Devils kick off season at home vs. Islanders

Hockey Betting Lines

10/10/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Last year, New Jersey didn't have a home game until October 27, but the Devils will begin their 2008-09 schedule at the Prudential Center as they welcome the New York Islanders to Newark for an Atlantic Division battle.

The Devils went 25-14-2 on home ice in 2007-08, the inaugural season at the building affectionately known as "The Rock". The Islanders were just 17-20-4 as the visiting team a year ago.

In recent years New Jersey has gone from perennial Stanley Cup contender to a mere participant in the annual postseason. The Devils rode goaltender Martin Brodeur to an 11th straight playoff appearance in 2007-08, but were promptly ousted in the opening round by the hated New York Rangers.

Sensing the downturn, Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello decided to bring back a few familiar faces via this summer's free-agent market.

Firstly, Lamoriello signed centerman Brian Rolston to a four-year, $20 million deal, bringing the 35-year-old Michigan native back to the club that selected him in the first round of the 1991 draft. Rolston played parts of five seasons in New Jersey and won a Stanley Cup title with the team in 1995.

The Devils also brought back centerman Bobby Holik on a one-year basis. Holik spent 10 seasons in New Jersey and won two Cups with the Devils before departing for free agency after the 2001-02 campaign.

Brodeur won the fourth Vezina Trophy of his career in 2007-08, and is back for another busy season between the pipes.

Prior to last season, the Devils hinted that Brodeur's workload would decrease somewhat with the arrival of backup netminder Kevin Weekes, but that wasn't the case at all. Instead, the 36-year-old started 77 games, marking the 10th straight season that Brodeur played 70 or more games.

The Islanders were in the hunt for a playoff spot for a large portion of the 2007-08 season. While that was surprising, it would be downright shocking if this year's edition of the Isles could stay in the race past December.

General manager Garth Snow committed his team to a rebuilding phase late last season and that decision ultimately led to the "differences" that caused head coach Ted Nolan to be fired in the summer.

After a lengthy search, Snow found a coach more in line with the new strategy by hiring Scott Gordon, who will make his debut behind an NHL bench tonight after spending the last several years coaching in the AHL.

The problem with the youth movement at this stage is that the Islanders are just beginning the process and have yet to stockpile a large amount of young talent. One exception is Kyle Okposo, the seventh overall pick in the 2006 draft. He will try to make his case for New York's future as a 20-year-old rookie this year.

All-Star goaltender Rick DiPietro has kept the Isles' heads above water with his superb play in recent years, but even he will have trouble keeping this ship from sinking.

The Islanders had an excellent season against the Devils in 2007-08, winning six of the eight meetings between the clubs.

New Jersey is 3-0-1 (1 tie) in its last four season openers. The Isles had dropped four straight contests to begin a campaign before beating Buffalo to begin the 2007-08 slate.