The Devils beat the Sabres with relative ease last night to get back on the winning track.

After dropping 2 of 3 the Devils won against Buffalo 3-1 and if not for the strong play of Ryan Miller New Jersey could have scored 5 goals.

Brodeur and the defensive was particularly impressive in their own zone and did a great job of minimizing quality scoring chances for the sabres.

The Devils got 2 goals from Petr Sykora and 1 from Zach Parise. The only Sabre score was on the Power Play by Thomas Vanek.

The Devils have been much better of late and the big keys are chemistry and defensive scoring. The addition of Kurtis Foster has been quietly paying dividends; he has 4 assists and 13 shots on goal in his past 5 games. His arrival has also sparked the other defenseman to score more as well, Urbom scored a beauty against Washington (in this game the Devils defense factored in on all 3 goals), Taormina and Larsson have contributed, even stay at home defenseman Anton Volchenkov has 3 assists in the past 2 games and had a game last week where he hit 2 posts.

If the Defense can keep contibuting the Devils can be a special team they’ve lacked this since they lost Brian Rafalski and it has been a huge reason for the offensive woes of seasons past. If all Defenseman even Anton Volchenkov can contribute on offense? Kudos Pete Deboer.

The Devils Next game will be New Year’s Eve at home against Pittsburgh.

Perhaps of equal importance last night was the World Junior Championships where the somewhat surprising Devil prospect Scott Wedgewood started in goal against the Czech Republic. Wedgewood earned a very impressive shutout and earned himself a quality assist on a breakout pass that started an odd man rush and a goal. Devils fans have to be excited about Wedgewood as he seems like he is getting much better. Too soon to say he is the heir to Brodeur but we all know it isn’t Jeff Frazee.

On Scott Niedermayer the Devils confirmed the suspicion that they’re hot.

The Devils retired the jersey of long time Defenseman Scott Niedermayer and with the Devils playing well there was a positive atmosphere at Prudential Center. But going into the game there was a little concern that Richard Bachman was playing so well he may stymie the Devils and ruin the night. This was not the case. Although Dallas took the lead about 9 minutes into the game; David Clarkson snuck a bad angle shot past Bachman to tie it up and leave the first with a tie. The Devils generated good chances but were too cute at times trying to set up perfect plays and hesitating to shoot the puck.

The second period saw the Stars leading again when a major defensive breakdown by the Devils had four men focusing on Ribiero who passed to Brendan Morrow for an easy tap in goal; I don’t know how this could happen because Ribiero is the classic example of a pass first shoots never type of player. After that the Devils took ultimate control of the game and it became the Zach Parise show. When the Devils took a penalty Parise was fore checking like it was even strength. He stole the puck from Stephane Robidas and made a pretty looking saucer pass for Adam Henrique to one-time into the goal and draw the game even again. From this point on the Devils never looked back. Kovalchuk had a great goal off a hard wrister set up by Zach and Larsson. Before the period ended the Devils were half way through a change and Ryan Carter let a shot go Cam Janssen hacked at the rebound and Petr Sykora cleaned up the garbage to make it 4-2 NJ to end the Period.

The third period the Devils never relinquished too much control; halfway through they scored a goal on a fantastic play by Kovalchuk and Larsson that Parise effortlessly tipped into a gaping net. Dallas came back a little bit and Johan Hedberg made some good stops but eventually the Stars pulled to within 2 when Toby Peterson tipped home a Sheldon Souray shot. However the Devils answered just 20 seconds later when Elias scored on a lucky bounce to really ice the game.

Notes: In Travis Zajac’s return he logged 15:22 of ice time with 3 shots on goal and was a -2.

Parise had his best game of the year with 4 points (1G 3A)

The Devils have won 5 of their last 6 games.

While the Devils have nobody with 15 goals or more they have 4 players in double digits.

The Devils will play against Montreal on Saturday night to try and avenge their most recent loss with Brodeur in net.

The Devils were able to earn four points in their two games against Florida and Tampa Bay.

The Devils strong offense and some weak goaltending by Dwayne Roloson led to a 5-4 win in Tampa. Adam Henrique and Zach Parise each had a goal and two assists while Kovalchuk had a goal as well. Johan Hedberg and the Defense weren’t particularly strong but they were able to hold out for a 5-4 win although giving up two goals in the third period.

Last night the Devils continued on to Florida where they faced much stronger goaltending from Jose Theodore. The Devils appeared to be the better team in the first but were down 1-0 on a goal from Kris Versteeg caused by a bad giveaway from Larsson. In the second period Versteeg scored again on a short-handed goal caused by a bad giveaway by Henrik Tallinder that led to a breakaway. About a minute later Elias got the Devils on the board off of a cross-crease feed from Kovalchuk. In the third Parise tied the game on a juicy rebound off a Tallinder shot. With 6 seconds left Kovalchuk fed Fayne who made a beautiful shot-pass to Sykora that gave him an empty net somehow he put it between the empty net and goalie so to overtime they went. Brodeur had a very strong overtime and  in the shootout Versteeg tried to shoot at the same spot where he scored earlier in the game and Marty got it with his glove. Kovalchuk and Elias scored in the Shootout to earn the Devils a victory.

