Sutter challenges power play; Greene on the mend

Devils coach Brent Sutter didn't mention any names in particular, but again called out his team to produce more goals.

Zach Parise scored their only goal in each of the last two games -- a 3-1 loss in Detroit on Saturday and a 2-1 loss at home to Edmonton on Sunday.

Sutter strongly hinted that Patrik Elias and others need to step up.

"The guys you expect to do it have to do it for you," Sutter said.

Sutter also mentioned the power play, which created chances in both games this weekend, but no goals.

"It's got to score," Sutter said. "It's not good enough. They've got to score on it. We've got to score on our power play. The other night, we get a power play and don't score on it and (the Oilers) come down and get the next power play and they score. Yes, we had chances, but we've got to capitalize on our opportunities.

"You can't sit here and say our power play is where it's at and it's acceptable because it's not good enough. Our power play has to start producing for us and again that's a difference of capitalizing and scoring some goals. You look at the Detroit game and it was the same thing. You get one or two chances there and you've got to score. That puck has got to go in the net."

The Devils' power play went 0-for-5 for the weekend. They'll need to do better against the Rangers on Wednesday.

"I am challenging the power play to step up because they have to score some goals for us," Sutter said today. "It's capitalizing on those chances. If you're going to have success, your specialty teams have to be good. We know what we have to do 5-on-5 and how we have to play, but our penalty killing has to do the job for us and our power play has to do the job...The other night it needed to be the difference for us. When you're getting 38 shots, your power play has to get a couple of goals at key times."

***

Defenseman Andy Greene go the stitches removed from his broken right hand today and has had his cast off for about a week. Greene had surgery on Oct. 31, which involved putting a metal plate and some screws in the hand to hold the broken pieces together.

He has been doing cardio work off the ice, but isn't sure when he'll be allowed to start skating or even lifting things. He said he is to see the doctor again in two weeks. His hand was still pretty swolen today.

"I have a few more weeks here and I just have to take it slowly," he said.

***

Defenseman Anssi Salmela said part of one of his teeth cracked off when Brian Gionta's stick hit him in the mouth today.

Jay Leach also said he lost part of a tooth in Sunday's game, but wasn't sure how it happened.

Comments

[Vishal]

Challenge for more scoring? The get Langenbrunner off of line 2 crusaders have spoken!!

[Devilswede]

When is someone gonna challenge Sutter?! That's the question. I have a problem with him just as much as he's having problems with some players. He makes terrible decisions and has the worst possible line combinations. If he wants Elias to produce then what the heck is he doing with Pandolfo and Madden? Can Sutter explain that one? It might've worked against the lowly Lightning, a game we barely won, but it won't work again. Elias is a shifty player who needs to play with more offensive players. Playin RW won't help either. The guy is a LW and needs to stay there.

[theking72]

Teeth injuries scare me

Zach is in my nightmares with last year's playoff injury

[Jeff in Hoboken]

Maybe it's just time for these guys to wear full cages.

[devsfaniam]

i agree with getting patty up on either the 1st line with parise (although that creates another problem bc then we have are top 2 offensive forwards on the same line) or put him on the 2nd line with gio and zubrus until rolston gets back (then have rolston center patty and gio the way it was supposed to be b4 we started getting plagued with injuries) lagenloser shuold be put with madden and pando bc he doesnt have the offensive skills to be a top 2 line forward

[Pearl Jammed(RJ Arditti)]

Getting Greene back would be huge for us.. he played pretty well while he was healthy and it looked like he was finally showing his promise that he showed in his first season.

And i agree with Sutter its time for guys like Elias and Gio to stand up and score some goals for us, its not helping things that they can't find the net.

Oh well go Devils tommorow night is a big one, and we really need to find a way to win that game

[Jeff]

Any word on Holik I mean he went down before Greene and we haven't heard a thing about how he is progressing. Greene is doing cardio work is Holik?

[Salvatore from Garfield]

Please stop splitting Langs-Zajac-Parise. They're our best line out there.

[Devilsfan]

TG - what's the deal with Tallackson - on the Lowell Devils broadcast a few minutes ago they said he was recalled to Newark and his conditioning stint is over. I know you said the other day he was still in Lowell but something changed on paper only.

[TG]

Holik is supposed to get the pins out of his pinky on Thursday and can start working out after that.

