Rock

Do the Devils really need to do anything? They are only two players short on the "taxi squad" to use an expression. Like him or not Albelin has played forward in a pinch. They could use him to replace Danton's 4th line minutes if they really had to.

Don't know if it belongs in the main forum. The other admins can move if they want. I don't know if it's because I now get center ice, and see more games, or is it that people are acting more stupid every day. Almost every game I've seen this month, some guy stand up and waves to the camera while on the cell phone. I know some are of you saying Rock, what's the big deal? I have no problem with somebody waving at the camera. I have a problem with these bozos doing it while play is going on. So if there is a change in possession of the puck these clowns get up every time the puck is in their section of the ice. Don't the people in back of these guys tell them to stop jumping up and down every two seconds? Now I don't sit in the lower bowl at CAA much, but it would tick me off that I would have to look around some butt head because he can show somebody he's sitting in good seats at the game. It happened tonight at the Rangers Stars game in overtime! I guess watching the game is secondary to impressing your friends via cell phone and TV.

While I agree with Burns comments, it also gives me cause for concern. I hope this isn't the start of the players tuning him out. Hopefully Burns is such a presence that he can overcome the coach killer attitude this team always seems to exhibit this time of year. I have other concerns about this team also. Nieuwendyk isn't scoring, but is his face-off % down? I saw the list of the top 5 and he wasn't in it, is he even in the top 10? I hope the scoring will come back, but the face-offs are his specialty. Maybe the stats will tell a different story, my perception is that it's way down from his career average. Why can't our "offensive" defensemen seem to get their shots on goal? A lot of them are getting blocked. Though the powerplay has been better lately, the defensemen gettting their shots on the net will be a big factor in it's continued improvment. Danton's continued bitching about ice-time can't be good for morale in the locker room. All these little problems among some others have to be corrected. I hope they are. I also hope that in March, we don't point to this stretch of games, as the beginning of the start of the bad play.

Let an "oldtimer" chime in on this one. The teams wore their dark jerseys at home until the mid-sixties. Why do you think the Rangers are sometimes called the Broadway Blues? I wouldn't worry about "traditionalist" Lou on this one. It was the tradition all those years ago. B)

Thanks Lady Stanley! I think I just found what I want for Christmas!!! B)

I assume it's the holiday six pack as in the past. Do you happen to remember what games were included in the package?

Mess gets Rangers a tie http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?level_...32&page=5741927 Friday, November 22, 2002 By TOM GULITTI Staff Writer EAST RUTHERFORD - On a rare night when the Devils did not get superior - or even average - goaltending, they were still in position to pull out another victory over their arch-rival. But a goal by Mark Messier with 3:35 remaining in regulation helped the Rangers salvage a 4-4 tie in the first meeting of the season between the cross-the-Hudson rivals Thursday night at Continental Arena. Not even the Rangers could draw the Devils their first sellout of the season, though. The announced attendance of 17,890 (out of 19,040) was generous. With the tie, the Devils (11-5-1) improved to 17-2-8 in their last 27 regular-season meetings with the Blueshirts. Although they were happy to get one point after trailing 3-2 entering the third period, they were also disappointed with the one that got away. "We would have liked to have gotten the two," center Joe Nieuwendyk said. "It was a missed opportunity." The Devils had rallied from a 3-2 deficit at the second intermission to tie it with a power-play goal from Jeff Friesen 5:12 into the third. They took the lead on Sergei Brylin's goal with 8:56 remaining. Brylin took a feed from John Madden behind the net and beat Rangers goalie Dan Blackburn inside the left post from close range for his fifth of the season. Brylin had started the play by forcing Pavel Bure to cough up the puck deep in the New York end. Messier answered for the Blueshirts, however, beating Martin Brodeur from a bad angle after the net had tilted onto the goalie's shoulders. Rangers right wing Mikael Samuelsson had fallen into the net, pushing it forward. The posts remained fixed on the pegs, however, so play was allowed to continue. Brodeur had just finished pushing the net back when Messier came out from behind the net to Brodeur's right and flipped a backhand off his right arm on the short side. "It's always the same way," Brodeur said of the Rangers' 41-year-old captain. "These guys are great players because they get involved in this situation and they score big goals." Brodeur said he lost track of where the puck was when he went to push the net back in place. "After a while I kind of knew the puck was behind my back and when I was turning the puck was already behind me," Brodeur said. It was the third questionable goal of the night that Brodeur allowed. "You have to give our team a lot of credit," he said. "When the goalie doesn't make the saves he should make and you come back and tie, you've got to be happy with the effort they made." The first bad goal came on a Petr Nedved wrist shot from the blue line that gave New York a 2-1 lead 7:43 into the second period. Brodeur, who wasn't screened on the shot, got a piece of it with his catching glove, but it glanced off and continued into the net for Nedved's eighth goal. Devils' coach Pat Burns said the shot deflected off the stick of Devils defenseman Oleg Tversovsky. Brodeur wasn't so sure. "I don't know," he said. "The way I reacted it might have touched something because I kind of punched at it instead of trying to catch it." Burns shuffled his lines in an attempt to generate more offense, moving Gomez up to left wing on the first line and dropping Christian Berglund to the fourth line. The move paid off when Gomez set up Patrik Elias for a one-timer from the left circle that beat Blackburn between the pads with 5:10 remaining in the second period to pull the Devils even. But Brodeur let up another bad one with 2:09 remaining to give the Rangers a 3-2 lead heading into the third. Nedved's cross-the-slot pass was deflected by Friesen, so it was spinning and on edge when it reached Radek Dvorak in the left circle. That might account for Dvorak's shot, which hit off Brodeur's stick and beat him between the legs. DEVILS BRIEFS: Devils right wing Jamie Langenbrunner (pneumonia/viral infection) missed his second game in a row. Left wing Jay Pandolfo (groin strain) skated for the fourth day in a row and is getting closer to returning, but sat out his sixth straight game. ... The Devils host Tampa Bay on Saturday. The Rangers return home Saturday to face the Islanders in Bryan Trottier's first game against his former team as the head coach of their hated rivals.

Doug Gilmore said the most intimidating Leaf (they meant right now) is: Pat Quinn!!!!

last night. The most memorable was: Most intimidating Leaf? For those of you who didn't see it, try to guess Gilmore's response. I'll reveal the answer later.

