NHL

DEVILS MUST NOT FREEZE AT HOME

It’s just one loss, but that’s how the Devils’ NY-NY nine-game no-no opened. Now they must beware nothing snowballs downhill during this stretch of 15-of-18 in Newark that has already started to stink.

They stand 0-1 in that 18-game segment that should solidify a third straight Atlantic Division title, and if they start 0-2 by losing to the Panthers in Newark tonight, the doubts and worries will begin. They’d also be in danger of losing a share of the division lead they’ve held since Dec. 7.

Brent Sutter wasn’t just talking about staying on top yesterday. He says a bad homestand could sink them to the cellar.

“We have to win home games, no doubt about it. If we don’t win some home games here, we’ll find ourselves at the bottom of the pack,” Sutter said.

Common Hockey Wisdom, to which Sutter subscribes, states that teams excel by playing .500 on the road and making hay at home. This then, would be the Devils’ chance, not only to win the division, but catch Ottawa for the conference crown.

The Devils’ lost the first game of this stretch, 3-1 to the Islanders Wednesday in Newark, leaving them winless in nine this season against the Rangers and Isles. It also snapped their five-game home winning streak, losing for the second time in 12 in their new arena and first time in 2008.

Still, Sutter said there are pitfalls to avoid at home, where they own a 13-6 record.

“To me, it’s not stuff around [the rink]. It’s the complacency away from the rink that you’re always worried about,” Sutter said. “You want to make sure the guys stay focused.

If they falter, so does their season. “It is an unusual run of games at home. That’s part of my responsibility as the coach, to not let [complacency] creep in,” Sutter said. “You have enough experience there. Guys have been through it. For this long a period? I don’t know if the Devils have ever had [a homestand] this long, just as they never had nine straight games on the road at the start of the season.

“We’ve had some scenarios thrown at us this year because of our new building, and it’s something we’re all proud of, so you deal with it.”

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Martin Brodeur has turned over his spot as the goalies’ voice to the players’ competition committee to Dallas’ Marty Turco. Brodeur said his input was not as effective as he’d want, and that the committee was not goalie-oriented. . . . John Madden (ankle cut), Jay Pandolfo (abdominal sprain) and Cam Janssen (shoulder surgery) all skated in practice yersterday, but are not expected to play tonight.

mark.everson@nypost.com