Fire & Ice

Sunday off for the Devils

The Devils have today off to lick their wounds after being carved up by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in a 4-1 loss to the Penguins Saturday night at Mellon Arena.

The Devils, who had their five-game winning streak snapped, don't play again until Thursday in Phiadelphia, so it probably makes sense to make today a day off. I'm in the airport awaiting my flight home. The airport is pretty crowded today with it being the end of Thanksgiving weekend. We were hearded to an alternate security checkpoint, which still had a long line, but it went pretty quickly.

While I'm waiting for my plane, I'll share some of my observations from Saturday nights' game.

Overwhelmed by Crosby

It started with Sidney Crosby's goal only 1:21 into the game and continued for much of the first two periods. By the time the Devils started playing better in the third period, they were down by three goals and that was too big a deficit to overcome.

The 4-1 loss exposed some of the deficiences that have been created by the host of injuries the Devils had been trying to fight through - and were covered up during their five-game winning streak. 

This was a night when the Devils really could have used John Madden to play head to head against Crosby, but Madden missed his fourth game in a row with a bruised left ankle. Bobby Holik, who has been out since Oct. 18 with a broken right pinky, but has been skating for the last week, would have helped too.

"Definitely they've got to a great team over there," left wing Jay Pandolfo said. "When we started playing our game in the third, we played them well, but it was a little too late,"

Live blog: Sidney Crosby completes hat trick for 4-1 Pens' lead

Sidney Crosby scored his third goal of the game - an empty-netter -- to put the Penguins up 4-1 with 2:01 remaining.

Mike Rupp's goal 1:54 into the third period has cut the Penguins lead.

Rupp whipped a left circle wrist shot over Penguins goaltender Dany Sabourin's left shoulder for his second goal of the season.

Not sure what Rupp did to deserve a penalty there. At least initially, it looked like a double-leg takedown by Sidney Crosby on Rupp at 2:32.

Crosby has two goals in the game.

The Devils are playing pretty well in the third period. They've controlled play for much of the last five minutes. If they can get another goal, that would make it interesting.

This power play is a big one for the Devils. This is their chance to make a game of it.

It looks like Dainius Zubrus, who was battling the stomach flu today, is done for the night. Brent Sutter had Sheldon Brookbank out with Patirk Elias and Brian Gionta just before the delay of game penalty and then had Barry Tallackson out with the second power play unit.

If I were Sutter, I'd put Elias at center and play him with Zach Parise and Gionta right now. Sometimes the all-the-eggs-in-one-basket approach works. At this is the time to do it with Zubrus out.

Zubrus: I should be OK; Martin happy for Hale

Devils center Dainius Zubrus plans to play in tonight's game against the Penguins at Mellon Arena despite battling the stomach flu.

"I should be OK," he said. "I was just sick last night and this morning."

Zubrus said he hadn't eaten much today, so he will have to be careful to stay hyrdated tonight.

He said he did not consider sitting out tonight's game

"I was pretty sure I was going to go," he said.

***

Devils defenseman Paul Martin was happy to see that former teammate David Hale finally scored his first NHL on Wednesday night in Phoenix's 3-1 win over Columbus. Hale and Martin roomed together when they were rookies with the Devils in 2003-04 and still stay in touch.

Hale scored in his 231st NHL game, which was a league record for most games before scoring a goal.

"I usually don't check the box scores, but (Thursday) I did and I happened to see it," Martin said. "I called him up to ask him if it was a misprint." 

Mottau: I didn't laugh

Devils defenseman Mike Mottau returns to the Devils' lineup tonight after serving his two-game suspension for his high hit on the Islanders Frans Nielsen.

Although, based on a two-second clip from MSG Network, some portrayed Mottau as laughing after the Nov. 21 incident at Prudential Center, Mottau denied that.

"Absolutely not," Mottau said. "I was talking to (Bryce) Salvador about I don't know what, but I was absolutely not laughing or smiling. I knew the severity of it when you see somebody go off and you don't see them come back for the seven minutes I was in the box and then came back to the bench. Why would I be smiling about it?"

Mottau has tried once tor each Nielsen through the Islanders' training staff, but was unsuccessful. He said he'll try again.

Zubrus ill, but will play

Devils center Dainius Zubrus skipped today's morning skate because he had a touch of the stomach flu, but he will play in tonight's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Devils coach Brent Sutter said.

