AUTHOR: The Maven TITLE: Devils' demise? DATE: 12/13/2006 12:24:00 PM ----- BODY:

How much credence should we give to New Jersey's disappointing 3-2 defeat at the hands of the sensational Sabres? Is it setting the stage for another skid like the one out West? Or is it a mere aberration that will be corrected Thursday night in Boston. We'll know better by midnight tomorrow evening. The most disappointing aspect of the Buffalo encounter had less to do with the blemish on the home record and more to do with the Devils' failure to welcome opportunity when it knocked. Exhibit A was the first period onslaught which had the Sabres reeling in retreat only to be saved time and again by goalie Ryan Miller. Granted there was a hit cross bar and goal post that would have made a difference had the puck been an inch or two closer to the net but it wasn't and the exited 0-0 at the end of one. Still, there were promising signs through the first half of the middle period until one failed assignment produced an odd man rush for the Sabres and the opening goal against. It's obvious now that it's more important for New Jersey to score the first goal than it is for most teams. The uphill climb was magnified with two more third period breakdowns rendering the late comeback too little and too late. Make no mistake, Boston will be no push over the second time around which means this is a terribly important game with the Red Wings and the Rangers coming up over the weekend Saturday afternoon in New Jersey and Sunday night at the Garden. When will Martin Brodeur be rested? Or will he? Or should he? But that's getting ahead of the game it's Boston that has to be dealt with and, quite frankly, I'm concerned about the Devils ability to go back the Beantown and make it two in a row.

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RANGERS ROAR Let's face it; all the concern about the Rangers slipping into an Atlantic Division abyss was – as I pointed out – a bazillion times simply nonsense. It's now clear that Kevin Weekes can play goal as well as Henny Lundqvist. Plus, the latter ranks among the top five NHL goaltenders. What's more the return of Darius Kasparaitis can be summed up in three letters – W-I-N. Jaromir Jagr is just short of 100% healthy and Marty Straka keeps adding new nuances to his game. Even Matt Cullen has started scoring. I would hardly be surprised if the Blueshirts got themselves a mortgage on first place in the Atlantic.

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