Pandolfo watches comeback from bench

Jay Pandolfo’s first game back after missing more than two months with a pubic bone ligament injury didn’t have a fairytale ending. In fact, he ended up watching from the bench as the Devils rallied from two goals down tonight for a 4-3 overtime victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins at Prudential Center.

Pandolfo didn’t play for the final 15:30 of regulation and didn’t get on the ice in overtime after being on the ice for Jordan Staal’s power-play goal that put the Penguins up 3-1.

Sergei Brylin replaced him on the checking line with John Madden and David Clarkson for the remainder of the game.

“I just got benched,” Pandolfo said. “I made a couple of bad mistakes. That last power-play goal was my fault. It’s just one of those things. I deserved it. That third goal, the power-play goal, I didn’t get the puck out and I made a mistake in coverage. I deserved it.”

Devils Brent Sutter denied that he benched Pandolfo for his mistake on Staal’s goal.

“That didn’t have an impact on why I wasn’t playing him,” Sutter said. “Yet, I appreciate his thoughts on that. He’s a caring individual.”

Sutter said it more to do with budgeting Pandolfo’s ice time in his first game back after sitting out 28 in a row.

“I thought he was fine,” Sutter said. “In the third when we were down and I thought I would go with the guys that played here in the last few games. I thought at the time it would be the right thing to do. It had nothing to do with how Pando was playing. Sarge and Clarkie had been playing with Mad Dog and I was trying to encourage something with some guys that had a little bit more feel than Pando.”

Pandolfo said he felt O.K. physically.

“I felt pretty good,” he said. “I made a couple of mental mistakes and it cost us.”

Pandolfo came back with a visor on his helmet. He decided to put it on during his long recovery.

“I was just thinking about it,” he said. “It’s the smart thing to do.”

Other items from tonight’s game:

***Pandolfo’s long layoff could end up costing him when he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer. He said he has not yet been approached by general manager Lou Lamoriello about a possible contract extension, but would be willing to talk during the season. “I still have enough games left to finish the season strong,” he said.

***Sutter tinkered with his lines again after the Devils generated only seven shots on net in the first 30 minutes of the game. He flopped the right wings on his top two lines, moving Jamie Langenbrunner to play with Zach Parise and Patrik Elias and putting Brian Gionta with Dainius Zubrus and Travis Zajac.

“We weren’t generating anything,” Sutter said. “You just try to change things up and get something going. It’s always a gamble doing that and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.”

Tonight it worked as Parise, Elias and Langenbrunner combined for three goals and four assists. Elias and Parise produced the winning goal 37 seconds into overtime with Parise deflecting in Elias’ shot from the right point.

“We needed it,” Elias said of the line change. “It got us going after that. We could see that offensively we got no chances and then all of the sudden everybody (was getting chances), every line.”

***With Pandolfo returning, right wing Arron Asham was pushed out of the lineup as a healthy scratch. “I’m definitely not happy about it, but the team comes first,” he said. “I’m not a selfish guy.”

***Activating Pandolfo from injured reserve gives the Devils the maximum of 23 players on their roster, meaning they won’t have room to activate RW Cam Janssen (right shoulder) unless someone else is injured or they send a player down or trade someone.

***Langenbrunner was the winner of a 60-inch HDTV by having the final numbers in the team’s Super Bowl box pool Mike Rupp won a Mac computer and 50-inch HDTV for having the numbers for the second and third quarters.

            

Comments

[Ben]

"Langenbrunner was the winner of a 60-inch HDTV by having the final numbers in the team’s Super Bowl box pool Mike Rupp won a Mac computer and 50-inch HDTV for having the numbers for the second and third quarters."

The guy who had the final numbers in my office won 75 bucks. Go figure.

[Maxwell]

Seriously - must've been a grand per box. Bonkers.

Hey TG I was at the game tonight (sick comeback) - I was wondering what the deal was with the 3 stars? There was confusion between David and Zach as to who was first star, and it turned out to be Clarkson. I thought that was weird. Do you get to vote on that being a "member of tonight's media"?

It doesn't really matter, but both my wife and I thought it was really awkward because Parise started to skate on the ice and then went off waving on Clarkson. Very odd...