Holik's adjustment tougher than Devils' http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?level_...32&page=5715287 Thursday, November 21, 2002 By TOM GULITTI Staff Writer WEST ORANGE - Although Bobby Holik now collects his paychecks across the Hudson River, he still lives in Essex County. So, occasionally, some Devils will run into their former teammate. Martin Brodeur had one such encounter earlier this week after picking up his children from the same school Holik's daughter attends. Brodeur was driving home when he suddenly saw Holik... in his rearview mirror. "I think he was following me," the Devils goaltender joked Wednesday. After Holik left the Devils to sign a five-year, $45 million contract with the Rangers as an unrestricted free agent July 1, some thought his specter would follow them for years. But the Devils have left the bruising center behind with surprising ease and carry an 11-5 record into tonight's battle with the Blueshirts at Continental Arena - the first of the season between the rivals. "Obviously there was a lot of talk about it at the start of the year, but we've done well," Devils captain Scott Stevens said. "Our record shows that. I think we can still get better and we need to get better, but we have adjusted and played pretty well without him." Tonight's game was to be Holik's first regular-season contest at the Meadowlands as a Ranger - he played there once during the preseason - but he won't be in uniform because a painful hip flexor injury has sidelined him for 11 consecutive games. "Devils or not, the last thing I'm worried about is who we're playing against. I just want to play," said Holik, who plans to attend tonight's game. "At the same time, I know I have to be cautious and not let the emotions get to me. At this point, there's no reason to do that. Devils or not - it would be great - but I think I have mentally dealt with whatever there was to do in the past. Devils or not, it's just going to be another game I'm going to miss. I just have to be patient, as hard as that is." Holik missed a total of two games due to injury over his last six seasons with the Devils, so his impatience is understandable. He was hoping to play a week ago in Calgary, but had a setback after skating hard on consecutive days and hasn't been on the ice since. "It's tough because you're not used to it," Holik said. "Some players are used to it and know how to deal with it. I don't. That's why it's harder. I hope I don't have to experience this again. It's kind of like 'What to do with yourself?' You're not moving ahead because you're not playing." Even before he was injured, Holik was having trouble finding his place on the Rangers. Although Holik has always played his best when given a specific assignment, first-year head coach Bryan Trottier hasn't given him a defined role and his play suffered. Although all of this has been different for Holik, losing a star player via free agency was nothing new to the Devils. Every summer another player - Claude Lemieux (twice), Doug Gilmour, Vladimir Malakhov, Alexander Mogilny - seems to choose a big-money contract over remaining in New Jersey. Perhaps that was why there had been so little talk about Holik in the Devils' locker room before Wednesday. There was no way they were going to replace Holik's size (6-foot-4, 235 pounds), toughness, and mean streak, so they didn't bother trying. They focused on sticking with what they do best, which is playing disciplined team defense instead of attempting to fill his shoes. "That wouldn't have done any good," Devils defenseman Scott Niedermayer said. "We knew he was a respected player and we know how he plays. He's very unique. I haven't seen anybody do the things he did, but we have guys that do other things and there's different ways to do what you want to do out there and be effective." Not that anyone on the Devils blames Holik for leaving or the Rangers for signing him. It's not that the Devils don't spend money - their $52.4 million payroll is the eighth highest in the league. They just don't spend it at the level of the Rangers, who are first in the league with a $69 million payroll. "They've shown commitment. They want to win," Devils' coach Pat Burns said of the Rangers. "There's nothing wrong with that if you commit yourself to winning. If you're going to buy a small car and you have the money to buy a big car, well, buy a big car then." Right now, the big car the Rangers bought this summer is out of service and getting smaller in the Devils' rearview mirror every day. Most of them expressed ambivalence about Holik's inability to make his Meadowlands return tonight, though Scott Gomez did point out, "Just to get all the hoopla out of the way would have been nice." "He's a friend. Our families are friends. You don't take that away," Devils defenseman Ken Daneyko said. "But you move on, especially when it comes to the sports part of it. You move forward. We're battling for what's more important and that's wins right now. You have to focus on what you have to do and don't worry about other players." DEVILS BRIEFS: Right wing Jamie Langenbrunner was feeling better and worked out off ice Wednesday, but will miss his second game in a row with what tests revealed to be pneumonia. Langenbrunner said he has been on antibiotics for three days and lost 8 pounds. ... Center Steve Guolla's hamstring strain has spread to his back and he is out indefinitely.

