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Devils' Buzzword: Change

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By CARTER GADDIS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 4, 2007

TAMPA - During his 1 1/2 -year stay with the New Jersey Devils, Lightning defenseman Brad Lukowich came to appreciate the power of monotony.

'It takes a special breed of player to play in New Jersey,' said Lukowich, who returned to Tampa Bay as a free agent this summer. 'You've got to be able to accept that when you're given a role, that is your role. You play within it and that's it. Don't extend yourself. It's a well-run machine. It runs a certain way. Things are done the same way day in, day out. It gets repetitive, but you know what? It feels good to be repeating wins over and over again.'

Winning is, in fact, the bottom line in New Jersey, where CEO-President Lou Lamoriello has engineered a playoff team in 17 of his 19 seasons at the helm. Corporate consistency - and the consistent presence of goalie Martin Brodeur - have been the hallmarks.

This, however, is a season of change: a new arena, a new coach, even a new style of play.

When asked Wednesday what is different about the Devils since they defeated the Lightning in a first-round Eastern Conference playoff series last season, left wing Patrik Elias couldn't help but smirk.

'The whole coaching staff,' he said, 'and about six guys are different.'

Brent Sutter - the fourth Sutter brother to become an NHL head coach - was hired to replace Lamoriello as coach. He inherited a team that lost All-Star defender Brian Rafalski and playmaker Scott Gomez through free agency.

His team has a well-deserved reputation for using that 'special breed,' as Lukowich put it, to create as stiff a defensive wall as could be found anywhere in the NHL.

Defense still will be a priority, but the trap the Devils have relied upon for years might not be as much in evidence.

'I think our style is going to be a little more puck pursuit, a little more pressure, more aggressive,' Elias said. 'I like it. It's up-tempo and keeps you in the game a lot.'

In theory, that style should help scorers like Elias, Brian Gionta and Zach Parise improve their production. It could also create a greater test of Brodeur's skills, although that shouldn't faze a nine-time All-Star who is six victories shy of 500.

'I come into this Lightning locker room and the young guys are saying, 'I want to score a goal on Marty. Where's he weak?'' Lukowich said. 'I played with him a year and a half, and I still can't find that weak spot.'

Today's season opener against Tampa Bay is the first of nine consecutive road games the Devils will play as they await the finishing touches on their new arena in Newark, N.J. They're the third team in NHL history to start with nine consecutive road games; neither the 1980-81 Quebec Nordiques nor the 1999-2000 Carolina Hurricanes made the playoffs those years.

'I think it doesn't really matter, because the first 10 games, a lot of the teams are finding their games,' Elias said. 'It's not that big of an advantage to having home games the first few games. And we would have to play these games, anyway.'

Reporter Carter Gaddis can be reached at (813) 259-8291 or igaddis@tampatrib.com.

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