Eric Hartline/US PresswireScott Clemmensen's start against the Flyers marked the first time someone other than Martin Brodeur was in goal for the Devils against the Flyers since 2002.

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PHILADELPHIA -- It sure looks like the Devils have a temporary No. 1 goaltender until Martin Brodeur returns in March from a torn tendon in his left arm. But no one will say so.

Scott Clemmensen made his fourth straight start Thursday night and seventh in eight games.

"I try not to read into it," said Clemmensen, 5-3-0 this season. "But at this point I'm going to be ready to play every game. I'm not surprised. I think I played well enough the last few weeks, including the game in Pittsburgh, to warrant it."

Pouya Dianat/Associated PressBrian Rolston was down and out with an ankle injury in October -- he didn't try to rush his comeback.

PHILADELPHIA -- It took seven cautious weeks, but the Devils finally got their top free-agent acquisition of the summer back Thursday night.

Brian Rolston, who suffered a high ankle sprain in only the fourth game of the season on Oct. 16 in Atlanta, returned to the lineup against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wachovia Center.

He was anxious, to say the least.

"Absolutely. It's been a long time, obviously," Rolston said before the game. "It's such a slow process with an ankle to just feel comfortable on the ice. I finally feel comfortable enough to play. I'm excited to be back and to get into this routine again of playing hockey."

Andrew Mills/The Star-LedgerThe Devils are hoping Brian Rolston can get up to speed quickly and contribute immediately.

Coach Brent Sutter felt the need to leave a little wiggle room when asked Wednesday if Brian Rolston would finally return to the lineup when the Devils face the Flyers Thursday night in Philadelphia.

But only a tiny bit of room.

"I'm assuming he will (play)," Sutter said after the Devils' practice Wednesday at Prudential Center. "Unless something comes up. But at this point in time, I think he will be (in the lineup)."

The Devils got back another injured player Tuesday, as Bobby Holik returned to practice one day after Brian Rolston and John Madden skated with the full team for the first time in a long time.

But Devils coach Brent Sutter wasn't about to make any proclamations about how well his team had weathered the storm in the absence of so many injured regular players.

"No, I'm keeping my guard up from here on in," Sutter said. "As soon as you start talking about it, something bad happens. So stop asking those questions. You're going to jinx everything."

Bruce Bennett/Getty ImagesBrian Rolston of the Devils, shown in action during the preseason, is hoping to return to the ice Thursday against the Flyers.

Finally, after missing the past 18 games with a high right ankle sprain, the Devils forward practiced with the team for the first time and is planning to play Thursday night against the Flyers at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia.

"I was very excited. I'm excited to be back," Rolston said after the Prudential Center practice, at which he held nothing back. "I know I can add something, whatever it is."

Tim Farrell/The Star-LedgerThe Devils hope that John Madden will be back from his bruised ankle in time for Thursday night's game against the Flyers.

The Devils' general manager begrudgingly gives only vague updates on his ailing players and steadfastly refuses to estimate when they might come back.

His approach is both admirable -- in that he doesn't want to use injuries as excuses -- and also baffling. After all, is there really any harm in letting fans know how the rehab of key players is going?

This has been a unique season for the Devils. They have lost their most important player (goalie Martin Brodeur) until March and several other key players (including forwards Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik) for lengthy periods. And that is just scratching the surface of their injury list.

PITTSBURGH -- A stomach ailment prevented center Dainius Zubrus from taking part in the morning skate, but he was determined to give the Devils all he could in Saturday night's game against the Penguins.

Halfway through the third period, Zubrus was finally out of gas and wound up on the bench as Barry Tallackson and Sheldon Brookbank filled in.

"Honestly, I wasn't playing very well throughout the game," Zubrus said. "I tried to stay with it and battle through it, but my energy level wasn't there. I was really weak. Eventually the coach put me aside and gave other guys a chance."

