Heading home from Montreal; Brodeur weighs in on Avery

The Devils have today off after Saturday night's 2-1 overtime victory in Montreal. They'll get back to practice Monday morning at Prudential Center in preparation for Wednesday night's game at The Rock against Pittsburgh.

There was no line getting through customs or security this morning, so I have some time while sitting here waiting for my flight home.

Here's some things to ponder:

**The Devils have played their last five games on the road and won four of them. They have won seven of thier last eight overall following a four-game losing streak.

Raise your hand if you thought the Devils would do this after they lost that fourth game in a row that night in Washington on Nov. 14. What about after they gave up that tying goal to Alex Ovehckin with one second remaining at Prudential Center the next night?

It's too simple to boil it down to one thing, but Scott Clemmensen getting the job done in the shootout that night was a turning point for the Devils. Although they had been doing some good things, they hadn't been winning and needed a win to get started back in the right direction.

**In addition to Clemmensen's goaltending, which has been better than sufficient, the play of Patrik Elias has also been a big factor in the turnaround.  Since being taken off the line with John Madden and Jay Pandolfo and put with Dainius Zubrus and Brian Gionta on Nov. 14 in Washington, Elias has six goals and nine assists in nine games. Before that, he had four goals and five assists in the Devils' first 15 games.

**With Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik back playing, the Devils are as healthy as they've been since late October. They're still missing Martin Brodeur and probably won't get him back until early March, but with defenseman Andy Greene getting closer to returning from his broken right hand, they should have their full team other than Brodeur by Christmas.

**Clemmensen has started the last five games and eight of nine overall, but I'd expect to see Kevin Weekes get a start at some point in the next three games -- Wedensday vs. Pittsburgh, Friday vs. the Rangers and Saturday vs. Buffalo.

By Friday night, it will be three weeks since Weekes' last start and, though Clemmensen has earned his playing time, the Devils have to keep Weekes close to sharp because you can never know how long a goaltender's hot run will last -- particularly a goaltender who has never played this many games in the NHL before.

**The decision to sit Mike Rupp on Saturday was surprising to me. I thought Rupp had been playing well. He was one of the Devils' best players in the 4-1 loss in Pittsburgh. Although that wasn't saying much considering the rest of the team's effort that night, you have to wonder what Rupp could have done so wrong in Philadelphia on Thursday to earn him a seat in the press box in Montreal.

This might have been Sutter's way of reminding Rupp he's back on the fourth line now that everyone else is pretty much healthy.

**Jay Leach has done a pretty good job when called upon by the Devils this season. The flaws of a player who has spent most of his career in the minors tend to come out over time, but so far he's been as good as you could have expected.

**

***

Brodeur weighed in on the Sean Avery suspension in his column this week in Le Journal in Montreal. It's in French, so Rich Chere asked one of the airport employees to translate.

According to her, Brodeur wrote that Avery's "sloppy seconds" coment about his ex-girlfriend Elisha Cuthbert was "unacceptable."

"The NHL should punish him with a suspension because he doesn't act professionally." Brodeur wrote.

Of course, Brodeur has had his own run-ins with Avery and clearly is not a fan. But his take on the Avery situation sounds tamer than you might have expected given their past.

Comments

[SonicDude]

who is this guy imitating the old patrick elias? didnt see game, only the hiighlights on "on the fly" but it looked liked elias again played w the intensity i have not seen since 03.

sutter doling out the right minutes another key.

[Jeremy]

I think that backup goalies have been the story this year in the NHL. Think about all the different teams that had a starter go down. Islanders lost Dipietro, we lost Marty, Canucks lost Luongo, etc. It just goes to show how important these guys are to an organization.

I think that Weekes will do a good job when he plays one of the next few games. I find that his biggest flaw is not being able to move from side to side. He also has a bit of trouble moving when he's down.

