I am sitting in my bedroom, reading Devils fans criticize Johnny Oduya 24/7. I quickly check Yahoo Sports for Oduya's numbers. What I see surprises me as much as other supporters. Among defensemen, Oduya is tied in second with 16 points. His plus/minus 12 is second on the team to Paul Martin. Instead, three other blueliners are a combined -18 with a combined 21 points. Colin White, Vitaly Vishnevski and Mike Mottau have struggled from the get-go, but nobody is ripping into them. Maybe, we do not see eye to eye, but I'm stating facts, not opinions.

Instead of tearing Oduya's limbs apart, demanding trades and anything to remove him from the roster, open your eyes.

Oduya has not been the problem.

In fact, he has a three-game point streak and 8 points and a +5 in his last 7 games.

Why are Gionta, Elias, Parise, Langenbrunner, and Zubrus not being reproached? They comprise some of the team’s highest-paid offensemen.

In terms of production, it’s been a month by month analysis.

In October, some thought that head coach Brent Sutter would be on the hot seat for the Devils poor start. They quickly rebounded and now people are talking about Sutter for Coach of the Year.

Although the Devils never cracked Mo’s Top 5 October teams, they lost their inaugural game at the Prudential Center, their attendance struggled early on and then more recently, the Devils found a way to climb back to the top of the rankings.

First, Pittsburgh embarrassed New Jersey 5-0 before Langenbrunner and White returned from their respective off season surgeries. The Devils quickly responded.

Later, the NHL elected No. 4 Scott Stevens to the Hall of Fame.

At the same time, Devils fans wondered where in the world was Patrik Elias?

Elias quickly responded.

Even when Langenbrunner returned to the lineup with two goals, no less, the Devils could not find a way to beat the mother f-king Rangers.

At least, Martin Brodeur defeated 500 other opponents.

Finally, the Devils erupted.

During a stretch spanning November and early December, the Devils seemed unbeatable, winning nine straight. In the process, Brodeur earned another milestone, his 116th career shutout (regular season and playoffs combined). And, Zach Parise manufactured his career three-goal game. During this fun three-week period, the league honored Brodeur for his efforts and Bill offered the team praise.

After the eighth win, Bill’s reverse jinx led him to the conclusion that Elias reads his blogs. Before no. 9, Sutter named Langenbrunner El Capitán or Captain in English.

The Devils also commemorated the night of the eventual ninth consecutive victory to Scott Stevens, or, as Joel put it “The True Captain.”

I agreed and believed that another future Hall of Famer should call it quits. Oh yeah, the Devils earned a 3-2 win over Washington on Dec. 7, extending the streak to nine games.

Unfortunately, those Rangers ended the fun and games for the Devils with a 1-0 overtime win. The game did not cause Bill to lose sleep.

After the late November and early December success, power rankings placed New Jersey among the top 5.

Eventually, Sutter gave his captain a vote of confidence.

Meanwhile, I displayed much distaste and frustration over the enormous and overpriced signings (i.e. DiPietro).

Elias, who makes a boatload of money, and Gionta ignored my frustration with an overtime winner.

Later on, awake at 4 am, I started the first version of the critically acclaimed “Late Night Statistics.” I concluded (ala John Madden the NFL commentator) that scoring more goals than your opponents do leads to more wins.

Finally, Ian offered his top 10 New Jersey Devils New Year’s Resolutions at year’s end.

In the meantime, Joel notified everyone that Sutter (I followed Brodeur’s voting) would represent the Devils in the 2008 All Star Game.

I continued with the Late Night Statistics II…

Wait, I almost forgot to include Bill’s transcription of the Winter Classic, which he dutifully attended.

Joel finally erupted about the oversized pads in the league. It’s not one size fits all, he tells us.

I erupted about the league overpaying (i.e. Martin Havlat, Shelden Souray and Patrik Elias) and underpaying some athletes (i.e. Brodeur). I calmed down and found a list for everyone to read, the Devils Broadcast Timeline.

In Late Night Statistics III, I focused on the then airtight Atlantic Division, which has finally shown some separation. After tonight, the Flyers lead the division with 65 points, while the lowly Islanders have faded to last place with 54 points.

Regardless, the Islanders and Rangers have dominated the season series with the Devils, winning all 10 meetings thus far.

I finally brought Gabi on board, who would discuss the 2007 NFL postseason, a few weeks before his Patriots lost Super Bowl XLII to my New York Giants.

I slowly began to step up the blogging, mentioning the Devils UFAs after this season and discussing the Trade Deadline.

I also permitted Ethan to talk about the Rangers retiring Brian Leetch’s jersey to the rafters. I might not like the Rangers or their fans, but I certainly respect Leetch’s skills on the ice.

After defeating Philadelphia 7-3, the Devils reverted to laziness and sloppiness against Montreal. They blew a 3-1 lead, allowing three unanswered in the final stanza to the Canadiens, who had not won in New Jersey since Feb. 5, 2002.

We reached the All Star Break, where Ethan believed that the east earned an upset over their western conference counterparts.

I immediately pondered the question, “Is Marty’s Clock Ticking?”

After the All Star Game, the Devils returned to business. Or, bad habits, dropping their second straight. I pleaded with Elias, Gionta and Co. to score, in Late Night Statistics IV.

Before the Super Bowl, Gabi covered the MLB Off Season.

Frustrated by the lack of support, I wrote a nasty telegram about the Devils struggling audiences. Nevertheless, I place the majority of the blame on the organization.

The Devils rebounded from another loss to the Rangers with a 6-goal outburst on the Kings. If they finish the season, winning at least 50 percent of their final 30 games, prepare for another date with the postseason (tip to James Mirtle).

Tom Gulitti informed us that Sutter and Langenbrunner are still on speaking terms after Sutter “challenged his captain” on the bench versus the Kings.

However, as Bill noted, the Devils have been too inconsistent (7 goals one night and then 6 in a 3-game stretch).

Finally, Eli Manning commanded the Giants to their first Super Bowl Trophy since 1990. In the process, the Giants ended the Patriots perfect season hopes at 19-1. What a freaken game, what an incredible season for the G-men.

Then the Devils came from behind against the Penguins, becoming the first team in the season series to win at home. Both teams had won in the other’s arena 10 consecutive times until this past Monday night’s 4-3 overtime decision.

I focused on the comeback while Ethan wrote a sidebar on Zach Parise, who scored the game winning goal 37 seconds into the extra session.

Lately, I had been reading forums, hearing complaints about Oduya and Gionta. I disagree with any negative assessment on Oduya (lately at least), but agree about Gionta’s inconsistent production. As the NY Mets traded Lastings Milledge while his value was still high, I believe the Devils should follow suit with Brian Gionta.

I enjoyed watching him play the last 5/6 seasons, but his time has expired. The Devils have not won the Cup since 2003, a span of nearly five years. They need offensive production, not fan favorites.

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