The New Jersey Devils host another afternoon game on a Sunday, this time to the hapless Ottawa Senators. Today is a bit special as it is the Annual Devils Coat Drive. Bring a new or a gently used coat to The Rock. You'll get to keep someone warm while we sit in the stands and hope the Devils get hot again with another win.
Additionally, with respect to this site, let me know what you think about how the Devils should promote themselves or some other task to improve attendance. I expect the attendance today to be pretty good since it's on a Sunday evening with not much to compete with in the area.
Anyway, the Senators are definitely poor this season - that much has not changed from the last Devils-Senators game. A game which was excellent for us, as the Devils dropped 5 on the then-stingiest team in the league. Since then, Ottawa has given up a ton of goals (24) and has put together a record of 2-4-0 to bring up their total road record to 4-12-2. The Senators sit only 3 points ahead of the New York Islanders with an overall record of 13-18-5. With respect to today's game, it doesn't help Ottawa that they are playing on the road right after losing last night to Toronto. Thanks to the 2009 World Junior Championships, they're in the middle of an 8 game roadtrip. This is their sixth game on the road, and they've only won once so far (3-2 to Edmonton). Needless to say, this team isn't good, they are likely tired and unhappy, and the Devils should be able to succeed with what they did against Ottawa on December 19.
And why not? They were looking good, feeling good against Montreal on Friday, a superior team to Ottawa. I don't expect the Devils to take the Senators lightly. But since I'm a fan and I'm not facing Ottawa myself, I'm not really concerned with the Senators unless they play way above their current levels and the Devils aren't able to finish offensive chances, defend, or some combination of both. With respect to the lineup, expect who you saw wearing Devils red against Montreal to be wearing Devils red today. According to Gulitti, Dainius Zubrus will play, Colin White will not. Fair enough. As far as who is starting in net, I don't know. I'll know, well, when they announce the starters at the Rock. While I would love to see Kevin Weekes, do not be surprised if it's Scott Clemmensen. He isn't just playing well in net, but he's showing that he can take on a Brodeur-ian workload. But it doesn't matter who is in net, as long as they stop the Senators' shots and help get the Devils two points today.
If you need more of a preview, someone at the AP got something to the NHL.com staff who has this one up right now. If you're going to The Rock, bring a coat! If not, feel free to discuss the game here. Just keep it clean, keep it relevant, and keep it Jersey.