New Jersey Devils

A few days off are just what the doctor ordered for the beleaguered Devils.

Literally.

Jacques Lemaire's team limped home from Dallas late Saturday night and doesn't play again until Ottawa visits Newark on Wednesday night.

That's the good news.

The bad news is that the Thanksgiving Eve game starts a stretch of three games in less than four days, with New Jersey playing matinees at Boston Friday and then at home against the Islanders Saturday.

Whether any of the Devils' injured or sick players will return for that run of games isn't known for sure, but this team has been swallowed up by injury and even the flu.

The Devils had managed to play through the first wave, even going 9-0 in the first nine road games of the season, but they had one point -- for the shootout loss in Nashville -- on the just concluded three-game trip.

It is New Jersey's first three-game losing streak of the season.

"Yeah, it's disappointing when you don't win, but I think the way the guys are playing we'll be fine," Lemaire said Saturday night. "We just have to get some of the guys back and we'll be OK."

STARS 5, DEVILS 3: Martin Brodeur began Saturday night's game on the Devils' bench. He ended it with his, and the team's, third straight loss.

Given the night off as Yann Danis made his third start as a Devil, Brodeur was summoned after Danis was hit for three goals in the first period. Brodeur came on with the Devils trailing, 3-1, saw his team tie the game and then took the loss.

"He made the first save. That's what we wanted, but the guys were not sharp around him," Devils coach Jacques Lemaire said of Danis. "I felt putting Marty in there might wake up the guys, give them a little more energy, and they might start to play a little bit better. Definitely, it did (work) because we came back."

Brian Rolston, who scored 55 seconds in, and Travis Zajac both connected on the power play to tie the game, but the Devils later got sloppy around their own net.

Patrik Elias and Jamie Langenbrunner both had two assists in the loss.

• C Dainius Zubrus is expected to miss 4-6 weeks after suffered a broken right patella blocking a shot in Nashville Thursday night, the shot by Kevin Klein breaking both the shin pad and the kneecap. "Defensively, he was my man in a way since (Rob Niedermayer) is not here," said Devils coach Jacques Lemaire. "He's the guy that I could play against anyone. Travis (Zajac) is good defensively, but he's the guy that I'm looking more for offense. And Zubrus, every time that we had trouble in our end, then I could send him. At the start, it was good because I had Niedermayer and Zubie and one or the other I was feeling good with that. But now that we don't have either of these guys then somebody else will have to step up and I hope it won't be Travis doing the offensive and the defensive part."

• C Rod Pelley was a healthy scratch in favor of D Matt Corrente and wasn't pleased. "I'm not surprised, I'm angry," he said. "You play 20 games and there's not much to show for it. Hopefully it has nothing to do with what's on paper. Hopefully it's what you are contributing to game and the team. I've got to find a way to contribute. If Jacques thinks somebody else will do that, that's what he'll decide. I don't read his mind." Pelley has two points, both assists, and is a minus-6 so far this season.

• D Matt Corrente made his NHL debut Saturday night but made it as a right wing as Devils coach Jacques Lemaire went with seven defensemen. "It's a dream come true to get here," said Corrente. "I'm looking forward to staying awhile. I'm a little nervous." After the game, Lemaire said, "I was pleased with what I saw."

• It was the second straight game that saw a Devils debut, with defenseman Tyler Eckford playing his first game Thursday night.

• The Devils had yielded 16 goals in the previous 10 games before giving up five Saturday night.

Quote To Note:

"You never want to lose, but we have to be realistic. We've done really well without some key players. It's been a tough go. We played the last three games on the road. Even though we've had some success (this season), they're not easy games to play. Now we're going to go back home to another tough stretch. It'll be another tough challenge for us. We have to regroup and keep our heads up."

:

Goaltenders:

Martin Brodeur, Yann Danis.

Defensemen:

Bryce Salvador, Colin White, Andy Greene, Mike Mottau, Mark Fraser, Tyler Eckford.

First Line:

Zach Parise, Travis Zajac, Niclas Bergfors.

Second Line:

Brian Rolston, Patrik Elias, Jamie Langenbrunner.

Third Line:

Matt Halischuk, Dean McAmmond, David Clarkson.

Fourth Line:

Andrew Peters, Tim Sestito, Matt Corrente.

Player Notes:

• G Yann Danis allowed just one goal in each of his first two starts with the Devils, winning both games by a 2-1 score, but gave up three goals in the first period Saturday night, one on a deflection and two on rebounds, and was replaced by Martin Brodeur. Brodeur ended up with the loss after the Devils came back.

• LW Zach Parise had his six-game goal-scoring streak snapped but had an assist and is 7-5-12 in the last seven. He was hit from behind into the boards by Nicklas Grossman but no penalty was called.

• C Patrik Elias, moving to the middle, had two assists and is 0-5-5 in the last three.

• RW Jamie Langenbrunner also had two assists and is 2-7-9 in the last seven games.

• C Travis Zajac is 1-6-7 in the last five.

• D Mike Mottau, still looking for his first point of the season, had an assist on the first Devils goal Saturday, but then had it taken away from him, correctly, on a scoring change.

• D Tyler Eckford, playing his second NHL game, picked up his first point when he earned a power play assist.

• C Tim Sestito continues to impress his coach. "Timmy has showed me good stuff," said Jacques Lemaire. "He's not a guy that's going to take the puck and beat people and make great plays and all that. But he's so intense and he's tough to beat because he takes the man all the time. He plays a good, solid game. So that's why my confidence in him is a little higher than maybe in another guy."

Medical Watch:

• The worst fears were realized on center Dainius Zubrus Friday.

  Zubrus, whose shin guard was shattered by a Kevin Klein shot, will be gone for 4-6 weeks with a fractured right kneecap that required surgery. "Everything went perfect, according to the doctor," said general manager Lou Lamoriello. "He'll be walking by the middle of the week … he'll be walking before that … and it's just the process of healing. Nature will take its course."

• As if they needed more manpower news, the Devils had to send winger Ilkka Pikkarainen home with the flu, placing him on injured reserve. "He's had it. It's been lingering," Lamoriello said.

• Defenseman Johnny Oduya (lower body) and center Rob Niedermayer (upper body) remained out of the lineup, while center Dean McAmmond (sinus infection) made a strong Jersey debut Thursday night.

• Left wing Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond was placed on long-term injured reserve Thursday, retroactive to Nov. 4. He is available for return.

• Defenseman Paul Martin (broken arm) and left wing Jay Pandolfo (dislocated shoulder) remained on the long-term list.