Devils off to good start but capable of even more

Added by Macaulay Scott Renner on October 21, 2011.

Well it looks like the New Jersey Devils are off to a better start than they were last season but the next few weeks are very important to the foundation of their own confidence and mental psyche.  What I have seen so far has been nothing but an average performance and a team that I see as still trying to find themselves and a coach who is still struggling to right the ship from a year ago. 

I am not saying that they are playing terrible hockey but they are really just trying to play hard and stay in every game.  The come from behind shoot out win the other night in Nashville was a game that they really needed to boost their confidence and one that really surprised me.  Coming from behind against a team like that in their building is not easy and for them to do that showed me that they are really focused and believe in the system that coach DeBoer has laid out for them.

I feel that with Brodeur in net in a shootout, the Devils are one of the hardest teams to beat.  I know it wasn’t Brodeur in net, but Hedberg is no pushover either.   As for Brodeur, when was the last time that the backup goalie had three wins and Brodeur none?  1993 or 1994?  I would safely say that it has been that long.  And what of Brodeur?  Is this his last season?  His old bones are creaking and he is showing signs of the immortal goalie being mortal.  He is showing signs that his stellar hall of fame career just might be closer to the end than we all would like to see. 

My question is this, what are the chances that the Devils trade Brodeur for a superstar or a bunch of top draft picks one day?  Would they do that knowing that he is done with them so they try to get what they can for him by trading him to another team that is in desperate need of a goalie to make a playoff run at the Cup?  We have seen it happen before where players get traded to teams for the same reason, whether they want to win another cup or the team needs a player or draft picks.  I don’t put anything past Lamoriello that’s for sure. 

So the Devils sit in third place right now at the time of writing this article, with the Sharks coming in tonight.  This Sharks team is one that knocks on the door of the Stanley Cup every single year only to be denied by the bouncer year after year.  But this year maybe the year for them to go to the big dance and play for the Cup.  The Devils face that team tonight at The Rock and have their hands full so I am very curious to see how they fare against the Sharks team that is very deep and rolls line after line at you. 

As for the Devils offense, Parise, Elias and Kovi are holding up very well, but after that, the scoring is a bit sporadic with everyone contributing a goal here and there.  Sykora needs to step up and show why he made this team and prove that he belongs here.  Palmieri, Tedenby, Josefson, Zubrus, Pelley and Clarkson all need to find their game and find some cohesiveness with each other so they can get on a streak and produce some offense so the big three don’t have to do all the work themselves.  That’s really key, taking the pressure off the big three because they aren’t capable of carrying a team all year long into the playoffs and to the Cup.  That’s where good teams separate themselves from mediocre teams by having all their players contribute and spread the scoring out over three lines.  When one line slacks one night, the next line picks up the workload and contributes to the offense. 

If you look at the Devils teams in the past that won the Cup you can see what I am talking about.  Look at the stats from 1995, 2000, and 2003 and you will see a balanced scoring attack from a multitude of players.  So, now is the time for the 2^nd and 3^rd line players to find their game and stop squeezing their sticks so tight and play loose and start scoring.  We need Josefson and Tedenby to score 20 goals a piece, we need Adam Larsson to score five goals from the blueline and most importantly, contribute 25 or 30 assists this year, because he is most capable of that feat. 

The Devils are at an important part of the early season where they are still trying to find themselves as well as the coach trying to find who he is and how he fits into the Devils team.  They have a tough five games coming up the next few weeks, starting tonight with San Jose, then Pittsburgh, the Kings again, followed up by Phoenix and Dallas. 

Overall, the Devils are playing good hockey but I feel they have the talent to play betterthan they are and time will tell how they find that chemistry that they are searching for among themselves.  

There are a few things you should look for in the next five games.  First, Kovi needs to find the back of the net and have a BIG game one of these nights so that he gets hot and teams start to fear him every time he steps out onto the ice and into their zone.  If he can do this it takes some pressure off the others to score. 

Parise, Elias, and Sykora need to jumpstart the power play so that teams fear getting a penalty against the Devils for the fact they will pay severely for their sins by the way of a goal.  The power play is a deadly weapon and if the Devils can get theirs going then they can build some momentum and fall back on their 5-on-5 play knowing that the power play is a ready weapon.  

Finally, once Brodeur is healthy, he needs to go into the zone and reel off a few shutouts and show the league that he is still a top goaltender.  If he can whip up a few shutouts and win four or five in a row, stealing a few wins solely by his goaltending, it would help the team’s confidence and assure them of their starting goalie. 

I have faith in these Devils and can’t wait to watch these next couple of weeks to see how they fare against some tough opponents that are coming up.  This litmus test is one that is important for their psyche and confidence and one that will set the tone for the rest of the season in my opinion.  Stay tuned and I will see you soon.  Go Devils…………..