Also, Oduya sucks. Gio is looking especially terrible right now as well. It seems like he's having some issues off that ice that are distracting him or something. It's very weird to see him not concentrate like he has been for the past 15 games or so.

[jules]

I don't think Langenbrunner really needs another HDTV. He should donate that one. To me.

Good to hear at least that Pandolfo isn't hurt. I didn't think he'd play as much, coming back from such a long layoff, and it's nice that Sutter confirmed.

Versus sucks.

[TG]

I have no idea what the problem with the stars was, but, usually, the player who scores the game-winner in overtime gets the first star. In fact, the official scoresheet lists Parise as the first star and Clarkson as the second star. Maybe the PA announcer messed up or whoever told him the stars mixed up the order.

[TG]

I should point out that the money to buy the prizes for the Super Bowl pool comes from a player fund that's collected from various things over the course of the season and it wasn't a per-box fee to get in.

[Mark]

TG--Thanks for the insite on the superbowl pool--it is that kind of stuff and your normally great coverage that make you the best at covering the Devs. Keep doing what you do--we love it GO DEVILS

[MoonDragn]

With the money these guys make though you would think they could afford their own HD-TV. But I guess it is all in fun. Which team were they all rooting for? The same teams? Or were people like Gionta rooting for the Patriots?

[JJ]

Oduya sucks so bad that he's either scored or assisted on 8 of the last 22 Devils goals and is +4 over the last 7 games. What team are you watching?

[Xander Crews]

I thought they said on Versus last night that Pando was roting for the Patriots. Not sure about the rest.

[TG]

Pandolfo, of course, is a Patriots' fan. He's from Mass. So is Mottau, who is from Mass. too.

[Maxwell]

Oduya makes high-risk plays in the defensive zone (another one last night late in the first) and he's lucky that more points haven't been scored because of bad turnovers by him. It's all well and good that his +/- has gone up so drastically, and that he's getting some assists, but it's the overall play you have to look at. Great - he's been on the ice when the Devils have scored more than when the Devils have been scored upon. He doesn't hit, he causes stupid turnovers, and I'd rather see Andy Greene on the ice. That's all.

Thanks TG about the stars info. Very weird stuff.

[Sal from Garfield]

Stop putting Oduya down already. I learned not to hate him, and appreciate him for how he contributes. Other players on the team make mistakes too, but I don't see anyone else rip on them like Oduya gets ripped on.

TG- do you see Sutter creat a "default" set of lines combination for every game, and mixes them up if he see them not working?

[edweaver]

maxwell is completely right on his take of oduya and the fact that greene should be there in his place....it is a no-brainer and it is just really strange why it isn't this way

for the most part, we have not played that well lately....7 out of the last 9 havent been good, the 2 i feel that were are the games vs. the rangers and vs. the flyers....we have actually been fortunate to win some of the games we have in this stretch like toronto and the kings who are both terrible....

we all have the mentality of cup or bust but we are not getting there this year on talent alone...we definitely do have some talent but its gonna take outworking the opponent for the entire period, game, and series to get there along with marty playing at his high level

[Matt]

More Oduya-hating idiocy in an otherwise impertinent topic. A true shock.

[Jason]

I don't get the Oduya hate either. Sure he makes a bonehead play here and there, but he is young. You pull your hair out, but you move on. He has some cowboy in him, and he is always going to have those low percentage plays here and there that bite him. Bottom line though, he is on pace for 25 points and a +19. In comparison, Martin finished last season with 26 points and a -9.

[TG]

For what it's worth (and I'm not a big fan of plus-minus), Oduya is tied with Martin for the team lead at plus-13.

[Shari]

I think the confusion with Johnny O is,(from what I see) He makes a lot of good solid plays that are so subtle alot of Fans don't notice, however when He F's up He makes what seems like really glaring boo boos, and that is what People see the Big blunders, for the most part He is quietly doing His job which is reflected in His +/-and He is not afraid to take the body when He needs to, always a plus in My book.

[Maxwell]

The only way Oduya finishes the season with +19 is if the Devils out-score their opponents 487-1.

[Matt]

Shari: Nice post, good points.

Maxwell: Search your couch cushions for a penny and buy yourself a clue.

[Maxwell]

Ha!