Box score

Newspaper articles

Pens snap Devils' win streak

Zubrus ailing but willing

Pandolfo's role in transition

Notes: Penalty kill still on point

Post-game notes: Zubrus runs out of gas

Blog posts

Too much Crosby

3 things to watch

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Shockingly, the Devils' penalty killing has improved over the past few games without John Madden. Coach Brent Sutter said no changes were made.

"No, we haven't changed a thing since John is out of the lineup. I think the guys have just really focused in on it," Sutter said. "Our penalty killing is just doing it the right way. We're killing penalties the way I want to see us kill penalties. They've been very good the last few games because of their focus and they know what they have to do.

"Killing penalties has been the difference for us in games. Look at the game in Florida. We killed a 5-on-3 off and then in overtime we killed a 4-on-3. It's huge for us."

Aristide Economopoulos/The Star-LedgerWith linemate John Madden out recently with an injury, the game has been different for Jay Pandolfo.

Throughout much of his career, Pandolfo has drawn the checking assignment against the opposing team's top offensive line. And he hasn't played many shifts, either at even strength or killing penalties, without longtime linemate John Madden.

With Madden missing his fourth straight game Saturday night with a bruised ankle after being hit by a shot, the game has changed somewhat for Pandolfo.

"It's different, but the team is doing good, so it's good right now," Pandolfo said before the Devils faced the Pittsburgh Penguins at Mellon Arena. "It's strange. I'm usually going into each game worrying about playing against the other team's top line. I haven't been doing that, but pretty much any line here can play against anyone."

Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-LedgerMike Mottau says he understands why the NHL suspended him two games for his hit on the Islanders' Frans Nielsen.

Mike Mottau had a quiet Thanksgiving week.

The Devils defenseman didn't go with his teammates on their successful two-game trip to Florida this week because he had been suspended by the NHL for two games for his high elbow against Islanders center Frans Nielsen eight days ago. So instead, Mottau remained in New Jersey, where he skated every day with injured teammates Brian Rolston, Bobby Holik and John Madden.

Things were kind of quiet, Mottau said.

Bill Kostroun/Associated PressDevils captain Jamie Langenbrunner says the team is playing well and fighting through its early-season challenges.

Come clean. You still think their five-game winning streak is a bit of a mirage.

But the Devils, even with a roster that barely resembles the team they thought they would have coming out of training camp, believe in themselves.

Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-LedgerJay Leach, left, scored his first NHL point Sunday against the Lightning.

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The weather on Monday was perfect. Sunny with temperatures in the 70s and low humidity.

The Devils had a day off without practice or commitments, a rare opportunity during the hectic hockey season.

So what did Jay Leach, the Devils' 29-year-old defenseman, do with his free day in south Florida?

"Catch up on my sleep," he said.

Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-LedgerDuring the Devils' current four-game winning streak, Scott Clemmensen is 3-0-0, but there is no indication that makes him the No. 1 goalie.

Certainly the Devils, in an attempt to stay in the playoff hunt, would be trading for a goalie. Maybe Dwayne Roloson. Or Nikolai Khabibulin. Perhaps Olaf Kolzig?

"You don't jump (to) things," Lamoriello said Tuesday as the Devils practiced in preparation for Wednesday's meeting with the Florida Panthers at the BankAtlantic Center. "I looked at what we had in hand and tried to stay focused. I needed to trust the people we had."

Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-LedgerBrian Gionta has put on an offensive explosion recently, along with linemates Dainius Zubrus and Patrik Elias.

Although linemate Dainius Zubrus had no intention of stealing the goal his right winger scored during the Devils' 7-3 victory over the Lightning on Sunday night, Gionta acted insulted when the big center hinted he wasn't sure if he had touched the puck on its way into the net.

That would've given Zubrus five goals in the game, matching Gionta's entire output for the season and breaking the Devils' single-game record.

"I'd like to see the replay," Gionta said, feigning disgust.

Tim Farrell/The Star-LedgerDevils defenseman Mike Mottau was suspended for two games for his elbowing penalty against Islanders forward Frans Nielsen Friday night.

