Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images

The New Jersey Devils have begun to show their true skill, going 7-2-1 in their last 10, the Devils will be tough playoff contenders.

The Devils currently sit 6th place within the Eastern Conference with a point total of 65. In five of their last six games the team has won, beating the likes of Atlantic Division rivals the Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers and Eastern Conference leading New York Rangers twice. Last night the Devils lost in overtime to Western Conference St. Louis Blues who are currently in 4th place.

The Devils of old, with the names of Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer, Ken Daneyko and a younger netminder Martin Brodeur were known for their defensive play style. Head Coach Jacques Lemaire, with his defense first mentality and neutral zone trap style, lead the team to their first Stanley Cup Championship in 1994-1995. Lemaire moved on and the team eventually won another Stanley Cup in 1999-2000 and most recently in 2002-2003 under the late Pat Burns.

Today however, of those four divisional foe wins, the Devils outscored their competition 16 to 9. In a “new” league that is built upon speed, the Devils are showing good signs.

The team is led by a superstar cast, both young and old. Captain Zach Parise is coming off of a knee injury that took him out for the majority of last season. This year he has picked up where he left off, totaling 47 point in 53 games played. Thirty-five year old veteran Patrik Elias is on pace for 81 points this season. Last time he hit that mark was in the 2003-2004 NHL season. If that is not enough firepower up front for you, don’t forget superstar Ilya Kovalchuk. Kovalchuk came to the Devils two seasons ago at a monstrous contract. Most fans felt it was insane, turning into a NBA team who signs one star and has no supporting cast. Well, the Devils proved fans wrong and Kovalchuk has been solid. To date, he has 50 points in 48 games played and a team high 191 shots on goal. Also, he now has a Gordie Howe Hat Trick to add to his resume.

The saying, “defense wins championships” comes to mind for any team to be considered a playoff contender. In the middle of the pack when it comes to goals against, the team still has some defensive firepower in Adam Larrson and Kurtis Foster, but more importantly, the team has Martin Brodeur as goalie. Brodeur is getting older, 39 to be exact, but is a veteran and don’t you forget that. Typically starting 70+ games in a season, this year he has seen a lighter load. Currently started 35 games, backup netminder Johan Hedberg has seen 19 starts. Sure it may not seem like much for a backup, but sitting the iron-man Brodeur any amount will pay dividends come playoffs where he normally is spent.

You don’t have to take my word for it, wait and see, but the New Jersey Devils are going to be one heck of a playoff contender this season. A team that can put the puck in the net, a veteran netminder and a solid defensive core all around, the Devils are going far.

Neal will join teammates Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang as representatives for the Pittsburgh Penguins at the festivities this weekend in Ottawa, which kick off this Thursday at 8 p.m. with the NHL All-Star Fantasy Draft and continues Saturday night with the Skills Competitionand the All-Star Game on Sunday afternoon.

This will be the first All-Star appearance for the 24-year-old Neal, who was traded from Dallas to Pittsburgh last season. However, this will be Neal’s second appearance at the NHL All-Star Weekend as he played in the YoungStars Game in 2009 in Montreal.  

Neal should have been on the roster from the get-go thanks to a season that will certainly end with personal bests in nearly every stat category. With 27 goals on the season, Neal has already tied his personal best in goals and will likely surpass his personal best in assists and total points within the next month. He currently ranks second on the Penguins in points, behind only Evgeni Malkin, and ranks 13^th in the league in points with 47 and third in the league in goals.   

It will be interesting to see if All-Star captains Daniel Alfredsson or Zdeno Chara attempt to draft both Malkin and Neal in order to give their team a competitive advantage by having two players on a line together who already have chemistry.

Shanahan explained in a three minute video and in the video he hits on several points:

• While Ovechkin had Michalek lined up for an ideal body check, Ovechkin’s feet left the ice.
• It violates Rule 42 on Charging, when a player skates into or jumps into an opponent in any manner.
• While Ovechkin aimed for shoulder-shoulder contact, because he launched himself into Michalek, the point of contact now became Ovechkin driving his shoulder into the head area of Michalek.
• While Ovechkin wasn’t filed as a “Repeat Offender” under the rule, Shanahan did note that Ovechkin has been fined twice and suspended twice during his six-season NHL career.
• No penalty was called, and Michalek did not miss any playing time.