As for Tallackson, he is technically on the Devils' roster now, but was still in Lowell on conditioning. At least, that was his status as of Sunday.

[Devilsfan]

Thanks TG - Guess something changed there, he's off the Lowell roster and not playing today and Lowell was desperate for bodies calling up 4 forwards from trenton in the past 3 days.

[Devs4thCup]

We'll do that when you can get the order correct.

[TG]

I did see that they called up a bunch of players from Trenton to Lowell and that Tallackson is not playing today.

His call-up is listed as two days ago, which when the Devils announced he came off long-term injured reserve. The only thing I can think of is that it's some kind of technicality. He definitely was not at practice today.

[Devilsfan]

Thanks Tom as always.

[Pat D'Amico]

The thing about our powerplay is that we don't make the other teams penalty kill move around much and so they're always in position to block a shot or intercept a pass. Salmela is the only player who makes the other team try and anticipate his next move which is why he always looks like the best player out there on the PP.

[JerseyLove]

Whoaaa, Swede seems a little heated, but I do agree with what he's said.

I don't think it's fair to call out Elias for lack of offense. I liked him with Maddolfo, but with Gio out, it's harder to spread the offense. I would rather see him with Parise. I know having all your offensive players on one line is easier to defend, but I'd rather see one productive line, than four inconsistent lines.

[Jason]

I don't know what the shock is. This team has NEVER had a good PP. Going back as far as I can remember, they have never been able to setup a stable, calm, umbrella and work the puck around until a shot opened up. The Devil's PP has always been characterized as a bunch of chickens running around with their heads cut off, following giving up the first 20 seconds by losing the offensive zone draw. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt. I don't know why anyone expects anything different.

[JerseyLove]

Oooops, I didn't realize Gio is back.

But, I still think Elias should be off the Maddolfo line.

[Kevin]

Wow, interesting he actually had the injury prior and this was essentially just finishing it off.... This is just a though and I should preface this with the fact I work in finance and have no practical or working knowledge of medicine, but does anyone think his strength training regime may have attributed to this?

Muscles in the body, especially when they are being constantly torn (like with lifting weights), tend to become less flexible. I also have never heard of someone randomly tearing a bicep while lifting a couch or something random. Maybe this is a stretch, but it wouldnt surprise me at all if we learned being in shape this season actually hindered his season HA!

TG, anyway you could ask him if he thought it were possible or if the Dr. iplied something like that?

[Kevin]

Jason, that is flat out not fair. When Gomez played on this team they had no trouble gaining the zone and moving the puck. This is not to mention that only four seasons ago we probably had two of the best defensive puck movers at the point in Nieds and Rafalski.

Sutter isn't saying anything that hasn't run through the mind of every fan as those final seconds tick off the powerplay with Colin White sitting behind the net for 10 seconds at a time. Forwards get paid to finish, and if they can't something needs to be done. Granted Sutter appears to be tinkering too much this season but it's on the players to score goals. He's trying, although in a way I don't tend to agree with, to get the players motivated. Hope it works unlike the last five times.

[Falcone]

Its not Sutter, its the players. No one is stepping up, except for Zack. Gio, besides being hurt 2 games has yet to show up. Elias has been playing every game, but has he? Other than that, we've had no one scoring.

[Jeff]

Gotta give Sutter credit on this one he figured our 4 plays on the PP don't work.

Play 1 Pass it back to Langenbrunner and watch it bounce over his stick.(Jamie then looks dejected and slowly skates back to retrieve the pucK)

Play 2 Our D pick any one shoots it directly at the Goalies Chest or wide.

Play 3 Our forwards run into to each other behind the net and lose the puck.

Play 4 If by some miracle our point men actually come close to the net Zubrus and or Clarkson direct the puck wide.

[Jeff]

Oh I'm sorry I forgot play 5 and this one is my favorite

Play 5 Our D shoots it directly at the opposing teams shin pads sending the puck back into our own end.

[Bill]

why is sutter constantly picking on elias? what about his beloved captain who has taken so many horrific penalties. sutter so far has been a horrible coach and this has been highlighted this year. who in his right mind plays clark and rupp over vrana and bergfors? the guy is a xenophobe and this franchise will suffer until he steps down or is fired!

[Robbie]

Not that I think Sutter is a bad coach, but Pat Burns should be an assistant coach or Stevens even