[SonicDude]

maybe the best win of the year last night. saturday night in mtl, huge.

elias is playing like its 2000 again.

sutter doling out minutes very well these days.

tg

if i'm reading btw the lines correctly, you are disagreeing with pl3 chosen over rupp and leach over salmela. if so i completely agree. salmela scored last night and needs to be in the nhl, not the ahl, to "catch up" to the speed. rupp is an established nhl player, pl3 is not. i dont follow these decisions.

one thing i would add is that rolston soon needs to start being rolston, which he wasn't even before the injury.

[Steve]

Tom,

What happened to Brookbank now that he is not need as RW (which I still think was a dumb experiment for 4 mins a game)? How come now he is a healthy scratch over Jay Leach? Is anyone seeing anything in performance between these two that leads to this conclusion?

Thank,
Steve

[mckay21]

Have to agree with ya TG, with Clemmer and Patty. The D has been pretty steady and with a road trip getting the guys together this can only help a team built on team play. Safe back to the Garden State TG.....

[SonicDude]

sorry for double post...couldnt tell if first loaded...i'll stick w/the 00 elias comment.

[Pearl Jammed(RJ Arditti)]

To be honest, i think marty showed TRUE professionalism by only saying his actions were "unacceptable" He definitely has a beef with him, and he could have said alot more. So good for Marty taking the high road. I wonder what Marty thinks of the teams current hot streak as well.... he has to be be proud

[Pearl Jammed(RJ Arditti)]

Also.... i think now that Clemmensen has been playing so well i think we should trade Marty to the Panthers for Jay Bouwmeester, and then we could then flip Parise since Elias is playing so well to the Leafs for a Draft pick and sign Shanny because he has the leadership we need. Seriously we need to deal Marty NOW while his value is high! this might just be enough to land Bouwmeester....

BTW in case your not sure, YES Virginia thats sarcasm!

[mikeford]

@ Jeremey

Moreover, many backup goalies this season have outright stolen jobs from established starters who didn't even get hurt. It looks like Craig Anderson in Florida has taken Vokoun's job, Steve Mason in Columbus over Pascal Leclaire, Mikael Tellqvist over Bryzgalov in Phoenix, and the 3-headed goalie monster in Edmonton now that it's clear Garon isn't the #1 starter anymore.

Let me tell you, it's been a fantasy hockey nightmare! Haha.

[Jeff]

Don't forget Alex Auld took Martin Gerber's job in Ottawa.

[Craigwell]

Well, I got flagged as a spammer for a few days during the losing stretch for saying repeatedly:

"I still have faith in this team"

So does that count as thinking things would turn around like this??

Heh

For the record, I want Rupper back in the lineup, and beyond that, the forward lines are fine.

Remember last year when Madden had an offensive breakout? What about Pando before he got hurt?

Maybe Rolston on that line is a darned good idea.. Might spark that line offensively again. I really am starting to think Maddolfo is losing the ability to shut down the other team's top lines exclusively -as the game evolves, and as they both get a little older-

Maybe Brent loosening them a bit to play an offensive game with Rolly get's them on a tear..

I think they deserve that after their years of dedication in shutting down the league's best.

[TG]

I wasn't saying I disagreed with sending Salmela down and playing Leach. He's played well. The truth is he's much better in the defensive zone than Salmela has been and that's what they're looking for from their third pair. So far, Sutter hasn't had to worry about Mottau and Leach being mismatched against an opponent's top line.

But, we have to wait and see whether Leach can keep it going. It's worth watching.

[Brodie30]

I'm wondering if Sutter is trying to get Rupp to drop the gloves. It seems to be a part of the game he doesn't shy from and is constantly on Rupp for "knowing his role". If I'm Marty, I don't even respond to the Avery suspension. It's clear Modano and co. want no part of him and with that contract, he's going to have trouble finding NHL work.

[Ben]

My take on Rupp is that he's a decent player, but not outstanding in any particular way. I would say that every other player on the team has (at least) one area where they excel. Rupp typifies the "spare part" school of thought that the Devils adhered to for so long. He's a better-than-average fill-in player, but Leblond brings a hard physical edge that Rupp doesn't.

