What The Devil's Going On?

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http://www.faceoff.com/nhl/teams/devils/ne...214/176680.html

What the devil's going on?

Backed by sterling defence, New Jersey leads its division, but some goals would help.

By WAYNE SCANLAN

The Ottawa Citizen

Jana Chytilova, The Ottawa Citizen

The head coach is hot.

His scorers are cold, frustrated, bordering on self abuse.

Hey, has nobody noticed that the New Jersey Devils are in first place in their division, with 35 points in the bank, the game's best goaltender in the net and just 56 goals allowed, the stingiest team in the NHL?

After practice at the Corel Centre yesterday, Pat Burns, the former Gatineau cop and current Devils head coach, gently reminded a few New York/New Jersey scribes that things weren't all bad, even if the Devils' goal-scoring strike has been roughly akin to panning for gold in the Hudson River.

Best of all, Burns used the occasion to get in nice shots at the New York Rangers and Islanders.

"The Devils have high standards,"

Burns said by way of explaining why there had been such scrutiny of his team's scoring problems and power-play futility.

"That's the difference. We have a standard to live up to every year, and a couple of teams in our area don't have the standards we do."

BAHAHAHAHA

Concerning New Jersey's defensive standard, which was the fabric of Jacques Lemaire's teams in the early- to mid-1990s, it is absolutely in form. With 56 goals allowed in 27 games -- splendid Martin Brodeur has played 24 of them -- the Devils are barely above a two goals allowed average per game. Next spring, closer to playoff time, that kind of team defence will be recognized as a good thing.

It's the flip side of the balance sheet that has a scoring talent such as centre Patrik Elias running both of his soft hands through the strands of his long hair.

The Devils have scored 67 times, about 2.5 per game, an offensive rate barely ahead of such bottom feeders as Buffalo, Calgary and Nashville. Their power play is tied for last (with Elias, Scott Gomez, Scott Niedermayer and Brian Rafalski?!). Rafalski, one of three offensive talents on the New Jersey blue-line, won't play against the Ottawa Senators tonight because of a rib injury, but Oleg Tverdovsky can also bring it from the point.

At least in theory.

In fact, the Devils have scored two goals or fewer in 16 of their 27 games.

Burns must salivate when he sees all those highlight goals from other venues.

"I was watching that Ottawa-Boston game (a 5-2 Senators victory on Thursday), and I was thinking, 'I'd like to see us get some bounces like that,'" Burns said.

"On our power play, the puck bounces away or it hits a post. It's not luck. You've got to make things go your way. We're going to keep working at it."

Including 25 minutes of power-play practice yesterday, for those scoring at home. How weary the Devils forwards must be of being asked why they can't seem to put the puck in the proverbial ocean.

"It's your job to ask those questions," said Elias, a 40-goal scorer two seasons ago.

"It's frustrating, no question. I've got to be the leader of this team. In critical games, I've got to score."

Elias said the Devils just had to "keep working, practise hard, have fun and hopefully the bounces will start going our way."

Maybe, Elias said, what he needed was to "hit a defenceman on the ass and have it go in.

"What's the most goals scored we have on the team, seven?" Elias said.

Correct. John Madden and Jamie Langenbrunner share the team lead in goals with seven. Scott Gomez leads the team in points with 18. Elias has six goals and eight assists.

"It's not just one guy," Elias said.

Compared to the Devils, the Senators look like the 1984 Edmonton Oilers.

Marian Hossa has 19 goals and 32 points.

Daniel Alfredsson checks in tonight with 27 points despite having missed three games.

Because the Devils traded Petr Sykora to the Mighty Ducks in the offseason, it's tempting to suggest New Jersey messed up the cast around Elias. He doesn't think so.

"No, because I'm having just as many chances now," Elias said. "It affected me at the beginning a lot, because I thought about it. I was being negative about it.

"But the chances are there. The bounces just aren't going my way."

Here's further proof that Elias, a 26-year-old from Trebic, Czech Republic, can't blame Sykora's departure for his problems.

Last season, Elias's statistics were already in decline, as he scored 29 goals and Sykora fired just 21. They combined for 75 the year before, including 35 by Sykora.

Yes, the Devils' scoring drought predates Burns and this entire season.

Guess what? Last season, New Jersey produced 2.5 goals per game, a carbon copy of this season's offence.

In 2000-01, with Sykora and Elias flying, the Devils enjoyed a 3.60 goals-per-game average, fuelled by the league's top-rated power play to a 111-point season.

Defensively, Burns' team has slightly better goals-against numbers than the two previous Devils' clubs.

"It hasn't changed: We're a good defensive squad and always have been," Burns said.

Joe Nieuwendyk, a stalwart with the Calgary Flames, Dallas Stars and Canada's Olympic teams of 2002 and 1998, is among the many struggling scorers.

Nieuwendyk was acquired from the Dallas Stars with Langenbrunner for Jason Arnott, Randy McKay and a first-round pick in a big deal last March.

He's trying not get down about his two goals, 10 assists and yet another negative brush with the goal line in a 4-2 loss to Columbus on Thursday, but Nieuwendyk admits it's not easy.

"I'm a worrier by nature,"

he said yesterday.

"I inherited that from my mother.

"It's easy to say, 'Stay calm,' but you find yourself pressing.

"The only way I know is to work hard, keep up the rest of my game, and eventually good things are going to happen."

The Senators won't mind if the Devils find their scoring touch soon -- like, say, the day after next Wednesday's return engagement in New Jersey?

[devspage]

It does seem like Patty's not worrying about it as much on the ice and letting it get to him there.

He had a real nice game against the Sens.

I gotta think he's working his way outta it.

[Blackjack]

I call

"We have a standard to live up to every year, and a couple of teams in our area don't have the standards we do."

for my new sig.

[NJDevs4978]

I like Burns even more now.