You got it right Duffman…this is an OH YEAH!!
Yes indeed…the two top teams in the East battle it out tomorrow…and I, for one, will be very interested to see which Devils team shows up….the one who went 18-4-3 before this rough stretch or the team that can’t get a lucky bounce for the life of itself. This game will be the battle of who can overcome their injuries better…..or which goalie becomes unglued….or which PP actually clicks for once. Both teams have a lot of questions right now at least. However, both are in fairly good position in the East. Sabres are up by a solid margin and so are the Devils.
The winner of this game…will be in a good position honestly…the loser won’t be completely written off for the #1 seed…but I really do think this is a bigger game for the Devils. This would be a statement game in the sense that they really have a bigger urgency to get this thing righted. For the record…I do not want the Devils to win the President’s trophy….that curse is not quite Madden Cover territory but it still spooks me out. Ask Detroit how those 124 points felt as they were being disected….and in 2003 when they got swept by the Ducks.
So what do the Devils really need to do to have a shot at winning against the Sabres? For one, they need to be more disciplined. The last few games have seen the Devils commit uncharacteristic penalties and very untimely turnovers. Look at the Flyers game as exhibit A as three Flyer goalies went off or through the D-men. I don’t think I have seen anything quite like that in a long while. The PK has been okay but needs to be better and obviously the PP showed some signs of life in the Pittsburgh game…that needs to continue. Elias and Gomez need to score consistently to take the pressure off of Parise. This can offset the loss of Gionta who will likely be kept out again more as a precaution than anything else.
What can’t the Devils do……really they just cannot play like they did the last four games…well three plus the one period, OT, and shootout. Yes they beat the Pens and that was a big win…but admittedly they let the Pens get one more point than they deserved. They have to hit but can’t hit and end up in the penalty box or the Sabres will eat them alive. The Devils have to match the intensity and speed of Buffalo early because if they forget to…they will be down quick…and likely out.
I look forward to a very entertaining game against Buffalo…..let’s see what happens and may the best team win.
