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The Devils are back in action Tuesday night when they take on their biggest rival in the New York Rangers.
After a quick start New Jersey has cooled off, while the Rangers are starting to heat up after a slow start to their season.
New Jersey's lineup has remained essentially the same throughout their first five games, but it appears some changes could be made prior to Tuesday's game.
Some notes:
- The 4th line has struggled mightily through five games, and as such Pete DeBoer looks prepared to alter the lineup.
After an impressive showing against the Sharks it looks like Damien Brunner has played his way into the lineup. The problem is that appears to have come at the expense of Tuomo Ruutu, who has played relatively well considering the linemates he's had.
I'm all for getting Brunner into the lineup - he brings an element of speed and more skill to the team - but I'd be in favor of him coming in for someone who has struggled such as Jordin Tootoo rather than Ruutu, who's been the best player on the 4th line thus far.
Brunner over Ruutu could be an upgrade. But Brunner over Tootoo would be much more of one, and a 4th line of Ruutu - Gionta/Josefson - Brunner could really give the Devils a competitive advantage against other 4th lines.
- I like the fact the Devils are giving their young defensemen a chance to prove themselves, but I haven't been thrilled with what I've seen from the pairing of Jon Merrill and Eric Gelinas thus far.
They've combined for four points (two assists each) in five games and have been the Devils' worst possession pairing, despite facing modest competition and starting approximately 60% of their shifts in the offensive zone, which leads the team.
A five-game sample size is too small to reach drastic conclusions, and the possibility remains for them to get accustomed to each other and start playing better. That said, the early returns haven't been too impressive.
If they don't start playing better DeBoer will need to split them up.
Note: interestingly enough, Merrill is paired with Adam Larsson in practice while Eric Gelinas looks to be the odd man out.
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