I murdered Joe last night so I could write the preview.

True story.

Anyway, Black ‘n Red are playing the Anaheim Niedermayers tonight.

Good times.

Sure, there’s the tiny detail that Scott Niedermayer will be making his (triumphant) return to New Jersey for the first time since ripping the collective hearts of the organization out and eating it for a late lunch as he laughed in the faces of Devils fans far and wide.

But really, I hold no grudges.

Hey, I hold no hate towards the fella. He did what he had to do. Did it completely eff the team over? Well, sure. Was that his intent? I believe not, Mr. Holik, I believe not.

Niedermayer, Scott did a helluva job for the team when he did don the glorious black and red. That’s fo’ sho’. No one can deny that.

Well, I suppose Peter Worrell may disagree, but I think he’s still a little dizzy from getting bopped over the head with a stick by Mr. Nidermayer eight years ago.

Oh memories…

Let’s be serious here. Though I won’t be attending tonight’s game on account of sustaining a nifty hip injury after being run over by a car a mere one week ago (digression much?), I would like to say that had someone been willing to help my injured-self to the game, pay for my ticket, help chew my food, and wipe my bum when I had to go poo (too much information much?), I would not boo the bastard when he first skates onto the ice and touches the puck during play.

Oh God, that sentence is an English major’s nightmare. I blame the codeine.

Okay. Let’s find a point here.

What I’m trying (and failing) to convey with my witty banter is the fact that without everything Scott Niedermayer did for us, this team would likely not have tasted as much success.

Quick tangent: Same goes for you, Mr. Friesen. Sorry you sucked so bad after your short stay with the boys. Enjoy retirement, thanks for everything you’ve done for Black ‘n Red, us fans are forever grateful for all you’ve done!

Back on track here.

I’d hate to hear a lot of booing in the stands tonight. I know, we fans can be sensitive little buggers, and when we feel slighted by a player who did so much for us, we tend to get angry. And hurt. And betrayed.

Please, folks, let it go. The lad did all he could do here. Would it have been wonderful for him to finish his career here? Of course. Would it have helped this team tremendously? That’s a given. Then again, having to choose between Karel Rachunek and Scott Niedermayer is quite a difficult decision…

If you’re going to the game, I ask that you either cheer the man, or don’t cheer at all. Oh, that cliche piece of advice holds quite true in this case: if you have nothing nice to say, then don’t say anything at all.

Granted, if I really held true by that motto, this site probably wouldn’t exist, now would it?

NOTES: Mike Mottau and Rod Pelley ain’t playing tonight. In their place? The wonderful Andy Greene and Arron Asham. It should be noted that I came up with this piece of information entirely on my own and I did not steal it from any other blogs out there.

Oh, I’m just kidding, Mr. Gulitti. You the man.

Now, we all know that David Clarkson is a young star, in that he’s young, and that we like him quite a bit ’round these parts.

Well, apparently the NHL was paying attention - or felt bad that the Devils won’t have any representatives in Atlanta this weekend, what with Marty Brodeur and Brent Sutter both declining chances to participate in the All-Star game.

Either way, David Clarkson has been added to the YoungStars team, which will participate in a 3-on-3 competition during the SuperSkills Competition on Saturday night.

Hooray for Clarkie!

You may recall a Mr. Zach Parise pretty much owning the YoungStars game not too long ago. Perhaps Clarkson can continue the wave of Devil dominance over other baby NHLers league-wide? I think it’s a definite possibility.

Now, if only there were a way to have the game decided with a wrap-around contest…

Y’know how folks are always clamoring that Marty Brodeur needs to play fewer games?

Well, here’s at least one game he’s going to skip: It was announced today that Bruins goalie Tim Thomas would be taking Brodeur’s slot on the All-Star team for the Eastern Conference.

Now I know what you’re thinking, and it’s something along the lines of “D-WHAAAAAAAA?!” That was my reaction, at least. If the true reason for Marty’s not playing is revealed, you can bet we’ll let you know, but for the time being, I’m going to guess it’s just to get a little R&R. (Edit: According to ESPN, Brodeur is skipping the game due to a “family obligation.”) As far as I know, Marty is in good health. So perhaps he’s just skipping the game to rest up for what’s liable to be a very rough few months of jockeying for playoff position?

In other All-Star news, Evgeni Malkin was added to the Eastern team to fill in for injured teammate Sidney Crosby, while Corey Perry, Mike Ribero, and (wait for it…) Scott Neidermeyer have been named injury fill-ins for the Western Conference.

Yes, the very Scott Neidermeyer who has played all of like, three minutes for the Anaheim Ducks. That guy.

The Devils signed Erik Rasmussen today.

New Jersey, I apologize for having to break such terrible news.

But hey, on the bright side, he was immediately assigned to Lowell.

You know, the Baby Devils couldn’t get much worse anyway, so it may entirely be a moot point.

Massachusetts, I also apologize to you.

I guess that’s what happens when you lose to the Islanders like seven thousand times within the span of, oh, I dunno, half a season.

I still say conspiracy, by the way.

Haliswho?

