The New Jersey Devils are apparently making use of the extra day off before tomorrow's game against the New York Rangers as they were/are scheduled to practice this afternoon. Here are some Devils related notes as they prepare for Game 3.
- Jacob Josefson is reportedly skating today and has over the past few days, which is a good sign as he continues to recover from his fractured wrist. I can't say for certain, but I imagine if things continue to go well that he could be ready for Game 6 or 7. Whether he would play or not remains to be seen, but it would nice for Pete DeBoer to at least have the option.
- Henrik Tallinder has also skated over the last few days and is practicing today for the first time since his blood clot was discovered. It's worth noting that Devils President and General Manager, Lou Lamoriello, hasn't ruled out a return this season. Lamoriello all but said Tallinder wouldn't play at any point this season a month or so ago so this is certainly good news. He apparently still has some hurdles to jump but he is making good progress. Like with Josefson, my time frame could be off but I don't expect him to return until the Stanley Cup Final, if at all, and the Devils still have to get there.
- I've been asked many times about my prediction for tomorrow's game so I decided I'd post it in today's blog so everyone can find it. My prediction: Devils win 3-1. They've carried play throughout the series and the Rangers look drained so I'm going with them. I think the home crowd should only help the Devils. Second change helps, too.
- If Pete DeBoer leaves the Zach Parise, Travis Zajac, Ilya Kovalchuk line together, I think home ice will really benefit them. Pete DeBoer will have second change tomorrow and Monday so he'll have a much easier time getting them away from the Ryan McDonagh, Dan Girardi pairing. That can not be underestimated.
- A couple people have asked me if I think the Devils can compete with the Los Angeles Kings, if they can beat the Rangers, and I think they can for several reasons. I'll touch on them more if the Devils actually do advance to the Cup final. In the meantime, I'll leave you with this stat: The Kings are the 6th team in NHL history to go 11-1 in their first 12 playoff games. Only two teams went on to win the Cup.
- My beloved New York Mets, who I will be going to see Sunday when they take on the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre, tweeted out several pictures of their players wearing NHL jerseys. Here is a picture of Andres Torres, who happens to be wearing a Devils jersey, and Johan Santana sporting a Minnesota Wild jersey.
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