interference penalty. Awful Klee-fense leads to a Devils PP!

7:21 PM ET: Elias is at least shooting the puck. That’s a start. He’ll get his goals, he’s not looking bad lately. And we need those goals dammit.

7:18 PM ET: It seems like this is said every game so far, but man I really dislike the Thrashers jersey.

7:15 PM ET: …and Atlanta takes it right back. Darren Haydar with a shot off the post and in, making it 1-1.

7:14 PM ET: Madden scores! Nice rebound shot on the power play, 1-0 Devils. Give the assists to Asham and Zubrus.

7:11 PM ET: Okay, we’re off and going. Penalty on the Thrashers, Devils on the PP.

7:10 PM ET: Start of the game is slightly delayed. Doc doesn’t know why. Lighting is low-ish though.

7:00 PM ET: Puck’s about to drop in Atlanta. Pray for a win. This is one the Devs are going to need.

Well it’s no secret that this isn’t exactly the start that the Devils and their fans had hoped for, but it could be worse.

We could be the Atlanta Thrashers.

As if having Bobby Holik for a Captain isn’t discouraging enough, the Thrashers are the only winless Eastern Conference team thus far, posting an ominous 0-4 record and being outscored 17-4 in the process. Their most recent defeat: a 6-0 pasting courtesy of Buffalo.

The Devils faced off against a winless Florida Panthers club on Thursday night and were slapped with a 3-0 shutout loss for their efforts, which doesn’t exactly make me very confident for tonight’s contest. It’s long been the Devils M.O. to defeat teams they have no business defeating, and then lose to Phoenix the very next night — but this is starting to worry me. Falling into a 1-4-0 hole would spell trouble for New Jersey as they will close out their trip by playing teams that have enjoyed early success in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, as well as the Islanders and Rangers. I’m still holding out hope for a 6-3 record on this trip (sorry, that’s the Kool-Aid speaking), but right now I would be ecstatic with being .500 to open The Rock.

There’s a slight possibility tonight could be the Devils debut of newly-acquired D-man Sheldon Brookbank.

Cool, right?

Not really.

It seems that if Brookbank is going to play, Mike Mottau would be the one to sit to open a roster spot. Um…am I the only one who’s noticed that Slingshot Oduya has looked more awkward than a Colin White slapshot thus far?! Mottau has been our best defenseman, hands down. Andy Greene a close second, but Mottau has really impressed. I just can’t see how Slingshot’s constant out-of-position play is going unnoticed.

Seriously - start getting it done, guys. This Devils team is much better than they have been playing, but that means nothing when compared to the points column. If your name happens to end in “Elias,” “Zubrus,” or “Gionta,” it’s time to remove your heads from your respective rectums (Patricia note: …mmm, tasty.) and start breathing some fresh air. Your team needs you.

PATRICIA’S FINAL THOUGHTS: Well, more or less the same. Awful game, overall. We all were well aware of the fact that this team would not be turning many heads from the blue line, but zero goals against a mediocre Florida team? Not good at all. Still got a ways to go on this road trip, but opening the season 1-3 is not a good start. We need Anger back bad.

Who would have thought Marty would go winless in his first three starts of the season?

Yeah, now I’m starting to worry. Just a little.

9:54 PM ET: And the Panthers hold on for the shutout. Devils lose 3-0. We need to wake up. This needs to be fixed, Sutter. RIGHT away. Thanks for listening folks, Tony here signing off.

9:51 PM ET: Box is now empty. As is the net. ::sigh:: I don’t like this one bit.

9:48 PM ET: Murphy goes off for hooking. Meaningless man advantage coming up for the Devils. Sure, a goal would be nice. Not like it’ll really change things, though.

9:44 PM ET: A great chance for Elias…no goal. What else is new?

9:40 PM ET: A SCRAP! Why not with no goals? Clarkson with a left and Allen with a right. Clarkson looks floppy, but takes down Allen regardless. EDGE: Even.

9:38 PM ET: Another Devils power play…maybe, JUST maybe, we can stop the shutout…

9:34 PM ET: Say hey! Zubrus has some nifty moves! If only he could help this team score a goal. Something not even a mystical creature could do.

9:32 PM ET: Another power play, boys come up empty again.

