Bobby Holik News

Zach Parise celebrates his third period goal against the Nashville Predators Thursday night.

There's no place like the road for the New Jersey Devils these days. The team will try to tie the NHL record for consecutive road wins to start the season when they play Philadelphia on Monday night.

OK, hands up all of you who were confident the New Jersey Devils -- who endured their annual offseason of star defections and then saw their head coach beg off the job and then suffered injuries to some of the stars who were still hanging around -- would be sitting atop the Atlantic Division standings come mid-November? Sorry, Lou, you don't count.

The New Jersey Devils have yet to establish a winning presence at home one month into the season, yet the team has found its scoring touch on the road.

As he was tweaking his roster ever so slightly during the offseason, New Jersey Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello made it clear that there was one change he felt absolutely necessary for his team.

The Devils' declared change in philosophy isn't so surprising: Jacques Lemaire, the Trap King, was once a practicioner of the headman hockey he is espousing today.

The Vancouver Canucks have opted for a fresh face rather than experience in hiring player agent Mike Gillis as their new general manager.

A The Devils have started the season 0-2, and listening to some fans talk, you would think this is already a lost season.

Team-by-team capsules for the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division, listed in 2008-09 season order of finish: NEW JERSEY DEVILS LAST SEASON: 51-27-4, 106 points.

The Devils today signed center Rob Niedermayer as an unrestricted free agent, perhaps to help fill the voids left by the departures of John Madden and Bobby Holik.

It was a mass exodus in the early going, as veteran Bobby Holik announced his retirement while blueliner Niclas Havelid chose to return home to Sweden.

Gomez and fellow newcomer Mike Cammalleri were put together on a line with winger Andrei Kostitsyn at the start of training camp.

Martin Brodeur, shown during Team Canada's Olympic orientation camp, will not play in the Devils' preseason opener against the Rangers.

Center Ben Walter is the son of former NHLer Ryan Walter, shown getting checked into the boards by former Devils defenseman Craig Wolanin back in 1988.

Jacques Lemaire is back at the helm for the Devils. Jacques Lemaire has returned as Devils coach with the goal of transforming an underachieving team back into the force it used to be in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Brendan Shanahan hugs former New Jersey Devil Bobby Holik after Holik scored against the New York Rangers.

Brendan Shanahan hugs former New Jersey Devil Bobby Holik after Holik scored against the New York Rangers.

Brendan Shanahan hugs former New Jersey Devil Bobby Holik after Holik scored against the New York Rangers.

Preventing another arbitration mess, Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello yesterday signed Travis Zajac to a four-year deal averaging $3.89 million.

So, when does the comfort of a circle become a spiral, as in a death spiral? The answer to that question will start to reveal itself in the coming weeks and months as the deja-vu-all-over-again beat continues with the New Jersey Devils as Jacques Lemaire returns for a second go-round behind the Devils' bench.