Defenseman Mike Mottau was hit Saturday with a two-game suspension for his elbowing penalty Friday night against Islanders center Frans Nielsen. On the play, Nielsen suffered a serious knee injury when his skate got caught in the ice as he fell backward. The Islanders said Nielsen will be out 8-12 weeks.

Mottau did not make the trip to Tampa, where the Devils will play the Lightning Sunday night, and he will miss Wednesday's game in Sunrise, Fla., against the Florida Panthers. Also not making the trip to Tampa for the Devils was center John Madden, who missed Friday's game with a bruised left ankle.

Bill Kostroun/Associated PressMike Rupp, shown congratulating Kevin Weekes on his 100th career win, replaced John Madden on the line with Jay Pandolfo and David Clarkson.

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The Devils beat the Islanders, 5-2, without center John Madden, who was suffering from a sore foot. Madden had hoped to take the pregame skate, but couldn't.

Coach Brent Sutter used Mike Rupp in Madden's spot between left winger Jay Pandolfo and right winger David Clarkson.

"(I knew) probably a half-hour before warmup," Sutter said. "He's sore. We'll monitor it day to day."

Sutter said he hopes Madden will make the trip to Tampa Saturday.

Box score

Newspaper Articles

Devils show some fire in third straight win

Madden's struggles aren't limited to foot injury

Tallackson returns

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As They Played: live game blog

You Make the Call: rating the tough stuff

Photos

Slideshow

Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-LedgerJohn Madden says he's not where he wants to be right now in terms of how he's playing.

John Madden's foot was sore enough to keep him out of the lineup Friday night against the Islanders at the Prudential Center, but that is not all that has been bothering the Devils' veteran center.

As the Devils battle to keep their heads above water following a rash of injuries to key players, Madden has struggled on the ice recently.

"I'm not happy at all," Madden said. "It's missed assignments out there. Mistakes I rarely make, things that aren't part of my game. I mean, the effort is there. Everybody talks about the little things and for me right now it is little things. They've just got me out of sync right now. It's coming around, but it's not where I want it to be."

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Barry Tallackson got the word during Friday's morning skate that he might play his first NHL game Friday night since undergoing corrective heart surgery in September.

"They just came over and said, 'You might be playing today, so make sure you're prepared,'" he said. "And I'm prepared. I'm ready."

Tallackson was in the lineup against the Islanders, replacing John Madden, who missed the game with a sore foot. The 6-5, 215-pound Tallackson had surgery to correct an irregular heartbeat on Sept. 26 and was skating a few weeks later. He played five games for the Devils' AHL team in Lowell, scoring no points.

Tim Farrell/The Star-LedgerWill Scott Clemmensen get another start Friday against the Islanders?

All Devils goalie Scott Clemmensen ever wanted was a chance, something he was never going to get as Martin Brodeur's backup.

But with Brodeur sidelined until March following surgery on his left biceps, Clemmensen is seizing a rare opportunity.

"I've played games in this league before in the past," Clemmensen said, "but they've been spread out. I knew Marty was going to play for a month ... or two months."

Making his third straight start, Clemmensen stopped 23 shots and weathered a lopsided second period to lead the Devils to a 3-1 victory over the Florida Panthers Thursday night at the Prudential Center.

Tim Farrell/The Star-LedgerPatrik Elias, left, and Brian Gionta celebrate Elias' goal in the second period against the Panthers.

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The Devils appear to have found a line that can take some of the offensive pressure off the Zach Parise and his linemates.

Patrik Elias, Brian Gionta and Dainius Zubrus now have six goals in three games.

"The three of them are playing well," coach Brent Sutter said. "Brian was playing pretty well for a period of time and he wasn't getting rewarded. Now he's getting rewarded."

Gionta has goals in back-to-back games. Elias has four goals in three games. Both scored Thursday night.

