In Lou We Trust

The New Jersey Devils face the Atlanta Thrashers in their final regular season game tonight in Atlanta.

The Devils are coming off a 4-2 loss to the Florida Panthers wherein the team as a whole came out flat and paid for it. Not scoring on either of the two power plays the Devils got certainly did not help. The Thrashers last dropped points to the Philadelphia Flyers in a 2-1 loss, highlighted by the Thrashers failing to convert on six power play opportunities. My point? Special teams matter. And such will be the key tonight. The Thrashers generally play well against the Devils and they're going to be up for it tonight after losing to the Flyers of all teams. The Devils got a little break prior to tonight's game, so any fatigue should be largely gone by now. In any case, the team who makes the most out of their special teams unit tonight will likely win. Considering the current lack of spark in the Devils' offense; it may not look good for the Devils tonight. On the other hand, perhaps losing 4-2 in such a lame, no-fight way against the Panthers will "inspire" them to come out not so flat tonight and take the game to Atlanta.

One thing I do know is that it'll be some exciting hockey - that I won't be able to get to see unfortunately. (3 hour night classes on Tuesday are fun that way) Thus, I will not get a chance to do any post-game recaps. Devils Due and RaReMaDev are reliable in that regard, so I suggest you check out what they have to say after the game.

Tom Lycan's recent post at Devils Due points out this rather enlightening article from the Bergen Record. Lou is happy with the way the team is designed right now. I can't imagine he's thrilled at how the offense is doing, but I suppose this means he won't look to make any moves prior to the trade deadline. Also, I'm pretty sure he can't get anyone of large significance unless he trades a Devil who makes a significant amount of money. You never know with Lou; but if he's happy with the team, there isn't much of a reason for me and I suppose other Devils fans to be unhappy with the team. In the same post, there is another noting of a Mark Everson column in the New York Post stating that head coach Claude Julien is doing pretty well. When you're in first place in the Atlantic Division at the All Star break with a sizable lead, you must be doing something right.

An article at Hockey's Future reveals head scout David Conte's secret to scouting success. In summary, it's know everything you can and keep an open mind about anyone who can play. Conte says it's simple, and given how successful the Devils have done in drafting players and developing prospects, it's also very rewarding.

The AHL just held their All Star Classic recently, as the Planet USA team defeated the Canadian team 7-6. The only player from the Lowell Devils in the All Star Classic was Andy Greene, who had an assist and 4 shots in the game. Congratulations to Greene for performing in the game.

While I won't get a chance to see the game tonight, I hope to get a month-in-review post up tomorrow for January. Tonight's game is the last game for NJ this month before an interesting February begins. A month where NJ can pull themselves away from the pack or be brought back down to Earth, so to speak. Regardless, GO DEVILS!