In Lou We Trust

Well, April was a short month for New Jersey. Four games in the regular season, and only five in the playoffs. The month saw a 2-1 overtime win against the Islanders which secured the Devils' eleventh straight playoff appearance, a shootout win over Boston which clinched at least fifth in the conference, a bad loss at Philadelphia, and the first win of the season over Our Hated Rivals to secure home ice in the playoffs. No regulation wins, but it's still 3-1-0 - and that's the official record for the Devils. They didn't look particularly great or dominating; but they did get the job done for the most part save for the Philly game.

Then the playoffs came and home ice meant absolutely nothing. Despite that win on April 6, the Devils fell flat in the third period in Game 1 and were flat for all but the final few minutes in Game 2. In retrospect, it looked like the Devils were already partially in the proverbial grave. Hope came in Game 3 when the Devils won one in overtime on the road. However, mistakes in the defensive zone cost the Devils Game 4 - dearly. Lastly and most frustratingly, they gave up too much too early to allow a comeback that was too little too late in Game 5. The Devils lost to the Rangers, lost all three games at Newark, and they lost to a team who played the style the Devils made famous. It wasn't that Brodeur alone failed - a point that Tom Gulitti plainly states at Fire & Ice - but the entire team failed. The defense was exposed and played like a paper tiger; leaving Marty high and dry more often than not. It took two games before the Devils scored more than just one goal; and even then they got some of those on some really fortunate bounces. The team would take shifts off - twice right after a goal - and the Rangers made them pay the price. No one will look at April 2008 and think, "Ah, they came into the playoffs with a little momentum," this first round exit to Our Hated Rivals will stand out the most. If only because Devils fans will hear it from Rangers fans for the next, say, 40 years.

So, no, it was not a good month for New Jersey.

The ILWT Devil of the Month? Given that so much of the month of April has to do with playoffs, I have to say it was the best Devil in the playoffs. No, not Dainius Zubrus or Mike Rupp - though they were very useful in providing physical play, generating some offense (consider Zubrus against Boston and Rupp against the Rangers on April 6, for example), and bringing some life on the ice when the Devils didn't have much. Their respective fan clubs (Aside: What would Zubrus' and Rupp's fan clubs be called anyway?) should be pleased.

The best Devil in the playoffs was clearly Patrik Elias. He had a point in each of the Devils' five playoff games, 4 goals and 2 assists. More impressively is that three of those four goals came on the power play - impressive considering no one has really stepped up on the Devils' power play units all year long. Even when the rest of the other scoring forwards were floating, Elias was hustling and attacking the Rangers as evidenced by 18 shots on net in the series. The only real criticism you can level at Elias' performance is his poor faceoff winning percentage and his -5 plus-minus rating. While there is nothing to explain the former, the latter has more to do with the defense breaking down more than anything else. The month absolutely sucked for the Devils, yet I have to note Elias' production in the playoffs as a silver lining in a giant, dark cloud. For that, Patrik Elias, you are the ILWT Devil of the Month for the month of April 2008.

Where February was a great month for the Devils; March was a disappointment to say the least.

Again, the worst aspect of the month was the streak of five winless games. Despite putting up at least 3 on Toronto, Minnesota, Colorado, and Philadelphia; offense was at a premium - especially during the streak. In these five games, all against division rivals, the Devils only put up 5 goals and earned one point. Before, the Devils were at the top of the division and the conference. Now, it's clear the Pittsburgh will win the division given their 7 point lead. Short of the Penguins collapsing and the Devils winning all four remaining games, the Devils are on the outside. Home ice is always an advantage in the playoffs; now that's going to be a challenge in of itself without the division title.

So in a poor month from New Jersey, who was the best? Certainly it can't be any one forward. Patrik Elias was OK, if a bit underwhelming, with 2 goals and 5 assists. Zach Parise started off hot with 5 goals in the first four games, but followed that up with only one goal and 3 assists. Do I need to talk about the others? Well, Mike Rupp played very well for about three games in the middle of the month. There was that. No, I'm going in a far different direction. I'm talking about a player who ended up a combined +6 in a month where the Devils conceded a total of 35 goals in regulation and overtime. I'm talking about a player who has averaged approximately 20:13 of ice time per game. I'm talking about someone who leads their position on the team in goals. I'm talking about someone who leads the team in the plus-minus statistic. I'm talking about the defenseman with the lowest goals against per 60 minutes among Devils regulars with 1.43 (source: Behind the Net) this season. I'm talking about someone who has risen to form strong chemistry and play some solid defense with Paul Martin. I'm talking about someone who, back in October, that a lot of people wanted gone and I defended you (to a point). I'm glad I did, I'm glad you turned it around, and I'm still a little amazed that I'm about to type this. John Oduya, you are the ILWT Devil of the Month of March 2008. A consistent defenseman in a month with a shocking lack of consistency.

