Good evening from the Prudential Center. It’s the final Pre-season game of the year, and the roster has been chopped to 29. Some of the remaining questions of training camp will be answered tonight, like which of the younger players will step-in to replace the free agents lost over the summer, will the return of Jacques Lemaire come with the return of the Cup, and and just exactly what will Rob Niedermayer’s role be in the clubhouse with dynamo leaders like Langenbrunner and Shanahan?

A couple of things are already set in stone: Martin Brodeur is back with more record to set, the ZZ Pop line has the potential to be just as explosive as last season, and the defense will be increasingly solid as the season moves foreward.

The Islanders are playing John Tavares tonight, and the first pick in this year’s entry draft has a lot of pressure to turn around a franchise that has so many years and so much money invested in a goaltender that may not see a third of a season’s action for what feels like the seventh year in a row (Rick “DNP” DiPietro).

Here are some thoughts on the upcoming season based on what I’ve seen so far:

1. Zajac might eclipse Parise in scoring this season. The improvement Zajac made last season has been built upon, and he could have a breakout season, which is completely opposite of my second thought…

2. Scoring is going to be way down this season. We’ve been sold that Lemaire isnot going to be the defensive megalomaniac that he was last go round, but you  can already tell that the offensive firepower will not be the priority of this club this year, which may be because…

3. Brodeur could see a drop off this season. The man has only a few more records to break, and though we know he still has a desire to play and play at a high level, does he still have the desire to be Martin Brodeur? The signing of Yann Danis, who blanked the Devils last season for the Isles, was no mistake, and not necessarily a response to Kevin Weekes and Scott Clemmensen leaving… remember, Weekes was still on the roster when Danis signed.

4. Big moves will be made this season. Whether before the trade deadline, or a surprise move early, I believe the Devils are shopping their players and for players. Brent Sutter had just enough time to mold the team in his liking before he jumped ship. With a different regime, and a possible salary cap reduction pending, there may be some serious money moved before we say goodnight.

5. Cory Murphy will make an impact this season. The Devils have been missing a true power play point man to compliment Paul Martin for a while. Clarkson said after the first pre-season game that he was very impressed with Murphy’s power play acumen. Murphy has been in the system for a while, and this may be the year when he joins the big leagues and makes his name known.

Well, we’re 18:32 into a scoreless first. The game has been relatively boring, excluding the three fights between the two Atlantic Division teams. I’ll check back later if anything else fun happens.

After a five-goal second period (3 for NJ, 2 for NY), I can make a few other statements:

-The ZZ Pop line is producing, and eager to pounce on less-talented teams. Two of the Devils goals were off of turnovers forced in their own offensive zone.

-The power play is better. And Brian Rolston is better for having Jacques here. And Rolston is better because he’s no longer forced to play the point, which was a dismal experience last season.

- David Clarkson is already in post-season fighitng form. Which means more fun for everyone. And toughness is being rewarded (as witnessing every fighter return from the penalty box to a round of stick-banging applause from the Devils’ bench).

With five minutes gone in the third, it appears it will be similar to the first… which means “The Devils Made Me Do It” is signing off for the preseason. Check it out Saturday as I live-blog from the Devils’ home opener!

As Simeon Pincus once said, “If the hockey regular season is considered the pre-season, then what’s the pre-season?” I’ll let you mull that one over before Saturday.

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