Two rivals will meet for the first game after the All-Star break when the New Jersey Devils host the New York Rangers tonight at the Prudential Center. Tonight’s matchup is the second of six meetings this season. The rivals will meet five times in the next six weeks.

With 66 points, the Rangers head into tonight just one point behind Detroit for the most in the NHL. They have a three point lead over the Philadelphia Flyers for the lead in the Atlantic Division.

The Devils are currently locked in a three-way tie with the Florida Panthers and the Toronto Maple Leafs for the final two playoff spots in the East. They have also lost their last three games. The Devils also lost their first bout with the Rangers this season, 4-1, at the Prudential Center on Dec. 20

Marian Gaborik is returning from the All-Star game on a hot streak after being named MVP and scoring a hat trick, the 16th in All-Star Game history. Two of the three goals were against Rangers’ goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.

“I was just fortunate to be lucky against him,” Gaborik said. “I think he’s one of the best, if not the best, goalie in the league, but I am glad I could get a couple of goals against him.”

Gaborik is the fifth Ranger to claim All-Star MVP honors. He is also leading the New York Rangers with 25 goals.

Find New Jersey Devils tickets for this and all home games at Newark’s Prudential Center.

With the severity of the pain he felt when his back seized up during the pregame warmup on Dec. 16, Devils defenseman Henrik Tallinder thought he might not play again this season.

Here he is now, practicing with the team and hoping to return to the Saturday afternoon lineup against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tallinder has missed 6 games due to his back. Alex Urbom, a rookie defensemen, was sent back to Albany as Coach Pete DeBoer is confident Tallinder will return.

“We wanted to get through a full practice and get a little contact in,” DeBoer said. “I thought he looked good to me. See how he wakes up tomorrow, but he looks good.”

Tallinder almost suffered another injury during practice yesterday when he was hit on the top of the left foot by a Dainius Zubrus shot. Even though his foot is sore, he is still expected to play.

Tallinder wasn’t the only Devil to be injured during practice, Zubrus suffered an injury of his own when he put a shot on net and the puck bounced out and hit him in the mouth. He broke one tooth and will need additional dental work.

“I shot the puck. Moose (Johan Hedberg) made a save and it came back at me. I was still going to the net, so it hit me in the mouth,” Zubrus said. “It chipped one tooth and another was pushed in.”

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The NHL Board of Governors revealed a plan to do away with the current 15-team Eastern and Western conferences and their three sub-divisions. Their plan is to now have four conferences.

This new alignment does have its benefits. It will increase regional rivalries and competition for playoff spots, in addition to decreasing travel time for teams out West. The alignment will also guarantee home-and-home series among all teams.

The new look conferences, which have yet to be named, are as follows:

1. New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Washington Capitals, Carolina Hurricanes
2. Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning
3. Detroit Red Wings, Columbus Blue Jackets, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues, Chicago Blackhawks, Minnesota Wild, Dallas Stars, Winnipeg Jets.
4. Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, Phoenix Coyotes, San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Colorado Avalanche.

Based on statistics, the Rangers, Devils and Islanders are set to do battle in the most difficult of the four new conferences. Since the 2004-05 season, the teams in this new conference have combined to send 27 teams to the playoffs. This is the highest percentage out of all the new conferences. These same teams have also averaged 92.2 points in the standings over that same time period as well, another best out of the new conferences.

With this new alignment, only four out of the seven teams in the conference the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers are in will make the playoffs. This will make the intra-conference rivalries even more intense than they already are!

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Adam Henrique scored game-winning goals in two straight games, becoming the first Devils’ rookie to do this since Patrik Elias in 1997. Henrique was recalled from Albany on Oct. 22nd and has since had four goals in the last 3 Devils’ games.

“The kid has a knack for big goals,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “He’s got the personality where pressure situations don’t seem to faze him.”

With injuries to center Travis Zajac (left Achilles tendon) and Jacob Josefson (broken right clavicle) Henrique was given the opportunity to show exactly why the Devils made him their third-round choice in the 2008 Draft.

Henrique has also proven to be an asset in many other ways. He has blocked 10 shots, delivered nine hits and won 54 of 104 draws (51.9 percent) in 10 games this season.