The Devils have pushed their way into 8th place with 33 points thus far and appear to be playing much better. The Devils have now won four of five and will look to continue to push themselves into the playoff picture against Dallas on Friday.

Notes: Brodeur looked to have maybe hist strongest game last night.

Parise Kovalchuk and Henrique continue to play well together while Kovalchuk and Parise also appear comfortable double shifting with other lines.

Friday is Scott Niedermayer’s Jersey retirement ceremony and the first game that Travis Zajac could possibly play worth noting he told Chico Resch he will play Friday.

Kurtis Foster looked comfortable especially on the Power Play logging 21:53 of Ice Time last night in his debut.

Final note: Devil goaltending Prospect Scott Wedgewood will be one of the two goaltenders for Team Canada at this year’s World Junior Classic.

The Devils have traded D Mark Fraser C Rod Pelley and a 7th round draft pick to Anaheim for G Timo Pielmeier and D Kurtis Foster.

The trade seems small but is definitely a good move for the Devils who have sorely lacked backend scoring this year. Foster doesn’t bring an elite offensive skill set, but more than any other Devils’ D except Larsson.

The players the Devils lost are no surprise Pelley has been mightily disappointing thought to be like a John Madden he has done little to establish himself in the NHL and in the preseason word in the system was that Brad Mills was playing that role better than Pelley. Mark Fraser hasn’t been terrible but a necessary loss for an upgrade in puck moving defensive ability.

This move could make a very positive difference to the Devils power play as now Kovalchuk will probably move down the left wing wall and either Foster or Larsson will man that point and Kovalchuk can cycle in when possible for the one-timer. What would be really impressive would be if when he did that either Foster or Larsson would go in front occasionally a la Chris Pronger.

Definitely a necessary move for the Devils and it should help the power play and when Andy Greene is healthy we could actually have half of a defense that is offensively competent.

The Devils rallied so did the senators but New Jersey escaped with two points.

The first period was totally flat and the Devils finished it down 2-0 from goals by surprising leading goal scorer in the NHL, Milan Michalek, and Nick Foligno. This caused Deboer to start Hedberg in the second period; as always no idea if Brodeur was replaced because of poor play or just to try and generate a spark.

Second period Tedenby took a highly questionable penalty that sent the senators to the power play. This wasn’t a major problem until Sykora said something to the ref about a minute later that warranted an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty (Sykora was benched for the rest of the period). On the ensuing 5 on 3 the Senators’ Daniel Alfredsson scored the first Power Play goal against the Devils at home this season. The game seemed to be getting away from the Devils and it seemed it would only get worse when the Devils went back to the Penalty Kill for too many men on the ice. This was not the case as Zach Parise and Adam Henrique started the comeback when Adam set up Zach for a one-timer that resulted in a shorthanded goal. The period ended with Ottawa up 3-1 but the Devils still in the game.

At the start of the third Ryan Carter and Jesse Winchester had a scrap that surprisingly resulted in a Senators Power Play and even more surprising another Devils shorthanded goal this time by Dainius Zubrus. The comeback was in full force now and six minutes later Clarkson took a shot on net that bounced off Mattias Tedenby and into the net to tie the game. Just 30 seconds later a great passing play by Henrique and Parise led to an Ilya Kovalchuk goal to give the Devils their first lead. It wasn’t all good for the Devils; Patrik Elias appeared about to ice the game when he was staring at an empty net from center ice but he was dragged down and although the Senators got a penalty they also got a chance. They took advantage of it scoring with three seconds left as a questionable non-call was missed that would have washed out the goal.

Overtime came and went with nothing of great consequence happening and the game was to be decided by a shootout. After Ilya Kovalchuk missed the net the next three shooters for the Devils (Parise, Elias and Henrique) scored and although Hedberg let in two straight he stopped David Runblad to secure a Devils victory.

Game Notes: Adam Henrique extended his point streak to seven games while Ilya Kovalchuk’s was pushed to six.

Zach Parise also has a six game point streak as well as his third shorthanded goal of the year.

Brodeur was pulled for the fifth time last night within the first 20 minutes of a game. He was pulled five times in 20 minutes or less from 1997-2010 total.

Andy Greene will be out about 4 weeks and probably Alexander Urbom will be called up.

The Devils have more depth at center than previously thought when they’re healthy.