Kirby Lee/US PresswirePete DeBoer, above, was Devils coach Brent Sutter's assistant on Canada's 2005 gold medal-winning junior team.

Two years ago Brent Sutter and Pete DeBoer were junior hockey coaches in Canada, high on the lists of several general managers who were eager to give them a shot in the NHL.

Sutter made the jump first, finally accepting Lou Lamoriello's overtures to become head coach of the Devils in July of 2007. DeBoer followed him a year later, agreeing to coach the Florida Panthers this past June.

DeBoer, who had a distinguished seven-year coaching career at Kitchener (OHL), and Sutter, who coached Red Deer (WHL) for eight seasons, faced each other as NHL coaches for the first time Thursday night when the Panthers and Devils met at the Prudential Center.

Aristide Economopoulos/The Star-Ledger'Patrik Elias is still smiling for the Devils despite losing his captaincy to Jamie Langenbrunner.

There is a letter "C" hidden in one of Devils equipment manager Rich Matthews' cabinets just waiting to be sewn onto the front of Zach Parise's jersey.

It won't happen soon, but there are few around the Devils who do not believe the 24-year-old Parise is destined to some day be the club's next captain. He has already emerged as the team's top offensive player and go-to guy.

So where, you might ask, does that leave Patrik Elias, who once wore the "C" and regularly led the Devils in scoring? He was the player everyone expected to score the big goals in the days, dare we say it, before Brent Sutter became head coach.

Aristide Economopoulos/The Star-LedgerRookie Anssi Salmela has been getting time on the Devils' first power-play unit, and coach Brent Sutter has been pleased with the result.

Clearly, the rookie defenseman from Finland is feeling more relaxed and confident 10 games into his NHL career.

"More and more. Game after game I'm feeling better," Salmela confirmed afterward. "Getting ice time helps a lot."

Salmela, signed as a free agent by the Devils back on May 30, has yet to score an NHL goal and he has just one assist. But his hard shot, ability to move the puck and a willingness to take a risk is winning over fans, teammates and, yes, coach Brent Sutter.

Aristide Economopoulos/The Star-LedgerBobby Holik said his hand feels good after the scary injury and subsequent surgery, but he's not yet ready to begin skating again.

Although he knew he was bleeding inside his glove after being struck by an Alex Ovechkin shot Oct. 18 in Washington, Holik said he didn't realize how serious the problem was until a doctor told him Monday as he had the cast removed and pins taken out of the finger.

"When you have a bone coming through your skin, there's a tremendous chance of infection. (The doctor) said if it was any worse, I could've lost a finger," Holik revealed after stopping by the Devils' practice facility at the Prudential Center. "It wasn't just a broken finger. This was an open wound. Infection was a problem, the biggest worry the doctor had."

Andrew Mills/The Star-LedgerScott Clemmensen started this season as minor-league Lowell's No. 1 goalie.

Make no mistake, this is not a personal battle taking place between Scott Clemmensen and Kevin Weekes for the designation as the Devils' No. 1 goalie while Martin Brodeur recovers from biceps-tendon surgery. There is a great deal of respect between the two capable veterans.

But it is also true that the fight for playing time has become very personal for Clemmensen, who entered this season with 28 games of NHL experience and a promise of nothing more than a season in the minors with the Devils' Lowell (AHL) team.

For Clemmensen, the 31-year-old who won his first game of the season Saturday night by stopping Alex Ovechkin and two other Washington Capitals in a shootout, this is a fight for the chance to remain an NHL goalie, whether with the Devils or elsewhere. And he believes he is seizing the opportunity.

Al Bello/Getty ImagesScott Clemmensen stopped Alex Ovechkin in the shootout of the Devils' 6-5 victory.

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Scott Clemmensen was joking, but the Devils' goalie would like to send Capitals sniper Alex Ovechkin a bill for a new mask.

It was Ovechkin who dented Clemmensen's mask with a shot on Feb. 25, 2007, in Washington. He scored the tying goal in that game, which Clemmensen and the Devils eventually won.