If you happened to tune into the Devils Saturday night loss to the Boston Bruins you may have noticed that Doc and Chico, our beloved commentators, didn’t spend much time talking about the game itself. This made Joe angry.

Much of their non-game coverage focused on Derian Hatcher’s decision to eat a piece of Travis Zajac, but once word trickled down that the NHL had decided not to take action against Hatcher, the conversation largely shifted to 19-year-old Matt Halischuk.

Who?

Well turns out this Toronto-born, Mississauga, ON raised sprite had recently become Canada’s hockey hero of the moment, scoring an overtime goal in the World Junior Championship Finals to propel Canada to their fourth consecutive gold medal.

It also turns out that Mr. Halischuk is a Devils draft pick, selected 117th overall in the 4th round of last year’s draft.

So who is this kid anyways? Well, as a little reporting work revealed, Halischuk has quietly been making a name for himself over the last year. Now in his second year playing for the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL, the young forward got off to a blistering start in the 2007-08 season, notching 12 goals and 29 assists for 41 points in only 23 games and recording a team best +13.

His scoring has trailed off a bit since then as he collected six assists over the next eight games to bring him to 47 points over 31. Still nothing to scoff at. Especially not combined with a strong World Juniors performance that saw him collect three goals and three assists over his seven games.

So what’s this guy’s future? It’s tough to say at this point, especially considering he was virtually unknown until, oh, about five days ago. Scouts have criticized his size, and rightfully so considering he fills out his 5′11″ frame with a meager 173 lbs. By contrast, Halischuck been praised for his energy, speed and scoring sense which he’s been able to use to overshadow his small stature thus far.

It’s also worth mentioning that we’ve had a few small players, ahem Zach Parise, Brian Gionta, who have done just
Hockey’s Future speculates that with two solid OHL seasons behind him, Halischuk might turn pro as early as next year. Considering the Devils like to baby their prospects though, my bet is we won’t see him in a regular season game for a few more years. Nonetheless though, this kid’s got me excited for the future.

David Conte might have found us another draft steal.

Forwards Noah Clarke and Barry Tallackson have both been recalled from the Baby Devils under emergency conditions.

In 35 games with the Baby Devils this season, Clarke posted 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points.

Not bad.

Tallackson has appeared in 30 games with, well, the same team, netting 12 goals and nine assists. That’s 21 points total for all those math nuts out there.

Yeah, I got yo’ back!

In turn, Jay Pandolfo and Karel Rachunek have both been placed on injured reserve.

Super Jay’s pelvis and/or groin is not happy, while Karel’s ankle be hurtin’ him.

Alas, I’m actually a bit surprised that Mr. Tallackson is getting yet another chance with Black ‘n Red. He’s already failed miserably in his first 35t8903 chances, and yes, there’s a t in there…that’s how many chances he’s had, seriously. Anyway, maybe Barry will actually prove not to suck this time around

…and maybe I’ll beat Sylvester Stallone in an arm wrestling match.

You never know! Right?

Right.

OH, AND FYI: For those interested, our ticket contest winner Steve Lepore made his game selection, deciding to go to the April 6th game against the New York Rangers. Mr. Lepore chose quite wisely, eh? Congrats once again Steve, represent 2MA proud at the game! YEAH!

UPDATE: Matvichuk has cleared waivers and will report to the Lowell Devils of the AHL.

Richard Mativichuk has been waived by the New Jersey Devils, 2MA has learned.

Signed prior to the lockout in 2004, he appeared in 63 regular season games for the Devils, all but one in 2005-06. The 6′3″, 215 lb. defenseman missed most of last season recovering from back surgery.

Matvichuk, 34, had not appeared in any games this season after falling out of favor of new head coach Brent Sutter.

The blueliner is in the final year of a three-year contract, paying him $1.368-million this season.

Wanna go to the Rock for home game numero uno but ain’t got a ticket?

Well, you’re in luck.

As reported by our friends at NJDevs.com (link opens in new window), a limited amount of tickets in every price range have been released for Saturday’s opener against the Ottawa Senators.

Sure, you may very well see the Devils get slaughtered by the big bad Sens, but hey, it’s worth it: there will only be one first opener at the Rock for the Devils.

Alas, grab a ticket while you can — these bad boys are going fast!

And, hey, as an added bonus, you get the chance to run into three out of the five 2MA Crew — along with myself, Mr. Bechtel and Mr. Burnett will be making a glorious appearance at the game.

Yeah, cause we’re totally not celebrities…

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?

According to various reports, the New Jersey Devils have claimed enforcer Sheldon Brookbank off of waivers from the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The 26-year-old defender appeared in three games with the Nashville Predators last season, registering one assist and 12 penalty minutes. He was originally signed by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in 2003.

PATRICIA SAYS: Another big guy for the Devils — weighing in at a solid 215, the 6′2″ defender has fought his way through the ranks…literally. Dude is a thug, more or less. Well, not really. He’s an enforcer. That’s about it. With Cam out for an indefinite period of time, the Devils need a guy like Brookbank in the lineup. Sure, they have big guys and guys who will fight, but no one who will really throw down like Sheldon will. Don’t expect anything else out of him, though.