Sean Avery didn't have such a great night on Wednesday. I'm sure he's wondering now, "Where is the love?" Just a few months ago, Rangers fans were chanting his name as if he were a god. Now, he's met with jeers from both Rangers and Devils fans who cheer only when he falls or has a massive hit laid on him.

He's the type of player that you love when he's on your team and hate when he's not on your team. Well, maybe that's the case for the fans, because his teammates aren't saying they have any love for him at all. Just ask his former teammates who have been very outspoken these past few days on how much they don't like Avery. Of course, I had to ask one of his current teammates about his classic fashion advice he is notorious for giving his teammates and one nameless Stars player said, "He tries to give advice, but we don't listen to him." The look that followed definitely implied that they really could care less for "The Pest."

If it wasn't for the legion of Devils fans taking note every time Avery touched the ice, I probably would have never noticed him. Sure, he has a mouth on him and every player speaks of the smack talk coming from him on the ice, but as far as his hockey performance goes, he is practically invisible. He registered one lone shot on goal, which was subsequently stopped by Martin Brodeur. So far this season he has registered only two assists.

If it's his mouth that is the only effective performance that the Stars could get out of Avery, then they really paid too much to lure him away from re-signing with the New York Rangers where he was more productive. After all, there is no Page Six in Dallas to really boost his popularity.

While my money is always on David Clarkson to start a tiff with Sean Avery, because really...how many times do we have to hear the 'minor-league' insults (just recently he used the same insult on Steve Valiquette of the New York Rangers), it ends up Avery was the one who started the tiff with Clarkson. Not just once, but twice Avery tried to start something with Clarkson, but when Clarkson reacted, Avery brushed him off. In the first instance, Clarkson was penalized for interference as Avery tried to skate away from him. "I went out there and tried to fight him," Clarkson said. "Nothing happened. He skated by and said something not worth mentioning."

In the second instance during the third period, Avery had attempted to rattle Clarkson again (and perhaps draw another penalty). "He said something to me," Clarkson told the press after the game. "That's why I dropped my stuff." When asked why he didn't just go ahead and swing the first punch, he commented that he was not a cheap-shot. If Avery didn't want to fight, then he wasn't going to throw the first punch.

Avery has refused to speak to the press in New Jersey. He has told them flat out, "No." After Wednesday night's game, many members of the press awaited his emergence from the dressing room, but he refused to come out and talk to the press.

The Devils were sitting nicely on home ice as they heard their legion of fans jeering nemesis numero uno (i.e. "The Pest") and taking another two points as they blanked the Dallas Stars 5-0. The Stars, on the other hand, had difficulties throughout the night gaining and keeping control of the puck.

Even though the Devils had registered a goal within 1:59 of regulation from Jamie Langenbrunner, the Stars were not able to register a shot on goal within the first half of the period.

In the second stanza, John Madden put the Dallas goaltender Marty Turco to shame as he found a soft spot behind Turco and registered a goal at 9:05 and then again at 10:17. Madden was 2-2 on shots on goal. This marked his 19th career two-goal game.
After Madden's triumph, Turco was pulled and replaced by Tobias Stephan. Turco had allowed three goals on 15 shots during the game.

In the final period, Zach Parise continued the scoring with a goal at 9:49. Less then a minute later, Clarkson had a triple play of sorts. He had just landed a hit on a Stars player, hopped over another, and then sailed the puck towards the goal to record the final goal of the game at 10:42.

"We're playing one of the most disciplined teams in the league," Mike Modano said of the loss. "You give them two or three and that's pretty much it."

"It's the way they play," Turco said after the game. "It's stifling. That's the way we like to play."

"It's pretty tough to win a hockey game with six goals," Brenden Morrow replied to the press. "[It's] too much pressure. [We're] not thinking the right thing. No visualization. We need to be smart."

Dallas heads to Long Island to play the New York Islanders Thursday night. The Devils host the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday.

SIDE NOTES

Patrik Elias recorded his first two assists of the season during the Washington Capitals game on Saturday. He now holds sole possession of the New Jersey Devils' all-time list. With the first assist, he passed Scott Niedermayer's record.

Bobby Holik and Brian Rolston are out of the line-up with injuries. Holik had surgery on his broken pinky and will be out the next three to four weeks. Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond was called up under emergency conditions to replace Holik.

Leblond recorded his first point assisting on Clarkson's goal. Rolston's return is undetermined as he suffers from a sprained ankle. Petr Vrana was called up to replace Rolston. Vrana scored his first goal in his first NHL game on Saturday, making him the 13th player in team history to score a goal in their debut. Zach Parise and Mike Rupp were the last two current Devils to score a goal in their debut.