Saturday night, Ovechkin did it again.

"In the first period, Ovechkin's wrist shot dented my mask," Clemmensen said. "Again. He's costing this team money. We'll send him a bill. His wrist shot is as hard as some guys' slap shots."

Scott Lituchy/The Star-LedgerScott Clemmensen poke checks the puck away from Boyd Gordon in the shootout to win the game for the Devils.

It was the kind of last-second assault you don't see in the minor leagues. Rarely, in fact, do NHL goaltenders have to deal with the level of panic Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom can create during a flurry around the goal crease with a game hanging in the balance.

So when Ovechkin scored his second goal to tie the game with one second remaining in regulation time, Devils goalie Scott Clemmensen took a quick glance at the clock and then started thinking about overtime and a possible shootout.

"They came out hard and threw the puck at the net and there was a scramble in front," Clemmensen said. "It was a little bit like 5-year-olds playing soccer where everybody had their eye on the puck, crowding around the puck with not much time left on the clock.

Gene J. Puskar/Associated PressZach Parise and Travis Zajac have had reason to celebrate this season.

At this point, they come as a set.

But Devils center Travis Zajac won't take any credit for left winger Zach Parise's early-season success.

"No. Maybe just passing pucks in the morning during the Shot Club," Zajac said, referring to the pre-practice ritual of Parise, Jay Pandolfo, himself and sometimes Jamie Langenbrunner taking the ice early to practice shooting.

"That's it. We work well together, but his success is from hard work and his competitiveness."

Andrew Mills/The Star-LedgerScott Clemmensen started the third period Wednesday against the Rangers after Kevin Weekes was pulled, and he will start Friday against Washington.

"I'll decide. I'm not sure yet. I'll make a decision tomorrow," the coach said after practice Thursday.

Kevin Weekes answered differently.

"Clemmer (Scott Clemmensen)'s playing tomorrow, as far as I know," Weekes said.

Box score

Newspaper articles

Loss stings, but at least no more injuries

Rangers power up for crucial goals

Rangers' Scott Gomez sits out game with ankle injury

Elias deflects most of Sutter's shots

Devils' dressing room embroiled in "iPod Wars"

Pre-game notes: Brodeur's streak ends as Weekes starts vs. Rangers

Post-game notes: Goalie decision looms for Sutter

Photos

Slideshow

Blog Posts

Devils trying to keep their heads up

As They Played: blow-by-blow log of in-game action

You Make the Call: Where do the Devils go now?

With the first of back-to-back games against the Washington Capitals coming Friday night at the Prudential Center, Devils coach Brent Sutter must now decide whether his goalie will be Kevin Weekes or Scott Clemmensen.

"I'll decide (today) what we're going to do," Sutter said. "I'll talk it over with the coaches."

Weekes was pulled after two periods in Wednesday night's loss to the Rangers. He allowed four goals on 25 shots, but two of the goals came during two-man power-play advantages for the Rangers.

Aristide Economopolous/The Star-LedgerPatrik Elias said he challenges himself to play better, and that coach Brent Sutter's criticism is just a coach motivating his players.

Sutter said his team has to score more goals and it is up to the top players to lead the offense.

Elias, one of the Devils' top offensive players, dismissed the criticism Wednesday morning and said it was just a coach trying to motivate his players during tough times.

Kevin Weekes becomes the first Devils goalie other than Martin Brodeur to start a game against the Rangers since Scott Clemmensen on Nov. 5, 2005. Brodeur had started the last 21 regular-season games against the Rangers (9-8-4), along with nine playoff games. So, counting the postseason, that was 30 consecutive starts against the Rangers.

Brodeur, who visited the Devils' practice facility at the Rock on Tuesday, joked that he asked doctors for a favor when he underwent surgery last Thursday to have a torn tendon in his left biceps re-attached.

"I asked them to squeeze it to stop my slice in golf," Brodeur said. "Just a little bit this way. We'll see in June."

