The Devils… Streaking on the Road

No, this is not a story about the New Jersey Devils running naked in the halls of hotels in Ottawa and D.C. but, rather, a story about a gritty, gutsy band of hockey players who, despite a rash of injuries to key members of their team, have fashioned an opening 8-0-0 record on the road, two wins shy of the all-time NHL record for consecutive road wins at the start of a season.

Crippling injuries stalked the team as they started last week. Prolific scorer Patrik Elias had yet to play a game this year. Paul Martin, their premier puck-carrying defenseman, was out 4-6 weeks with a broken forearm. Jay Pandolfo, a Selke Trophy finalist last year, was sidelined with an upper body injury. Johnny Oduya, another offensive threat on defense, was day-to-day as well. On top of this incredible rash of injuries, the Devils were losing at home (0-4-1). It was time for some new faces to step up, and step up they did.

Against all odds, the Devils went three-for-three for the week, beating the highly rated Washington Capitols (3-2), NY Islanders (2-1) and the Ottawa Senators (3-2), all one-goal victories.

Let’s look at some specifics:

David Clarkson. A feisty battler in his third year with the Devils, Clarkson has found a personal style that combines hard-charging fore-checking forays into the opposition corners, a sneaky shot release that can fool the best net-minders and a willingness to drop the gloves with any and all comers. 2989333448_bd2c4bbfac Friday at home against the Islanders, Clarkson set the table for his fellow players by dropping his gloves forty seconds into the game and battling 6’4” Tim Jackman to a draw. In the third period he made a quick pass to Andy Greene and moved quickly to the front of the net to set a screen for Brian Rolston’s winning goal. The next night in Ottawa, with the team down 2-0 he set up the first Devils’ goal by Zach Parise, then scored the tying goal four minutes into the third period. In every game Clarkson brings the intangibles that lift his team to greater heights.

Andy Greene. On a team steeped with tradition on the blue line, Greene is an emerging superstar. Stepping into the void on D, over the three games he averaged 27 minutes per game, had a goal and two assists, played on both the power play and the penalty kill, and drew high praise from his coach who pointed him out as the best defenseman on the ice.

Brian Rolston. Reunited with Jacques Lemaire, his favorite head coach, Rolston is having a career year. Whether he is playing the point on the power play, killing penalties, or mentoring young Devil hopefuls on the finer points of positioning, Rolie is a team leader. Owning by far the hardest shot on the team, he scored goals in consecutive games against the Caps and the Islanders then had the secondary assist on Clarkie’s goal in Ottawa. In the post-game press conference Coach Lemaire declared that Brian is playing the best hockey of his life.

Niclas Bergfors. The 22-year-old Swede, who has been honing his scoring touch in the AHL since being drafted in 2005, stepped up and scored the tying and winning goals on Wednesday against the Caps. In Ottawa he added an assist on the Clarkson tally. With nine points in his first fifteen games, Nic has arrived.

Yann Denis. In his second start in goal in two weeks, made thirty saves against the Isles, the team that gave up on him last summer. A little revenge win, for sure.

The big line (Parise, Zajak and Langenbrunnner) played up to their usual high standard with one goal and seven assists over the three games.

To a man, the Devils credit their coach for their ability to come back in tough games. “Jacques never 80px-Jacques_Lemaire loses his cool”, Rolston said in a post-game interview. “There is no pressure, no panic on the bench. That’s what makes the difference in a tight game.”

The Devils have a “team” philosophy. They play for each other. They have each other’s back at all times. The have a system on the ice that their coaches teach, especially in the minors. When a player from Lowell joins the team, he already knows the system. When the pressure is on, they come together and win.

Today, Lou Lamoriello will be inducted as a builder into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. Any executive with general manager ambitions would do well to look at the footprint Lou has made on hockey in New Jersey. It is the blueprint for success.