The Devils are back in action on Tuesday night. They host the Penguins at the Prudential Center at 7 o'clock. Beginning with the pregame show at 6:30 pm, the discussion will likely focus on Devils goalie Martin Brodeur and head coach Brent Sutter. Brodeur was absent from the All Star Game, resting his 35-year-old body with his children. Sutter returned home to Deer Park, Alberta to spend time with his family as well.

After a five-day break, New Jersey will have its hands full with Pittsburgh. The Devils remain tied atop the Atlantic Division with Philadelphia (59 points). The Penguins are on both of their heels with 48 points. They Penguins have also won three straight road wins at New Jersey, including a 5-0 shutout on Nov. 5. Sutter was not very pleased with his team's effort and mandated a 30-minute bicycle ride after the game. It worked as the Devils rebounded for an easy 4-1 win over the Flyers.

After the Devils most recent loss, a 4-3 heartbreaker to Montreal, Sutter reverted to this "Miracle-" type philosophy. Some fans even suggested the Devils practice over the All Star weekend, but league rules stipulate a vacation until today. Sutter was not at the late practice scheduled (flight delays).

"Assistants John MacLean and Larry Robinson ran practice in Sutter’s absence," Tom Gulitti noted on his blog. New Jersey still had a full practice despite Sutter's whereabouts.

On the other hand, the Penguins are only 1-3 against the Devils this season, losing three times at home, during a 16-day stretch in which they played each other four times.

Oct. 17, Devils win 5-4 behind timely scoring. Arron Asham scored the game winner in the third period of a tied game.

Nov. 5, Devils are flattened by Penguins 5-0. I don’t wanna talk about this game.

Nov. 12, Elias ended 11-game slump with game winner, Devils won 3-2.

Nov. 21, Extra special effort by Devils leads to their third one-goal win over Pittsburgh.

More importantly, the Penguins recently lost captain Sidney Crosby to 6-8 weeks. Crosby suffered a high ankle sprain on Jan. 18 and will not return before March.

He also starred in the Winter Classic, attended by our very own Bill Katinsky.

They have not yet fully adjusted to his absence. The Penguins are 1-1-1 without Crosby in the lineup and the road to success does not get any easier for them. After New Jersey, they travel to Atlanta and Ilya Kovalchuk’s house of worship.

Atlanta hosted the All Star Game and events this past weekend. There were some unlikely upsets.

Evgeni Malkin,a former number two overall draft choice in 2004, will be counted on in lieu of Crosby. He is certainly more than capable, already securing 57 points in 49 games, including 23 on the power play. He is talented and dangerous at the same time.

The Devils will counterattack with John Madden’s checking line. But, Madden’s partner in crime, Jay Pandolfo, is unlikely to play. Pandolfo was injured on Nov. 28 against Dallas, has finally returned to the ice, but is still not 100%. He’s missed nearly half (24 of 49) of the games thus far. There is no timetable for the iron man’s return, who is an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.

The Devils highest paid player and one of the top 25 in the NHL, Patrik Elias, has recently shown signs of progression. Progression for arguably the most overpaid skater in the league, who makes 7.5 million but has scored 30 points to show for his efforts.

His goals have mattered though.

• Elias leads league with 7 (of his 14 goals) game winners
• 5 points for Patty the past two games, five points in earlier portion of January
• 10-point January, best month for Elias

In the meantime, many fans are worried about Brodeur’s age. I have hopefully alleviated your worries.

Truthfully, Brodeur is still at the top of his game. There is no doubting his ability to make 70-something starts again this season. But, I am vehemently opposed to this philosophy, regardless of the Devils outcome. They signed goalie Kevin Weekes in the off season to start 10-15 games this season. Weekes, who recently married his fiancé during the break, is on pace to start 8-9 times. Even consider the Devils are playing 18 of their last 33 games on back to back nights, Brodeur will likely start the vast majority due to the nature and thin margin of error.

Philadelphia 48 27-16-5 59

New Jersey 49 28-18-3 59

Pittsburgh 49 27-18-4 58

NY Islanders 50 24-20-6 54

NY Rangers 51 24-21-6 54

As you can see, the Devils are leading their rival Rangers and Islanders by five points. New Jersey has yet to defeat either of the New York organizations.

Tonight’s game against Pittsburgh is crucial for many reasons, including sole possession of first place in the Atlantic.

It would also mean they have overcome a pathetic third period meltdown to Montreal last Thursday night.

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