Rupp is okay as a 4th line banger, but he doesn't excel at it. He fights, but rarely wins (and when he does, it's rarely decisive); he tries to throw hits, but rarely connects. I would say that the two or three big hits that Leblond threw last night made him a better choice for the lineup than Rupp.

The truth is, Rupp isn't a fourth liner, (despite his size), but he lacks the skill to unseat anyone on our top three lines, unless they're injured.

That said, he has a great attitude, a solid worth ethic, and he rarely seems to make himself a liability out there.

Maybe he's the new Brylin...and that sure as hell is nothing to be ashamed of.

[Per]

Understanding how hard it must be for Marty to hold back, it would have been even better to just not mentioning Avery at all. I wonder how many share with me the feeling that it's time for hockey and leave that guy outside the media. Last night after that incredible win, I was anticipating comments on MSGs Gamenight, maybe interviews with some Devils etc. What did we get? Ten minutes of babbling about Avery! Wtf.

[Pat D'Amico]

TG, how did you feel PL3 played last night? Did he doa good enough job to keep his spot over Rupp in your eyes?

[Pete]

Rupp is definitely not the new Brylin. Even if Rupp "rarely" does his job, that's still more than Brylin did his. Rupp has to face facts that there's a younger kid in town who does the same job and for a few thousand bucks cheaper. Either step it up or lose your job. If the Devils want to be successful in the new NHL, there is no room for passengers. That's why Clarkson replaced Janssen and why Leblond will replace Rupp.

[drewbee30]

Well I'm sitting in a hotel right across the street from the bell centre, and last nite was a great win. It was amazing to see 20,000 canadian fans leaving the arena and no words were being spoken. You would have thought someone had died!! Great win, great game, Ill be heading back home tomorrow!!!

[mike b]

i know i haven't just read a 'trade marty' comment, ridiculous. rupp's been a solid player for us lately even scoring 2 goals! leblonds still got a long way to go before he starts putting up those numbers, all seriousness tho, i think rupp is more capable, give leblond a coupla more years tho and he'll be great. who thought we'd be doing this well without marty? never count the devils out

[njd03]

A bit off topic but... Does anybody notice how many times the Devils' centers get tossed from the face-off circle? I can not help but notice the countless times I see Devil centers getting tossed.

[TG]

Leblond played OK last night. He was definitely nervous early. He had a couple of good shifts in the third period. He even had a scoring chance.

I think Rupp might be back in for Pittsburgh. Sutter succeeded in "ticking" him off. I'd imagine he'll go out and try to deliver some hits.

[Matt McNaught]

TG - off topic and maybe too early to ask - do you know if you will be allowed to fly back on the team plane after the Buffalo game on Dec 17 (last road game before Christmas)?

If so I would really appreciate any details you can share (if you are not sworn to secrecy).

For example I would be interested to know:

Layout of the plane (how many seats - all 1st class seating?)

Does the team eat / drink on the plane?

Do certain guys play cards etc / watch videos on the plane on longer trips...do coaches review videos / have meetings...

Thanks TG - I would think others would be interested as well (?) if you can share - Think of it as your Christmas present to us :)

If you're sworn to secrecy (not allowed to discuss) I understand...

[Robbie]

I remember something about them playing cards. I know Rafalski said Clemmer was his poker buddy if I remember right

[Puckster]

I was checking out the Lowell Devils stats. Jeff Frazee is tearing it up since being called up there. 6-1-2. 1.98 GAA, .940 SV%. Impressive numbers. Interesting to see how Marty's injury also gave him a chance to try and prove himself in Lowell.

[David S.]

Good point by Robbie on Jeff Frazee and in regards to Marty's or the other numerous injuries these first 2 months, I have to say I'm proud of the character this team has displayed. Even the losses have been hard fought.....There's skill, heart, patience and most important- balance. Don't let the lows get too low or the highs get too high. There's a confidence (ie. Elias' intensity and smart play)that seems to shine from these guys and seeing that they weathered an injury laden storm by now being 6 games over .500 is a testament to some pretty darn hard work and good coaching.