As I watch Barry Melrose constantly praise the consistency of Marty Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils this season, I still feel as if I'm the only one who feels concern that they have only put three winning steaks of two games or more since a month before the Olympic break. Still, I am not surprised that they still manage to hold on to the Atlantic Division lead through win totals (Pittsburgh also has 91 points) and also have a game in hand. Though the lack of big win streaks has concerned me over the past two months, seeing the powerplay finally come back into top form three nights ago against Columbus in a 6-3 thrashing at The Rock did show some promise in the offense with nine games remaining in the regular season.
Zach Parise continues to emulate the gem of a hockey player he is with another two goals and an assist against Columbus, leading the team with 73 points this season. Superstar Ilya Kovalchuk is finally showing promise as well with a goal and three assists, totally seventeen points in the sixteen games he has played with the Devils this season. And as always, Martin Brodeur continues to break his own records game after game as the numbers keep piling up, now only three wins shy of 600 for his career.
Looking into Saturday's game, the Devils look to answer back after being 16 second from winning Thursday's matchup against the Rangers, who collected a pivotal two points in their quest for a playoff berth, not just three shy of Boston for the eight spot. The Habs now sit in the sixth spot in the East and and looking for a stream of continued consistency, winning seven of their last ten games. The Devils are looking as always to capitalize on early chances, which has led to their many of their 43 wins this season. If Kovalchuk and Parise, who have dominated the first line offense since Kovalchuk's acquisition a month ago, can put in one or two before the first break, consider at least a point for the Devs, since Marty always shows up to play in his hometown.
Bottom line, the Devils need to win about six of their final nine games to take the Atlantic Division from Pittsburgh, who are currently tied for first with 91 points. Last season, an inconsistent finish to the regular season saw the Devils bounced in the first round in their most shocking exit from the playoffs ever to the Carolina Hurricanes. If New Jersey continue to play in solid form until Mid April, we all know that Kovalchuk will only be here a few more months, so a Cup run would seem to be the only way send him out properly.
Across the Atlantic to the East Coast of Spain, The Catalans of FC Barcelona will travel to Mallorca this weekend to try and claim another three points in the La Liga table. Lionel Messi, who has been playing out of his mind the past few weeks (two hat tricks in a row and a total of eight goals in the last four games) will look to continue his white hot form and Swedish superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic will also attempt to find a line of consistency after scoring in last Wednesday's win against Osasuna. Ibrahimovic, who had been under fire from the front office for his lack of productivity the past several weeks, showed fine form throughout the match and will look for improvement tomorrow. Manager Pep Guardiola will also return to the sidelines after serving a one match suspension the previous game. With the highly anticipated El Clasico match against football and political rival Real Madrid approaching in a few weeks, one loss in the table could cost either team the league, who have been deadlocked for almost the entire season.
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