Looking Ahead to the Weekend

The Devils kept recent strong streak alive as they defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 in Newark on Wednesday. Ilya Kovalchuk, Brian Rolston, and Patrik Elias scored for New Jersey. The Devils almost lost their 3-0 lead as the Hurricanes made a late third period push to  bring the game within one goal. Today, the Devils had their standard practice as they get ready for a huge matchup tomorrow night when the New York Rangers come to town. This week is currently the most important week of the season. If the Devils win tomorrow and in Carolina on Saturday, they will be eight points behind the Canes for the 8th playoff spot. If they lose, they could be as many as 14 or 16 back. Tom Gulitti and Rich Chere reported today that Jacob Josefson was at practice rotating on the fourth line with Tim Sestito. After practice, Sestito was put on waivers. This doesn’t cement the thought that Josefson could play tomorrow because if Sestito clears waivers by noon, he can stay in NJ or be sent to the minors. It appears Josefson is here to get a few practices with the big club. Through this streak and set of wins, there is still a glaring weakness in this team. Six of the last seven wins have been by one goal. Against the Sharks, the Devils sleptwalked through the first two periods. Against the Hurricanes this week, the Devils held a 3-0 lead into the second half of the third period and almost just stopped playing. They sat back on defense and let the clock wind down as Carolina scored two goals. They couldn’t muster up an empty net goal with two and a half mintues of Cam Ward on the bench. The Rangers will not let the Devils win an easy game tomorrow so the team better be on top of their game. Saturday is the first game of a four game road trip. The Devils will visit Carolina, Dallas, Tampa, and Florida. Follow me on Twitter @TimoniNJD or Facebook at www.facebook.com/njdevil26