Brodeur is what Devils are all about http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?level_...32&page=5715192 Thursday, November 21, 2002 WEST ORANGE - The lives of his boys had long revolved around Devils game nights, but the Brodeur boys are growing up now. They have friends and play dates and pee-wee practices. Often lately, they just couldn't be bothered. For so long, they awoke and breathlessly rushed to Martin Brodeur in the mornings, asking "Did you win, Dad? Did you win?" and this season, it simply stopped. The Devils had Martin Brodeur Bobble Head night this month and 7-year-old Anthony, and the 6-year-old twins, William and Jeremy, passed on it. Whatever, Dad. Go get 'em. Good luck. "I'm saying to myself, 'What's wrong with you guys? What's happened here?' Brodeur said Wednesday outside his locker at South Mountain Arena. "So, I started this thing before every game where I have them put a prediction on a piece of paper. And there's a dollar each game for whoever gets it. So far, it's a push for five games. Nobody's won, but they're excited. They think it's the best thing in the world." For his toughest save of the season, the game's best goalie resorted to something unthinkable for his fundamentally sound game: A gimmick. What could he say? He was desperate. After all, when they're starting to take his goaltending greatness for granted within the walls of his own home, what chance does Brodeur ever have to get his due for these Devils? For the longest time, he has been the most under-appreciated and overlooked star in the metropolitan market, a 30-year-old breaking records, winning championships and gold medals, a man too frequently forgotten when the discussion turns to greatness. Tonight should be one of those times that New Jersey fans stop, count their blessings, and remember that the most indispensable Devil never left here. When Bobby Holik signed his $45 million Rangers contract over the summer, his return to Continental Arena tonight - even with him out with a hip injury - threatened to be the story of the player Lamoriello's empire couldn't stand to lose. Once more, people see it isn't true. Brodeur is the cornerstone. He is the last line of defense, the franchise player, the most important reason the Devils are 11-5-0 and within three points of Philadelphia for first place in the Atlantic Division. Barely a blip on this market's scale of superstars, Brodeur has never suffered a shortage of reverence within his own locker room. They never take him for granted here. Every year, the Devils vote on a team MVP. For seven straight seasons, they voted the goalie. There was a co-winner two years ago - Patrik Elias - but nobody else. Maybe Scott Stevens is the heart and soul of these Devils, but Brodeur is the backbone. All these years, all these changes, all this Lamoriello genius, but the most important constant stays the goalie. How big would Brodeur have been had his career played out for the Rangers? All his records, all those breathless playoff shutouts and saves, those two Stanley Cups. His clean-cut boyish face would stop traffic on Broadway. After practice Wednesday, Brodeur simply stopped his car in the parking lot and signed autographs. He talked with the people and laughed and never for a moment let them think they weren't important to him. This is a gift, his charm, his way. Of course, this is nothing like life in Canada for him now. For that forever changed in the 2002 Winter Olympics, when the puck stopped with Brodeur on his country's 50-year separation from the gold medal. Back home, they'll never stop honoring him for it. After the Devils lost in the playoffs, he had gone home for the Montreal Grand Prix. He couldn't move. "People were all over me," he said. On the ice, Canadian opponents skated past him - players who had never spoken a word to him - telling Brodeur he had been terrific at the Olympics. "Even a ref skated over one night to tell me," Brodeur said. For his deeds as a Devil, he doesn't get this treatment. Nor does his ego demand it. Continental Arena was half-empty for the 4-3 victory over Buffalo on Tuesday night, when Burns said of Brodeur, "For 40 minutes, if he doesn't stand on his head, it's 5-0 [buffalo] and we're not even close." If he had an ego, Brodeur would've played out his contract this season. He would've been bigger than life for his hometown Montreal Canadiens, far richer with the Rangers. But winning matters most to him. Of course, this is the golden time for a Jersey superstar to stay the course. Brodeur was inspired to score those front-row seats for the NBA Finals in June, his three sons sitting with No. 5 Nets jerseys on and the father watching Jason Kidd's every move. He considers himself a scholar of sporting greatness, forever searching for something to steal for his own. "It's important when you want to achieve things in your own career that you take a look at other guys and how they lead their team," Brodeur said. "You look at Kidd's stats and a lot of players are able to put the same numbers up. It's what he does. It's the way he makes everyone around better. He takes the heat. He's got that big presence. A marquee player needs to do that for his team - to take the pressure away, so everybody else can play more at ease. You have to handle that load." Whomever comes and whomever goes on this team, this never changes for the Devils' MVP. Even on the billboards that Lamoriello finally blessed for Kidd and Brodeur, there is the goalie behind his mask, the forever hidden, forever indispensable face of a franchise. "The way it should be," he said. "That's who I am: The masked man, the goalie of the Devils."