April is short, but crucial. The Devils sit fourth in the conference with 93 points. Tonight they go to the Island, they host Boston the next night at the Rock, and then Philadelphia and Our Hated Rivals await from April 4 through April 6. Three inter-divisional games, three games against teams on the playoff bubble, and four games that will not be easy. The Devils will almost assuredly make the playoffs, and then the rest of the month will consist of that. How they will do in this last week of the regular season will determine who they will face. It will ultimately determine how likely they will fare in the second season. They are all important and it's Brent Sutter's imperative to prepare his team to fight for every point.

I know, this would have made more sense before the Montreal game last night, but that happened in March so it has no effect on this month. Which is good, because February was a great month for the Devils. They compiled a record of 9-3-3, shot up to the top of the Atlantic Division, and became the leader of the Eastern Conference for the last week of the month. That move to first overall in the conference was for the first time since 2001 that New Jersey has reached that high in the standings during the regular season. Also, consider that the losses came on Feb. 1 against Our Hated Rivals, Feb. 8 against the Ducks, and Feb. 29 against the Capitals. Looking at the big picture, that's points from 12 out of 15 games, a total of 21 out of a possible 30. That's very successful and important in a month filled with a lot of games in a tight season.

The highlight was the run from February 9 through February 26. That 4-0 loss to the Capitals at the end of the month was bad; but the Devils had a run of 9 games where they didn't lose in regulation. And even then, they only lost twice after regulation one coming in overtime on Feb. 26 against Carolina, or in the shootout against Atlanta on Feb. 15. Still, the Devils beat the then-number-one Ottawa Senators not once but twice; they blew out Carolina twice at the Rock 6-1 and 5-1; they played their most dominant third period all season against the Islanders in finally defeating a New York City-area opponent; and we got to see Johnny Oduya do this and see Martin Brodeur make amazing saves like this one every night.

First, there were positive aspects of January 2008 to look at. the Devils started off the month incredibly well with five wins and one loss in their first six games. Patrik Elias found his scoring touch again, Mike Rupp got two goals, Johnny Oduya looked like Bobby Orr against Philadelphia on the 22nd, the Devils not only dominated the Flyers not once or twice but also proved to everyone that even their power play can go on a torrid rage of goals, and won some close games against Buffalo in shootouts and had a strong road win against Carolina. All that and David Clarkson got to represent the team in the YoungStars game during the NHL All Star Weekend.

Now, the negativity, which stings a little more as it's more recent. The Devils lost a total of five games, four of them at the Rock. The more recent losses against Florida, against Montreal, and against Pittsburgh were especially dissapointing. In all three games, the Devils had the lead and control of the game at some point early; but lost their intensity, focus, and drive to win as the game went on. The opposition realized this, realized that Brent Sutter wasn't changing his game plan, realized that they can pounce on New Jersey and did so. A month or go, the Devils would have fought back from behind hard and at least try to win these games - they did not in these cases. Zach Parise and Travis Zajac began to play especially poorly, but the team as a whole didn't look good in any of those losses. Starting from the top of the division and ending somewhere in the middle of it; that's a poor way to end a month.

Overall, not a terrible month but Devils will need to right the proverbial ship quickly considering how bad the end of it was for New Jersey. There are 15 games in February and 11 of them are at the Rock. The Devils, while losing to Our Hated Rivals, at least put a much improved performance and complete effort. It's not enough, but after ending the month with a record of 2-3 - those 3 losses being bitter, it's a start. Regardless, in a division where 7 points separate first and last and in a conference where the difference between the first and last playoff spots is 10 points, long losing streaks are a death knell. With so many games at home this month, February is a crucial month for the Devils.

On the non-Devils side of the site, In Lou We Trust now has an easier to remember .dot com domain and I was featured on New York Hockey Talk with Rob Kowal again.

