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Not since Patton rolled in to Palermo or the rebel forces moved to corner Cornwallis at Yorktown has the world seen such a march as the one being executed by the New Jersey Devils. While many people are figuring out how to bet on March Madness, some sports fans are glued to the drama in New Jersey. The Devils were not very active at the 2011 NHL trade deadline, and that is strange considering how poorly the team played in the first 30 games of the season. But, as new/old Devils head coach Jacques Lemaire has shown, the price per head results are all in the coaching.
The wheels just continue to fly off the Penguins’ freight train. Superstars Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby are lost for the season to injuries, and now goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is back to his inconsistent play. The Penguins did not make any moves at the trade deadline, and then went on a two-game losing streak. Teams that seemed light years behind the Penguins are catching up, and that is exactly what the New Jersey Devils need.
New Jersey Devils
The stats surrounding the Devils’ triumphant march are incredible. In their last 10 games the team is 9-1-0, which includes that two-game winning streak. Prior to the two-game streak, the Devils had run off a string of eight wins in a row and then a streak of four consecutive wins prior to that. Legendary goaltender Martin Brodeur was injured in late January, but back-up Johan Hedberg stepped in to reel off his own winning streak. While Brodeur was out, Hedberg had a seven-game winning streak that included two shutouts.
The Devils now sit only nine points out of a playoff spot. In the last 30 games they have climbed from 15th to 12th place in the conference.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Needless to say, it has been all downhill for the Penguins ever since Evgeni Malkin was told that his season was over. The Penguins still own fourth place in the Eastern Conference, and trail the first place Flyers by only five points. But in their last 10 games the Penguins are 3-4-3. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is back to his old tricks as he is 1-4 in his last five starts, and in the win he allowed five goals. The Penguins have lost the bulk of their scoring abilities and their goaltending is falling apart. The team is going to have a very difficult time trying to make any kind of progress in this year’s playoffs.
The Bottom Line
The Penguins are the kind of team that the New Jersey Devils feed on; a weak goaltender and a team with no real scoring threat. What the Penguins are doing to make up for the loss of its two leaders is play aggressive hockey. Some would even call it dirty hockey. But Jacques Lemaire and the New Jersey Devils are more than happy to oblige the Penguins with the aggressive play. The Devils will use their defensive trap to play “keep away” from the Penguins all night long and lull Pittsburgh to sleep. That is when New Jersey will exploit the inconsistent Pittsburgh goaltender.
Pick: New Jersey Devils
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