Change of pace from the usual stuff I post. I thought it was a good article on an all time great hockey player and person. The man just exudes class. When I met him, I felt I was in the presence of royalty. Beliveau is a player for the ages http://www.nhl.com/intheslot/read/iceicons/index.html By John McGourty | NHL.com | Nov. 8, 2002 There never was and never will be another hockey player like Jean Beliveau. The 31 years since his retirement have proven that. Beliveau played on 10 Montreal Canadiens' Stanley-Cup winning teams and captained five of them. He was the greatest captain of the most successful sports franchise in history. At the time of his retirement after the 1970-71 season, Beliveau was the Canadiens' all-time leading scorer and the NHL's all-time leading playoff scorer. He was the winner of the first Conn Smythe Trophy in 1965 and concluded his career with a Stanley Cup in 1971 when he had 22 points in 20 playoff games at age 40. He was twice named the winner of the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player. He led the League in scoring in 1955-56 and was runner-up three times, including once to his linemate, Bernie Geoffrion. He led the NHL in goals twice and assists twice. Need more proof of Beliveau's greatness? He was a perfectly balanced, muscular natural athlete who towered over his competition in size and skill. He was 6-foot-3, 215 pounds when the average NHL player was 5-10, 180 pounds. Beliveau was a strong and nimble skater, able to make remarkable changes of direction at top speed. Despite his size, he had quick feet in tight places. On the rush, he had long, graceful strides that gobbled up ice. He had a powerful shot, but was equally adept at going top-shelf or five-hole. He scored many times with opponents draped over him. Beliveau scored 507 goals and added 712 assists for 1,219 points in 1,125 NHL regular-season games, a 1.08 points-per-game average. He was just as good in the playoffs, scoring 70 goals and adding 97 assists for 176 points in 162 games, again a 1.08 points-per game average. "Any parent could use Jean Beliveau as a pattern or role model," NHL President Clarence Campbell said at Beliveau's retirement ceremony. "He provides hockey with a magnificent image. I couldn't speak more highly of anyone who has ever been associated with our game than I do of Jean." He was the first-line center on the only team to win five straight Stanley Cups, the 1956-60 Canadiens. They played a fast, offensive style called "firewagon hockey" that often resulted in routs. It was common for the Canadiens to break open close games with four- and five-goal outbursts. "The Canadiens of that time were known for our skating," Beliveau said. "We were a very good skating team and we were known as an offensive-minded team. We had the caliber of talented players to play that type of game. And we had quite a few of them. The offense was well supported when Doug Harvey was on defense and when you have great goaltending you can go all out. "We had a great power play. They changed the rule (allowing the penalized player to return after a power-play goal) in 1957 because of one penalty against Boston, I got three goals in 44 seconds. I think Terry Sawchuk was in the net." Only the great goaltending of Toronto's Johnny Bower and Sawchuk in 1967 kept the Canadiens of the late 1960s from repeating the feat. Beliveau's Habs won in 1965-66 and 1968-69. From humble beginnings, the one-time altar boy rose to be a sports superstar and the most visible and influential French voice for national unity. He urged Quebecois to preserve the Union and urged the rest of Canada to value its French heritage, doing so without losing friends on either side. As a result, he was the only NHL player ever asked to become Governor-General of Canada, a post he declined because his family needed him then. Following his career, he continued as an executive with the Canadiens, built a corporate conglomerate under the aegis of Jean Beliveau, Inc., and personally directed the significant charitable contributions of the Jean Beliveau Foundation. Major superstars like Mario Lemieux, Phil Esposito and Joe Sakic each have some, even many, of the attributes that Beliveau displayed on ice, but none has them all. All three have two Stanley Cups, Beliveau has two handfuls. Beliveau is flattered by the comparison to Lemieux, who has produced nearly two points per game during his career. He was tremendous on faceoffs, one of the best of his time, and credited veteran Elmer Lach for his early development. In a Stanley Cup game, Beliveau at the left faceoff circle, chopped down on a puck, sending it up like a nine-iron shot in front of Bernie Geoffrion who tapped it with his blade into the net, perhaps the best, planned play in hockey history. He chuckled when reminded of it. "I always had the feeling in the opponent's end that, just before the faceoff, have a quick glance at their positioning," Beliveau said. "If the two defenders were wider, I'd look at Geoffrion and nod for him to go for the net. I'd try to flip it there. Even today when I'm watching the game, I can see that the wing man doesn't know what the center has in mind." Beliveau speaks slowly, considering every word and has six decades of hockey stories to tell, some hilarious. For all his personal accomplishments, the three things in hockey that he is most proud of are being elected captain of the Canadiens; the supportive, winning atmosphere they created; and his playmaking skills. "When you played with a good team like I did and you had a lot of success, there's no doubt that all the championships bring you great joy," Beliveau said. "One of the greatest moments in my career was when was my teammates elected me captain in 1961. I was not even an alternate captain at the time. Coming from your teammates, it's a great honor. I never expected it. You certainly feel great about it. I always thought maybe I had the right temperament to be captain. It was one of my greatest satisfactions. "It was a great family atmosphere that we had on the Canadiens, working together toward common goals of finishing first and winning the Stanley Cup." "It's hard to put into words how we felt about Jean," teammate Ralph Backstrom told Stan Fischler. "We were so damned proud to have him as our captain." Beliveau had great collaboration for many seasons with Geoffrion but he said the line's success resulted from left wing Bert Olmstead's work ethic. "I was well supported by Bert Olmstead," he said. "Bert was always after us. He would say, 'You could do this better, that better.' After he left, I looked back and said he made us play our best hockey. I always had a lot of respect for Bert. He was very hardworking. "Sometimes, he'd be in the corner fighting for a puck. I'd go help him and he'd give me a hard time and say, 'You go to the net. You won't score from the corner.' You see a teammate working hard in corner, you want to help. But he'd get the puck and make the pass to the front of the net. When he did, he expected to see me and Bernie in front." The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Red Kelly, a Norris-Trophy winning defenseman with the Detroit Red Wings in the 1950s, in 1960 for the specific purpose of playing center and neutralizing Beliveau. The tactic sometimes worked. Both teams won four Stanley Cups in the 1960s. Toronto's six-game victory in 1967, the last year of the Original Six teams, is the bitterest pill for Beliveau. The next two seasons, he stormed back to lead the Canadiens to the first two Stanley Cups of the expansion era. "We lost to Toronto in 1967. It could have been another five championships there," Beliveau said. "I thought we had a better team than Toronto but Sawchuk and Bower beat us. They were both tremendous. We didn't have many big names between 1966-70. I thought everyone played so well. Nobody talks about those five years. I thought my teammates deserved great credit." Bower made 62 saves in the two-overtime third game, the series' turning point. He was hurt warming up for Game 4 and Sawchuk finished the series, winning Games 5 and 6. "I have a lot of admiration for John Bower," said Beliveau, still shaking his head about Game 3. "He's a great guy and a great goaltender." Kelly has deep respect for his long-time foe. "He was big and had a long reach, and he was sooo strong," Kelly said. "Most guys would try to check him but he had a reach that was just a little further and he'd be able to get the pass away. He was a very heady hockey player, very smart around the net. He could move the puck quite a distance when he was stickhandling. He was tough on the goaltenders. "Most of all, he was a great team player," Kelly said. "He wasn't all for himself. He was for the team. He did what was best for the team." Beliveau also was a company man. He gladly allowed coach Toe Blake to use his line as a testing lab for rookie forwards. "I'd tell the players, 'I'm the veteran of the line, I'll be OK. You play your game. There's no need to change it for me. For a while I had John Ferguson on the left and he had his best year with 29 goals." Players like Ivan Cournoyer, Bobby Rousseau, Marcel Bonin, Gilles Tremblay and Dick Duff broke in on Beliveau's line. He played his final season as a favor to General Manager Sam Pollock who wanted to inculcate the ?Canadiens Way? in a group of young players that included Marc Tardif, Guy Lapointe, Phil Roberto, Rejean Houle, Bobby Sheehan, Larry Pleau, Guy Charron and Pierre Bouchard. Ken Dryden joined the team just before the playoffs, which he would come to dominate. "I wanted to retire the year before but Sam Pollock asked me to play another year," Beliveau said. "It was a team in transition. 'I'd feel more secure if you were in the room, Jean,' Sam said. "When Sam asked me to do that 10 years after I was named captain, I said, 'OK, but it will be my last one.' "There's a quality type of game that you enjoy playing," Beliveau continued. "I thought at 40-41, it would ask a lot of me physically. That's why I refused Quebec in the WHA in 1972 when they offered me a contract higher than any in my 18 years in the NHL. I told them, "I wouldn't be honest to you, to the fans and to myself." Pollock rewarded Beliveau by naming him a senior vice president upon his retirement from the ice. Beliveau stipulated that the job be in corporate administration, spurning coaching or player-personnel administration. Principles have always guided Beliveau. He learned them at home. Beliveau's father, Arthur, was a hard-working man of great principle and proved to be an excellent advisor at the start of his son's career. Following a great junior career with the Quebec City Citadelles, Beliveau made his NHL debut in 1951. He had a goal and an assist in two games. He also played a game with Quebec Aces of the amateur Quebec Senior Hockey League that season and scored two goals and had an assist. A bidding war between the Aces and Canadiens raged for the next two seasons, affected by corporate leaders and influential politicians in both cities. Not until Bobby Orr would there be such anticipation about the arrival of an NHL rookie. In his two seasons with the Aces, it was said Beliveau made more money -- mostly through corporate endorsements, a generation of Quebecois knew him as the Laval Ice Cream man -- than any player in the NHL. The Canadiens prevailed and Beliveau returned to the NHL in 1953, scoring five goals in three games. He became a regular in 1953-54, scoring 13 goals and adding 21 assists in 44 games. He is still in awe about joining the team. "If you go back to the start of my professional career, becoming a member of the Canadiens was one of my greatest thrills. Here in Quebec, when you are a youngster, you dream about wearing the Canadiens uniform, "Beliveau said. "When you learn that you have the tools to become a member of the Canadiens, well, I'd been dreaming about it since I was a little boy."

