The New Jersey Devils summer began just the way they had hoped it would.  They were able to snag Swedish defenseman Adam Larsson with the fourth selection in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.  Many pundits believe he could be the steal of the draft, and he might also be ready to step into the Devils starting lineup this fall.

Although Larsson is only 18-years-old, he has been playing for Skelleftea in the Swedish Elite League over the past two seasons.  By playing in Sweden’s top league, he has been able to hone his skills against men who are twice his age.  This experience could go a long way towards making Larsson a mainstay in the starting lineup this fall.

Now that the Devils can put a ‘check’ mark next to their first offseason priority, it is time to move on to the second item on the list: hiring a new head coach.  Again.

The hiring of John MacLean was a disaster to say the least.  However, Jacques Lemaire returned and righted what looked to be a sinking ship.  Now that Lemaire has gone back into retirement, the Devils are left to fill the void left behind the bench.  Various names have been mentioned to fill the Devils vacancy, with the most recent being former Atlanta Thrashers head coach Craig Ramsay and University of Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves.

Personally, I would not like to see either of these men take over the reigns for the Devils.  Eaves, who to his credit has denied any interest in coaching the Devils, just does not have the necessary head coaching experience at the NHL level.  We all remember what happened the last time the Devils went down that road.  I’m not sold on Ramsay either, especially since he was not retained by Winnipeg, but it sounds like he is in the running for the job.

Other names that have been mentioned are experienced candidates such as Ken Hitchcock, Mike Keenan, and Marc Crawford.  If I had to endorse one candidate, I would probably throw my hat in the ring for Ken Hitchcock.  He has a vast array of experience, coaching both veterans and younger players.  He is also said to have an admiration for Ilya Kovalchuk, which certainly can’t hurt matters.

It’s no secret that Lou Lamoriello takes his time making decisions, but it would serve him well to have a head coach in place before the free agency period opens on July 1.  Any potential free agents would surely like to know who they will be playing for before they decide to sign with a team.

In terms of free agency, the Devils top priority needs to be signing Zach Parise to a long-term contract.  The team has already filed for team-elected arbitration with Parise, therefore protecting his rights and prohibiting other teams from signing him to an offer sheet.  The Devils have time to negotiate a multi-year deal with Parise up until the arbitration date, and they would be best served to do so in order to get this taken care of as soon as possible. 

Parise is a core member of this team, and he needs to be treated as such.  He might not like the fact that he was taken to arbitration, but if he gets a new deal out of it, it should be water under the bridge.

The Devils made qualifying offers to all of their restricted free agents, with the exception of defenseman Anssi Salmela.

The players who were qualified are: D Matthew Corrente, D Mark Fraser, G Jeff Frazee, D Maxim Noreau (obtained in a trade with Minnesota for AHL forward David McIntyre), RW Nathan Perkovich, D Matt Taormina, LW Alexander Vasyunov, C Steve Zalewski, and RW Vladimir Zharkov.

The Devils can match any offer sheet that these players may receive.

The Devils only have a few noteworthy unrestricted free agents hitting the market this summer.  Defenseman Andy Greene is at the top of the list, and he is said that he would like to return to the club.  However, it looks like he is going to be able to test the market.  The Devils would be wise to make an attempt to retain Greene, perhaps at a bit of a hometown discount.  I just don’t see Lamoriello overpaying for Greene, especially since he is coming off of a lackluster campaign.

Backup goaltender Johan Hedberg is an unrestricted free agent as well, but the Devils have already begun talks with his agent to get “Moose” resigned.  Hedberg played very well for the Devils this past season, filling in admirable when Martin Brodeur was banged up.  Hedberg had 15 wins, a 2.38 goals against average, a .912 save percentage, and three shutouts in 34 appearances.

When free agency opens on Friday July 1, I don’t expect the Devils to be making a big splash.  The areas that they need to address are within their own locker room, starting with hiring a head coach and getting Zach Parise signed to a long-term contract.  I think most Devils fans would consider that a successful offseason.

On Friday night the New Jersey Devils will look to the NHL Draft to add a player who will make a mark on the club in the (hopefully) very near future, and help erase memories of this past season’s debacle.  The Devils missed the playoffs in 2010-2011, marking the first time the club has not been a playoff participant since 1996. 

