We'll start with the most recently injured, Loktionov, who has one of those wonderful "undisclosed" injuries.

https://twitter.com/Ledger_NJDevils/status/313693507514671104

https://twitter.com/Ledger_NJDevils/status/311848883628150784

Second, on tonight's goalie:

I imagine DeBoer's lineup decision led to a scene similar to this in the home locker room of the Prudential Center:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqV_dBPc4XY

He played roughly six minutes in total and took just one shift in the third period. But why the benching? Pete DeBoer wasn't talking.

https://twitter.com/TGfireandice/status/307342018340864000

https://twitter.com/TGfireandice/status/307177460531867649

Also, there will be some changes on defense, with a certain slow-footed Russian getting a night off.

There's two ways people might read this. One, Pete DeBoer wants forward flexibility and is tired of having to roll the same 12 forwards every game regardless of matchup or regardless of how they're playing. Two, the Devils don't really know how long Carter is going to be out and they can't afford to go game to game with him on the roster.

Realistically, it's a combination of both of those reads. DeBoer obviously needs roster flexibility because I can't imagine he's very happy throwing Krys Barch out every night. Also, can we just come out and call this a concussion? If it were the average "upper-body injury," then the Devils would have some sort of official timeline or timetable for recovery. Whether they'd give it to us is another matter, but they would still have known before today if Carter was going to need to be placed on IR. The good news is Carter is eligible to be activated immediately, so if he makes a sudden recovery this week the Devils would still have the option to put him back in the lineup immediately.

https://twitter.com/Ledger_NJDevils/status/305021808791408642

https://twitter.com/TGfireandice/status/305023096174305280

I'm not going to say the Devils stole this one, because they played well enough to win, but boy, the Caps' penalty problems certainly got them going in the third. With a noon start coming Saturday, this was a big win for the Devils and they could ice what's left of the Caps' season with a sweep of this two-game series. Some thoughts...

Dueling Russians: Alex Ovechkin came out firing on all cylinders in the first two periods, playing with the jump and speed that he used to display on a regular basis. There was the ridiculous undressing of Bryce Salvador and the spin move that left Henrik Tallinder useless and finally an end-to-end rush that he shot wide. It was vintage Ovechkin for 40 minutes and although he didn't score, it appeared only a matter of time before Ovi buried one. But then all of a sudden to star the third, Ilya Kovalchuk seemed liked a different player. Perhaps energized by Ovi's sudden resurgence or pissed off by his team's poor effort in the second period, Kovy was all over the ice in the third. Even before he scored the game-winning goal on a picture-perfect one-time setup from Patrik Elias, Kovy was rushing Caps goalie Braden Holtby and drawing penalties with strong work along the boards. It was always like Kovy realized there was nothing else going for the Devils tonight and took it upon himself to be the best player on the ice for the final 20 minutes. Of course, it helped that he basically played the entire period because of how much time the Devils spent on the power play during the third. Still, on nights like tonight, we're reminded that the Devils have something that only a handful of other teams have: a player that is the most skilled player 95 percent of the time he's on the ice. I mean, really, how many other players could've taken the shot that he scored the game winner on? Just fantastic.

They Devils are so frighteningly shallow up front they're one injury away from struggling to ice 12 NHL forwards.

Don't believe me? It's true. With both Carter and Zubrus on the shelf, both Stefan Matteau and Krys Barch are in the lineup tonight and there is no extra forward. Seriously. Since the Devils continue to carry eight defensemen, Carter is the 13th forward. If any of the top 12 get hurt tonight, either Carter would have to go on injured reserve or one of the defensemen will have to go.

The (no) adjustment bureau: They say familiarity breeds contempt, but in this case, it creates a lack of waiting time. One of the advantages of Ponikarovsky is the Devils don?t have to spend time teaching him the system or waiting for him to get adjusted to new surroundings or hoping he finds chemistry with his teammates. This is all old news for Poni and the Devils, who already have a limited amount of time as it is in the shortened season. For that reason, I would in no way be surprised if he picked up exactly where he left off last season, when he had seven goals and 18 points in 33 games for New Jersey. Will he score on that pace? Probably not, but with this Devils team, any additional offensive input is a bonus, especially when it comes from the first line left wing.

FLLW: I?ve written multiple times about the way station that has been the left side of the Devils? top forward line. I even have a hastily created acronym for it. But the truth is that even Dainius Zubrus wasn?t producing enough offensively to merit his place on the top line. I like the idea of Poni skating there because he brings the size and physicality that Zubrus brought, but perhaps with a better offensive touch. With Ilya Kovalchuk shooting almost every puck he gets his hand on, a big body like Ponikarovsky could be very useful in the front of the net to help clean up the rebounds. Plus, it allows the Devils to play guys like Ryan Carter and Stefan Matteau on the third and fourth lines, respectively, where their minutes won?t balloon too much and where they?re far more comfortable as players.

https://twitter.com/Ledger_NJDevils/status/302438420842692608

This isn't all that surprising -- all you have to do is look at the players that have rotated through that spot thus far this season to understand the decision. DeBoer has tried Stefan Matteau, Ryan Carter, Bobby Butler, Jacob Josefson, Adam Henrique and Dainius Zubrus at first line left wing. Outside of Zubrus, Matteau has gotten the longest look there, but mostly for five or six shifts a game max. In a post I'll (hopefully) get to later today, I'll go deeper into the benefits on the Poni trade, but this is chief among them. I don't know if he'll spent the entire game there, especially if the Devils get off to a poor start again, but I imagine he'll get a pretty long look.