I'm writing this to voice my opinion and to see what others think...

We all know that Kovalchuk is capable of scoring 50+ goals a year and that he is currently on route for a 15 goal season. Captain obvious tells us that something is very wrong. He says after each game something along the lines of, "I know I am not scoring, but I will practice harder and work on my shot." Many people have voiced their frustration in many ways. I've heard everything from firing Maclean to boycotting the Devils. I personally think that although Kovalchuk has been on a scoring drought, he has become the scapegoat (along with Maclean) for the Devils' suffering. We clearly see that it is not just Kovalchuk who is having trouble scoring... it is almost everyone. In addition, our defense has been letting up goals in the crease, which is a recipe for disaster. (In Lou We Trust has an excellent breakdown of where the Devils are letting in goals http://www.inlouwetrust.com/2010/12/12/1870382/new-jersey-devils-shot-quality-breakdown) I think we, the fans, and the press needs to stop pressuring Kovalchuk as much. The last thing he needs right now is for people to keep reminding him that he isn't scoring when he is trying his best to break the drought. I'm attaching a poll to this post so people can vote...

My side comments:

Despite our flaws on defense, there are mainly five people that I believe have kept the Devils from dying this year. They would be Jason Arnott (needless to say), Patrik Elias, Martin Brodeur, Johan Hedberg, and Mattias Tedenby. The 2/3 A Line has done well on a team who has yet to reach 55 goals. The duo has scored 28 percent of New Jersey's goals (not including the third forward on their line), giving them more goals than the three forwards on our top line. Although Brodeur and Hedberg may not have the best stats in the league, they have kept us in a possible playoff spot (even though it may seem hard to get a spot). They have been on their toes when they needed to and have made some huge saves, with exception to the 7-2 loss to the Capitals. As many of you have seen, Mr. Tedenby has begun to make a name for himself in the Devils franchise. He has done well as a rookie, and even though he has only 3 goals, I see the scoring touch in him.