Let's talk some Devils hockey this morning

Johnny was stunned and then distraught that the Devils coach Jacques Lemaire was considering resting players for the playoffs vs. trying to top Pittsburgh for the division crown in this last weekend of the regular seaon. The Devils and the Flightless Birds are dead even. Even Steven. Exact same record. BUT The Devils gave Pittsburgh a red ass beat down every single time they played this year.

The New Jersey Six hold the tie-breaker.

Would you rather face a tough hard nosed Ottawa club in the first round? No, in Johnny's opinion Johnny would want the Bruins in the first round. They have a glass jaw. It's not as famous as the glass jaw worn by the San Jose Sharks but it's there and if the Devils could win the first two at home the B's might just go away. Sure Chara is a beast but the Devils could easily work around that.

The Canadiens in the first round wouldn't be a horrid matchup for the Devils but they do score on the powerplay at a clip that could win a game and send one or two to overtime. Always a good idea to stay away from hot powerplay teams in the tournament. Halak has used his strong Olympic performance as a springboard to much better play in the NHL.

The Flyers have just enough up front to win a game or two. Mike Richards seemingly scores 1 or 2 shorthanded goals a series. Their netminding might as well be that Capital One goat that goes skiing only on skates but their forwards can score. Then there is the Pronger factor. Take it from a lifelong die hard Red Wings fan; Chris Pronger is capable of any evil. The Wings have been playing against Pronger since seemingly the dawn of hockey time. He will and does take cheap shots and is capable of injuring ANY Devils player. Plus, looking at those orange sweaters would make your eyes bleed by game 4.

All of this speculation is out the window if the Devils shut some players down and don't win the division. Excuse me Mr. Lemaire but didn't the core of this team just get a couple weeks off for the Olympic break? Marty Brodeur certainly didn't wear himself out. Patrik Elias didn't play a ton of games either. Parise is the Energizer bunny so he needs no break.

Johnny thinks it'd be a horrible error to rest guys at this point and not spend the energy to win the division. A couple games now could mean 4-5 days off before the second round when you REALLY need to rest guys.