In my opinion, I believe the suspension was justified. This is something that has been on the books in the lower levels of hockey for several years. Under the USA Hockey Standard of Play and Rule Emphasis, the hit could have been penalized under Interference because Michalek was no longer in possession or control of the puck. If Ovechkin would have slowed down or even made a hard left turn to avoid playing the body and skated towards the puck, he would have saved himself some money as well as helping his team by appearing in the team’s next three games.

When it’s all said and done, his suspension without pay will cost Ovechkin $154,677.75. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund. Wrapped around this weekend’s All-Star Game, Ovechkin will miss today’s home contest versus Boston and next week’s Florida swing when Washington will travel to Sunrise, Fla. and Tampa to play the Panthers and Lightning, respectively. He will become eligible to play Feb. 4 on the road in Montreal.

AP Photo/Brian Blanco

Pittsburgh Penguins’ center Evgeni Malkin shows a little love to Penguins’ fans after he scores against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the third period to put his team up by one. Malkin continued his dominance as he scored two more goals in the period to complete his hat trick. Malkin ended the night with 3 goals and 2 assist for 5 points out of the 6 goals scored by the Penguins. The Penguins beat the Lightning 6 – 3.

On a different note, is that Brooks Orpik’s twin brother in the baby blue Pens jersey?

The Penguins entered the season with one of the best teams on paper. Evgeni Malkin, James Neal, Kris Letang, Marc-Andre Fleury and team Captain and leader Sidney Crosby. Well, they still look good on paper, and even good on the ice, yet injuries have hit the team hard. To date, Jordan Staal sustained a knee injury and will be out 4-6 weeks. Kris Letang has been diagnosed with a concussion and his return date is unknown. And Sidney Crosby is out indefinitely with concussion-like symptoms. Will the injuries ever stop?

The team has faced such adversity before as last season the team went without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin for lengthy period of time. The team responded to the pressure, ending second in their division and fourth place overall within the Eastern Conference with a 106 point count. This season however, the team seems to be folding under the pressure.

Defenseman Brent Orpik, a voice of the locker room emphasizes the team’s need for accountability. ”The accountability in this room has to be a lot better. We aren’t reacting to adversity very well right now. You can’t feel sorry for yourselves.”

The team will look to rebound in the coming month of January but with a tough schedule ahead of them. The month brings games against unexpectedly good Florida Panthers, St. Louis Blues and the Toronto Maple Leafs; all teams who are currently in playoff spots. Surprisingly “easier” match-ups will be against the struggling Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes and the still undecided Washington Capitals.

If the Penguins end this month out of a playoff spot, the long climb back might be too much for this team to handle.

Take a look at Duchene’s through the legs highlight reel goal below, and let us know what you think. Does it deserve to be a goal of the year candidate?

“We are not waiting for an epiphany to make a decision,” Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. “He’s progressing. He’s going down that road. I’ll reiterate to you again, there is not a timetable or a date right now that we know and you don’t. He’s continuing to practice with the team. He got back out there (on the ice) after the weekend, and he’ll to continue to practice with the team this week.”

The Penguins are in the midst of a five-day break before playing back-to-back games this weekend at home against Dallas on Friday and on the road at Carolina on Saturday. Many believed that this break would give Crosby time to practice with the team, take a few good hits and see how he responds. And for the first time since his concussions in January, Crosby isn’t fully ruling out a possible return.

“That’s a possibility,” Crosby told NHL.com when asked he would suite up this weekend against Dallas. “Everyone else’s guesses are as good as mine.”

Crosby flat-out stated he would not play last weekend in the team’s road games against San Jose and Los Angeles, so at least he is leaving the option open to dress this weekend.

After playing back-to-back this Friday and Saturday, the Penguins enjoy another short break before hosting the Avalanche at home on Tuesday. The team then basically plays every other night with road games against Tampa Bay (11/17) and the Panthers (11/19) on the docket for next week.

The Penguins have been red-hot this season, starting off with a 9-3-3 record – good enough for first place in the Eastern Conference. Their stellar play affords the Penguins the opportunity to be patient with Crosby and not rush his return. And when he does return, it gives the team the opportunity to ease him back into the fold by limiting his ice time or sitting him out a game here or there. Even if Crosby plays in Dallas on Friday, it’s highly unlikely he will play again in Carolina on Saturday.

Still, for your Fantasy owners, keep an eye on this situation over the next few days. It appears as if Crosby’s return is imminent and you don’t want to miss the chance to have him in your lineup. Even if he doesn’t play this weekend, a good bet is that he hits the ice sometime next week for sure.

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The first round will begin on Friday, June 22. Rounds two through seven will be hosted the day after.

