Devils Without Elias

Another MLK Day Matinee at the Coliseum. Another 1/2 day of work for me! Much to the dismay of my employer.

So Patrick "Watch me pull a goal out of my a$$" Elias will not be in today's line-up as he was taken off the ice on a stretcher during their Saturday game against the Avalanche. Elias is only one of the Devils' weapons for winning, but I will look for any advantage I can find.

The Devils are standing at 15 points ahead of the Islanders, but oddly it says their power play percentage is 19.6% while the Isles are at 15.9%. I would have expected a much higher discrepancy. Additionally, the PK doesn't have that big of a spread either at the Devils' 82.6 to the Isles 76.4.

This may not end up being a test of special teams. This will be a five on five contest and who has the best wall in the net. Should Brodeur get the start today, then on one side of the ice will be arguably the greatest goaltender to ever live. However, in all the years playing against the NY Islanders, Marty Brodeur has one weakness: Get in his head EARLY and you own him.

Yep, he is not infallible against the Islanders. I'm not saying Jon Sim should pull a Sean Avery or anything like that, but a little yapping, a little snow shower, a quick goal will certainly give the Islanders an advantage for the day.

And the Islanders can use any advantage they can get.