"He's just not feeling 100 percent," Sutter said. "He's going to be fine. He wanted to go on actually. It was my decision not to let him go on. I thought it was best for him not to bother going out. Just relax this morning and he'll be ready to play tonight."

***

As expected, Scott Clemmensen will start in net again. It will be Clemmensen's third start in a row and sixth in the last seven games. He was won his last four starts.

Zubrus not skating; Clemmensen will start

The Devils' morning skate for tonight's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins is underway at Mellon Arena.

Dainius Zubrus is the only player not on the ice for the skate. There is no word yet on why he's not out there, but he bussed to the arena with the rest of the team for the skate, so hopefully I'll be able to talk to him. Assistant coach John MacLean filled in at center on the line with Patrik Elias and Brian Gionta, but they've left the spot open for the most part and all of the other lines are intact, which would lead me to believe that Zubrus is going to play, but that's just a guess on my part..

Scott Clemmensen will get the start in net again tonight. He was the first goaltender off the ice at the end of the skate.

This will be Clemmensen's third start in a row and sixth in the last seven games. He has won his last four, including a 3-2 overtime win in Florida on Wednesday night.

The Devils have won five in a row and are 2-0 so far on this five-game roard trip. After tonight's game, they will be off for four days before visiting Philadelphia on Thursday.

Defenseman Mike Mottau returns to the Devils' lineup tonight after serving his two-game suspension for his high hit on the Islanders' Frans Nielsen on Nov. 21.

Here's the expected lineup for tonight's game.

Forwards: Zach Parise-Travis Zajac-Jamie Langenbrunner; Patrik Elias-Dainius Zubrus-Brian Gionta; Jay Pandolfo-Mike Rupp-David Clarkson; Barry Tallackson-Petr Vrana-Sheldon Brookbank.

Defensemen: Bryce Salvador-Paul Martin; Colin White-Johnny Oduya; Anssi Salmela-Mike Mottau.

Goaltender: Scott Clemmensen. 

Leach returned to Lowell

With defenseman Mike Mottau ready to return from his two-game suspension, defenseman Jay Leach was sent back down to Lowell of the AHL today.

Leach earned his first NHL point with an assist in Sunday's 7-3 victory in Tampa Bay.

Mottau was suspended for his high hit on the Islanders Frans Nielsen a week ago.

***

John Madden did not practice today after missing the last three games with a bruised left ankle and will not accompany the team to Pittsburgh for Saturday's game.

The Devils are off after Saturday's game until they play on Thursday in Philadelphia, so skipping the Penguins' game would give Madden five more days to heal.

Oduya saves Devils' turkey

It would have undoubtedly been a disappointing flight home and Thanksgiving itself might have been ruined.

The Devils had already let a two-goal lead and a shutout slip away in the final 2:19 of regulation. If they hadn't found a way to rebound and defeat the Florida Panthers, their winning streak would have been over and it would have been a long wait until their next game on Saturday night in Pittsburgh.

They can thank Johnny Oduya it didn't turn out that way. Oduya scored his first goal of the season with 55.5 seconds remaining to give the Devils a 3-2 victory at BankAtlantic Center.

The win extended the Devils’ winning streak to five games – their longest since they won five in a row from Feb. 16 to Feb. 24 of last season. That’s something to be thankful for on Thursday when they’re sitting down for their turkey.

“It would have obviously have been very disappointing to play as well as we did, especially that first period and then into the second,” Devils captain Jamie Langenbrunner said. “To lose a two-goal lead, it would have been a tough flight home if we didn’t get the win, but we got the win, so we don’t have to worry about that now.”

Live blog: Gionta, Zajac score; Devils lead 2-0 late in third

Brian Gionta's power-play goal 5:33 into the game and Travis Zajac's goal with 1:35 left in the first period has the Devils up 2-0 over the Florida Panthers in the third period tonight at BankAtlantic Center.

Scott Clemmensen made big back-to-back saves on Nathan Horton and David Booth. His best work of the night.

That was a big kill on the Panthers' 5-on-3. The Panthers had only two shots during the two-man advantage.

The Florida fans -- the few that are here -- were booing pretty loudly after the Panthers failed to convert on those two penalties.

Zach Parise could have put the game away with that chance there, but Craig Anderson made a good left pad save with 4:58 remaining.