9:28 PM ET: Devils take their 8350983th penalty…but it’s thankfully canceled out by a Jokinen penalty. Oh-crap-ya actually made a decent play. First for everything, huh?

9:27 PM ET: Or not! Penalty killed off and the egg stays up!

9:25 PM ET: Devils now on a power play! ::sigh:: Maybe we can get something started here!

9:21 PM ET: Devils step back onto the ice and the 3rd period is underway…unfortunately.

PATRICIA’S THOUGHTS ON THE SECOND: Ew. Okay? Ew. Bad penalties, stupid coaching, and awful goaltending by Marty. Valiant effort and all by Mottau to try to save the third Panther goal, but too little too late — what the heck was Marty thinking on that play? So we’re four games in and all, but this is getting a bit scary now. Come on. Six straight penalties by Black ‘n Red? Unacceptable.

Oh, and I must say — Oh-crap-ya is garbage.

9:02 PM ET: This is ridiculous. SLOP! SLOP I SAY! This defense should be fed to the pigs. Panthers goal scored by Horton. End of 2nd Period. Panthers 3, Devils 0.

9:00 PM ET: no goal no goal no goal big bank big bank no goal no goal STOP!

8:58 PM ET: Another penalty. Gionta. Again. Not good.

8:54 PM ET: COME ON! A 2-on-1 develops as Gionta exits the box and we mess it up with an offside call. This is not what I hoped for, boys. A late period goal, or any goal for that matter is ideal.

8:51 PM ET: After a few replays, I’ve decided. We’ve been cheated. And now another penalty?! A delay of game on Brian Gionta. WAKE UP GUYS!

8:48 PM ET: A WEAK penalty called on Clarkson for god know’s what. And a bench minor for some unsportsmanlike words. As I type, a Panthers goal scored by Olli Jokinen.::sigh:: 2-0 Panthers.

8:42 PM ET: Slow paced game… must be a Florida thing.

8:37 PM ET: A couple of one-two punch shots by Parise and Rachunek held by Vokoun. If only a mystical creature could guide that black rubber into the net…

8:36 PM ET: A 2-on-1 turned away by a nice defensive play from Mike Mottau!

8:33 PM ET: An effective penalty kill with the exception of a couple hard shots… even made them sweat a bit…

8:30 PM ET: Hardly the spark we need. A penalty by the klutz. Hooking call on Johnny Oduya. Devils on the PK.

8:29 PM ET: Parise with a hard slap shot turned away! Cleared back and touched up for an icing. Still waiting for that spark…

8:26 PM ET: Start of the second period underway! Hopefully they can turn it around…

PATRICIA’S THOUGHTS ON THE FIRST: Had some pressure, also had some defensive breakdowns. Still gave up a decent amount of shots — 12 this time. Regardless, it was a relatively entertaining period. Not too upset or anything, if they come out strong for the second, things will be a-okay.

8:08 PM ET: The puck stays in the Panthers’ zone but out of the net. End of period 1. Panthers 1, Devils 0.

8:04 PM ET: A GREAT chance for Mikey Mottau right in front! sooo close!

8:02 PM ET: A breakdown in front of Marty and Panthers cash in on the rebound. ::sigh:: Goal by Olesz. 1-0 Panthers.

7:59 PM ET: A lot of pressure put on by the Cats. I’m a bit worried.

7:59 PM ET: Back to Tony!

7:58 PM ET: For a team who is 0-3, Florida sure doesn’t look too bad tonight. That clearly does not bode well for us, I’m afraid.

7:56 PM ET: Relatively decent pressure by the Panthers right now. Van Ryn fires a laser from the blue line, no worries though, there was absolutely no screen and, well, Marty made quite the easy save of it. Both goalies look solid so far.

7:56 PM ET: Patricia here. Tony’s having some technical difficulties — he’ll be back in a few.

7:52 PM ET: Crap. Panthers power play. Martin plays Zednik a bit out of position, ends up hooking him as a result.

7:49 PM ET: Great defensive play by Paul Martin to break up a play and dump it back into the Panthers’ zone.

7:46 PM ET: A back and forth race after a 2 on 1 shot from Madden was turned aside.
PATRICIA SAYS: Solid start by the boys. The forecheck is as aggressive as ever. Make Vokoun work for those saves!

