Game Day Preview: Jets @ Devils

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When: Saturday, November 5, 2011

Time: 6:00 p.m. CST

Where: Prudential Center, in downtown Newark, NJ

Records: Winnipeg (5-6-1), New Jersey (5-5-1)

Television/Radio: CBC, MSG Plus 2, TSN Radio 1290,

The Story:   It feels somewhat wrong that IC’s Ezra Ginsburg isn’t doing today’s Jets/Devils preview as New Jersey became his team when the Jets left town.  However he and the rest of the IC Radio crew will be in Newark tonight to watch his formerly favorite Devils take on the Jets.

This is hall of fame to be goalie Martin Brodeur’s second straight start after injuring his shoulder which forced him out for 6 games.  He played against the Leafs on Thursday where he gave up 5 goals on 23 shots.  This loss tied him with Curtis Joseph and Gump Worsley for most career losses (352) by a goalie.  The team overall has won just once in the last four games and are certainly expecting better as they kick off this 3 game home stand beginning with the Jets this evening.

The Jets are riding their first winning streak (2 games) of the season after beating the Panthers and the Islanders.  In fact they have won 3 of 4 on the road in what is going to be the longest road trip of the season.  Readers of Illegal Curve didn’t expect the team to have this much success as the overwhelming number (38%) predicted the team would finish the trip with 3 wins and 4 losses.

Game Line (courtesy of Ken Wiebe @ Wpg Sun):

Jets:

Alex Burmistrov-Blake Wheeler-Evander Kane
Andrew Ladd-Bryan Little-Kyle Wellwood
Tanner Glass-Jim Slater-Chris Thorburn
Ben Maxwell-Tim Stapleton-Kenndal McCardle

Paul Postma-Dustin Byfuglien
Brett Festerling-Zach Bogosian
Johnny Oduya-Mark Flood

Ondrej Pavelec
Peter Mannino

Devils:

David Clarkson-Zach Parise-Adam Henrique
Petr Sykora-Patrik Elias-Dainus Zubrus
Nick Palmieri–Ryan Carter-Mattias Tedenby
Rod-Pelley-Brad Mills-Cam Janssen

Bryce Salvador-Adam Larsson
Henrik Tallinder-Mark Fayne
Anton Volchenkov-Mark Fraser

Martin Brodeur
Johan Hedberg

Numbers this season:

Injury Report:

Devils:  Ilya Kovalchuk – Lower body (day-to-day).  Eric Boulton – sore hand (game time decision).  Travis Zajac – torn achilles (injured reserve).  Jacob Josefson – broken right clavicle (injured reserve).  Andy Greene – lower body (day-to-day).

Jets:  Randy Jones – bruised right ankle (day-to-day).  Tobias Enstrom – broken collar bone (injured reserve). Chris Mason – groin (injured reserve).  Ron Hainsey – upper body (injured reserve).  Mark Stuart – undisclosed injury (day-to-day).  Derek Meech (injured reserve). Eric Fehr -shoulder (mid-November).

Notes….The last time a team from Winnipeg played an NHL game in New Jersey was December 29th, 1995 a game that saw the Jets beat the Devils 5-3.  Not surprisingly, Martin Brodeur, the goalie who has defined the Devils for almost two decades was in-between the pipes on the night the Jets beat the Devils on that December evening in Jersey.