Devils fire MacLean, bring back Lemaire
NEWARK - The Devils became the second team in the NHL to change coaches when after a 9-22-2 start, Devils president Lou Lamoriello fired John MacLean Thursday morning. He replaced him with the previous coach, Jacques Lemaire, who came back for his third stint behind the Devils' bench.
"I asked [Lemaire] to come back for the second half so we can find out who we are and where we're at," Lamoriello said. "I also felt that there is time to get back on track. He's totally committed and will be coming to stay to get the job done."
Lemaire coached the Devils to 103 points last season, but they then made their third straight first-round playoff exit. He retired after the season and returned home to Montreal. This marks the third coaching change in less than 21/2 seasons for New Jersey, which is fairly assured of missing the playoffs for the first time since 1995-96.
The Devils' poor performance mystified Lemaire.
"It looked like they lost their ability to play the game, which is very strange," he said. "I've never seen this in the past, never."
Matt Moulson got knocked from the game in the opening minutes with a borderline hit from the Devils' Anton Volchenkov.
Moulson was stretching for a puck in center ice when Volchenkov caught Moulson in the head. No penalty was called.
He was cleared to return and tried a shift later in the first, but he was held out after that and will be evaluated again after the holiday break.
"When I saw the replay after the game, I thought it was an elbow," coach Jack Capuano said. "That's not for me to decide, that's for the NHL."
Scoring efficiency
The Islanders scored five goals on only 14 shots on the Devils' Martin Brodeur.
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