In Lou We Trust

Once again, the Devils gave up way too many shots (36 to 28) and took 7 penalties for a total of 17 penalty minutes. So why am I so happy about this win? Well, for starters a lot of those 36 shots weren't that threatening. I don't have a stat to back that up, as I don't see scoring chances as a stat on either sheet; that's a general observation.

More to the point, check out those special teams by the Devils. the Rangers went 0 for 5 thanks to Martin Brodeur and the always stalwart penalty killers. Brad Lukowich, Colin White, and Paul Martin (who had an OK game) all played very well on the penalty kill and on defense in general. More impressively, the Devils went 3 for 5 on the power play. 3 power play goals! In a single game! The first goal in the game was a power play goal by Patrik Elias and the eventual game winning goal was a power play goal by Jamie Langenbrunner.

Speaking of offense, the Devils were flying with scoring chances. Odd man rushes were obtained and taken advantage. Shots were hitting Kevin Weekes and in turn going past him. The Devils made short work of the patchwork blueline that makes up the NY Rangers, putting 6 on Weekes. Zach Parise in particular was buzzing all night, as was Patrik Elias.

But the man of the night wasn't even Elias, Langenbrunner, Parise, or Brodeur (who played very well in his own right). It was Sergei Brylin. He was the #1 star last night with 2 goals, got a ton of time on the penalty kill stopping a Rangers squad looking for a goal, and generally playing hard in a checking role on the Rangers' top unit - short a Michael Nylander, but last I checked that Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan are both pretty dang good. Hell, he was the #1 star in today's Three Stars on NHL.com. NHL.com! Sarge! Brylin had a big night and he deserves the recognition.

Overall, the Devils won a big game on the road, the second game in a back-to-back set (the third one this month), and it was a road game against the Rangers, no less. Snapping a three game losing streak and gaining ground on the Rangers in the Atlantic Division. There's another reason why I'm so happy for this win, but I'll leave it for a more detailed post. Though all you Devils fans probably can guess what that is - I'm still trying to process it into words.