INSIDE HOCKEY

The Devils are going through a rough patch at home as of late.  They are currently 1-4-0 at home. 

Even with that dismal record, they are starting to prove that they are a better team when they play on the road.  With a 5-0-0 road record, fans are starting to become more thankful when the Devils go on the road rather than be happy when they are at home. 

When fans start to think that the Devils only win on the road, the ticket sales at Prudential Center start to drop.  Wednesday night, the Devils sold only 14,182 tickets.  The numbers are down by over 3,000 tickets to have a regular soldout night.

That kind of attendance is not a good thing.  Even the players want to ensure a win at home for their fans.  But a continuous loss record at home has fans starting to lose faith in a home win.  Just check out the tweets from Devils fans on Twitter.  They are more excited about a road game than a home game.

“The teams we played here were good teams,” coach Jacques Lemaire said of the Devils loss record at home.  “I’m looking at the effort overall.  We need to make better effort.”

“This isn’t the way we want to start,” Jamie Langenbrunner said.  “We’ve obviously played well on road trips.  We’ve got to play well to get decent points.”

On Wednesday night, the fans beliefs this season started to ring true when the Sabres delivered another blow at home to the Devils with a 4-1 win.

The first period got off to a nasty start for the Devils.  Clarke MacArthur got the Sabres onto the scoreboard early with a goal at 1:21, followed by Tyler Kennedy at 6:00.

In the middle stanza, the Devils man advantage from a hooking penalty from Paul “Goose” Gaustad at 4:17, landed them a goal from an unlikely source.  Defenseman Andy Greene delivered his first goal of the season and the only goal of the game for the Devils.

In the final period, the Devils sunk further behind at 9:25 when Gaustad netted the Sabres third goal of the game with the help of Matt Ellis and Steve Montador.

At 11:01, Jason Pominville knocked Martin Brodeur right off his skates which flipped him through the air, right onto his back.  While a 2-on-2 fight started to develop in the Devils zone from the incident, the game continued on down into the Sabres zone before the play was even stopped.  Pominville was called for goaltender interference, awarding a power play to the Devils that went without a goal.

Just a few seconds following the end of Pominville’s penalty, Gaustad headed to the penalty box for high-sticking Zach Parise at 13:05.  But a bench penalty for too many men on the ice cut another fruitless Devils power play short.

The bad penalties continued as Devils’ Nicklas Bergfors headed to the penalty box for high-sticking at 17:04.  Seventeen seconds later, Pominville tallied the fourth goal of the game, helping the Sabres go 1-4 on the power play.

The Devils hit the road again tonight as they play against the Bruins in Boston.  With their ongoing flawless road record, the Devils look to delivering another win.

“If we don’t play well on the road,” Martin Brodeur said after the game. “It’s an issue.”

Yann Danis is expected to be in net tonight for the Devils with Tim Thomas in net for the Boston Bruins.

The Injuries Begin

Mike Mottau returned to the lineup on Wednesday night after suffering a hip injury delivered by Sean Avery last Thursday.  He is still not 100%.

Jay Pandolfo and Paul Martin are both out 4-6 weeks with injuries.  Martin has a broken left arm.  Pandolfo is out with a shoulder injury.

Patrik Elias has returned to skating on the ice after undergoing groin surgery last month.  There is no current time frame as to when he will return to the Devils lineup.

Trick-or-treat for UNICEF Campaign

Very few fans are aware of this, but Patrik Elias is a UNICEF Ambassador.  Elias has been the Czech Republic's Good Will Ambassador for UNICEF since 2006.  On his website, he says:

"One of the reasons I decided to accept an offer to become a UNICEF Good Will Ambassador was my illness that nearly prevented me from continuing in my career as a top sportsman. I really identified with the UNICEF vaccination program, which helps poor children all over the world fight against infectious disease. I am looking forward to cooperating with UNICEF and being able to help these children."

In 2008, he and his wife, Petra, traveled to Belize to see firsthand how UNICEF works on the ground level.

On Wednesday night, the New Jersey Devils and UNICEF teamed together for UNICEF's annual Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign in connection with "Mystery Puck" night.  The funds raised from Wednesday night go to benefit the "victims of the recent natural disasters in the Asia Pacific Region."

"I'm proud to be part of a team that supports the life-saving work of UNICEF," Elias said in a press release.  "UNICEF does whatever it takes to save children's lives - from collecting coins through Trick-or-Treat, to quickly and efficiently responding to emergency situations around the world-emergencies man made or natural."

For more information on UNICEF and how to donate or become part of their efforts, please visit: http://www.unicef.org/