The Devils lost a frustrating game again last night after playing a solid enough game to secure a win.

The Jets went up just a minute into the game on a beautiful deflection by Evander Kane off of a Dustin Byfuglien shot. The Devils didn’t do their usual thing of letting up another two or three. Instead they responded and played a very solid first getting one themselves by Adam Henrique on a great play from him Kovalchuk and Parise.

In the second it appeared the Devils had the better of play and definitely won the possession battle. The power play was a killer again though the Devils scored on a lucky bounce on a five on three by Patrik Elias. Right after that Winnipeg came back and scored a shorthanded goal by the great youngster Alexander Burmistrov; the seventh the Devils have allowed already this year.

The Jets scored in the third on a Mark Stuart shot that took an odd bounce and when Evander Kane crashed the crease it found its way in and was held up by review. The Devils still seemed to play better than the Jets but they had no answer for Pavelec and dropped their 4th straight game allowing an empty net goal to Evander Kane.

The Devils simply need to play a complete game and most importantly need to capitalize on their chances. They appear to be playing better than their opposition the last two games but losses are still losses.

The Devils schedule continues to be tough this week playing Ottawa and Toronto.

Player notes: Adam Henrique, Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk all extended their point streaks to 4 games.

Cam Janssen left the game for x-rays.

Adam Larsson after having 0 points in his first 9 games has 9 points in his last 16.

The Devils took it to the Wild after the first ten minutes of last night’s game. But that wasn’t enough.

When Zach Parise scored on a beautiful deflection just three minutes into the game it seemed like last night would be a great night. Five minutes later down 3-1 it seemed like it would be a disastrous game. Both initial reactions were wrong.

Brodeur was chased from the game allowing three goals in the first ten minutes he certainly didn’t get any breaks but he still wasn’t looking sharp. Deboer’s goaltending shakeup was effective as Hedberg didn’t face a shot for a good 5-6 minutes and Kovalchuk scored to get the Devils within one before the end of the first.

It’s becoming clear that Deboer has a handle on this team. Last night Kovalchuk and Parise were playing very differently, not because they each scored but because they combined for 14 shots, 2 goals and one post. Deboer double-shifted Kovalchuk and the line with Henrique as often as possible because of their inspired play; the disappointing thing was that the Elias line was not producing chances and shots very often.

A rather disappointing game last night but not lacking in effort by the Devils. The Devils didn’t get any breaks but it didn’t help that Josh Harding played extremely well in relief of Niklas Backstrom after the first period. The only shot that got by Harding was Kovalchuk’s one-timer from Parise that hit the post.

A loss is a loss but the Devils were the better team for the majority of the game last night; if that puck off the post goes in the Devils probably would have gotten at least a point. The 4th wild goal with just three and half minutes to go was really a result of Kovalchuk pinching in and taking a risk that I don’t think he takes if the Devils are tied or winning.

The most encouraging part of last night has to be that Kovalchuk and Parise were shooting the puck and making quality plays with each other and Henrique hopefully it wasn’t just a good night but rather a maturation of the line. The Devils have to secure two points against the Jets tonight because their next two games after are against Toronto and Ottawa both playing very well. Hopefully for this team’s offense Ondrej Pavelec isn’t as hot as he was during his last game: a shutout over Phoenix.

The Devils took a big step backwards last night playing their worst game of the season to date losing 6-1.

The Avalanche simply outworked the Devils with a relentless fore-check and constantly forcing turnovers. The Devils were never able to exposeColorado’s aggression and turn it into odd man breaks; it was clearColoradohad a solid game plan figured out forNew Jerseyand executed perfectly.

The first and third periods were all Avalanche with little bright spots. The script: Devils defense turns it over in front of a surprised Brodeur given little chance to react, Avalanche goal with little to no Devil response. That being said it doesn’t alleviate Brodeur of all blame he knows he has to come up with some big time saves to bail his team out; last night it wouldn’t have mattered but going forward it will. Conversely you have to love this game if you are an Avalanche fan. Every player on that team worked their tails off throughout that game.

The second period although eventually meaningless was actually owned by the Devils. The Parise/Henrique/Kovalchuk line seemed very in tune with one another leading to a good amount of quality scoring chances that lead to a goal that seemed like it could get them right back in the game at the time. The Elias line was not as dynamic and rather disappointing; it’s frustrating because you have to believe if both these lines could play to their ability they could be a dangerous team.

However the most embarrassing part of the game last night was the Power Play. Its one thing not to score on a Power Play but it’s completely different when you can’t get the puck into the attacking zone, allow short handed goals, and allow the should be advantage to kill your momentum. The Devils allowed their league leading 6th shorthanded goal which begs the question of when will Deboer stop putting Kovalchuk and Elias on the point on the Power Play. It’s really an embarrassing fact of the Devils’ system that they have so little offensively talented defensemen except for Larsson that they keep using a forward on the opposite point and it has thus far been all risk no reward.