Based on where the Devils finished in the overall NHL standings, they were given the eighth pick in the draft.  However, the Devils were the winners of the NHL Draft Lottery andwere able to move up to fourth in the draft order.  Having a selection in the top five picks of the draft is not something the Devils are accustomed to, but there will be no shortage of talent to make sure this isn’t a yearly occurrence for a team that is used to being a perennial Stanley Cup contender.

Here’s the short list of players who may be available to the Devils with the fourth selection:

Adam Larsson, Defenseman, Skelleftea (SWE)

Larsson has the size of a defenseman (6-3, 200), but he has the skill and mobility of a forward.  The Devils have been need of a puck-moving defenseman ever since Scott Niedermayer left the team.  Larsson would also be an immediate asset on the power play, which is an area where the Devils are lacking after having the 28th ranked power play last year.  Although he is only 18-years-old, Larsson has been playing with the big boys in the Swedish Elite League and has held his own.  He would look good on the Devils blue line for years to come.

Jonathan Huberdeau, Center, Saint John (QMJHL)

If Larsson is not there when the Devils pick, the Memorial Cup MVP could be a nice fit for the Devils.  Huberdeau’sstock has really been on the rise since his spectacular run through the Memorial Cup playoffs.  He finished third in the QMJHL with a total of 105 points (43 goals, 62 assists) in 67 games.  The Devils would benefit from having a play-making center who in future years could be centering a line with Ilya Kovalchuk on one wing, and Zach Parise on the other.

Gabriel Landeskog, Left Wing, Kitchener (OHL)

Landeskog might be the most NHL-ready of all the top prospects.  The young Swede boasts good size (6-0, 207) and he plays hard at both ends of the ice, which is something that has always been stressed by the Devils.  Landeskog had 36 goals and 30 assists in 53 games for Kitchener.  He is also the first European player in the history of the Kitchener Rangers to be named captain, which speaks volumes about his leadership ability.  If the Devils select Landeskog, they will be getting a player who could turn into the eventual leader of the team in the future.

Sleeper: Mika Zibanejad, Center, Djurgarden (SWE)

Zibanejad is a name that has been rising up the draft boards over the past few weeks.  He is widely regarded as a power forward, as his 6-2, 191-pound frame would suggest, but he also has soft hands and skates well.  Scouts have been particularly enamored with his heavy shot.  As an 18-year-old playing in the Swedish Elite League amongst men, Zibanejad has shown that he can have an impact even at his young age.  Zibanejad is not afraid to bang bodies and do the dirty work along the boards to win puck battles.  He might be a reach with the fourth selection, but GM Lou Lamoriello has been a pretty good judge of talent over the years.

If I were in Lamoriello’s shoes on Friday night, and Adam Larsson was still available at the fourth selection, he would be my pick.  If Larsson is gone, I would target Huberdeau or Landeskog, in that order.  Zibanejad has a lot of potential, but I’m not sure I would be able to pull the trigger on him with the fourth pick.

The Devils don’t have the luxury of a high pick in the draft very often, so here’s hoping they make this one count.

On Monday, the New Jersey Devils signed Union College goaltender Keith Kinkaid to an entry-level contract.  The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it’s a good grab for the Devils at a position that seems to be wide open after Martin Brodeur decides to call it a career.

Kinkaid is certainly not a household name, but I have had the opportunity to see him play in person a few times during my tenure at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn.  Union and Quinnipiac are both members of the ECAC hockey, playing each other twice every season. 

The two teams met in last year’s ECAC Quarterfinals, and played in the longest game in NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey history.  Kinkaid was in net for this five overtime thriller which saw the Quinnipiac Bobcats emerge victorious, 3-2.  In the contest, Kinkaid made a whopping 52 saves.

Kinkaid just finished his sophomore season, so by signing the contract with the Devils, he is forgoing his final two years of eligibility.  This season, Kinkaid posted a 25-10-3 record and finished with a .920 save percentage to go with the nation’s fourth best goals against average of 1.99.  Kinkaid was also the recipient of the Ken Dryden Award which is given to the league’s top net-minder.  Kinkaid was also an integral part of the Dutchman’s run to the Frozen Four and their ECAC regular season title.

Kinkaid is the latest name to be added to the pool of potential replacements for future Hall-of-Famer Martin Brodeur.  The Devils have three goalies in the AHL: Mike McKenna, Dave Caruso and Jeff Frazee.  Of the three, the only one who can really be considered a prospect is Frazee.  He was once considered the top candidate to replace Brodeur, but an 11-15 record with Albany this season will probably have Frazee honing his skills in the minors for another year.

