David Clarkson scored the game-winning goal in New Jersey's 2-1 victory over Florida. Patrik Elias also scored for the Devils. Travis Zajac assisted on both of New Jersey's goals.

David Clarkson sees Tuesday's contest against the New York Rangers as a must win. "It's like playoff hockey and this is a must win for both teams," Clarkson said. "You look at the standings and where we are. Every game is so important. Everybody is close." The Devils are four points ahead of the Rangers, but have played in two more games. Overall, New Jersey is in seventh place with 32 points and their playoff spot is far from secure.

Devils coach Pete DeBoer thinks David Clarkson's goal scoring slump is about more than just bad luck. "I think it's a little bit of both," DeBoer said. "Your natural reaction when the puck's not going in for you is to maybe get away from some of the things that made successful. With David, for me, it's getting pucks to the net. He's a guy that gets shots on net from all different angles. We don't have a team with a real shot mentality, so that's important and I think he gets rewarded for that when he does that. When you look at his shot totals, I think there's a correlation between getting the puck to the net and the goals that go in." Clarkson has gone 12 games without a goal after netting 10 goals in his first 14 contests. He also has just 32 shots in his last 12 contests, compared to 60 shots over 14 games during his hot streak.

David Clarkson has gone eight straight games without scoring a goal after scoring 10 in his first 14 outings. The 28-year-old forward was bound to cool off from his great start. He has one assist over his recent goalless span, along with 21 penalty minutes and 24 shots, so he's still been somewhat useful. "I don't know what it is," Clarkson said. "I don't consider myself a scorer who's going to score every night. I'm getting the chances but not finding the back of the net. I have to find a way to keep putting it on net and hopefully it goes in soon."

Frustration is starting to mount for the Devils. On Thursday, they allowed a goal eight seconds into the game. After not playing since Sunday, they then managed five shots in the first period and didn't score a power play goal on three chances, as they have one in their last 11 games. New Jersey has one win in its last six games. "It's frustrating," forward David Clarkson said. "We've got to find a way to get out of this and start playing in the other team's zone a little more."

David Clarkson returned to action on Saturday February 23.

David Clarkson said after Thursday night's game that his wrist was fine after he jammed up against the glass during the second period. Clarkson left the game briefly before returning from the locker room with some additional tape on the wrist. Clarkson is extremely durable, so we wouldn't expect him to miss any time with this specific injury. That said, he's starting to get banged up and it wouldn't be a surprise if he received a maintenance day here or there in the next couple weeks.

David Clarkson was forced from Thursday's game against the Capitals after suffering an apparent wrist injury. Clarkson and Washington defenseman Tomas Kundratek collided along the boards and the Devils' power forward immediately began favoring his wrist before heading to the locker room for treatment. We'll pass along more information as it becomes available.

David Clarkson said he will be in the lineup for Thursday's game versus Washington. He commented Wednesday that his upper back was "feeling better" after it tightened up on him Monday. Clarkson has been great so far this season with 10 goals, 16 points and 35 penalty minutes in 16 games. His pace is sure to slow down, but continue to start him with confidence for the time being.

David Clarkson says his back stiffened up during a scrum Monday but he'll be fine in time to play Thursday. There was speculation Clarkson had been hurt Monday after he wasn't made available to the media because he was visiting "with the staff." As long as he's healthy, Clarkson should be started in all formats as he's off to easily the best start of his career.