In any case, who would I say gets the nod for ILWT Devil of the Month? Well, based on stats you have a number of options. Travis Zajac potted in 6 goals and 5 assists, but the way his play went south at the end means I can't really consider him despite his numbers. Paul Martin put in 2 goals, had 6 assists, and played 22 minutes a night. However, the defense on this team still commits too many positional mistakes and Martin is a part of that. I can't rightly say he was the best player of the month if he wasn't even the best defender. I can't rightly pick the best defender as Colin White because the aforementioned defensive problems. Martin Brodeur is always an option, but despite making plenty of highlight reel saves, I don't think he was the sole reason the Devils won a lot of these games. Johnny Oduya and Mike Rupp both had impressive games - but only in games singular with Rupp's brace against Pittsburgh and Oduya's four point night against Philly. Jamie Langenbrunner had a good month with 3 goals and 7 assists; but one forward was better. Unlike Zajac, even if the production wasn't there, he was skating hard, looking for the play and making it, and getting in opportune positions for shots and passes.

I am talking about Patrik Elias with his 6 goals, 5 assists, and a minmum of 3 shots on net per game. Two of his six goals were game-winning goals and he now leads the league in that category. Finishing plays has always been an issue for the Devils as long as I have been following them, but you can't fault Elias for his efforts even in the bad games. And so Elias is the ILWT Devil of the Month.

This December was positive for the New Jersey Devils. It began with three straight wins at the Rock, the final third of a nine game winning streak for the Devils. It ended with a loss in Long Island which came after another three game winning streak. The Devils went all over the place this month with visits to Boston, Washington, and New York City, highlighted by a short road trip to Western Canada prior to Christmas. New Jersey didn't maintain any large streaks throughout the month, as the Devils tended to win two and lose one or lose two and then win one. Nevertheless, the Devils finished the month with a record of 8-4-1 and at the top of the Atlantic Division, albeit with a very small lead. That's clearly a positive regardless of anyone's metric.

How are the Devils doing with respect to how they are playing? Well, it's your standard of mix of Martin Brodeur robbing the world of shots, the defense trying to do the best they could, and the offense getting snake-bit more often than not. The most the Devils have scored in regulation has been 4 goals in one game (12/16, against the Flyers) and the team went beyond regulation time five times in the month. Improved shooting and better finishing not only means more goals but it would make the games a lot easier and reduce the amount of times they need overtime or a shootout to settle a game. Regardless, the Devils have found ways to get goals when they needed them, especially near the end of the month with big third period goals leading to wins against Edmonton and Calgary and an late equalizer against Buffalo which led to a shootout win for NJ. The power play has finished with approximately jack in the last six games and the Devils wins have all been low scoring games. Nothing against with low scoring games, but that means extra pressure on the defense and the goaltending as the margin for error is often incredibly small. The Devils need to improve in their production should they want to avoid relying on Brodeur for many of their wins in this new year.

Does that mean Martin Brodeur was the best Devil for December? Always a favorable candidate, especially considering his 8-3-1 record and the way he's kept New Jersey in almost every one of those games except for those three losses wherein he was shelled. Zach Parise has been a consistent scorer, right? Not this month. After a ridiculous two goal, two assist effort against Boston on December 5, he went on a three game pointless streak. This was followed by a point in the each of his next three games, but then another three game pointless streak. Parise did end the month on a high note with a goal and an assist in the Devils' 5-2 loss against the Islanders. Nope, the most consistent player - and the best player this month - in my opinion is John Madden.

Without his partner in crime, Jay Pandolfo, Madden has stepped up his game to provide consistent defensive coverage as well as contributing on offense. Consider this: Zach Parise scored 4 goals and 5 assists this month in scoring roles. John Madden scored 6 goals and 2 assists this month while in his standard checking role. Quite comparable and I believe it highlights how Madden has been contributing to production. What's more is that Madden has been playing at least 18 minutes a night and only had 3 games where he won fewer than 50% of his faceoffs. He's a part of New Jersey's core and will definitely be a part of that core for a while. Due to his consistent performance this month on both sides of the puck, I am willing to say that John Madden is the ILWT Devil of the Month for December 2007.

I should have done this yesterday but here it is anyhow. The first half of November continued the inconsistent play the Devils had in October. They would look good in one or two games and then look miserable in the next game. And so, through November 16, the Devils had a record of 3-4-1, being shutout twice. Then something must have "clicked" for the Devils as November became a very good month for the Devils with 6 straight wins - 4 coming on the road. The Devils picked up their first two shutouts of the season, Martin Brodeur earned his 500th season win in his career, Zach Parise became the second Devil to score a hat trick in the Prudential Center (I was wrong earlier, Jay Pandolfo got the first hat trick), and the team dramatically on defense dropping to an average of 2.4 goals against per game and an average of 26.4 shots against per game. Definitely an improvement both in terms in numbers, in terms of the standings, and in terms of how the team has been performing on a game-to-game basis. The games are much better to watch from a Devils fan standpoint, as the team is working harder each night as the winning streak went on.