The Devils most promising goaltenders of the future are playing their hockey in the Canadian junior leagues.  Maxime Clermont posted a 28-10-1 record for his team, Gatineau Olympiques of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.  To go along with his solid record, Clermont compiled a .896 save percentage and a 2.55 goals against average.

Scott Wedgewood also had a fine season for his junior club, the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League.  This season, Wedgewood had a record of 28-18-1 to go along with a .908 save percentage and a 2.99 goals against average.

None of the Devils current crop of goaltending prospects are ready for the bright lights of the NHL just yet.  Clermont and Wedgewood would benefit from another season with their respective junior clubs, and Frazee needs to prove to the Devils that he can be a number one net-minder in the AHL before they even think about having him move up to the big club.  And then there’s Kinkaid, who will attend training camp with the Devils in the fall, but will probably report to Albany once training camp concludes.

As much as it will hurt Devils fans everywhere to see the Martin Brodeur era come to an end in the next few years, the Devils are taking the right steps to give themselves plenty of in-house options to find Brodeur’s successor.

Although the Devils were unable to spoil the season of their rivals, the New York Rangers, they did send their coach out in style with a 3-2 win over the playoff-bound Boston Bruins in the last game of the season on Sunday afternoon. 

Rookie Alexander Urbom, who had been called up from Albany on Sunday, scored his first NHL goal on a wrap-around and it turned out to be the game-winner.  The Devils also got goals from Patrik Elias and Vladimir Zharkov in the victory.

The Devils also called up promising young forward Adam Henrique for Sunday’s game, and he was solid in his 13:21 of ice time.

Rich Peverley and Chris Kelly were the goal-scorers for the visiting Bruins.

After the game, Jacques Lemaire revealed that he will be going back into retirement and not returning to coach the team next season.

It was an announcement that was expected, but many of the players were sad to see Lemaire go.  Lemaire is 65-years-old and has stated that he wants to spend more time with his family.  Although he will no longer be behind the bench for the Devils, he will still be employed by the team in their front office.

The consensus among the Devils is that they want a coach who has the same values and philosophy as Lemaire.  The early names that are being thrown around are Ken Hitchcock, Kirk Muller, Michel Therrien and Mike Haviland.

Hitchcock has the most experience, and was last employed in the NHL as the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets.  Hitchcock will be the coach of Team Canada in the upcoming World Championships that will be held in Slovakia at the end of the month.

Kirk Muller is currently an assistant coach with the Montreal Canadiens.  The big red flag that comes with Muller is his lack of experience, as he has not been a head coach before.  Mike Haviland, an assistant coach with the Chicago Blackhawks, falls under the same category.  However, he is a New Jersey native who claims he is ready to take over the reigns of a team.

Michel Therrien’s name came up during the Devils last coaching search, so it is likely that he will be a candidate who will be talked about for the job once again.

The search for a new coach upon the end of the season has become commonplace for the Devils, but hopefully whoever takes over behind the bench next season will have a longer tenure than his predecessors.

The Devils finished 38-39-5 in the league, which puts them at 23rd in the overall standings.  They currently hold the eighth selection in the upcoming draft, but if they win the draft lottery they will move up to the fourth position.  If a team behind the Devils wins the lottery, the Devils will slide back to the ninth selection.

Although the Devils regular season is over and they missed out on the playoffs, the will still be busy looking to add more young talent for the future.

With their season drawing to a close the New Jersey Devils have assumed the role of spoiler.  This is uncharted territory for a team that has made the playoffs every season since 1996, but the prospects of keeping their bitter rival, the New York Rangers, out of the playoffs should provide plenty of motivation for the 81st game of the season.

The Devils will be without the services of Anton Volchenkov, Colin White, Dainius Zubrus and Zach Parise.  Parise returned to the lineup for one game, but the team has decided to play it safe and keep Parise off the ice since the playoffs are out of the picture.  The trio of Volchenkov, White and Zubrus are all banged up, with Volchenkov and White suffering from lower body injuries, and Zubrus still feeling pain in his neck and shoulder after being checked into the divider during Wednesday’s game against Toronto.

Martin Brodeur will be between the pipes - as he usually is for any game against the Rangers – and you have to believe that he will be at his best if it means keeping the Rangers out of the playoffs.  If this rivalry means anything, and it has been lacking the past few seasons, there is no doubt that the players for both clubs will be taking their game to another level this afternoon. 

