New Jersey Devils on a Tear: What Changed?

Without their All-Star goalie, Martin Brodeur, the New Jersey Devils had been struggling to stay afloat. Losing five of their first six games without him, the Devils were frantically searching for a way to save their season before it got too far away from them; and if possible, remain in playoff contention until the return of their number one goaltender.

Four consecutive wins later, it seems the Devils have found the answer.

Scoring 21 goals in their last four games, the Devils are back on track. While they've given up an average of three goals per game since Brodeur's exit during the Thrashers game, their offense has come alive to grab four straight wins.

So what's changed? Just look at the stats.

Dainius Zubrus—Four goals against Tampa Bay—anytime a player is hot like that, the team is in for a treat. Zubrus powered the Devils to a 7-3 win over Tampa with four of the team's seven goals.

It's nice to see that Zubrus can still play at the level he used to in Washington. It would be fantastic for the Devils if he can continue this level of production.

Mike Rupp—One goal against Tampa Bay—the first goal is always an important one, and Mike Rupp finally got his. Deflecting a shot from Anssi Salmela through the legs of Tampa Bay goaltender Olaf Kolzig, Rupp scored the early goal against the Lightning.

Helping to fill in for an injured John Madden, Rupp is plus-1 in the last five games. Not bad for someone who normally plays on the fourth line. His physical presence and ability to control pucks down low, along with Zubrus, is very important to the small Devils offense.

Patrik Elias—Three assists against Tampa Bay—arguably the most unappreciated Devil these days, Elias has been said to be having a slow start (I being one of the people who has said it).

However, he is proving all the non-believers wrong these days. Elias is on pace for a mid-30 goal season. He has 20 points so far this season, 11 of which have come in the past five games. Elias seems to be doing just fine, and hopefully will do even better once Brian Rolston returns to the lineup.

Brian Gionta—One goal against Tampa Bay—after losing Gomez and Rafalski, Gionta's niche in the Devil's offense seemed to have disappeared. However, the 5'7" forward is now on a four-game goal streak, and has eight of his 17 points this season in the last five games. It's good to see "Gio" contributing again. It'll be huge if he can continue, and maybe even improve when Rolston returns.

Jamie Langenbrunner—Many slow games and bad penalties later, the captain seems to finally have his game back.

His presence has been felt much more on the ice and the scoreboard, recently, than in the penalty box. With 11 points this season, 5 coming in the last 5 games, Langenbrunner seems to be back on track. As a leader and representative of this team, it is important that he continues to stay out of the box and put points on the board.

Travis Zajac—Although Zajac seemed to have a slow start, and often struggled to put the puck in the net, he's actually doing quite well.

With three goals and 11 assists, he is on pace for a 50 point season, not to mention that he has had four points in the last five games. Yes, he's failed to find the back of the net, and we all know he's had his share of chances, but he's getting the job done in other ways.

Scott Clemmensen—With a .909 save percentage and a 2.60 goals against average, Clemmensen seems to have found his game. Not bad for a back-up.

When interviewed, he says he is playing differently now, not trying to play perfect, but trying to play more like a starter. Well he's doing just that. Now on a three-game winning streak, Clemmensen has been outplaying Weekes for the top spot in New Jersey. However as a back-up, his test will be his consistency. Hopefully he can maintain or even raise his level of play as the season progresses.

5-on-5 Play—With a 1.64 goals for/goals against ratio, the New Jersey Devils rank No. 1 in the NHL in 5-on-5 play. Not bad for a team without their top goaltender and what seemed to be a drowning offense.

Don't get too excited. The best part of the Devils success is that everyone seems to be chipping in. It's no longer the Zach Parise show in New Jersey. However, we can't overlook the issues with the Devils, because they are far from a perfect team at the moment. While they may be on a hot streak at the moment, the Devils could burn out if they don't address the following issues.

Kevin Weekes—With a .903 save percentage and a 2.87 goals against average, Weekes is being outplayed for the top spot in New Jersey. What is even worse is that Weekes was once a starter. New Jersey needs Weekes to start playing like a starting goaltender again, if the Devils are to continue their success down the road.

Power Play—With a 14.1% success rate, the Devils rank 28th in the league on the power play. Yes, it is more difficult without the shot of Brian Rolston quarterbacking the PP on the blue line, but that is no excuse. The Devils have to start cashing in on man-advantages if they want to continue to win games.

Penalty Kill—With a 75.6% success rate, the Devils rank 27th in the league on the penalty kill. Is it harder without Brodeur in goal, absolutely, but the Weekes/Clemmensen tandem is getting little help as they're bombarded with shot after shot from the point on the penalty kill. The Devils have to stay out of the box and start helping out more on the penalty kill if they want to be in the position to win games.

In the end, the Devil's goal for the next few months is simple: win games and get healthy.

If they want any shot of making the playoffs, they will have to win enough games to keep the team in contention for Brodeur's return in the hope that Brodeur will be able to play at his usual level quickly.

They also need to get some names off their injured list. With a seemingly ever growing list, John Madden being the last victim, the Devils need their players to return and contribute; Rolston in particular. Hopefully their offensive streak will continue and Weekes/Clemmensen can help them steal some games.