FanHouse BrentSutter

After stepping down as head coach of the New Jersey Devils two weeks ago, rumors instantly started to fly about Brent Sutter taking over behind the bench of the Calgary Flames. After all, Brent's brother, Darryl, is currently the general manager in Calgary, while the team recently had its head coaching spot become available after Mike Keenan was fired following the Flames' opening round loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.

According to TSN, the Sutter family reunion is close to happening, as reports are indicating Brent is nearing an agreement to take over as the Flames' bench boss.

The New Jersey Devils have a chance to advance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs Sunday night. They've won two of their last three without captain Jamie Langenbrunner, who has been out with a lower-body injury.

Heading into Game 6 against Carolina Sunday, the Devils expect to have their captain back in the lineup. It's a huge boost to a team that has been involved in close game after close game so far in this series.

As we continue to digest the incredible events of Tuesday night's Carolina-New Jersey game in Raleigh, it's obvious that at least one Devil is still quite bitter about what went down.

Goalie Martin Brodeur impressed nobody when he slammed his stick around as he skated off the ice after the last-second Hurricanes goal was reviewed and allowed to stand. After the game, his anger hadn't settled down very much, and he made sure everyone knew why he was upset.

For the third time in three weeks we have a new team on top of our power rankings, as the NHL-leading San Jose Sharks take over the top spot.

The Devils take a fall thanks to their recent six-game losing streak, while Anaheim continues to climb the rankings.

Here's a scary thought as the NHL heads towards the home stretch -- Martin Brodeur still isn't in top form. After three games back from a torn triceps, including Sunday's 3-0 win over Philadelphia, there are still aspects to Brodeur's game -- recovery speed, conditioning -- that need the sort of work that will only come with more playing time.

Yet in those three games he's also 3-0 with a 0.67 goals against average and two shutouts. He's now up to career win No. 547 and career regular season shutout No. 100, five and four away, respectively, from breaking the NHL records. I know I've already gone all homer on how great Brodeur is, but in the two games since it's only become more obvious that this is unreal.

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You might not have noticed while the Devils have made a case for themselves as legitimate Stanley Cup contenders, winning 16 of their last 19 games and residing squarely amongst the league's top-10 offenses, but the team has gone through a bit of crisis of identity with their offense lately.

Basically, the line of Travis Zajac, Zach Parise, and Jamie Langenbrunner had been carrying the team. Entering Saturday, that line had combined for four of the team's six goals in the team's last four games including two ugly shutouts by Florida and the Islanders. Coach Brent Sutter reshuffled his bottom three lines in the most recent contest against the Panthers. Judging by the box score of Saturday's 7-2 win, it seems to have worked.

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Back in November, the prospect of months without Martin Brodeur seemed like a long and daunting wait, but with Scott Clemmensen and Kevin Weekes playing the way they have, the time has gone quicker than expected. Still, everyone in New Jersey wants Marty back, and we're getting closer and closer to the reality of having No. 30 between the pipes again.

Brodeur had his first full practice with the team today after almost four months. "I'm comfortable to go into a game if I had to [Sunday]," he told Tom Gulitti, but any hockey fans hoping for a cinematic return against the incredible Sharks to inject some drama into this NHL season will have to settle for Claude Lemieux possibly playing his former team instead.

The New York/New Jersey newspapers already started speculating on Martin Brodeur's return a couple of weeks ago, but the issue has become much realer today, given that there's now a tangible return date for the future Hall of Famer -- a February 26th contest against the Avalanche.

Given the team's tight-lipped nature regarding Brodeur's recovery, the fact that this news has leaked gives that date a lot of gravitas, even though it's still just a "tentative" target.

Columbus goalie Steve Mason was perfect for 59 minutes on Friday night in his quest for his seventh shutout of the season. It was that one minute that proved to be the difference, as Travis Zajac and John Madden scored two quick goals to help lead the Devils to a 2-1 win.

Madden's goal, which proved to be the game-winner, came with some controversy as it needed a review from the infamous war room in Toronto. Mason appeared to have the puck covered long enough for a whistle, only to have Madden continue to dig and push the puck in as the net was dislodged. The call on the ice from referee Don Koharski was that it was a goal, and officials in Toronto apparently agreed, much to the chagrin of the fans in Columbus. Naturally, both teams had their own perspective on the events.

On Monday night when the Penguins hit the ice against the Rangers, the game featured the brotherly matchup of Jordan Staal vs. Marc Staal, an event that gets mentioned no fewer than 100 times whenever it takes place. The same thing happens when Jordan and/or Marc take on Eric Staal in Carolina, and may God help us when Jared Staal makes the the NHL. The somewhat over the top promotion of the matchup even results in extracurricular activities from the viewers at home.

Anyway, there's another family reunion of sorts on Tuesday night, when the New Jersey Devils take on the Carolina Hurricanes. The Devils, as you may know, are coached by Brent Sutter, while his son, Brandon, happens to play for Carolina. It's the first time the two have ever faced off in a game, and Brent isn't exactly looking forward to the challenge of coaching against his son, even though he played against his five brothers time-and-time again in the NHL. As Colin Stephenson of the Star-Ledger reports, (Brent) Sutter thinks this is a completely different challenge:

"It's an awkward thing,'' Sutter said, turning serious. "It's a unique thing... as a dad, I'm very proud of him, as I am of all my kids. It's different than playing against a brother. It's just different. It's your own son.''

Brandon was the Hurricanes No. 1 pick (11th overall) in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, and has recorded one goal and five assists in 32 games for Carolina this season. He's also managed to come back from a devastating hit by New York's Doug Weight earlier in the season.

Fire & Ice has more on the father vs. son tilt.