Most of the Devils players have downplayed the significance of knocking the Rangers out of the playoffs with a win today, but don’t be fooled.  When a team has nothing left to play for other than to spoil the hopes of their rival, that is all the motivation that is needed.

The Rangers will be receiving a boost with the return of Chris Drury to the lineup, and it may actually be a boost to the Devils as well.  With Drury taking the ice today, super-pest Sean Avery will be the player who is scratched.  This bodes well for the Devils, as Avery has the ability to get under the skin of any player, and he has a special affinity for mixing it up with Martin Brodeur.

The key to the game for the Devils will be to play sound hockey defensively and frustrate the Rangers into making mental mistakes.  The Rangers know how important this game is, and if the Devils can get in their heads early, it may be able to throw off the Blueshirts. 

This is going to be a close game throughout, and will probably come down to the masked men between the pipes.  For Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers, this is their first step in their quest for the Cup.  For Martin Brodeur and the Devils this season, this game could be looked at as their one and only playoff game.  It should be a good one at the Garden.

Although the New Jersey Devils played a better game than their effort on Saturday, the end result was the same as they suffered a 4-2 loss to their Atlantic Division rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins got two goals from Pascal Dupuis, the second being a shorthanded empty-netter that squashed any hopes the Devils had of tying the game and sending it to overtime. 

The Devils were on the power play after Jordan Staal was whistled for tripping.  Hedberg was on his way to the bench for the extra attacker, but he had to reverse direction after Dupuis corralled a loose puck and fired it towards the vacated net.  Hedberg made a last-ditch dive, even throwing his stick, but it was too late as Dupuis’ shot hit the back of the net to seal the win for the Pens.

Staal opened the scoring for the Penguins in the first period.  While on the power play, Staal notched his 11th goal of the season after he flipped a shot over a sprawling Hedberg.

Dave Steckel scored his first goal as a Devil to tie the game with just under five minutes to play in the second period.  Steckel’s goal was met with a chorus of boos as the astute Penguins fans have not forgotten the collision he was involved in with their captain Sidney Crosby.  The incident occurred in this year’s Winter Classic when Steckel was a member of the Washington Capitals.  Crosby has missed the past 39 games because of a concussion that is believed to be the result of the run-in with Steckel.

Dupuis responded with his first goal of the night just over a minute later after he banged home a rebound off a Max Talbot shot. 

Chris Kunitz made it 3-1 in favor of the Penguins just 1:31 into the third period.  Kunitz came out of the left corner and slid a backhander underneath a diving Hedberg.

The Devils answered quickly as Brian Rolston took a feed from Mattias Tedenby and unleashed a one-timer from the slot that beat Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.

Tedenby was arguably the best player on the ice for the Devils.  He was a nuisance throughout the game on the fore-check, and his hard work on the cycle set up Rolston’s goal.  His endless array of moves and his elusiveness are certainly something the Devils will value for years to come.

Devils coach Jacques Lemaire said that Tedenby was “probably the best player on the ice for us.” 

Brian Rolston was also quick to praise the efforts of the young Swede.

“The kid is tremendously skilled,” Rolston told the Bergen Record.  “He’s got so many skills and he’s so shifty. Guys can’t even hit him. He made a great play, went in, made an individual effort and just saw me and put it on my tape. I thought he played really well on our line tonight. There’s a lot of talent there.”

Although this season will end on a sour note for the Devils since they will not be participating in the playoffs, the prospects for next season look bright with the likes of Tedenby and fellow Swedish rookie Jacob Josefson playing more prominent roles on the team.

With their 3-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night at the Prudential Center, the New Jersey Devils were eliminated from playoff contention.  This marks the first time since 1996 that the Devils will not be one of the eight teams to represent the Eastern Conference in the playoffs.

With four games remaining, the Devils must look to end the season on a positive note.  After all, their second half run just to get into contention is certainly something to build on.  However, players are not content with how this season has come to a close.

“You’ve got to go for that chance to compete for the Stanley Cup and the first step is the playoffs and we didn’t make it, so it’s a failure of a season,” Martin Brodeur told the Bergen Record.

The Devils failure to build a rapport with rookie head coach John MacLean was what ultimately did them in.  Finishing the first half of the season with a 10-29-2 record put the team in what turned out to be an insurmountable hole.