“I’m comfortable with the position I play and having linemates like Zach is great,” Henrique said. “He can stay down low … he knows what I’m going to do and we fill in for each other. That’s another thing that contributes to our success as a line. We can all play every position, there’s nothing to worry about when we are switched.”

Henrique finished with a team-leading 25 goals and was second with 50 points in 73 games with the Devils’ American Hockey League affiliate in Albany last season. He won back-to-back Memorial Cup titles with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League in 2009 and ’10. Henrique also won a silver medal with Team Canada at the 2010 World Junior Championship.

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It may be early in the season, but the New Jersey Devils have found themselves in a position they do not want to be in. The Devils (2-7-1) are uncharacteristically in the bottom of the NHL, and tonight they will try to end their losing streak against the Anaheim Ducks.

The Devils are in the midst of a three game losing streak, losing their last game 5-2 San Jose Sharks. This is the team’s longest losing streak in 18 months, and they haven’t lost four games in a row since 2009.

In the past 17 years the Devils have won nine Atlantic Division titles and three Stanley Cups while fighting for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately for the Devils, they are currently last in the league in scoring with only 17. With 35 goals allowed, they are also last in the league for that. Last season the Devils were unwilling to give up goals, only allowing 191 goals.

The Ducks have one goal tonight, and that is to beat the Devils in hopes of winning consecutive games for the first time this season. But the Devils will be working hard to stop them in order to escape their losing slump.

The New Jersey Devils will hit the ice against the Ducks at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

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On Thursday night the New Jersey Devils returned to Martin Brodeur’s hometown where the all-star goalie stopped 21 shots to make this his second shutout already this season.

For anyone still doubting Brodeur about his age, this 3-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens sure sent them a clear message. The 38-year-old now has 112 shut outs to his name throughout his entire career, and nine total against the Canadiens.

On Thursday night at the Bell Centre the Devils ended their two-game losing steak, which was broken once again on Saturday night against the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres easily beat the devils 6-1 by scoring early in the game, and continuing to make shots throughout the remaining periods.

The Devils are now tied for last in the Eastern Conference, and it’s about to get a bit more rough on them. Next they are facing six games in a row on the road. First they will face the Rangers just one day after Ilya Kovalchuk is a healthy scratch.

The New Jersey Devils are planning on stepping their game up while on the road, and will being by playing their next game in New York against the Rangers on Sunday, October 24, 2010.

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New Jersey Devils Tickets available for Opening Night. See the Devils faceoff against the Dallas Stars on Friday October 8, 2010.

To celebrate the arrival of the NHL season, the NJ Devils are hosting a Fan Fest prior to the game. Out on Championship Plaza outside of the Prudential Center, fans can participate in a host of activities including face painting, games, foods and even ice skating on the Devils’ synthetic ice rink. Fan Fest begins at 4pm, Friday!

As if that wasn’t exciting enough, at 5:30pm The B Street Band, the ulitmate Bruce Springsteen Tribute band, will be performing live in concert.

Once the festivities are complete outside, the action moves inside the Prudential Center where the much-anticipated season gets underway for the New Jersey Devils. With the retirement of coach Jacques Lemaire, the hiring of Devils’ all-time leading goal-scorer John MacLean as head coach, the commotion over the initial Ilya Kovalchuk contract offer and (as of this writing) a yet to be resolved salary cap problem – there is no doubt the New Jersey Devils are ready to just play some hockey!

The Dallas Stars are not to be taken lightly. Longtime leader Mike Modano has moved on to Detroit but Dallas is now led into this new era by center Brad Richards and goal scorer Loui Eriksson. With captain Brendan Morrow and Steve Ott each possessing a combination of skill and grit, the Stars are looking to get off to a fast start this season.

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The New Jersey Devils have made numerous changes in the off season including losing a head coach to retirement, hiring a new head coach, and signing a contract of high controversy with a new star player.

New Jersey coach Jacques Lemaire stepped down last spring after a disappointing opening round of the playoffs. The seventh seed Philadelphia Flyers beat the Devils in five games, and then went on to compete in the Stanley Cup Finals.

