The NHL season is only a fourth of the way through, but already some real trends have developed over the course of the season – namely the Pittsburgh Penguins and their struggles against the New Jersey Devils.
First off, let’s talk about the one defining statistic of this early campaign for Jacques Lemaire’s squad: 9-0 on the road. Many teams strive to defend home ice and steal games on the road, but Lemaire’s hard nosed approach towards this defensive juggernaut is starting to pay real dividends. Twice New Jersey has went on the road and beaten the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1, with leading scorer Zach Parise creating absolute havoc for the Pittsburgh defense (4 points in 2 games).
It’s not the fact that Pittsburgh has lost twice at home to a conference rival, and it’s not the fact that they’ve been absolutely shutdown by perennial Vezina finalist Martin Brodeur. These are just a sum of the parts if you will – the team has looked miserable on the ice and simply cannot handle New Jersey’s pressure style of play for sixty minutes. Crosby, who has struggled at times this season, seems disinterested at times, and enough respect cannot be given to the Colin White and Bryce Salvador tandem who’ve done an excellent job at slowing the furious Penguins rush.
This decade has seen many great Devils teams, who often run deep into the playoffs but struggle down the stretch when goals don’t come as easy. A lack of offense has mired this team for years, but with a healthy Elias back and Zach Parise leading the charge, they have created an interesting situation where conference rivals Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and both New York teams are looking up at the road warriors.
Travis Yost is a native New Yorker and recent Arizona State University product . He is the team beat writer for the Ottawa Senators over at Hockey Buzz, and covers all sports here at The Prose. 
My only concern with the Devils is their offense — Parise is one of the top players in the league, and a healthy Elias is a force, too, but they’re pretty thin after that.