Is This Rock Bottom For the Devils?

Newsmakers in the NHL is a weekday morning attempt to clear yesterday's rebounds and look to the day ahead.

Penguins 6, Devils 1: Every time the camera's caught a glimpse of Brent Sutter during New Jersey's 6-1 loss in Pittsburgh, the Devils head coach was glaring at players, officials, and, well, anybody that dared to enter his line of vision.

Following the second period, his frustration appeared to reach a boiling point as he had a somewhat heated exchange with the referees at center ice, resulting in him taking a two-minute penalty for abuse of an official. The Devils have now lost six in a row, and it's difficult to imagine things getting much worse on the ice.

New Jersey had a similar stretch a year ago, dropping five in a row in late March before being eliminated in the opening round of the postseason. On the plus side, New Jersey's next four games are against teams currently out of the playoff picture, so at least the Devils have that going for them.

Meanwhile, the Penguins received goals from six different players, including former Devil Bill Guerin, as the veteran netted his 20th goal of the season. The Penguins now have six players with at least 20 goals.

Evgeni Malkin added to his league-leading point total with his 34th goal of the season.

Blackhawks 3, Blues 1: St. Louis dropped an important game in Chicago, 3-1, missing out on an opportunity to jump ahead of two teams in the Western Conference standings. Samuel Pahlsson scored his first goal as member of the Blackhawks in the win, while Nikolai Khabibulin was two seconds away from recording his second shutout of the season.

The Rest Of Wednesday's Action

-- Mike Green scored two goals -- giving him 30 on the season -- in Washington's 5-3 win against the Islanders. Alex Ovechkin scored his league-leading 54th goal of the season in the win.

-- The Sabres pick up a point, but lose in overtime to the Atlanta Thrashers. Thomas Vanek scored both goals for Buffalo, while Ilya Kovalchuk scored the winner in overtime, his 41st goal of the season.

-- The Flyers lose in Toronto, 3-2, as Ian White scores what proves to be the game-winner for the Maple Leafs.

-- Phoenix and Colorado ... well, somebody had to win.

Daily Rebounds

-- A Boston Bruins fan decides to walk up the down escalator following the Bruins 3-1 win over Tampa Bay on Tuesday night. Hilarity ensues. [Universal Hub]

-- Terry Frei takes a look at the struggles of the Colorado Avalanche [ESPN]

-- The Toronto Maple Leafs have been disciplined by the NHL for how they handled the contract of Jonas Frogren. [TSN]

Thursday's Key Games

-- Rangers vs. Hurricanes: Playoff spots are on the line when New York visits Carolina. The Hurricanes are one of the hottest teams in the NHL, having won six in a row. Carolina has allowed more than two goals only once during its current winning streak. The Rangers are attempting to string together consecutive wins for the first time since the middle of March.

-- Ducks vs. Canucks: Two of the hottest teams out west face off in Vancouver, as the Ducks enter play having won seven of eight, while Vancouver has taken over the top spot in the Northwest Division.

-- Blues vs. Red Wings: After losing in Chicago on Wednesday, St. Louis has another tough road test against a Central Division rival when it travels to Hockeytown to take on the Red Wings.

Is This Rock Bottom For the Devils? originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Thu, 02 Apr 2009 01:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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