John MacLean will be the new head coach of the Devils, and a lot of people are convinced that he will change their focus. The Devils haven’t had many alterations made to their defensive system recently, which showed during the playoffs. People believe MacLean will be the coach to turn the team’s attention to defense, rather than offense.

And of course Ilya Kovalchuk’s 17-year, $102 million turned 15-year, $100 million contract after being rejected by the NHL for attempting to circumvent the league’s salary cap will create a major change for the Devils. With Kovalchuk and Zach Parise in the left wing they are sure to be a powerhouse, as they are two of the best young players in the NHL. After being fined $3 million and losing two future draft pics, the team sure hopes Kovalchuk will help them become a serious candidate to enter the Stanley Cup Playoffs

The New Jersey Devils will host their next game against the Dallas Stars on Friday, October 8, 2010.

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All eyes will be focused on Ilya Kovalchuk for at least the beginning of this hockey season due to his controversial 15-year, $100 million contract that he landed with the New Jersey Devils. Adding him to the roster was not an easy task, but after all of the contract complications in the off-season Kovalchuk finally received his chance to show the New Jersey Devils that it was all worth it. And Kovalchuk did not disappoint.

On Tuesday night he helped the Devils beat the Philadelphia Flyers in a 3-2 preseason victory. It was late in the third period, and the score was 2-1 Flyers when Kovalchuk drew a penalty on Ben Holmstrom. Just 55 seconds after the penalty took effect, Travis Zajac scored the tying goal for New Jersey. After that, Kovalchuk made the Devils happy when he scored a the final rising shot over goalie Brian Boucher.

The Devils showed much discipline this game as they only committed two minor penalties. Martin Brodeur stopped 26 of 28 shots, including many tough saves. Overall the Devils started off slow, but showed improvement as the game went on.

After this game the Flyers fell to 3-1-1 while the Devils are 1-0-3 in the preseason. The New Jersey Devils will play their next preseason game on Friday, October 1, 2010 against the New York Islanders.

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After reworking the contract, and months of controversy regarding Ilya Kovalchuk’s 17-year, $102 million deal with the New Jersey Devils, the NHL finally approved the new contract earlier this month. Unfortunately for the Devils, the league did not let them off easy for attempting to circumvent the NHL’s salary cap.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman provided the devils with a penalty by fining them $3 million, and taking away two future draft picks. The draft picks the Devils lost includes a third-rounder for next year, and a first-rounder that they can choose sometime over the next four years.

The punishment justly comes from the $102 million contract that the Devils extended to three-time All-Star. The league rejected the contract due to the violation of the team payroll limits. On September 3, the NHL approved a new contract that the Devils made with Kovalchuk. The new contract is a much more reasonable 15-year, $100 million deal.

The president of the Devils, Lou Lamoriello completely disagreed with Bettman’s decision to punish the team, and he insists that they did nothing wrong.

Regardless of all the contract drama, the New Jersey Devils will play their first preseason game on Tuesday, September, 21 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia against their rivals, the Flyers.

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After first being rejected in mid-July, and then being reworked, the NHL has finally accepted Ilya Kovalchuk’s 15-year, $100 million deal with New Jersey Devils. Early Saturday morning the NHL and its players’ association agreed that Kovalchuk’s contract with the Devils would be accepted by the league.

The contract was originally dismissed by the league due to the fact that they thought it intentionally circumvented the salary cap. After the contract was reworked, and the NHL took careful look at it, the league finally approved it early Saturday morning.

The original rejected contract would have extended through until he was 44. Kovalchuk’s new contract will now be in effect past his 36th birthday when it will be accounted differently under the salary cap of the NHL.

The new contract closes the loophole in the collective bargaining agreement which allows teams in the NHL to pay a player more money up front when the player is usually a better asset to the team, and when the player is likely to have retired the team would then pay the player less

Two months after becoming the most sought-after free agent of the NHL, Kovalchuk has finally officially been signed to New Jersey. The New Jersey Devils will play their first preseason game at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania against the Flyers.

