Here’s one way Pat Burns differs from so many of his peers.
Riding a perfect 2-0 start as the Devils’ coach, Burns decided to throw his lines into a blender, a marked departure from the usual practice of not fixing something that isn’t broken, and waiting until a loss to break up combinations.
“Good for them,” Burns said of other coaches and the way they operate.
Although he dislikes ranking his lines, others will, and it appears that he has taken made Scott Gomez the team’s No. 1 center, moving Patrik Elias to his left wing while Jeff Friesen skates the right side.
It was a clear shift in emphasis, giving Gomez, the 2000 Rookie of the Year, the team’s two most talented wingers. The former No. 1 center, Joe Nieuwendyk, found himself between spark plug Sergei Brylin and Brian Gionta.
“I like the way [Nieuwendyk] has played. I’m not concerned about Nieuwendyk,” Burns said. “It’s a question of maybe spreading your eggs around a bit more.”
Burns indicated that this switch isn’t as momentous as it seems, and that such moves will happen frequently while he’s behind the bench.
“You try things, and have a look,” Burns said. “I’m not the type to stick to a line. If it’s working, fine.”
Last season, Kevin Constantine tried separating Nieuwendyk from fellow Dallas refugee Jamie Langenbrunner, with less than spectacular results. The theory has yet to be disproved that both Nieuwendyk and Langenbrunner play their best when the play together.
Last night, as the Devils faced the Predators at the Meadowlands, Langenbrunner was on the checking line with John Madden and Jay Pandolfo.
“I don’t read too much into it,” Nieuwendyk said. “There are a lot of new faces and it’s healthy to mix and match. I think it’s good to change it up early. You probably expect changes when you’re 0-2, but as long as the guys don’t read too much into things, it’s fine. I’ll play with whoever’s designated.
“Jamie and I have had success before together, and we’ve played together off and on for the last few years. But they played him in a bit of a checking role in Dallas, too.”
Burns’ moves are likely a partial reaction to Nieuwendyk’s pointless start and Gomez’s two assists in the first two games. It would seem to put the pressure right on Gomez. And it risks making Nieuwendyk less of a factor on a team that needs all the offensive forces it can muster.
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Devils visit Carolina tonight to open three-game road trip, which continues in Atlanta Wednesday and Buffalo Friday.
As in their first two games, Andrei Zyuzin and Stephen Guolla were expected to be scratched.
Devils opened 4-0 in 1995-96, 7-0 in 1993-94, 4-0 in 1991-92, 3-0 in 1986-87 and 3-0 in 1985-86.
Predators had allowed 12 goals in going winless in their first three (0-2-0-1).