7:45 PM ET: Lot’s of pressure by the Devils offense. Expect a goal soon.

7:44 PM ET: Great chance in front by Zajac and then Pandolfo.

7:41 PM ET: Zajac tripped up and a power play ensues!

7:39 PM ET: Ref with puck in hand, and we are underway!

7:29 PM ET: Tony here for your live-cap. Pucks are frozen and we’re just about ready to get this thing started!!!

Florida tonight. Why does it feel like we just…wait, never mind. We did.

Anyway…

The Devils (1-2-0) will once again square off against the Panthers (0-3-0) in Florida tonight. It’s a little disheartening that this is the only team Black ‘N Red has been able to defeat thus far.

Despite the solid performance from the boys last time around, you can’t take anything for granted this early in the season. The Devils still need to be on their toes — it’s only a matter of time until Florida gets their butts in gear.

Martin Brodeur will be in goal tonight, the first time the Panthers will see him this season, which is another thing that bothers me. It’s been eating at me for a bit that Martin Brodeur is 0-2 while Kevin Weekes boasts the team’s only win. Now before you choke on your Kool-Aid and start blasting me, hear me out. I’m not taking shots at Marty, but he needs to get a win under his belt soon or things are going to get ugly. You better believe Sutter will not hesitate to sit him in favor of Weekes. Given his “see how it goes” mentality, it’s a very real possibility.

But enough of the apocalyptic theories. There is hockey to be played, and an important game at that. The Devils could even their record to 2-2 and hit .500 in this young season. (Hey, that would make us better than the Rangers!) Defense will be key, as always. Mike Mottau - keep doing what you’ve been doing. You’ve been our brightest spot back there. Slingshot Oduya is going to have some homework to do. (Read Chapter 4: “Double-Coverage and It’s Adverse Effects On Your Career”)

Let’s try to keep the shots down this time, eh boys? 21 is acceptable. Just not in the first period, please.

Stick around for the live-cap tonight. It’s gonna be great — Tony will be making his live-capping debut! Check back at 7:30 PM!

UPDATE: Well, looks like Richard Matvichuk’s days as a Devil really are over. As reported by Tom Gulitti, the Devils will attempt to trade the 34-year-old defender. What they will get, I do not know. Don’t expect much.

I’m not surprised, to be quite honest. It’s funny, I wrote this piece today with the thought that Mattie would likely be waived or traded. Didn’t think it would happen this soon, but I suppose now is as good a time as any.

Regardless, best of luck to Mattie, where ever you may land — loved ya during the post-season, but your shot-block-awesomeness just wasn’t enough to keep ya in New Jersey.

Sorry.

_________

So, we’re a mere three games into the season, and while many fans are already deeming Red ‘n Black’s season to be a monumental bomb, I am sitting back, waiting rather patiently for one major component of this here team’s system to, well, actually come through.

Yes, I am talking about the defense.

Come on folks, this team is just fine outside of an obviously confused looking blueline. The forecheck is as hard as it’s ever been, the goaltending has looked more than effective, and the physicality has been, well, quite physical.

All positives.

What makes my poor head ache is the lack of coordination and general awareness of the defense. While guys like Karel Rachunek and Andrew Greene have stepped up in the offensive scheme of things, they have severely faltered in their own end — and that’s not to mention the obvious shortcomings of one Mr. Johnny Oduya. Okay, okay — Oduya looked significantly better on Monday, but still, he has not impressed me enough to pull his sorry little Swedish butt out of the doghouse.

Paul Martin, our clear #1, has looked as confused as ever on the ice. He made several miscues in Monday’s 4-2 loss against the mighty Ottawa Senators. No good.

Who’s left? Ah, the supposed scrubs that are Mike Mottau and Vitaly Vishnevski. I will say, the former has actually been our best defenseman, while the latter, uh…well, I don’t really remember much from the latter, because he hasn’t done anything to warrant accolades or drubbings. I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing.

Dare I say, I miss Anger?

Well, I do. A lot.
We need Whitey back, baaaad. Sure, he’s known to take a dumb penalty or two over the course of a 60 minute game, but I will admit — with what we have right now, I certainly wouldn’t mind those penalties provided he actually helped our netminder out every once and a while.

