This season I will attempt to do a Q and A with bloggers of opposing teams prior to each New Jersey Devils game. I had the privilege of starting this session with Islesblogger’s Michael Schuerlein, who is a member of the Islanders Blog Box, prior to tonight’s road matchup with the Islanders. He was in attendance for the game, had a nice recap which he published this afternoon.

Jeremy: The Islanders signed three players this off-season who are currently leading the team in point production. What does that say about the management staff's decision-making and did you expect Guerin, Comrie, and Fedotenko to be doing this well after seven games?

Mike: I don’t think anyone expected the “free agent line” to start producing at the volume they have been – but honestly what more can you expect out of players who all have something to prove? I feel that management did a great job considering everything the organization lost to free agency. However, it did allow management to mold the team the way they thought a successful team should be molded. Each forward is a gritty, hardnosed player and that is something this franchise has needed for a long time.

Jeremy: Rick DiPietro looks sharp so far allowing two goals or less in five of his six starts. What do you think has been the key to his success this season?

Mike: Rick DiPietro’s success can be linked to the fact that he played phenomenal last season in 62 games. His maturity and positioning has grown and he has gotten better at communicating with his defenseman, which is definitely why he continues his success into this season.

Jeremy: The Islanders power play has been very strong, number two in the league behind the Boston Bruins, while the Devils have the worst penalty kill in the league. How does this affect tonight's contest for the Islanders?

Mike: The Islanders were atrocious on the power play last season until the addition of Marc-Andre Bergeron. This year two new coaches were brought on board to run the power play and penalty kill – it is very obvious that these two coaches have changed the systems completely and are already showing success. Playing a Devils team whose penalty kill is faltering will benefit the Islanders in odd man situations, because the Devils play a more defensive style of game and attack when their opponent makes a defensive lapse – this gives the Isles a clear advantage.

Jeremy: Martin Brodeur has been very effective in 29 career starts at Nassau Coliseum with a 17-8 record including 4 shutouts. How do the Islanders plan on dealing with Marty in goal? (Assuming he is net tonight)

Mike: Martin Brodeur is a world class goaltender, so the key to being successful against him is to put traffic in front of the net – much as the Islanders did to Kolzig Thursday night in Washington. When Marty has to contend with a large body in front of him, it throws him off his game a bit and you may be able to sneak a point shot or a deflection in. I will just say again though, he is Martin Brodeur and you never know when his next shutout will happen – it’s always a great battle when he is at the Coliseum.

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