Notes on tonight's Devils-Ducks game
1. Newark is buzzing over the return of Scott Niedermayer, an important cog in the Devils' run to the Stanley Cup in 1995, 2000 and 2003. So much so, in fact, that the Newark Star-Ledger ponders whether Niedermayer would become a Devil again before he retires. Asked about the possibility of being reunited with brother Rob, should the Ducks continue to struggle, Niedermayer told the paper "I think it's a possibility," Niedermayer said of being traded by the Ducks at some point this season. "Last year we were kind of a in a situation where we were teetering and there was some talk and rumors. You start to think about it."
2. Multiple reporters at today's morning skate report that Devils winger Brian Rolston, who has four goals, seven points, and a mysterious injury/illness, will not play.
3. History is conflicted on tonight's outcome. The Devils have won five straight overall but haven't beaten the Ducks in a regular-season game since 2002-03. On the other hand, the Ducks have won only twice in 11 visits to New Jersey, though one of those came in their last visit, a 2-1 win on Feb. 8, 2008. Check out the Devils' Web site for more stats and subplots.
About J.P.
J.P. Hoornstra has been covering the Anaheim Ducks since 2007. Eight months after the University of Wisconsin won its third NCAA hockey championship, he was born in a frigid Madison winter. He betrayed his blue-blooded beginnings by graduating from UCLA in 2003, and welcomes any and all dialogue on the finer points of hockey.
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