Let’s face it: the current state of New Jersey Defense is a sad state.

The sheer volume of shots allowed this season alone is enough to send a Devils fan into a furious frenzy. For Brodeur, against Ottawa, he faced 36 shots. The defense fared much better in a 3-1 loss against Tampa Bay, surrendering 23 shots. Kevin Weekes had it far much worse, though, facing 33 shot — 21 alone in the first period! The Devils went on to win that game 4-1, but had it not been for Weekesie, the outcome would have been dramatically different.

My biggest gripe with the D is their confusion displayed on the ice. Lack of talent is one thing, but when you simply look confused on the ice, well, that’s just not good. In each of the three games played so far, I’ve noticed the defenders simply give up on their positioning and instead create a logjam of traffic in front of the goalie, making it an easy feat for a player to merely pick up a loose puck and fling it past a so-badly-screened Devils goalie. In fact, I’ve noticed this successfully happen at least three times, and many more times unsuccessfully.

Guys, this is the NHL, not Mites on Ice — you can’t create a mush of what-the-hell-is-going-on and expect for the best. Mmkay?

Another problem that should heavily be noted is, well, actually something that can be a strength for the boys: the forecheck. It seems, honest to you-know-who, that the forecheck is so gosh darn aggressive that the boys simply cannot skate back in time to save the day when the opposition has the puck.

Don’t you hate when an asset is also a flaw?

So, how do we fix these problems?

Hey, don’t ask me — I’m not the monotonous-voiced head coach here.

What I don’t think is the answer, though, is inserting Richard Matvichuk into the lineup just yet. I still think this team needs to fully buy into a newly implemented system — a system many of these guys really haven’t played too much of, nor have had time to get acclimated. Granted, if we’re still watching this team have the same problems by the end of this road trip, I will surely scream for the addition of Matvichuk and maybe even newly acquired bruiser Sheldon Brookbank into the lineup, but for now? Give them time. And Colin White. Give them Colin White, too.

Really, though, I think this team will be just fine. Despite all my complaints about the weak defense, I still maintain that the Atlantic as a whole has teams full of weak defense, which will ultimately bode well for Louie Lams and the boys.

If not?

Well, I don’t know.

That was quite reassuring, huh?

…silly.

Okay, so the Devils didn’t come away with the win yesterday.

But, well, we all know that, because the game was well over 24 hours ago.

Yeah, sorry for the lack of recappage. Me thinks Darren is still under the weather. Sorry, bud. Stupid flu…

Alas, we shall return shortly — Thursday, to be exact, with a wonderful recap of the Devils/Florida game. It’ll be tasty. Trust me.

PS: LOOK UP TOP. WE GOTS A NEW BANNER, FRESH FOR THE NEW SEASON. TO QUOTE THE QUOTABLE JOE BECHTEL, “IT’S AWESOME, JUST LIKE US.”

THANKS AGAIN FOR THE GREAT WORK, DUSTIN!

AND YES, THAT’S ANGER IN THE BANNER. WE NEEDED A NEW POSTER BOY NOW THAT RAD BRAD IS GONE. CONGRATS, WHITEY! YOU’RE OUR NEW WHIPPING BOY/INFATUATION! HOORAY!

5:35 PM ET: Game over. Devils fall to 1-2. Senators remain unbeaten. Boo.

5:33 PM ET: …with good reason. Empty net goal for Alfie. 4-2. Senators will win.

5:32 PM ET: Empty net. I’m scared.

5:30 PM ET: Time out, New Jersey.

5:29 PM ET: Damnit Black ‘n Red, SCORE A GOAL!

5:24 PM ET: Yahoo.com is silly.
LATEST PLAYS:

5:23 PM ET: Solid pad save by Marty. He’s turned aside 32 so far.

5:22 PM ET: Six minutes for the Devils to get one. Preferably, two.

5:21 PM ET: Mmm…offensive flurry…I love David Clarkson.

5:20 PM ET: Holy Devils pressure Batman! KEEP THIS UP!!!

5:17 PM ET: Remember when Madden used to score shorties like a monster? I could go for one of those right now…

5:15 PM ET: Oh butt. That was a weak call on Vish. Sens PP again.

5:11 PM ET: Yay. They counted it. Parise with the goal. 3-2 Ottawa.

