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Lichtenstein: Devils Thrust Farm Into Prime Time, Keep It Interesting

By Steve Lichtenstein
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With all their injuries, the Devils may as well just buy their own shuttle bus for trip between Albany and Newark.

From the irreplaceable -- Cory Schneider, Mike Cammalleri -- to the overachievers like Tyler Kennedy and David Schlemko to the underachievers and guys you can't believe are still on the roster, the Devils have constantly needed to turn to their AHL farmhands for reinforcements and pray they could plug all leaks.

A third of the skaters dressed for the Devils' last four games have played in the minors this season.

Remarkably, the results haven't been all that bad.

In a pair of games last week against the vastly more talented Penguins and Capitals, the Devils took three out of the four possible points before stinking up the first period in a 3-2 defeat in Carolina on Sunday.

Since All-Star goalie Schneider went down with an MCL sprain in his right knee on March 4, the Devils have gone a respectable 5-4-1.

Unfortunately, the Devils likely needed more to make up the ground necessary for them to continue playing beyond Game 82.

The loss to the pesky Hurricanes was a killer, considering the opening provided by New Jersey's rivals over the weekend. Instead of creeping to within three points of the Flyers for the last wild card slot in the Eastern Conference, the Devils remain stuck on 80 points through 76 games, with Philadelphia also holding two games in hand.

Still, this was always going to be looked at as a rebuilding season, and in that context the experience gained by many of the Devils' young players should prove to be of significant value.

Games of late have been played with playoff intensity against opponents (except for Columbus) who are either chasing a playoff berth or jockeying for seeding.

Give credit to the entire Devils organization -- general manager Ray Shero, coach John Hynes and Albany coach Rick Kowalsky -- for their "next man up" mentality and execution.

"You have to have this depth," Hynes said following the Devils' 1-0 overtime loss to Washington at a sold-out Prudential Center on Friday. "You're going to go through the injury situation we're going through right now -- it could be February, it could be March, it could be October -- you want to have an organization that's seamless in style of play. I think (Kowalsky) and his coaching staff have done a good job adjusting to the changes that we wanted and met about this summer and I think you credit the players for accepting it."

The call-up that is getting the most rave reviews is 23-year-old goaltender Scott Wedgewood, New Jersey's third-round pick in the 2010 draft who was promoted from Albany a week ago to compete with the inconsistent Keith Kinkaid for the remaining reps while Schneider recuperates.

All Wedgewood has done in his first four NHL starts is post a .957 save percentage (stopping 111 of 116 shots) and an insane 1.25 goals against average in going 2-1-1.

"The team has been doing really well," Wedgewood said. "I can't take any credit away from them or put any more on myself. I just stepped in and they're going to play their game and I'm going to play mine and right now it's been working pretty well for both of us."

Wedgewood has certainly impressed Hynes.

"I think when you see (Wedgewood) play, there's poise in the net," Hynes said. "He doesn't overreact to shots or situations. His rebound control is very good. There's not a lot of second or third opportunities and net-front scrums. And his lateral movement side to side has been pretty impressive."

In those situations that called for desperate measures, Wedgewood went into Dominik Hasek mode, dropping his stick.

"My defensive mechanism right now with the shoulder injury sometimes with guys pulling on the stick, it's kind of easier for me to let go than to hold it," said Wedgewood, who missed Albany's first 22 games this season with a high-ankle sprain and then 17 more after injuring his right shoulder on Jan. 27. "It's still not 100 percent. It's a little bit clicky at times. But I know that and it's part of my game plan now and I'm ready to play without it. There's plays around the net and if things get tied up you want to be able to recover and get my arm up as quick as possible and sometimes without the stick, it was the best way to do that."

Wedgewood was exposed a bit on his blocker side in surrendering three to the Hurricanes in the first 22 minutes on Sunday, but I wouldn't deem any of them "bad goals," and he later made a couple of highlight-reel stops to keep the Devils within striking distance.

In a bit of a twist, Wedgewood's feel-good story could very well have a short shelf life. You see, Schneider is on his way to Albany on Monday for a conditioning and could be back in net for New Jersey in a week.

The Devils may face long odds to reach the postseason, but Schneider has just been too good this season to get Wally Pipp-ed at this stage of the season.

While the NHL Devils will likely suspend their tour after the regular season, Albany will sojourn on in the Calder Cup playoffs. Recent emergency call-ups Mike Sislo, Blake Pietila and Wedgewood will soon be back to aid that effort after gaining valuable experience in New Jersey.

Rev up the shuttle bus again.

For all things Devils and Nets, please follow Steve on Twitter at @SteveLichtenst1

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