There is turmoil in the Devils' dressing room.

Well, not exactly turmoil. Call it the iPod wars.

Dainius Zubrus is usually in charge of the dressing room music before games, filling his iPod with motivational music. But there has been some sniping about his choice of tunes.

"There's not a whole lot of country and, on this team, my stock has gone down because of that," Zubrus said. "But I'm holding my ground. It's called my iPod, and not somebody else's, for a reason. It's my iPod."

They lost back-to-back games over the weekend to the Red Wings and Oilers. And they've lost more than a handful of players to injury. Wednesday night's game against the Rangers at the Prudential Center is the Devils' 15th of the year, but -- even at this early stage of the season -- a case can be made that they stand at a crossroads.

Aristide Economopoulos/The Star-LedgerMartin Brodeur, shown on the Devils bench earlier this season, has reluctantly rediscovered television shows now that he's a full-time spectator waiting for his elbow injury to heal.

But that doesn't mean Brodeur won't be able to help his Devils teammates.

"If anybody needs to know anything about shows on TV ..." Brodeur said with a laugh Tuesday after dropping by the team's practice facility at the Prudential Center to visit teammates.

Andrew Mills/The Star-LedgerDevils goalie Kevin Weekes will be staring down his former team, the Rangers, Wednesday night.

The last time someone other than Martin Brodeur started in goal for the Devils in a game against the Rangers was on Nov. 5, 2005. Scott Clemmensen was the Devils goalie in a 3-2 shootout loss at Madison Square Garden.

The Rangers goalie that night, coincidentally, was Kevin Weekes, who will get the start Wednesday night for the Devils.

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As Devils players continue to fall to injuries, even sitting on the bench isn't safe.

Defenseman Mike Mottau was struck in the right eyebrow when teammate Mike Rupp deflected the puck into the Devils' bench with 7:29 remaining in the first period. Mottau required five stitches and returned to the bench just as the opening period was ending.

"I saw the play through the glass on the rim," Mottau said. "I was behind (Colin White) and ducked back. It hit me and I put my hand down and missed the bench and fell backwards. I was stunned I was on the ground.

"I guess we just have a bad run of injuries right now. It's unfortunate when you're sitting on the bench and can still be in danger. I'm just happy it didn't hit my eye."

Aristide Economopoulos/The Star-LedgerBryce Salvador participated in the pregame warmup against Edmonton but couldn't play.

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Neither Brian Gionta nor Bryce Salvador were able to play Sunday night for the Devils against Edmonton.

Gionta fell awkwardly into the corner boards Saturday night in Detroit. Rookie right winger Patrick Davis was called up from Lowell (AHL) under emergency conditions and made his NHL debut.

Salvador was hit in the back of the left foot by a John Madden shot in Detroit. Although he participated in the pregame warmup, Salvador couldn't play and was replaced by Jay Leach, also recalled from Lowell under emergency conditions.

Dave Sandford/Getty ImagesEx-Devil Brian Rafalski won a Stanley Cup with the Red Wings in June.

DETROIT -- Many NHL players won't admit it is special to face their former teammates for the first time.

Red Wings defenseman Brian Rafalski, who played seven seasons and won two Stanley Cups in New Jersey, was honest about Saturday night's meeting with the Devils at Joe Louis Arena. It was the first game against his former club since he left as a free agent in the summer of 2007.

"It's the first game against the Devils. Obviously I wouldn't be where I am today if I hadn't played in New Jersey," Rafalski said. "So it's a special game, but it would be better to face them in the playoffs."

Bruce Bennett/Getty ImagesEven though he was playing in Lowell, prospect Matt Halischuk was not able to escape the epidemic of injuries that has attacked the Devils.

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DETROIT -- The Devils' rash of injuries this season has spread to their minor-league team. Top prospect Matt Halischuk suffered a right knee injury during Lowell's AHL game in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Friday night and was s