This month saw the return of two important Devils to the team: Colin White and Jamie Langenbrunner. White returning to the team was huge; I'm personally amazed his eyesight has recovered enough to the point where he could play hockey again. And he has contributed to the team the minute he returned to the ice - giving the defense some needed stability with his positional defense and his physical play. He played 17:25 in his first game back and has played at least that much in each of his five games this month. White was missed and it's great that he's back.

But a bigger return was Jamie Langenbrunner. He came back to the Devils in a brutal 4-2 loss against the Rangers and immediately made an impact with 2 goals - one coming within the first minute of the game. Since then, he has been a hard working winger and being the star that stirred the drink for the Devils on offense and on the power play with 9 assists in the last 5 games of the month. Back in October, I expressed doubt in Jamie Langenbrunner being a leader of the team. Now, I can definitely see it - while his return didn't immediately kick off the Devils' recent turnaround, he has been a huge factor in the team's improvement this month. While Zach Parise scored more points this month and Martin Brodeur played the most consistently, it is for that reason alone that I am naming Jamie Langenbrunner the ILWT Devil of the Month for November 2007.

For a different, player-by-player take, check out Scott Mackie's November review at 2 Man Advantage.

The first month of this season was rough. A nine game road trip ending with only 3 wins, a loss in overtime, and 5 losses. In those five losses, they lost a possibly winnable season opener at Tampa Bay, lost decisively at Ottawa, and they were shutout three times by the Florida Panthers, the Philadelphia Flyers, and the New York Rangers. The Devils lost their home opener at the Prudential Center to the Ottawa Senators 4-1; despite playing well for two periods, a poor third period loomed and doomed the Devils. New Jersey ended the month on a high note with a blow out win over Tampa Bay, 6-1.

The word of this month would be inconsistent. The Devils would score 6 and 5 goals - against Atlanta and Pittsburgh respectively - and then follow that up with 4 goals scored in the next 4 games. When the offense was clicking, the defense was exploited and regularly beaten as the Devils gave up 5 and 4 goals to Atlanta and Pittsburgh respectively. On some nights, nothing seemed to work well for long as evidenced by the three shutout losses. It was a month of where the Devils would play well for 1 to 2 periods, but play poorly enough in that other period to lose. Inconsistent in effort, inconsistent in focus, inconsistent on defense, inconsistent on offense, inconsistent (and just plain bad) on special teams, and inconsistent in execution. I can't think of a better word to describe the Devils' performance in October 2007.

However, it's worth keeping in mind that this is not the first time the Devils started average or worse in a season. In 2005-2006, the Devils went 6-5 and in 2006-2007 the Devils went 6-4-1. OK, those were better Octobers for New Jersey but nothing to write home about. Furthermore, those years had the Devils on the wrong side of a rout, such as the 8-1 loss to Ottawa in 2006 and a 4-1 loss to the Rangers in 2005. My point? There are going to be some less than great stretches for New Jersey, but they are a good enough team to rise above them. Writing off the Devils after this month would not be a wise choice. The rest of the NHL surely won't, I don't think we as fans should either.

So. Who was the best Devil this month? For such an inconsistent month, I have to go with the most impressive player. Clearly that's Jay Pandolfo. Yes, he did end the month in a brilliantly amazing fashion that could be described by some as preposterous. I mean, 3 goals and an assist from Jay Pandolfo? In one game? Pandolfo did just that last night, the first win at the Prudential Center by the home team. But it wasn't just last night that was impressive. Pandolfo currently leads the Devils in goals with 6. Anytime Pandolfo gets 2 goals in a month is good considering his past offensive production. 6 is just amazing. But Pandolfo has came up big in absence or in conjunction of the other lines showing up to play. Take away last night's hat trick and Pandolfo has as many goals as Zach Parise, Travis Zajac, and one more than Patrik Elias. He's been a constant presence on defense and the penalty kill on the left wing. Both with and without John Madden, Pandolfo's game hasn't dipped - though I'm glad Sutter realized that Madden and Pandolfo are better together than apart. With the hot hands, he's even seen some power play time as of late. Yes, Parise and Madden have more points but in a month plagued with inconsistent play, the consistency of Pandolfo is worthy of recognition. Ergo, Jay Pandolfo is the ILWT Devil of the Month for October 2007.