The entry Draft has turned into quite an event with the NHL Network in the States covering the event. Analysts, hosts and the like all chip in on who will be drafted first, why a team should pick Player A over Player B, and so forth. Interviews with the shell shocked rookies are always nice to see also. A nice reminder that hockey players are the best and most down to earth athletes around.

Ray Shero, Penguins GM had this to say about the event.

“What you are going to see here are future star players. You’re going to see broadcasters, general managers, and scouts.” Shero said. “It’s also a great day for the fans. They can see the next up-and-coming players and interact with a lot of different people.”

Shero also noted.

“There will be over 350 scouts in attendance and these guys work over 363 days a year over these two days, so it’s a very important time for the scouting staffs around the NHL.”

To this day I have yet to see an Entry Draft, but, it is definitely on my bucket list. Maybe once the Detroit Red Wings finally get a new arena, cross your fingers that day comes sometime soon, they can play hosts. If so, I’m definitely getting tickets.

Any readers attended an Entry Draft it be nice to hear about your experience. Feel free to send pictures to eb@hockeyworldblog.com and I’ll post them.

Key Offseason Losses: Max Talbot, Michael Rupp, Alex Kovalev

Last Season Ranking: 4^th in the East

Offense: The Penguins showed resiliency last year despite an injury-riddled season and it appears as if the team will start the season shorthanded again without center Sidney Crosby. However, many forget that Evgeni Malkin was plagued with injuries last year finally resulting in knee surgery that ended his season in February. The good news is that Malkin looks strong and healthy and appears eager for the upcoming season. And the Penguins will need him.

Without their heavyweights, the Penguins still managed to finish 4^th in the East but experienced an early playoff exit without heavy firepower. This season, the team will look to Malkin to lead the charge, but he’ll get help from healthy teammates in Jordan Staal, who played in just 42 games, and Chris Kunitz, who could have posted career-best numbers had he not been limited to 66 games. If Kunitz can continue where he left off, he will be a huge asset to the Penguins this season.

Tyler Kennedy had a career year last season and showed how much depth the Penguins have on offense. A healthy Kennedy is an asset to this club and they will look for Kennedy to continue moving forward with his play and become a vital component to this team’s success.

Two forwards to watch this year will be Mark Letestu and newcomer Steve Sullivan. Letestu, who will be playing his second full year in the NHL, will have a chance to prove himself as an NHL forward and an asset to the team’s offense if he can reach the 40-50 point range. Sullivan, an NHL veteran, is questionable thanks to his long history of injuries. If he can play 75 games or more, Sullivan could post good numbers in the 50-60 point range. However, Sullivan has only played in 60 or more games twice in the last seven years.

The Penguins showed last season they have depth, but their long-term succes hinges largely on Crosby and Malkin’s offensive output. Look for Malkin to shoulder a big portion of the offense until Crosby returns.

Defense: Last season, the Penguins finished with an average of 2.39 goals against per game – good for 7^th best in the NHL. The Penguins play a good all-around game and back check effectively, something that will be to their advantage again this season. And as with the team’s offense, a healthy blue line makes the Penguins even better.

Paul Mara proved to be a solid addition and performed up to par with expectations. He provides steady coverage in the defensive zone and if he can get back up to the 30-40 range this season, it will only benefit the team.

Perhaps the biggest surprise last year was Kris Letang, who had a breakout season offensively and contributed 50 points and was plus-15. Letang will be looked upon to provide more of the same this season and see if 50+ can be a new norm for the young defender or just a fluke.

Ben Lovejoy responded to increased playing time with 17 points in 47 games and a plus-11 rating. Keep an eye on Lovejoy as he continues to get more playing time and will look to expand on last season’s success.

Goaltending: The Penguins have a solid tandem in goal headlined by Marc-Andre Fleury, who posted some of the best stats of his career last season and emerged as one of the best goalies in the NHL. A good start to the season will go a long way, but Fleury is mentally tough and technically strong. There isn’t much more to say besides the fact that Fleury, who posted a 2.32 goals against average last season, is a top-end netminder and the undisputed number one in Pittsburgh.

Behind Fleury is backup netminder Brent Johnson. This is the type of backup that every team covets – a steady goalie who makes the saves he’s supposed to make when he’s supposed to make them. Johnson had some consistency issues last season, but more often than not when Johnson gets the call, he’s ready to go and puts in a solid effort.

HWB Playoff Prediction: Playoff bound.