Down 3-1 late in the third period against the Toronto Maple Leafs, New Jersey stormed back and exploited the Maple Leafs’ newly revamped Swiss cheese defense. Ilya Kovalchuk played well and he came as advertised, one of the most exciting players in the NHL.

Kovalchuk’s speed, great vision and puck handling skills drew a lot of attention from the Devils’ faithful. Not since Scott Gomez that the Devils had a player that can move the puck quickly through the neutral zone. The only difference is Gomez tends to lose the puck often when he gets to the neutral zone and his salary takes up more cap space than Kovalchuk. And we are witnessing why Lou Lamoriello was going to use his cap space wisely than overspend to resign players in the past when opportunities like acquiring someone like Kovalchuk’s stature come around. Moreover, he is an exciting marquee player and wants to win now.

Our condolences:

Driving home last night and listening to NHL Home Ice, I listened and learned the death of Brendan Burke, the son of Maple Leafs’ GM Brian Burke. It really makes you think how precious life is and as the family mourns, we, as fans, are there to support.

Here are more links and Kovalchuk reaction from my colleagues at Hockey Primetime.

Atlanta tries to move on without Kovalchuk
By Brett Friedlander

Devils react to Kovalchuk’s arrival
By Denis Gorman

Devils win Kovalchuk sweepstakes
By J.P. Hoornstra

The big showdown at MSG

Devils and Rangers are ready to rumble for an Atlantic Division showdown tonight at MSG. This rivalry is always heated and one of the best rivalries in all of sports. You can technically call this a “Subway Summit”. Will Devils fans show up in huge numbers tonight?

Here is a video from the last meeting at MSG:

Join us for the March 3rd “Live” Trade Deadline Show.
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E-mail: sampwoo@hockeyprimetime.com