| Scott Essman. 29th February, 2008 - 7:19 pm
 It took the Devils the better part of the season to top the closely competitive Eastern Conference in the NHL, but they are at last back in the first position. How is this possible after their slow start? Undoubtedly, it's due to their tenacious defense and one unbelievable goaltender.
The Devils started the season with disappointing results. October was their worst month by far when they were 4-6-1. In November, they were improved at 9-4-1, and December saw them nearly match that with a record of 8-4-1.
In January, they were a decent if not conference-leading 7-5. But in crunch time now, with one game left in February, they are 9-2-2 this month. That's good enough for an overall record of 37-21-6. They have notched 21 home wins which ties them with the dominant Detroit and Dallas for most home victories in the league.
What is responsible for the recent surge putting them tops in the East with 18 games left? Surely, the answer has a name: Martin Brodeur. With the Devils' slow start, there was much talk that he was finally losing some range and flexibility at the age of 35. Early on, Brodeur was certainly off the pace of his amazing career goals-against-average which currently sits at 2.20. However, this goaltender, arguably the best to ever play the position, now boasts an unthinkable GAA of 2.14 this season. He's actually LOWERED his GAA by his play in 2007-2008, if that is to be believed. Of note, the only goalies with lower GAA's this year are the superhuman duo on the Detroit Red Wings, the NHL's strongest team: Dominik Hasek (2.07) and Chris Osgood (2.10).
A close look at the Devils' offensive roster reveals no big stars or scorers. Their top point man is 23-year old left winger Zach Parise with 25 goals and 30 assists. Certainly not bad and he's a comer, but Parise is not nearly the scoring threat of the NHL's best; he currently ranks 40th in the NHL in total points. Other Devils have equally unimpressive stats: they feature no other 20-goal scorer and have no other 50-point man (two are in the 40s and four are in the 30s in points). What does all of this mean? Simply that Brodeur and the Devils' punishing defense have almost singlehandedly vaulted the team to the top.
Of course, the Devils are not guaranteed anything at this point. Three teams are within three points of their conference leading 80 points, and eight total teams are within 10 points of them. What's more, 10 of their remaining games are on the road, eight of those against hungry Eastern teams. But Brodeur just might be equal to the task. He's playing better than ever and, with the playoffs nearing, might just be warming up. Without question, everyone should beware. |
