SUNRISE, Fla. — The topics were Brain Rolston’s wicked point shot, the one goalies simply don’t see, and the sanity of teammates standing even closer to the point of origin, creating traffic.
“It was my first year in the NHL, with Hartford, and our first game against the Bruins,” said Mark Howe, perhaps the best eligible not yet in the Hall of Fame.
“We were killing a penalty and I was on defense, and I saw [an on-ice terror, and off-ice prince] coming at me. I figured, ‘Uh, oh, I’m going to get it now.’ He grabs me with both hands on the front of my jersey, says, ‘Come with me, kid,’ and starts pulling me away from the net. Just then, Brad Park’s slap shot goes whistling past my ear.
“About 10 seconds later, here he comes again. ‘Same drill, kid. Let’s go,’ he says, and pulls me out of there again, just as Park slams another one where my head was. ‘Learn anything?’ he said,” Howe recalled.
The Devils believe they need traffic in front to score the power play goals even more vital to their success this season. It is dangerous work, however.
“There’s plenty of traffic, especially if we get the shot from the top of the circle or the point. A screen is nice,” Rolston said.
“But I should be able to beat the goalie clean. That’s how I feel about it.”
David Clarkson has been one of those on the unit with Rolston, in the line of fire.
“One of the hardest shots I’ve ever seen,” Clarkson said. “You have to make sure you’re paying attention, because if you take your eyes off him, you could get hurt pretty badly. Some people could say, ‘Holy cow, that guy standing there must be crazy.’ But that’s my job.”
The Devils have scored three power play goals in three games this season, including one in Thursday’s 4-3 shootout triumph in Tampa, their first victory of the season. They will try to keep alive their streak of connecting on the power play in each game when they visit the Panthers here tonight.
Jacques Lemaire used to make traffic in front of the Canadiens’ opponents, and he says the Devils need it, too. But he also admits the danger such duty entails, especially with Rolston’s cannon.
“It’s scary, and they don’t have goalie masks,” Lemaire said.
Rolston scored a power play goal on a blast from atop the left circle in the season opener. Travis Zajac completed Clarkson’s startling pass in the loss to the Rangers Monday and Zach Parise connected in-close Thursday. They are 3-for-13, 23 percent, a rate they will take all year.
Tonight, the annual goaltending conundrum resumes. This would seem a place to give Yann Danis his Devils debut, yet the Devils want to keep Martin Brodeur as hot as he was Thursday, especially after his two weak outings to start the season. And they will want to present their best chance for victory to climb back to .500. So it’s back with Brodeur, heroic in the second period Thursday, when the Devils endured the second-highest single-period shot-against total in team history, 25. He allowed just one goal in that period, and gave his team a chance for victory.
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Last year’s hero, Scott Clemmensen has been away from the Panthers in Iowa, attending to family matters, and is expected back here today, but not expected to play. . . . The Devils visit the Capitals Monday to complete three-game road trip. . . . Andy Greene made his season debut Thursday and kept alive a difficult puck in the right circle, swatting it towards the front where Zajac rammed in the overtime-forcing goal with 0.9 seconds left and Brodeur on the bench in favor of a sixth skater. . . . Clarkson skated with Rod Pelley and Ilkka Pikkarainen yesterday, with Brian Rolston moving into that slot alongside Rob Niedermayer and Jay Pandolfo.