Five wins and counting.  The New Jersey Devils look to keep their winning streak alive tonight against a team they've defeated the past eight matchups.  The Devils face off with the Montreal Canadiens at the Prudential Center tonight after a come-from-behind win over Dallas on Wednesday night at the Rock and haven't lost to the Habs in nearly four years (A road loss on March 20, 2004).

However, forward Jay Pandolfo left Wednesday's contest in the third period to what is now considered "a pelvic injury."  Head coach Brent Sutter is starting a seventh defenseman in his place (teams generally use six defensemen and 12 forwards).  That means blueliners Johnny Oduya and Andy Greene will return to the lineup after being healthy scratches last game.

Sheldon Brookbank, who was claimed off waivers and made his first appearance against the NY Rangers on Oct. 25th, will be the odd man out (Tom Gulitti).

The Devils defense and goaltending have been strong lately and have only allowed 60 goals, eight fewest in the league, this season.

Martin Brodeur started the year slowly with a three plus goals against average and an under .900 save percentage, which would have been the worst of his professional career.  But, he turned it around in November, specifically during the team's current and longest win streak since the Devs closed out the '05-'06 season on a 11-game tear.

As always, Marty is an integral part of the team's success and has only allowed seven goals over the past five games, including his first shutout, a milestone no less, of the season.

You better believe that he will be in goal tonight versus Habs netminder Cristobal Huet, representing France.  Huet is having a fine season, fifth among goaltenders with a .928GAA and obviously a fan favorite.  Just see the standings for Eastern Conference All-Stars.

Patrik Elias, Brian Gionta, Danius Zubrus, and pretty much every Devil has contributed during the last two weeks (13 days).  I give credit to Sutter, who was forced to watch two of his best players recover from separate off season injuries during the first month of the season.

Now that Colin White and Jamie Langenbrunner have both returned to the lineup, the team is playing much better.  The Downtown Newarkers are feeding teammates with crisp passes and hitting their targets (the back of the net).

Tonight shall be no different assuming that the Devils play their game, dictate the the speed and the atmosphere in the Prudential Center, which will hopefully be filled to capacity with red, black, and white.

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