I was pleasantly surprised by the Devils lineup this past Saturday night. I noticed a major change. Elias, Gionta and Parise skated on the A line. Zubrus, Langenbrunner and Zajac controlled the second offensive unit, while Madden, Brylin and Clarkson paired the checking line. Asham, Rupp and Pelley played sparingly on the Devils fourth pairing.

Afterwards, Sutter told Record Devils Beat Writer Tom Gulitti assistant coach Tommy Albelin raised the issue minutes before tip-off, factoring in the coach’s last-minute decision. It paid major dividends.

The Devils main three offensive lines accounted for 4 goals, 8 assists and a plus minus rating of +8 in their 6-3 convincing effort over the last-place Kings. Elias continued his hot streak with his fifth goal and seventh point in the last five games.

Even the blueliners joined in the rare offensive burst. They produced as season-high 2 goals and 3 assists, including defenseman Colin White’s first goal in 126 games. Devils captain Jamie Langenbrunner scored the the team's third goal but his inefficient defense led to the Kings second tally. After allowing the Kings to pull within one, Sutter tore Langenbrunner a new a-hole on the bench. The TV cameras picked up the whole thing.

I hope that Sutter continues to utilize his weapons correctly. The PEG line successfully worked together in December. I have a gut feeling that they will lead New Jersey to another postseason experience. Even if they struggle, they need to finish 15-15-1 (Mirtle explained before Saturday’s game) to essentially earn the eighth seed.

However, I am worried that placing the Devils premier skates on the same line may endanger and weaken the other lines. Then again, every team needs an A line. There are two sides of every coin.

I’ll take the PEG line and hopefully it will begin to produce like the A line of old (Elias, Arnott and Sykora). Tonight would be a perfect opportunity to hold ground against the visiting division-rival Penguins.

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