Devils get win, but Pat Burns http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hockey/s...48p-34988c.html By DARREN (N)Єverson DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER What the Devils did in the third period last night was pure magic. They turned a two-goal deficit into a 4-3 overtime victory over the Sabres. What they did in the first two periods, though, was the same thing they've done twice before at home against seemingly inferior teams: pull a disappearing act. So, while Pat Burns was grateful Scott Niedermayer scored yet another overtime goal to conjure up a victory, the Devils coach has grown tired of his team's need for such trickery. "That's the not the kind of thing I want to see," Burns said. "When you've got to pull rabbits out of your (rear) all the time like that, that's not the way to play the game. Playing the game is showing up every night at the drop of the puck and being ready. That's what you have to do." Burns spoke sternly to the Devils (11-5) during the second intermission, at which point they trailed the team with the worst record in the league, 2-0. The Sabres (3-11-3-1) were on an 11-game winless streak (now 12) and were starting Ryan Miller, a rookie goalie making his NHL debut. The Devils responded by giving Buffalo a 5-on-3 opportunity midway through the first, which Curtis Brown scored on, and two more power-play chances in the second, one of which Chris Gratton scored on. The Devils' early struggles were reminiscent of their two-goal deficit against Anaheim Nov. 12, a game the Devils won in overtime, and their 3-0 deficit to Edmonton Nov. 9, which the Devils lost. "Coach wasn't too happy after the second period, needless to say," Niedermayer said. "We've got to correct that." In the third, though, the Devils got going. First Oleg Tverdovsky got his first goal as a Devil on the power play at 2:52. John Madden hopped out of the penalty box midway through the third just as Jeff Friesen was clearing the zone. He collected the puck at center ice, raced in and scored at 9:45, tying the game. Friesen put the Devils ahead at 10:41 with a bad-angle goal against the surely bewildered Miller. J.P. Dumont tied the game at 3 at 14:50. Then Niedermayer, who scored an NHL record-tying four overtime goals last season, connected at 1:23 of overtime. Burns was happy for the victory, but disappointed that it took such a comeback.

If it were from any other source, I'd think it might possibly happen. I'm skeptical about this. We all know the Devils love to give (N)Єverson disinformation so he prints it and looks like a fool once again.

Burns gives sluggish Devils a jolt http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?level_...33&page=5714418 Wednesday, November 20, 2002 By TOM GULITTI Staff Writer EAST RUTHERFORD - There was no yelling. As locker room tirades go, Devils defenseman Scott Niedermayer, the goat-turned-hero Tuesday night, said it "didn't rank" among the most volatile he's seen. But, whatever Pat Burns said during the second intermission, the Devils' coach got his message across and jolted his players out of their funk. Even so, they still needed overtime to dispose of the struggling Buffalo Sabres. Niedermayer, whose first-period penalty led to Buffalo's first goal, stepped up and scored the winner 1:23 into the extra session, lifting the Devils to a dramatic, though sloppy, 4-3 victory at Continental Arena. The Sabres tied a club record for consecutive games without a victory with 12 (0-9-2-1). Niedermayer took a pass from Brian Rafalski and fired a shot from the high slot that deflected off the stick of Sabres defenseman Alexei Zhitnik in front and sailed over goaltender Ryan Miller's left shoulder to make the Devils 3-0 in overtime this season. More than one player talked afterward about the Devils learning their lesson about slow starts, which have plagued them in three of their last four home games. Burns wasn't settling for that, though. That was the gist of his angry-yet-reserved second intermission address. "He kept his cool, but you could tell that he was steamed," Scott Gomez said. "You've got to give him credit. It was nice and calm. It was kind of like your dad when he can only preach to you so much and then he just kind of gives you that evil voice. Then, you really get scared." They barely tested Miller, the 22-year-old Hobey Baker winner (top U.S. college player) with Michigan State who was called up on Sunday and was playing in his first NHL game, in falling behind 2-0 in the first two periods. But the Devils came alive in the third and scored on three consecutive shots. Oleg Tverdovsky broke up Miller's shutout bid with a power-play goal, scoring on one-timer from the right point for his first goal as a Devil 2:52 into the final period. Then, after the Devils took two more undisciplined penalties - they were short-handed seven times on the night and allowed two power play goals - John Madden came out of the penalty box to score on a breakaway at 9:35. Jeff Friesen, who sprung Madden with a perfect outlet pass off the right wing boards, gave the Devils the lead only 1:06 later, beating Miller high to the short side from a seemingly impossible angle at the bottom of the left circle. But the Devils could not protect that lead. J.P. Dumont, who was left alone in the right circle, took a pass from Stu Barnes behind the net and beat Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur (who was otherwise brilliant in making 31 saves) under the right arm with only 5:10 remaining in regulation to tie it. "There was a cluster in front of the net and someone lost their man," Burns said. That set the stage for Niedermayer, who scored four OT winners last season, but hadn't scored a goal of any kind before Tuesday night. That goal took him off the hook for his first-period tripping penalty that gave the Sabres a five-on-three for a full two minutes. Curtis Brown scored on the two-man advantage to give Buffalo the lead 9:43 into the game. Niedermayer's goal probably also saved the Devils from a punishment practice from Burns today. "We got a goal and we got a lot of energy, a lot of jump," Tverdovsky said. "Unfortunately, we didn't win it in regulation time, but we got a goal and we got win. So, we got ourselves a lesson. We have to play a little better at the beginning of the game."

Brodeur turns to rough stuff http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?level_...33&page=5714457 Wednesday, November 20, 2002 By TOM GULITTI Staff Writer EAST RUTHERFORD - There aren't many games in which Martin Brodeur has to stand on his head the way he did in the Devils' 4-3 overtime victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night at Continental Arena. Even more rare are the moments when Brodeur loses his cool as he did in the second period after being run over by Sabres' agitator Vaclav Varada. Brodeur responded with a shove that earned him a roughing penalty. The Devils killed off the resulting power play, but Brodeur's infraction was one of several undisciplined penalties the Devils took on the night. Still, Brodeur, who stopped 31 shots, believes his was unjustified. He said Varada, who has a reputation that borders on dirty, left him with a sore jaw with his hit. "With all the suspensions and the stuff that he does, you would think the referees when they see a guy like me that usually doesn't do anything and react like that, it's weird that they don't see [what Varada did]," Brodeur said.