After Jacques Lemaire took the reigns, the Devils began to look more like the team most people envisioned when the season began.  Players and fans alike can only hope that Lemaire returns next year.  This team needs stability behind the bench.  It’s hard to continue to ask players to buy into another new coach’s system year in and year out.  What Lemaire did with this team in less than a full season is remarkable.  Had the Devils gone on to make the playoffs, you would have to think Lemaire would be on the short list for the Jack Adams award (Coach of the Year).

The Devils will begin the final week of the season tonight in Pittsburgh where they will take on the Penguins.  Johan Hedberg will be in net for the Devils, and he and Brodeur will split the four remaining games. 

Zach Parise made his long-awaited return to the Devils lineup on Saturday, but he will be a scratch tonight in Pittsburgh.  The Devils are exercising caution with Parise, especially since they will be in action tomorrow against Toronto.

With the playoffs out of reach, the Devils need to finish out the season playing sound, fundamental hockey.  Finishing the season above .500 will be a small moral victory for a team that looked destined for the dungeon of the Eastern Conference just months ago.  In a season that has fallen well short of expectations, it would be wise to take something positive away from this year’s campaign and build on it for next year.

The New Jersey Devils are certainly doing their part to keep their faint playoff hopes alive.  Three goals from Patrik Elias and 34 saves by Johan Hedberg propelled the Devils past the Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia Flyers on Friday night at the Prudential Center.  Elias’ hat trick could not have come at a better time, as the Devils must win all of their remaining games and hope that the Rangers and Sabres lose their final games in order to make the playoffs.

The Flyers jumped out to an early lead when New Jersey native James van Riemsdyk redirected a Mike Richards shot as he skated across the top of the crease.  The goal was the 20th of the season for van Riemsdyk and the Flyers took the 1-0 lead into the first intermission.

Elias tied the game for the Devils at the 6:28 mark of the second period.  Elias fired a wrist shot past Boucher from the slot off a nice pass from Brian Rolston who was stationed in the left corner.

Elias’ second goal of the night came shorthanded, and it was orchestrated by another beautiful play by linemate Brian Rolston.  The pair raced into the Flyers zone on a 2-on-1, and Rolston found Elias with a perfect saucer pass that gave the Devils a 2-1 lead.

Jeff Carter brought the Flyers back even just over four minutes into the third period when he cashed in at the front of the net off a pass from Nikolai Zherdev. 

The tie game lasted for less than five minutes before Nick Palmieri broke the deadlock after an Ilya Kovalchuk wrister deflected off Palmieri’s skate and past Flyers goalie Brian Boucher to make it 3-2.

Elias capped off the scoring and completed his hat trick when Rolston’s shot was saved by Boucher, but the rebound hit Elias’ skate as he was skating across the top of the crease.  The three goal game gave Elias 19 goals on the season, and it was the eighth time in his stellar career in which he had lit the lamp three times in one game.

The Devils are back in action tonight as they take on the Montreal Canadiens in another must-win game.  Luckily for the Devils, they will be welcoming a familiar face back to the lineup as Zach Parise will make his long-awaited return from knee surgery.  Parise has missed 65 games since he suffered a torn meniscus.

Although Parise’s return might be “too little too late,” the Devils hope that he can help them continue to stave off elimination for at least one more night.

The New Jersey Devils have yet to be mathematically eliminated from the Eastern Conference playoff race, and they are keeping the pressure on the teams above them in the standings as they hope to somehow sneak into the coveted eighth seed.  Defenseman Andy Greene did his part last night to keep the Devils’ hopes alive as he scored the game-winning goal late in the third period to give the Devils a 3-2 win over the visiting New York Islanders.

Greene took a pass from Patrik Elias as he joined the rush and snapped a low wristshot that beat Islander goalie Rick DiPietro low on his blocker side.  The goal was Greene’s fourth of the season, and it could not have come at a better time for his team.

“Patty made a great play there,” Greene told the Bergen Record. “He saw the hole and made a great backhand pass there. I saw the opening, but at the same time you’re trying to make sure you hit the net for a good rebound, too.”

The Devils jumped out to an early lead when Ilya Kovalchuk scored his 28th goal of the season.  After a good cycle in the corner by Travis Zajac and Nick Palmieri, Palmieri found Kovalchuk in the slot and his snapshot found the back of the net.

Rookie Jacob Josefson made it 2-0 in favor of the Devils when he put a rebound past DiPietro.  Palmieri fired a shot on goal that was kicked out by DiPietro’s left pad, but Josefson was right there to bang home the rebound into the vacated net.

