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Devils continue to cope without Brodeur against Oilers

Nov 9, 2008 - 9:18 AM Edmonton (6-6-1) at New Jersey (7-4-2), 7:30 pm EDT

NEWARK, New Jersey (Ticker) -- Goaltender Kevin Weekes and the New Jersey Devils continue to cope with the absence of four-time Vezina Trophy winner Martin Brodeur when they host the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday.

Starting his third straight game in the wake of Brodeur's elbow injury, Weekes turned aside 28 shots in the Devils' 3-1 loss to the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings on Saturday. Despite his efforts, they failed to notch their first win in Detroit since posting a 2-0 victory on November 6, 1996, and dropped their eighth straight visit to Joe Louis Arena.

Brodeur's brilliance has been missed, but it has been the offense that has plagued the Devils of late. They have dropped five of their last seven games after winning five of their first six.

After being shut out by the Buffalo Sabres on Monday, New Jersey barely got past the Tampa Bay Lightning two days later, posting a 4-3 victory in a shootout.

Zach Parise has been the only consistent force on offense for the Devils, and it showed against the Wings as he scored their lone goal against Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood. Parise's 10th goal of the season snapped a three-game goalless streak and forged a tie before Marian Hossa struck for the second time to secure the victory.

Not only did the Devils lose another contest, they also may have lost another key contributor to injury. Right wing Brian Gionta crashed into the boards in the right corner after sustaining a hard hit from Red Wings defenseman Derek Meech midway through the second period and did not return. His status for this game is uncertain.

New Jersey also has been without Brian Rolston (high right ankle sprain), Bobby Holik (broken right pinky), Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond (cracked orbital bone), defensemen Andy Greene (broken right hand) and Paul Martin (upper body soreness).

Edmonton's defense has negated its strong offensive showing of late. The Oilers have dropped two straight and seven of nine.

The Oilers have averaged four goals per game in their last four, but have surrendered just a shade under that mark. Consecutive 5-4 losses to the Columbus Blue Jackets and Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, haven't helped their cause on the defensive end.

Prior to those shortcomings, they edged the Philadelphia Flyers, 5-4, and defeated the Carolina Hurricanes, 3-1, in back-to-back games last weekend.

Oilers right wing Ales Hemsky has points in seven consecutive games on the road, recording four goals and five assists in that span. The 25-year-old has scored in three straight contests overall.