Sun 20 Jan 2008
So, the Maple Leafs are in town tonight. Three weeks ago, I would’ve been excited about that. But a three-game winning streak for Leaf Nation - coupled with the Devils non-existent power play - has me a little doom and gloom about tonight’s hootenanny with our most-rivaled Canadian pals.
Hey, Madden is probable to return tonight, might be something worth smiling about if he can make it through the pre-game warm-up. By the way, that’s how it’s gonna go down. Word is that the Devils will dress 21 skaters - one more than the typical 20 - for the warm-up, and if Madden can’t go, the extra skater will step into his roster spot. That extra skater I’m going to guess is Barry Tallackson. (Lame!)
Brent Sutter is back to his line-shuffling madness, criticizing the Elias-Zubrus-Gionta line and eventually breaking up the trio at yesterday’s practice. Gionta, somewhat surprisingly, has been dropped into a checking role, forming a line with John Madden and Sergei Brylin. David Clarkson has stepped up a bit, scoring a spot on a line with Patrik Elias and Dainius Zubrus. The only certainty that Devils fans can harness right now is:
A) Martin Brodeur will start each game from now until he All-Star break.
B) They will begin to free-fall through the Atlantic Division standings if the power play doesn’t learn that it takes more than point-shots to a congested net to be successful.
Sorry. Felt myself starting to lose it there.
As far as the Leafs are concerned, things are looking good in Toronto for the first time since Bill Barilko laced ‘em up. Alright, that’s a complete over-exaggeration, but the Leafs have been playing some solid hockey, and are continuing to ride some Class-A goaltending, which has been few and far between this season. Many have said that the Leaf roster is full of “mediocre” players, but I’ve found myself disagreeing with that statement, and the recent outcomes of their previous games somewhat supports my feeling.
Anyway, I’m sure The Rock will be a mixed bag tonight, as Leaf Nation seems to invade any arena at any given time across the continental U.S. As long as they dedicate a few cheers for the Giants, everything will be cool.
On that note, I leave you with once closing statement… GO BIG BLUE!!!
January 20th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Hey, if the 2003 Devils proved anything it’s that you can have an absolutely atrocious power play and still win hockey games.
So the Devils really need to improve in scoring in even strength situations and use the power play to build momentum. If you’re not scoring with a man advantage, you should at least use it to put some pressure on the opposition which could lead to a goal afterwards. If the Devils can’t find ways to score more overall, THEN a free fall is possible.
January 20th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
while you do make a great point, John, its more relative to the kind of hockey we were used to back then. sure the PP was horrifying in 03, but you werent getting as many opportunities as you do in todays game.
my main concern is that the difference between a good powerplay and a bad one, could be one or two points in the standings. and those one or two points could be the diference between making the playoffs and an early golf season.
i, for one, am concerned.