Frans Nielsen cut the Devils lead in half when he picked off a pass by Mattias Tedenby and flipped a backhander past a sprawling Martin Brodeur.  Nielsen was credited with scoring the game-tying goal after he nudged the puck past Brodeur on a scrum in the crease.

For the Devils to make the playoffs, they must win their remaining six games and pray that the Rangers or the Sabres lose their last five games.  It is a very unlikely scenario, especially since the Devils have no control over their opponents, but all they can do is compete and play hard in their remaining games and the rest will take care of itself.

It was not a typical start to the game for the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night. 

They did something they had not done for the past 16 games – they allowed a goal in the first period.  In fact, they allowed two goals to the visiting Thrashers in the first period.  However, the Devils chipped away at the early two-goal deficit and came back to beat the Thrashers 4-2 on Tuesday night.

The game got off to an inauspicious start for the Devils after Tim Stapleton put the Thrashers on the board first.  Evander Kane found a streaking Stapleton with a blind, backhand pass from the side boards, and all the diminutive Stapleton had to do was direct the puck past Martin Brodeur to give his team the early lead.

Chris Thorburn put the Thrashers up 2-0 just over a minute later on a fierce drive to the net.  Thorburn skated down the left side, dipped his shoulder and chipped a shot through Henrik Tallinder’s legs and under Brodeur’s armpit for the goal.

With just under two minutes to play in the first period, Travis Zajac trimmed the Atlanta lead to 2-1 with his 13th goal of the season.  Zajac beautifully deflected Mark Fayne’s point shot past Ondrej Pavelec to give the Devils some momentum heading into the first intermission.  Despite cutting the lead in half, Devils coach Jacques Lemaire was not pleased with his team’s start.

“Our start wasn’t good,” Lemaire said.  “We weren’t skating hard, but the guys knew what they had to fix and they talked about it after the period.”

The Devils dominated the second period, generating a slew of chances.  After Blake Wheeler could not connect with a centering pass, Patrik Elias found the loose puck and turned up the ice to give the Devils a 3-on-2.  Elias crossed the blueline and fed the puck to Brian Rolston.  Rolston quickly gave it back to Elias for a one-timer that beat Pavelec to tie the game at two just over five minutes into the second period.

Jacob Josefson brought the Devils all the way back, giving them the lead at the 4:14 mark of the third period.  Mattias Tedenby dug the puck out of the corner and fed his fellow Swede who was stationed just above the left circle.  Josefson’s low snapshot beat Pavelec through the five-hole and put the Devils ahead 3-2.

After giving up the lead, the Thrashers looked like a desperate team.  Countless times they used lob passes to get out of their own zone and attack the Devils net.  Blake Wheeler found a bouncing puck and came in 1-on-1 with Brodeur, but the savvy netminder poke-checked the puck off Wheeler’s stick to negate the scoring chance.  Brodeur had 18 saves on the night and earned the praise of his coach.

“Marty was really good,” Lemaire said.  “In the first period they had a lot of good shots and Marty came up good.  He kept us in the game early on.” 

With under a minute left, the Thrashers pulled Pavelec for an extra attacker.  After a faceoff in the Devils zone, Thrashers winger Bryan Little threw a wristshot towards the net.  Evander Kane, who had been a thorn in the Devils side all night, deflected the shot out of mid-air and past a stunned Brodeur with 37.4 seconds left in regulation.  As Kane and his teammates celebrated, referee Wes McCauley immediately waved off the goal, indicating it had been deflected with a high stick.  After a review, the call on the ice was upheld, keeping the Devils ahead 3-2.

Ilya Kovalchuk sealed the victory for the Devils with an empty net goal.

With the win, the Devils are over .500 (33-32-4) for the first time this season.  They now sit in 10th place in the Eastern Conference.  The Devils win, coupled with the Buffalo Sabres loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, leaves them just six points out of a playoff spot.

Lemaire, who was unaware that his team had moved up to 10th in the standings after the win, chuckled when he was told of their ascent in the standings.

“We did tonight?”, Lemaire asked.  “That’s good.  We’re moving up.”

The Devils look to continue their playoff push when they head north to Ottawa for a St. Patrick’s day tilt on Thursday night.  They should have no problem getting motivated for this game, as the Senators stole two critical points from the Devils on their home ice one week ago today.

All the Devils can do is take it one game at a time.  That technique sure has been working for them lately.