5:10 PM ET: THAT IS TOTALLY A GOAL, MAKE THE RIGHT CALL.

5:07 PM ET: Video review here we come again. Devils may or may not have scored a goal now. Me thinks it was a goal.

5:02 PM ET: Crossed the line. It’s a goal. 3-1 Senators.

5:01 PM ET: Uh oh, drama. The Senators may or may not have scored.

5:00 PM ET: Are you kidding me? Jay Pandolfo…what is WRONG with you???? Sens PP.

4:58 PM ET: Devils D: Let’s just mush into a blob of garbage in front of the net and hope for the best.

4:57 PM ET: Don’t be an idiot, Rupp.

4:55 PM ET: Sorry for the delay. We’re back.

4:36 PM ET: Done with two. Huge goal to end the period, the Devils are surprisingly still in this.

4:33 PM ET: ASHAM! 2-1 Ottawa. Okay, Arron Asham is officially awesome. So, remember this boys: stay close on Gerber. No more shots from far out.

4:32 PM ET: Uh, tripping much?

4:30 PM ET: Have I mentioned the Senators are good?

4:25 PM ET: Oh, apparently the Devils had a power play. I didn’t even notice. Oh well, it’s about over now anyway.

4:22 PM ET: Patrik Elias, you’re garbage. WHY DIDN’T YOU SHOOT????? I get you were trying to get Gerber to commit early, but damnit, we’re down 0-2, you need to get a close shot on net!! Ugh.

4:22 PM ET: Parise with Madden and Pandolfo? Really?

4:15 PM ET: Oh boo, they didn’t even get five for fighting. Both went off for four minutes each. Lame.

4:14 PM ET: Whoa. It seriously looked like Clarkson suplexed Neil there. Quick, but fun fight. EDGE: Clarkson.

4:13 PM ET: Well, Rachunek made a nice steal and fired a wrister on Gerber…had he scored, I would forgive him for the second Ottawa goal. But, he didn’t, so I’m still mad at him.

4:09 PM ET: David Clarkson does not have a future in baseball. Poor fella fell over trying to catch a puck.

4:08 PM ET: The Devils are so desperately trying to generate some offense, but it appears Ottawa has a much more solid defense than we do.

4:06 PM ET: Wade Redden makes a nice play to prevent Gionta from getting the puck to Elias, Gerber makes an easy save.

4:00 PM ET: Time for the second. Let’s hope not to see a repeat of the first, mmkay?

3:43 PM ET: First period over. Good.

3:36 PM ET: Thank goodness for trigger happy refs. Had it not been for a quick whistle after Marty let a puck squeeze through his pads, this game would surely be 3-0.

3:33 PM ET: Really, nice guys. I love the Devils D this season. So much. Karel Rachunek, go away. This isn’t the Rangers, you’re not allowed to make stupid plays and give free goals to the opposition. 2-0 Senators.

3:31 PM ET: Welp, Marty has had to make about 380934 saves early on. He knows how Mr. Weekes feels, I’m afraid.

3:30 PM ET: Oh, so this is why the Sens are 3-0 this season. Man, they’re good.

3:27 PM ET: Madden off for hooking. Ottawa power play. May I say, crap?

3:20 PM ET: Okay, uh, ouch? Zubbie takes as hard a slapshot as any, Meszaros was unfortunately in the way and takes it off the ankle. He’s in pain.

3:18 PM ET: More pressure by Ottawa. The Devils defense still makes me sad.

3:17 PM ET: Oh man, Parise steals the puck right in front of Gerber, gets a good off-balance shot on goal. Gerber is looking strong early.

3:14 PM ET: Sens are finally getting some pressure on the Devils D…results in an Ottawa goal. Kelly was able to get the puck through a mush of players in front of Marty. Sigh. 1-0 Ottawa.

3:12 PM ET: Elias bumps Gerber, catches him with his stick and knocks the Ottawa netminder over. No penalty. Ottawa fans are not happy.

3:11 PM ET: The Zajac line once again proves to be ridiuclous. Great chances by the boys early.

3:09 PM ET: Elias was able to break away and get a decent chance on Gerber, who closes up the five-hole and makes the save. Good start for Patty.

