NBCSN continues its coverage of the 2013-14 campaign tonight when the New Jersey Devils host the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Prudential Center at 7:30 p.m. ET. In addition to NBCSN, you can also watch the game online.
New Jersey defeated the Boston Bruins in dramatic fashion on Saturday, scoring two power-play goals in the final two minutes of play to earn a 4-3 victory. Come-from-behind wins can be a big morale booster, but that victory will look awfully hollow if it doesn’t mark the beginning of a winning streak.
“I think we’re cautiously optimistic,” Devils coach Pete DeBoer told the Bergen Record. “The message is we’re doing more and more right every week. I really believe that and I think it’s starting to show and result in some wins and some points.”
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Beating the Tampa Bay Lightning won’t be a simple task though. They entered the 2013-14 campaign with a lot of question marks, but have managed to exceed expectations in this early stage of the season.
“We probably have the quietest 8-3 record in the league and we like it that way,” Steven Stamkos said, according to the Lightning’s website.
A big part of their early success has been goalie Ben Bishop. He might not be regarded as one of the best netminders in the league, but he’s brought stability to their goaltending situation after years of uncertainty. Then of course there’s the Lightning’s core group of forwards.
Stamkos is one of the greatest players in the game today and he’s back by the reigning Art Ross Trophy-winner Martin St. Louis. Valtteri Filppula has also been a key contributor early on after inking a hefty five-year, $25 million contract over the summer.
With Cory Schneider still sidelined, that trio will be a significant challenge for Martin Brodeur. The 41-year-old future Hall of Famer has shown his age in recent years and hasn’t even posted a save percentage of .900 or higher in a single game this season. On the flip side, Schneider’s injury has provided Brodeur with an opportunity to get back into a rhythm and perhaps he’ll respond positively to that.
The Devils certainly need to hope so because comebacks like the one they had on Saturday don’t come around all that often. If the 2-5-4 Devils want to turn their season around, they need to start winning some games outright.