This one matters to the Devils’ coach. A former policeman just across the river from Ottawa, Pat Burns is taking aim at the Senators that never seem to stay down for long.
“They’re a team we really want,” Burns said. “The last time, they embarrassed us. So we’re going to have some motivation.”
Revenge goes round-and-round with these two teams. When Ottawa visits the Devils tomorrow, Burns will be looking to avenge Jan. 13’s 4-0 loss to the Senators. Ottawa found a grain of solace in that victory, since the Sens – last year’s Presidents’ Trophy winners – were ousted from the playoffs by New Jersey.
The Sens were spanked by their Northeast leading rival Maple Leafs Saturday, and Burns fears the Devils will bear the brunt of Ottawa’s rebound.
“The next game is tough. We always seem to get teams who have been beaten by someone and they come in and beat us,” said Burns, whose squad will also face the familiar hex of playing their first game back from a 2-1 road trip.
The Devils trail the Senators in the standings by one point with a game in hand, and if the playoffs opened tomorrow, these two teams would be meeting in a blockbuster first round.
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The old Rangers did it with the Goal-a-Game Line. The Devils’ starless philosophy probably prefers Goal-a-Line games.
They nearly achieved that balance in Saturday’s 4-1 victory in St. Louis, receiving scoring from each of their top three trios.
“That’s the way we play,” Burns said. “It’s good for us when we can put four lines out there and attack with all four lines and not overtax one.”
Brian Gionta (twice), Sergei Brylin and Patrik Elias provided the offense that is often lacking, and it seems the return of Jamie Langenbrunner from knee arthroscopy helped re-balance the offense.
While Langenbrunner notched his first point since Nov. 25 when Sergei Brylin tipped in his second-period shot for the game-winning goal Saturday, Burns remains cautious about the vital cog who was absent since Nov. 28 until Thursday’s loss in Detroit.
“It’s going to take some time. He’s going to hit the [proverbial] wall. We know that,” Burns said.
Since his return, Langenbrunner has skated with Brylin and Jeff Friesen, instead of with John Madden and Jay Pandolfo.