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Ilya Kovalchuk’s arbitration hearing over the validity of his 17-year, $102 million contract with the New Jersey Devils will begin on Wednesday in Boston. Kovalchuk is expected to attend the hearing, which will will continue on to Thursday. A decision is not expected to be reached until Monday.

Since Kovalchuk will be attending the hearing, it is likely that he will be called to testify. Others who may be called to testify include Kovalchuk’s agent Jay Grossman, and officials from both the NHL and the Devils.

The hearing is being held to determine whether or not the NHL was correct when they rejected the contract that Kovalchuk signed with the devils last month, or if the contract does not comply with the collective bargaining agreement.

If Richard Bloch, the arbitrator chosen for this hearing, decides to stick with the NHL’s decision in rejecting the contract, Kovalchuk will then become a unrestricted free agent, and the Devils may be fined. However, if Bloch does in fact rule in favor of the contact, it will then be authorized by the league.

The New Jersey Devils will play their first preseason game against the Flyers on Tuesday, September 21, 2010 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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Not long after the New Jersey Devils and Ilya Kovalchuk agreed to an astounding 17-year, $102 million contract, the NHL rejected the deal. Just one day after agreeing to the longest contract in the history of the NHL, the league dealt a shameful blow to the Devils and Kovalchuk.

The NHL said the contract was used as a way to get around the salary cap for the league. The NHL sent the contract back to the Devils, where general manager Lou Lamoriello will have to rework the contract in order to satisfy the NHL and Kovalchuk all over again.

In the NHL, teams will pay a player more money up front when the player is usually a better asset to the team, and when the player is likely to have retired the team would then pay the player less. The Devils took advantage of this, as the majority of Kovalchuk’s contract would have been paid during the first 10 years of his 17-year long contract.

They would pay him $95 million during the first ten years, and during his last six seasons he would have been paid less than $1 million. The issue for the NHL was that the contract was formulated to where Kovalchuk’s cap would have been brought down to just $6 million a season for the devils.

The New Jersey Devils will play their first preseason game at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia against the Flyers on Tuesday, September 21, 2010.

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The New Jersey Devils announced that they have hired a new head coach. The new head coach of the franchise is John MacLean, the all time leading goal scorer for the Devils. MacLean was the player who scored the game winning goal that entered the Devils into the playoffs for their first time. He was also on the team when they won their first Stanley Cup in 1995.

The hiring of MacLean came after Lou Lamoriello, the Devils’ general manager decided he was not ready to make any alterations to the current defensive system, even though they have been struggling in the playoffs. For example, since 2003 when the Devils won their last Stanley Cup they have only been successful in winning two playoff series. That’s where the hiring of MacLean comes into play, as he knows a great deal about the system. He will replace Jacques Lemaire who coached New Jersey for one season before his unexpected retirement.

MacLean has played 18 season in the National Hockey League. He scored 347 goals for the Devils, and a total of 413 with the Sharks, Rangers, Stars, and Devils combined before retiring after the 2001-2002 season. John MacLean has been teammates with multiple current Devils players including Martin Brodeur, Brian Rolston, Partrik Elias, and two others.

The New Jersey Devils have high hopes that MacLean will help the Devils after three first-round playoff exits. Get your New Jersey Devils tickets from Select A Ticket now!

When the New Jersey Devils won Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres they also earned the number two playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. The game was tied with three seconds left in regulation and Jamie Langenbrunner took a pass from Zach Parise. Langenbrunner then turned that pass into the game winning goal.

In order for the Sabres to have attained the number two seed they needed to win this game in regulation time. Since this was the case, they wanted an extra skater on the ice to increase their chances of scoring a goal. They pulled Patick Lalime, their goalie, with 10 seconds to go, but that plan fell flat when Langenbrunner scored on an empty net in the last few seconds of the game.

The NHL’s most winningest goalie, Martin Brodeur stopped 22 shots, but it only took one goal for him to earn his fifth William M. Jennings Trophy for fewest goals allowed. In fact this season New Jersey only gave up 191 goals this season, which is an NHL low.

The New Jersey Devils will face the seventh-seed Philadelphia Flyers in the first round of the playoffs. The Flyers are New Jersey’s long time rivals, and have beat them in five out of six games during this season.

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