Darby finally gets a chance http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?level_...33&page=5710951 Wednesday, November 20, 2002 By TOM GULITTI Staff Writer EAST RUTHERFORD - Craig Darby never got much of an opportunity to make the Devils during training camp, but when the team found itself in a bind Monday, the 30-year-old center finally got the call. With left wing Jay Pandolfo (groin) and center Steve Guolla (hamstring) on injured reserve and right wing Jamie Langenbrunner out of commission with a stomach virus, the Devils were short one forward, so they promoted Darby from their minor league affiliate in Albany for Tuesday's night's game against Buffalo at Continental Arena. Darby spent most of last season with Montreal's affiliate in Quebec, but did get in two NHL games with the Canadiens. He had 21 goals and 34 assists in 191 career NHL games with the Islanders, Montreal, and Philadelphia. "I've played in the league before," he said. "I know what to expect." Darby was on the bus for Albany's trip to Cleveland on Monday when River Rats coach Dennis "Red" Gendron called him off and told him he was coming to New Jersey. Darby was leading the River Rats in scoring with 18 points (four goals, 14 assists) in 18 games. He signed with the Devils as a free agent in July and thought he might have a chance to make the big club as its fourth-line center, but that opportunity never materialized. "That's over and done with," Darby said. At 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, Darby adds size at center. He skated on the fourth line Tuesday between Jim McKenzie and Mike Danton, who moved from center to right wing. Devils coach Pat Burns also shuffled his other lines, moving Sergei Brylin up from the checking line to play with Patrik Elias and Brian Gionta on the first line. Christian Berglund moved down from Elias' left wing to play on the checking line with John Madden and Turner Stevenson, who had been skating with McKenzie and Danton. PANDO PROGRESSING: Pandolfo participated in Tuesday's morning skate, but is unsure when he'll be ready to return. He skated Monday for the first time since his groin "popped on me a bit" in practice Nov. 8. "I'm trying to do a little bit more every day and I'm feeling good," Pandolfo said. "I'm just taking it one day at time and trying to make sure it's better. I don't want to come back early and do it again." DEVILS BRIEFS: The Rangers will be at the Meadowlands on Thursday to face the Devils for the first time this season, but former Devil Bobby Holik probably will not play because he is sidelined with a hip flexor injury. ... Defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky (back) returned to the Devils' lineup after missing Saturday's game in Montreal. ... . The sale of the Sabres to one of two Western New York-based groups is expected to be completed in the next two days. The team has been run by the league since Adelphia Communications went bankrupt over the summer.

To compare I also put the same article under the Star Ledger thread on the same topic. http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?level_...33&page=5673972 Can't-see TV: Even satellite homes lose Saturday, November 16, 2002 By JOHN BRENNAN Staff Writer Montvale native Patrick D'Errico plans to flip on his television set tonight and watch the Devils skate against Montreal. But Hackensack hockey fanatic Jonathan Moncrief, who grew up with D'Errico, will be out of luck. This isn't just another routine casualty in the escalating local-television professional sports wars, though: The case of the Pascack Hills High School alumni features a couple of twists. Not only is Moncrief a subscriber to satellite provider DirecTv, he upgraded his plan to receive NHL Center Ice, a $159 package that televises nearly every NHL game played all season. D'Errico, meanwhile, lives in Jacksonville, Fla. Yet D'Errico is the one who can watch that Devils-Canadiens game - and 17 more games than Moncrief can watch just a few miles from Continental Arena. "I can't believe that he lives in Florida and can see 79 Devils games, and I live in Hackensack and only get to see 61 games," said an exasperated Moncrief, 34, whose friend also gets NHL Center Ice on a satellite TV package. Moncrief's grief arises from Cablevision's decision to show selected basketball and hockey games on its MetroTV channel, which (unlike MSG or FSNY) is not available in North Jersey if you use a satellite TV provider. The 2002-03 MetroTV lineup includes 21 Devils games, 15 Islanders games, nine Rangers games, and seven Knicks games. So if the Nets are your favorite team, you can switch to DirecTv and avoid the yearlong skirmish that has kept the upstart YES Network - which shows almost all Nets games - out of all Cablevision homes due to a dispute over programming costs. But the price for jumping from 20 Nets games on Cablevision to getting all 82 with DirecTv is this: the loss of 45 local hockey games, nearly half of those involving the Devils. "That's not a trade I think I should have to make," said Moncrief. Yet it's one that Howard Kaplan, a financial adviser in Tenafly, has made. Kaplan, a former Cablevision subscriber, recently added DirecTv to his six-television home. Kaplan already had Dish Network, the other major satellite company, but added DirecTv so he could see Nets and Yankees games. "To me, the amount of aggravation we're being put through to see sports on television is ridiculous," said Kaplan. Of course, residents of the 315,000 Bergen and Passaic county homes in Cablevision territory can choose the expensive solution of paying at least $100 a month to have both Cablevision and DirecTv. But if you live in East Rutherford - home of the Devils - or in many other neighboring Meadowlands towns, you can't get those 21 Devils games sent into your living room no matter what you do. Why? Because Comcast, the cable operator for most of that area, does not have an agreement with Cablevision to carry MetroTV. Since 1999, MetroTV has been the chief place for Cablevision to put overflow games. With the Nets' move to YES this year, one might expect that fewer games would be on MetroTV. Instead, the total has risen from 47 total games to 52. Mike McCarthy, MSG Network executive vice president, said MetroTV is playing a larger role due to "rebranding of their sports programming offerings." Translation: MetroTV has been supplied with numerous extra Friday and Saturday games to give the channel more of a weekend identity. The change in philosophy will be a boost for Cablevision if MetroTV's slate sways hockey fans from switching to DirecTv, an increasing source of competition. Is there any escape from this frustration? Well, 13 East Bergen and South Bergen towns lie within a sports TV "neutral zone." Those towns are operated by Time Warner Cable of New Jersey, which has deals with both YES Network and MetroTV

