Saturday, December 23, 2006
Game: Devils @ Atlanta, 2 of 4
I missed the Devils game last night and didn't put a tape in. Which sucks because the Devils defeated the Washington Capitals 4-1. Fortunately, the Devils did it while holding Alexander Ovechkin to nothing - excellent job by Sergei Brylin as is my understanding. Unfortunately, Patrik Elias' hurt his foot in the victory and it's questionable as to how long he will be out. Tom Lycan of Devils' Due has more on the game as he went to see it live, reporting on how well things went at the Verizon Center. If you want a total recap of the game itself, The Devils Fan in Boston, Aaron, has a complete account of the contest: he's a big Martin Brodeur booster too. 2 Man Advantage was very pleased with the results of the game. Eric McErlain of Off Wing Opinion also has an extensive recap of the game (with pictures!) from a Caps point of view.
In any case, the New Jersey Devils are now in Atlanta to take on the Atlanta Thrashers.
In any case, the New Jersey Devils are now in Atlanta to take on the Atlanta Thrashers.
GAMETIME: 7 PM, EST
Local TV: Fox Sports NY 2
Local Radio: 660 AM, WFAN
Devils' record vs. Atlanta: 0-0-1
NHL.com Preview
Well, not much has changed since the last time these two teams played. It was earlier this week, here were my thoughts prior to the game and after the game. NJ won 4-1, as you would have gathered from the previous paragraph. The Thrashers defeated the Penguins 4-3 in a shootout on Thursday, so they are still rolling. The fact that they won their last two games via a shootout is comforting in the sense that Atlanta isn't getting it done in regulation or overtime. In any case, this preview will be real short as I have nothing much to say that's new other than this:
- Stop Marian Hossa from breaking out in general.
- In fact, just control the puck better on the power play as to avoid giving up more shorthanded scoring chances because Hossa (or someone else) will score on those.
Now, the fact that Patrik Elias' foot is not right makes this a bit more challenging. I have no idea whether he's good to go for tonight. The NHL.com Preview says nothing about it and I'm not finding much about the extent of the injury; so I can't really assume his health. OK, if Elias is in; I'd expect to see the same lines Claude Julien put out for Washington - meaning the same lines as the last few games with Janssen in for Rasumussen (who was scratched last night). If Elias is hurt; I'd move Brylin up to the second line left wing position, move Erik Rasumussen back in the third line role on the right side, and have a fourth line of Cam Janssen, Jim Dowd, and Mike Rupp.
GO DEVILS!
GO DEVILS!
Labels: Devils Game, Devils Postgame
# posted by John Fischer @ 1:26 PM 0 comments 
