Kovalchuk dampens Lightning!

Ilya Kovalchuk's third period goal (22) broke a 1-1 tie and lifted the New Jersey Devils to a 2-1 win over the only team to beat them of late,the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Henrik Tallinder's late second period goal (4) tied the game with just over a minute to play in the period.
The Devils host Pittsburgh Friday night at the Rock....

Hell Raisers

1) Ilya Kovalchuk finished with a goal and an assist,but even before that,it was clear that he was the dominant player on the ice.
Kovalchuk was over all the ice with such verve and enthusiasm that one had the feeling that only bad luck was going to stop the sniper on this night....

2) Credit again to the shutdown defense as the Lightning with the league's leading goal scorer put just 15 shots onto the Devils net.
When the numbers are that small,it would take a inept offense to lose.

3) The Devils blueliners are not the star defenders of yesteryear,but Jacques Lemaire along with Larry Robinson have worked with the defensemen in the Devils way of doing things and watching the games,I can see things that guys like Ken Daneyko used to do in the past.
When your talent is limited,sometimes the best strategy is to keep it basic and the Devils are doing just that....

4) Brian Rolston had seven shots on goal and other than a miscue with the puck on a power play that Martin Brodeur needed to make a huge save on the caused breakway,played very well.
The Devils man advantage works so much better from the point when Rolston and Kovalchuk are playing at the top of their game...

5) Give some credit to Henrik Tallinder for more than just a goal.
Tallinder's pairing with Mark Fayne has been tremendously effective recently and made me think of some of the compliments given Tallinder for some similar work in Buffalo with Tyler Myers...

6) Zach Parise began to skate on his own yesterday,so that gives the team ( and me) hope that Parise could play in a few games before the season ends.
If the miracle run allows the Devils to make the playoffs,the most dangerous team in hockey will be even more so-there are quite a few playoff teams that want no part of this bunch right now....

Photo Credit-AP