3:09 PM ET: And we’re underway!

2:56 PM ET: Let’s get this going!

Coming off their first victory of 2007-08, the Devils are traveling north of the border for the first time this season. Devils fans have waited 6 long months for this showdown, many of them still carrying the pain of seeing Ottawa close the doors on Continental Airlines Arena last spring, en route to the teams first Stanley Cup Final appearance. The Senators haven’t really seemed to have lost a step, jumping out to a solid 3-0-0 start in 2007-08. The outcome of today’s contest will give the Devils a real good taste of where they stand among the NHL’s elite.

“But Joe, it’s only October! Get a grip, dude!”

Yeah, the Toronto Maple Leafs took that approach last year. How’d that end again??

Today’s contest in Canada’s Capital city will be an early gut-check for Black ‘N Red, as the Senators seem to be off to a start very similar to the one Buffalo had in 2006-07. The Devils ‘D’ will need to bring their ‘A’ game to be successful against a team that flaunts weapons like Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza, and even offensive defensemen such as Andrei Meszaros. The Senators are a big, talented team right to their core. A win for New Jersey would speak volumes as to what this team is/will be capable of achieving for the months to come. The pressure, it seems, is all on the home team.

Expect the lines to be mostly the same as they were in Florida, barring a few minor tweaks here and there.

There isn’t much more to say — if you’re not jazzed about this game, you’re simply not paying attention. And not paying attention in October is like, well, not paying attention in any other month…but there’s hockey to be played!!

2MA’s world famous (right?) Live-Cap will be coming up just around game-time, so warm up those F5 keys!!

Mark it folks. October 6th 2007. New Jersey Devils 4, Florida Panthers 1.

Coming off an 0-1 start, some push-hard Devils fans didn’t know what to expect from the coaching staff…Brent Sutter answered those thoughts.
After a loss in Tampa, chief decided to adjust the lines in order to create some balance/chemistry. As if that wasn’t enough, Weekes got called for the start! Weekes! Needless to say, it worked and I couldn’t be happier.

::sigh:: Brent Sutter.

After we all thought we were down and out, this man brought us back up to .500 and saved our playoff hopes. What a guy. If the season were to end today, we’d continue to play!

Well, well, well Mr. Sutter, very impressive. Your first W. How does it feel? Good? Great. Now shake it off and keep working. We still have 80 more to go.

Howdy gang, Josh here with your game recap, filling in for an under-the-weather Darren.

The Devils topped the Panthers for their first win of the young season, a 4-1 victory on Saturday in Florida. That puts the record at 1-1-0 going into Monday’s early-season gut-check match with Ottawa.

Anyone who was watching the game (or reading the 2MA live-cap, of course!) knows there is only one good reason why the Devils even had a chance to win this one after the first period, and that reason’s name is Mr. Kevin Weekes.

The Devils decided that Weekesie needed a trial by fire to begin his New Jersey career and chose to not bother with defense through the first twenty minutes. Weekes stood on his no-longer-concussed head, stopping 20 of 21 shots in the first period. TWENTY ONE SHOTS! Somehow the Devs managed to walk away from the first period locked in a 1-1 tie, thanks in large part to #1 between the pipes.

Are you surpised I’ve gone three paragraphs without mentioning one Martin Brodeur yet? THAT’S how good a game Weekes had. (Brodeur, I should note for those unaware, was out due to having to fly from Florida to New Jersey and back again because of unspecified “personal reasons.” Though he got to Sunrise in time for the game, it was decided that morning that Weekes would get the nod in goal.) Of course it’s not safe to gauge one player’s worth on one game’s performance, but I think it’s safe to say no one’s going to be too afraid of handing a game to Kevin Weekes the way they seemed to be afraid of handing a game to Scott Clemmenson.

Is it ridiculous to say that there could be goaltending drama when your number one goalie is the best in the game? Yes, yes it is. Marty will likely get the nod on Monday and is not in any danger of losing the starting job he’s earned over the last 12 years, of course. But what Weekes showed in his semi-emergency start on Saturday should go a long way in getting Marty days off without worrying about a huge drop-off in performance in the cage.

The Devils now head north for an early-season showdown with the Senators, 3-0-0 and looking impressive so far. Look out for a preview and live-cap tomorrow right here!