The New Jersey Devils were moving dangerously close to being shutout for the second consecutive game.  Then came the third period and unusual coaching decision by Edmonton Oilers Craig MacTavish.

After failing to score for 105 minutes, Patrik Elias and Brian Gionta teamed up for two goals in 35 seconds immediately following an icing and subsequent timeout call by MacTavish.  John Madden added an unassisted empty-netter for the Devils in their 3-1 victory over the Oilers.

The game was not even five minutes old when Joni Pitkanen’s fifth from Ales Hemsky gave Edmonton the early 1-0 lead.  That is how the period ended as the Devils led in shots 9-8.

After a short break, both teams returned to the ice for 20 minutes of scoreless hockey.  Even though the Oilers committed three separate two-minute minors and allowed 12 Devils' shots, they remained in front 1-0.

As is common in professional sports, the final period mattered most.  The Devils responded to adversity with a huge win in front of Coach Brent Sutter’s wife Connie and Grace, his mother.  Sutter hails from nearby Viking, which is about halfway between Edmonton and Calgary... 

The hiring of Sutter has been a blessing in disguise for him and his family...

With just under five minutes gone by in the third, the Oilers were caught icing the puck and MacTaverish unconventionally used his only timeout available.

I am not sure what was said in their huddle, but Elias and Gionta heeded their coach.  After Gionta found the loose puck behind G Mathieu Garon’s, who was starting in place of a flu-ridden Dwayne Roloson, net, he located Elias on the doorstep for an easy game-tying goal at 5:00.

Elias returned the favor just over half a minute later (5:35).  Actually, Elias passed the puck to Danius Zubrus who failed to get a clean shot on net.  Gionta found the rebound and gave the Devils the 2-1 lead.

Patty had not scored and managed only one assist since Dec. 5, a span of seven games.  For Gionta, this was only his second goal in 10 December contests.

The Devils iced the puck with 39 seconds left in regulation, which would have been a good time for the Oilers to call timeout and discuss strategy.  Instead, Sutter used the Devils' lone timeout to plan.

With the win and NY Rangers loss, the Devils held onto to first place in the Atlantic Division.  The Rangers were up 1-0, down 2-1, up 3-2, and eventually lost 4-3 in overtime to the Colorado Avalanche.  Wojtek Wolski netted the game-winner for the Avs, who played without Joe Sakic and Ryan Smith.  Scott Gomez added two assists and now has 11 points in his eight-game scoring streak for the Rangers, who lost their second straight.  At least this time, they did not allow one player to knock home five pucks.

Questions, Comments, Concerns:

Questions: Will the Devils still attempt to trade for an elite scorer?  When will we see backup Kevin Weekes in net again? (Devils play back-to-back on 12/18 &12/29)…

Comments: I liked David Clarkson, who played with a lot of heart and speed last night.  He was explosive with the puck and even drew a penalty 18 seconds after the Devils took a 2-1 lead, which gave them an opportunity seal this contest (see next).

However, the Devils have not been special lately.  Their power play went 0-for-5 against Edmonton and is now 4-44, nine percent efficient this month.  They have one power play goal over their last 21 man advantages.  The good news is that they only committed one minor infraction, their lowest total this season, which they killed with ease.

December Contests: 3,4,3,0,2,3,1,4,0,3     

Pay attention to those threes and fours and zeros of course… see Edmonton preview...

Devils record when scoring at least three goals: 18-0-1… that’s right, they have not lost in regulation this season when tallying three or more times!

They have only won once when scoring fewer than three times, a 2-1 victory over Pittsburgh on Nov. 21.

Power Play – ranks 24th in the league at 14.8 percent (before Edmonton)… Yikes! Devs need a point man desperately.  I should not have to remind Lou Lamoriello of these numbers.

Consistency -- Elias and Gionta scored against the Oilers.  Zubrus was credited with an assist on the game-winner.  As I mentioned earlier, they had not reached the net regularly.  They are not the only ones.

Players with one goal or less in December:

David Clarkson, Sergei Brylin (Dec. 2, nothing since), Travis Zajac (Dec. 7, nada since then), Danius Zubrus (last one was on Dec. 7), Rod Pelley, Vitaly Vishnevski (only Devils blueliner to score this month), Colin White (still looking for his first point this season since returning to lineup, 15 G -5 +/-)...

At least, they won.  That's what mattered most after losing 5-0 to Vancouver.  Now Sutter has to improve the power play units, add some seasoning, and send the Devils back to Newark with a 2-1 record over their Canadian foes.  The Devs face off with Calgary on Sunday at 8 p.m, at which time I will be on live radio... more about my claim to fame later...

Good night and happy holidays!

• ‹ previous
• 257 of 430
• next ›