Bergen Record on same subject, I'll also give it it's own thread. Can't-see TV: Even satellite homes lose http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?level_...33&page=5673972 Saturday, November 16, 2002 By JOHN BRENNAN Staff Writer Montvale native Patrick D'Errico plans to flip on his television set tonight and watch the Devils skate against Montreal. But Hackensack hockey fanatic Jonathan Moncrief, who grew up with D'Errico, will be out of luck. This isn't just another routine casualty in the escalating local-television professional sports wars, though: The case of the Pascack Hills High School alumni features a couple of twists. Not only is Moncrief a subscriber to satellite provider DirecTv, he upgraded his plan to receive NHL Center Ice, a $159 package that televises nearly every NHL game played all season. D'Errico, meanwhile, lives in Jacksonville, Fla. Yet D'Errico is the one who can watch that Devils-Canadiens game - and 17 more games than Moncrief can watch just a few miles from Continental Arena. "I can't believe that he lives in Florida and can see 79 Devils games, and I live in Hackensack and only get to see 61 games," said an exasperated Moncrief, 34, whose friend also gets NHL Center Ice on a satellite TV package. Moncrief's grief arises from Cablevision's decision to show selected basketball and hockey games on its MetroTV channel, which (unlike MSG or FSNY) is not available in North Jersey if you use a satellite TV provider. The 2002-03 MetroTV lineup includes 21 Devils games, 15 Islanders games, nine Rangers games, and seven Knicks games. So if the Nets are your favorite team, you can switch to DirecTv and avoid the yearlong skirmish that has kept the upstart YES Network - which shows almost all Nets games - out of all Cablevision homes due to a dispute over programming costs. But the price for jumping from 20 Nets games on Cablevision to getting all 82 with DirecTv is this: the loss of 45 local hockey games, nearly half of those involving the Devils. "That's not a trade I think I should have to make," said Moncrief. Yet it's one that Howard Kaplan, a financial adviser in Tenafly, has made. Kaplan, a former Cablevision subscriber, recently added DirecTv to his six-television home. Kaplan already had Dish Network, the other major satellite company, but added DirecTv so he could see Nets and Yankees games. "To me, the amount of aggravation we're being put through to see sports on television is ridiculous," said Kaplan. Of course, residents of the 315,000 Bergen and Passaic county homes in Cablevision territory can choose the expensive solution of paying at least $100 a month to have both Cablevision and DirecTv. But if you live in East Rutherford - home of the Devils - or in many other neighboring Meadowlands towns, you can't get those 21 Devils games sent into your living room no matter what you do. Why? Because Comcast, the cable operator for most of that area, does not have an agreement with Cablevision to carry MetroTV. Since 1999, MetroTV has been the chief place for Cablevision to put overflow games. With the Nets' move to YES this year, one might expect that fewer games would be on MetroTV. Instead, the total has risen from 47 total games to 52. Mike McCarthy, MSG Network executive vice president, said MetroTV is playing a larger role due to "rebranding of their sports programming offerings." Translation: MetroTV has been supplied with numerous extra Friday and Saturday games to give the channel more of a weekend identity. The change in philosophy will be a boost for Cablevision if MetroTV's slate sways hockey fans from switching to DirecTv, an increasing source of competition. Is there any escape from this frustration? Well, 13 East Bergen and South Bergen towns lie within a sports TV "neutral zone." Those towns are operated by Time Warner Cable of New Jersey, which has deals with both YES Network and MetroTV

Burns' home isn't where his heart is http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?level_...32&page=5660684 Friday, November 15, 2002 By TOM GULITTI Staff Writer WEST ORANGE - Pat Burns just wants to be left alone. As the Devils' coach points out, it's been more than 10 years since he left what once was his dream job as head coach of the Montreal Canadiens. Only one player, defenseman Patrice Brisebois, remains from Burns' four seasons there and this is his third coaching job since then. Management is different. There's even a new, American-born owner. But something there still gnaws at him and makes returning to the area where he grew up more of a chore than a pleasure. Even now, the needles of the Montreal press get under his skin and seem to irritate worse than a defensive-zone turnover or a player leaning on the boards during practice. So, no, Burns is not looking forward to the home-and-home series with the Habs that begins tonight at Continental Arena and concludes Saturday in Montreal. "I'm not dreading them," he said of the two games. "I'm just anxious for them to get over." This is consistent with Burns' often disagreeable demeanor. Very little seems to make him happy. He's as self-deprecating as the Le Presse and Journal de Montreal ever were, frequently taking jabs at himself such as "I'm not a very pleasant person to be around." This is not a routine for the media's amusement. The 50-year-old former Gatineau, Quebec policeman is no different with his |players. "That's the way he is," said right wing Turner Stevenson, who played briefly under Burns as a rookie in Montreal. "He does his business that way off the ice and on. He's polite. He says 'Hello' in the morning. But that's his personality and you have to respect the way he goes about his |business." That way worked in Montreal, Toronto, Boston and, now, with the Devils, who are 9-4 under Burns. He will probably never be a player's best friend, but he gets their attention. Lemaire also had a disdain for the Montreal media. He won eight Stanley Cups with the Canadiens as a player, but his 1

Center stage for Elias http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?level_...32&page=5635018 Thursday, November 14, 2002 By TOM GULITTI Staff Writer WEST ORANGE - Devils forward Patrik Elias entered training camp this season thinking he was going to be moved to center. The move lasted two days, which, coincidentally, was the amount of time Scott Gomez missed before ending his contract holdout. When Gomez returned, Elias went back to left wing and, with the exception of a handful of shifts during the preseason, he stayed there until the second period of Tuesday's 3-2 overtime victory over Anaheim. Having seen Elias struggle playing on Gomez's left side, Devils' coach Pat Burns split them up. Elias finally got his shot at center - a position he played late last season and in the minors - between Christian Berglund and Brian Gionta. Gomez moved to the right wing on a line with left wing Jeff Friesen and center Joe Nieuwendyk. Although the results in terms of goals were limited - Gomez scored the Devils' second goal in their comeback from a 2-0 third-period deficit - the line changes appeared to jolt the Devils out of their first-period sluggishness. They started using their speed, they generated more scoring chances, and they went to the net more. "When you make a change like that, it's not a spark, but a wake-up kind of thing," Gomez said. "Things weren't going good, but we felt like we were on the verge of something." Burns said he had been thinking about moving Elias to center for some time and that he did it as much to throw off the Mighty Ducks as to invigorate his team. He saw enough positives Tuesday that he will probably stick with Elias at center and Gomez at right wing for Friday's home game against Montreal. "We're going to look at it again [today] in practice and then take it from there, but it looks good," he said. The move to center seems natural to Elias, who likes to control the puck and wasn't able to do that as much with Gomez as his center. Elias said he is comfortable playing left wing or center, but Tuesday night the move brought out the best in him. He created scoring chances for himself and his linemates, and although he didn't score, there were some signs of his old confidence returning. "We were getting a lot of good chances in the second period," said Elias, who remains stuck on four goals and one assist this season. "We were going well. Again I got a lot of good chances and I just couldn't put the puck in. There's nothing I can do but just keep going at it and, hopefully, they'll start going in." Although Gomez is a natural center, he had great success playing right wing in the second half of last season on a line with Bobby Holik. In fact, that move sparked Gomez out of slow start. He recorded 41 of his 48 points in his final 50 games before a fractured left hand ended his season. "It's not something I have to work at because I played there last year," Gomez said. "It's one of those things that if they want me at wing, I'll play wing. When you are playing with a guy like Joe Nieuwendyk, it's kind of like playing with Bobby. You do your thing and that's all you can ask for." Gomez had three shots on goal in the final two periods Tuesday and scored his goal simply by firing the puck on net from a bad angle. "I'm more comfortable at center, but whatever helps the team out," Gomez said. "That's how you've got to look at it." DEVILS BRIEFS: Burns said Scott Niedermayer's turnover that led to the short-handed goal that gave Anaheim a 2-0 lead was an example of the Devils' defenseman losing his concentration. "He's an extremely, extremely talented athlete in all aspects of the game," Burns said. "His concentration sometimes tends to slip away a little bit." (Wow, I've seen this alluded to, but never a coach flat out saying it!!! I don't think Mr. Burns will let them regress back to their usual antics. ) ... Center Steve Guolla skated in Wednesday's optional practice to test his strained right hamstring, but left wing Jay Pandolfo remained off the ice as he recovers from a strained groin.

