Devils vs. Penguins

New Jersey -120 vs. Pittsburgh

Many expected the New Jersey Devils to wither up and die away as they waited for the return of their franchise-star Martin Brodeur. Last month the net-minder underwent surgery and is not expected back until late winter. Doom and gloom was expected for the Devils because Brodeur had started nearly every game for New Jersey during his long and storied career, which, up until this season, was primarily injury-free.

The Devils (14-8-2) seemed lost and listless in the first couple of games sans-Brodeur, but have really gotten their game in order over the past few weeks. New Jersey beat Montreal 2-1 in overtime Saturday night for their second straight overtime win, they beat Philadelphia in an extra stanza two nights before. The Devils have won seven of their last eight, with four of those games either won in a shootout or overtime.

New Jersey’s only blemish in their past eight games was a regulation loss against Wednesday night’s opponent, Pittsburgh. New Jersey lost in Pittsburgh 4-1 back on November 29. In that game the Devils played more like people thought they would play without Brodeur. His replacement Scott Clemmensen has been solid, going 6-3-0 with a 2.32 goals against average and a 0.922 save percentage, which is actually better than Brodeur’s 0.916.

The reining Eastern Conference champions have looked nothing like their spring version in recent weeks. They come into Wednesday’s game losers of two straight and four of six. Besides beating New Jersey, they also won at Carolina. Monday night the Penguins (15-8-4) squandered a two-goal lead against Buffalo at home for a 4-3 loss.

The Penguins are playing slightly better, 8-4-2, on the road than at home, 7-4-2. New Jersey is 7-4-1 at Prudential Center. The teams have met twice before this season with the Devils winning in overtime on October 11 and Pittsburgh winning the most recent contest.

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