You can’t but hope that this was just an off night for the Devils as they were playing much better before last night’s disappointment. Improvement has to start with the Power Play and the team playing a complete game. The news isn’t promising however as the Devils face the league’s hottest team Friday: the Minnesota Wild where they will look to get back on track.

A 12-9-1 record puts the Devils right on the fringe of the playoffs in 9th place. Given last year’s terrible first half fans can’t help but breathe a small sigh of relief that their team appears to be back to relevancy.

The first 22 games could have been much better but also much worse. No question the team has had problems scoring goals and holding leads once they’ve managed to get a few in the back of the net however the Devils have greatly benefitted from the shootout when they have let those leads slip away going 5-1 in games past regulation.

The past two weeks the team has seemed close to going on a run and really stringing together wins, without blowing a 3 goal lead against Florida and a controversial call the last game against the Islanders the Devils could be one of the hottest teams in the league right now.

Given these facts although not satisfying 12-9-1 just above .500 is right where the Devils belong. They definitely show a lot of potential to be up in the 4th and 5th place in the Eastern Conference if they play to their ability.

Quarterly grades:

Elias/Sykora/Zubrus line: A- Probably the brightest spot for the team to this point this line has been on fire and consistently providing most of the offense for the Devils. Zubrus playing the best hockey he has played as a Devil; Sykora and Elias back to their old tricks.

Zach Parise: C- The captain needs to step up his game. He isn’t finding the puck or shooting nearly as much as he has in the past. He appears to still be working hard but can’t find the back of the net with consistency. No question the frustrations showed when his goal against the Isles was called back. In a contract year Zach must play better. Hopefully reuniting with a healthy Travis Zajac will be the answer although still puzzling given Henrique’s high level of play. The harsh reality is if Zach wants to stay in NJ what is his asking price? He has to prove that he is going to be worth big money the rest of the year.

Ilya Kovalchuk: C Kovalchuk seems to be finding his game somewhat since returning from injury but still needs to score with more consistency. 9 assists are a nice surprise but scoring 4 goals in 17 games doesn’t cut it, Ilya needs to shoot and carry the puck in the offensive zone more. All fans are hoping that a healthy Zajac Parise and Kovalchuk line could be dangerous.

Adam Henrique: A Amazing play out of the rookie showing that he deserves top 2 line minutes going to be tough for Deboer when Zajac comes back to figure how to get Henrique playing time.

Adam Larsson: A+ Already looks like a seasoned veteran has played big time minutes all year and in the last 12 games has found his offensive game and now has a 5 game point streak going; by far the brightest spot in the Devils lineup so far.

David Clarkson: A Playing the best offensively he ever has a true spark plug for the team.

Martin Brodeur: B- Brodeur started kind of slow the injury didn’t help him for sure. There is no secret to Brodeur turning his game around: he needs to start consistently. Brodeur can’t be in a system where he splits starts he needs to start 3 times a week to play at a high level. All things considered I’d still be surprised if this isn’t Brodeur’s final year.

Johan Hedberg: A- Has played very well in most starts with the exception of two definitely gives the Devils a chance to win when Marty isn’t in the lineup.

Power Play: F No question the Devils PP has been awful without good reason you would have to think something would have to change with Larsson playing better but until Kovalchuk and Parise can do better I support putting Clarkson in front on the PP. But this PP is so disappointing especially because that’s why Adam Oates in on the bench to make this PP special. Furthermore Kovalchuk and Elias have both been exposed playing the point on the PP at different times; the last thing we need is for our powerplay to become liability.

Penalty Kill: A+    Never seen a more comfortable confident PK in a while it seems like no matter what players are on it the result is still the same.

Pete Deboer: B    Deboer has seemed to find the best line combinations now and as good as the PK is the PP is conversely  awful. The biggest issue I’ve had with Deboer is playing with the lead. The Devils have had issues throughout the season up by a few and when they were up by 3 in Tampa the Lightning struck twice in the third, Deboer called timeout and the Devils hung on. The next game up by 3 the Panthers scored twice and Deboer didn’t call that same timeout and the Devils blew the lead and lost. Why the change? The biggest issue I’ve seen in the Devils’ play with the lead is they back off and don’t play aggressively; Deboer needs to fix this. Overall I don’t think this will be a year when we see Lou behind the bench or Jacques Lemaire for that matter.

Overall: B- The Devils haven’t been terrible but if they can get healthy and play to ability they could be a solid playoff team.

The Devils today recalled Alexander Urbom from the AHL implying that Andy Greene may be injured for at least a few games. The Devils next game will be Wednesday night in Colorado against the Avalanche.

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.