I believe it was Sudan.

HOCKEY Manute Bol, a 7-foot-7 former shot-blocking specialist in the NBA, agreed to terms to play with the Indianapolis Ice of the Central Hockey League. Bol is expected to be in uniform Saturday night, but it is unlikely he will play in the game against the Amarillo Gorillas. (OK there has to me more to this story. Hopefully someone will air the video if and when he actually gets on the ice.)

Sykora Ducks in on Devs http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/34...19p-32855c.html By DARREN (N)Єverson DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER Some might want to fast-forward past these games against Western Conference opponents, but not tonight. For the Devils and for one of the Mighty Ducks, this game is worth taping. Petr Sykora is back to play against the team that drafted him, developed him, won a Stanley Cup with him and then traded him in July. It's the first time Sykora, the right wing on the Devils' successful A Line, has ever played against the Devils. "It is really going to be a strange feeling," Sykora said. Jeff Friesen and Oleg Tverdovsky, the two NHL players the Devils received in return, will also face their former team for the first time. On the Ducks' end, the trade was made by GM Bryan Murray, who was Anaheim's coach last season. "He has a way of believing; I have a way of believing as well," Friesen said. "The coach is always the boss, but every now and then you run into a coach that doesn't believe in you, and it's tough to believe in him. ... I think that things just didn't work out for both me and Ollie, with our relationship with our head coach." Friesen (2-3-5) said it would be extra special to break out for a big game against Anaheim. But for Devils fans, the main attraction is the return of Sykora. "I don't think he's going to get booed," said former linemate and good friend Patrik Elias, who said he talks to Sykora two or three times per week. "I don't know (if I'll get booed)," Sykora said. "I do have a lot of friends. I know a lot of fans and I know a lot of people there. It's going to be nice to come back and see them. "We'll see. I did some good things when I was there, so I may not get booed. I hope I'm not going to get booed." Sykora scored 145 goals in seven seasons with the Devils, 25 in their 1999-2000 championship season and 35 in 2000-01, when they lost to Colorado in the finals. But the A Line was broken up at times during the Devils' disappointing season last year, then for good when Jason Arnott was dealt to Dallas at the trading deadline. After slipping to 21 goals in the regular season and producing one assist in four games against Carolina, a first-round series in which Sykora had a sore right ankle, he was gone as well. Murray said Sykora (5-5-10) hasn't been able to score as easily as the Ducks think he will. Elias (4-1-5) said recently that he doesn't know if he'll ever get the same feeling he had when the A Line was intact. Two-thirds of it will be back on the ice tonight, although on different sides.

Devils airtight on defense http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?level_...32&page=5544389 Tuesday, November 05, 2002 By TOM GULITTI Staff Writer WEST ORANGE - It might take a friendly nudge, but even a coach as demanding as Pat Burns has to concede he's happy with the way his Devils defensemen are playing. Through nine games, the Devils are first in the league with a 1.55 goals-against average and have allowed more than two goals only once. Plus, they've surrendered an average of just 22 shots on goal a game. In Saturday's 5-1 win over Chicago, they allowed only 19 shots, five in the third period. In their previous game, Carolina mustered only 11 shots, none in the third period. The Devils' disciplined defense is the biggest reason why the team is 7-2 heading into tonight's game against Calgary at Continental Arena. They are looking to go to 8-2 for the first time since 1993-94, which was Jacques Lemaire's first season as head coach. Heading into the season, the Devils' defensive corps had the potential to be one of the best in the league. With three stay-at-home defensemen (Scott Stevens, Colin White, and Ken Daneyko) and three puck-moving defensemen (Brian Rafalski, Scott Niedermayer, and Oleg Tverdovsky), the Devils seem to have perfect balance. At least on paper. So far, this has one of the rare cases where a team has lived up to its billing. The stay-at-home defensemen have followed their job description and the puck movers have helped keep the puck out of the zone by moving it quickly with passes or skating it out. "Everyone is involved, everyone has their job and they're doing it," Rafalski said. The only thing the defensemen haven't done is generate offense. On the Devils, getting goals from the defense has never been a priority. But the defensemen have the potential to chip in. And with the forwards still struggling for scoring consistency, the Devils can use offense from anywhere they can get it. They saw a glimpse of it in Saturday's win as Tverdvosky had his finest game of the season, registering two assists and creating several good scoring chances by jumping into the play. Tverdovsky, who was acquired from Anaheim with Jeff Friesen in July, has taken some time to get accustomed to the Devils' defensive-minded system. Still, Burns said none of the defensemen has been told not to join the rush. The key is picking the right moments. "I can't be just jumping and throwing myself off," Tverdovsky said. "I have to figure out a way where my game will help the team and not hurt it. Sometimes it's hard. When it's there, you have to take it. When it's not, you can't rush it because you'll get yourself in trouble." Tverdovsky, 26, is tied for second on the team with six points, but all six have come on assists. Neither Rafalski (four assists) nor Niedermayer (one assist) have scored a goal either. Oddly, Ken Daneyko, who hadn't scored in more than three years, and Colin White have tallied the defense's two goals. The defensemen's inability to create offense is one contributing factor to the Devils' power-play failures. They are ranked last in the league with just three goals in 47 chances (6.4 percent). But, as long as the team is winning, that is of minor importance. DEVILS BRIEFS: Center Scott Gomez had a slight scare when he felt a "tweak" in his groin during the hard skate at the end of practice. He left the ice immediately and was examined by team medical trainer Bill Murray. "It was nothing," Gomez said. "I felt a little tweak. I just wanted to let Billy know. I'll be in there [tonight]." ... Center/left wing Steve Guolla said his strained right hamstring felt fine after testing it for 20 minutes at the start of practice, but he'll sit out his second straight game.