Two shutouts in four games do not sit well for New Jersey Devils fans. I hope that it does not sit well for the players either as they enter Long Island tonight for a 7p.m. battle with division rival New York Islanders. This might be the ideal matchup for the Devils, a team they have had much success against.  I expect the game to be hard fought for both teams and goaltending and special teams to be important points. Therefore, here are my keys to the game:

Man Advantage/ Penalty Kill:
The Devils have now allowed at least one power play goal in six consecutive games, numbers that are downright pitiful. I mean they are on the road, certain important people are still recovering from off-season injuries and surgeries, but excuses are for losers. They are dead last in the league in PK with 69.0%. The Islanders are tied for fourth place in the league in penalty kill (90.0%). In terms of power plays, the Islanders are No.2 in the league in PP scoring, while the Devils are not far behind (10th overall).  Both, PP and PK are two important facets to the game today, as referees are instructed to use their whistles much more than in the past. The league wants a more uptempo high-scoring game and the refs are definitely doing their part to ensure just this.

Goaltending and Martin Brodeur:

The pressure is on tonight, no joking around, or else the Islanders will knock us around. I mean Brodeur has been lights out since he started playing the Islanders, (Brodeur is 38-17-2 with four ties, a 2.17 GAA and 10 shutouts against the Islanders) but I am not sure he is even starting the game for the Devils. I actually would like to see backup goaltender Kevin Weekes take the start.  He looked great in his only start this season, while Brodeur's 2-4 record includes a 3.51GAA and .865 SV%. The GAA is nearly one full point above Brodeur's highest regular season total ever (2.57 in 2005-2006).  I am not panicking yet, because it has only been seven games. But, I would like to see him play better, especially with the Rangers on double deck (Thursday).

Rick DiPietro is 4-2 with a 2.18GAA and a .918SV%, much better numbers than his counterpart Brodeur. Since the Devils are off until Thursday, he is most likely to get the nod tonight, much to my dismay.  Like Stan "The Maven" Fischler said after Weekes' last and only start, ride him out, give him a few starts, especially while he is playing well. For Weekes to play well, but only start one of seven games this season, that is just unfair. It is probably also the reason that many former Brodeur backups never succeeded in the Meadowlands. Well I wouldn't go that far, but I will definitely have a nice post on “Where is Waldo-type gag” on Brodeur's backups... for another time.

Defense:

Johnny Oduya, Paul Martin, Karel Rachunek, Andy Greene, Vitaly Vishnevski, and Mike Mottau are the defensemen for now. That can definitely change when Colin White returns from his eye injury suffered prior the season. However, since White's return is indefinite (probably closer to December, maybe even January), these guys need to step up while he is gone. The Devils have gone to a four forward setup and one defenseman on the power play because of the D-line's inefficient puck handling and inability to get the puck on net. The Islanders have given up 22 goals in 7 games, so this could be a high scoring affair. I would rather see a 1-0 Devils shutout, or 2-1 Devils-style win, but those days seem numbered.  Devils seem to like high scoring contests, or at least that seems to be the plan of action after winning 6-5 over the Thrashers and 5-4 over the Penguins before Thursday night's 4-0 shutout to division rival Philadelphia.

History (actually last season's numbers):

The Devils went 6-1-1 against the Islanders last season, outscoring them 9-3 in four wins at Nassau Coliseum. New Jersey has at least one point in seven consecutive visits to Long Island, going 5-0-2.

The Islanders are 4-3 this season. For the Devils (3-4) to even the standings, they will need to focus on committing inexcusable penalties and mental collapses with their defensive units. Why the team wants to trade defenseman Richard Matvichuk, I have no idea. And, Danius Zubrus, earn your fucking paycheck please... I am begging you to do something productive for this team. The team cannot rely on Gionta, Elias, Madden and Asham all season long. There needs to be production across all lines, especially for Zubrus' lengthy contract the team gave him, which I was never in favor of... there were so many free agents, who might have received more than they deserved. But, Zubrus was a B-line player, who was fortunate to play with superstars. Former Devils Petr Sykora was a free agent, went to the Penguins, and maybe he would have been a great fit in the organization. All I know is that Zubrus is here for six years and he better start producing.

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