Having given Brent Sutter his first win as an NHL coach, the Devils head to Ottawa for the third stop of their epic nine-game road trip that's opening their season.

New Jersey, which doesn't play at home in its new Newark Arena until Oct. 27, went 1-1 on the trip through Florida to open Sutter's tenure behind the bench. The Devils visit Ottawa, the team that knocked them out of last year's playoffs, Monday night, then go right back to Florida to play the Panthers again Thursday.

The long and winding road.

Sutter made a major lineup change for the opener, at least part of it, when he split up checking stars John Madden and Jay Pandolfo. He reunited them later in the opener and had them together against Saturday night. Madden scored two goals in the victory.

The new coach also did something else different -- he sat Martin Brodeur in only the second game of the season, and Kevin Weekes started in goal and won.

DEVILS 4, PANTHERS 1: The Devils signed Kevin Weekes with the plan to have Martin Brodeur spend more time on the bench. "He's played a lot of hockey," new coach Brent Sutter said the other day.

Brodeur didn't play any hockey Saturday night at Florida. He sat and watched Weekes make 32 saves, 21 of them in the first period, as the Devils gave Sutter his first win as an NHL coach.

"I don't get caught up in that as far as myself," Sutter said of his first victory. "The main thing is, I want these players to have success."

John Madden scored the first two goals and defensemen Andy Greene and Mike Mottau also scored for New Jersey.

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