Consider this to be your heads up for the talking point for the next few days. Ilya Kovalchuk is out of the lineup for tonight’s game against the Buffalo Sabres as a healthy scratch. Head coach John MacLean wants to give him a night off to think about things.
So far this season, Kovalchuk has two goals and three assists and is tied for the team lead in points with Jason Arnott. In the last two games, Kovalchuk has not registered a point and is a -2. Through the Devils’ first seven games, Kovalchuk has not had a point in four of them, so scoring is coming in bunches when it does happen.
For just about any player in the league getting a night off to clear your head wouldn’t be a big deal. When it’s Ilya Kovalchuk getting the night off, he of the newly signed 15-year $100 million contract, that is a huge deal and with the Devils struggling early on, makes for a big source of worry amongst fans.