Game 2 – A loss would mean returning to the Rock down 0-2 and hearing nothing about how the Rangers had a stranglehold on the series. Thankfully we don’t have to hear it as the Devils found a way to win the game 3-2.

The Devils started the scoring on a power play goal by Ilya Kovalchuk. He had the time, the space and beat Lundqvist high to the glove side. You want to give Kovalchuk that shot, I’ll take those odds any day of the week. The Devils ended the first period with a very strong effort.

Marc Staal tied the game at 1 in the second and then Chris Kreider put the Rangers up 2-1 with a little over 8 minutes remaining in the second. The Devils then started to surge and put the pressure on the Rangers. After Gaborik failed to clear the puck, Salvador took a low shot which was deflected in by Ryan Carter for a 2-2 tie. I thought the Rangers owned the second period but the never say die Devils did a great job finding life.

In the third, the Devils team from the first returned. They went hard to the puck, won the battles and eventually Clarkson tipped home the game winner.

All in all great effort by the Devils tonight and the better team certainly won the game tonight.

A few more thoughts:

• Marty made some key saves at very key moments, He wasn’t extremely busy but he made saves when we needed them.
• The Devils did a better job tonight against the shot blocking.
• The Devils need to do a better job clearing out the players trying to screen Marty. Both Rangers goals came with guys in front on Marty.
• Kovalchuk had a great first period but then  disappeared in the second and third. He had a huge hit in the first so you have to wonder if he tweaked something.
• The face-offs were much better for NJ tonight
• In Game 1, the Rangers controlled the physicality of the game but tonight it was NJ initiating that aspect. Who knew that would be a factor in getting a win!!
• There were a couple of weak calls on both sides tonight but I guess that just the way it goes this playoff season.
• I didn’t quite understand the review on the Prust wrap around try but when Elias put on into the side on Lundqvist, it wasn’t reviewed.
• The ice at MSG sucks, the penalty box door didn’t open for what seemed like 10 minutes. The most famous arena is a huge piece of crap.
• Tortorella benched one of the best scoring threats on the Rangers for the first half of the 3rd period for some reason. Not the time to make a statement to a player but I certainly appreciate it.

The series now shifts to NJ on Saturday afternoon. We won game 2, now let’s just take care of our home ice and put this series to bed!!

Game 2… time to right the ship and shut those Rangers fans up. Yesterday was pretty unbearable when it came to hearing the Rangers fan yapping at us all day long and verbally attacking players kids on Twitter. Congrats, you won game 1, be gracious about it, it’s only 1 game, not the series. There is plenty of hockey still to be played.

Peter Deboer, who is constantly being asked about shot blocking, mentioned during his press conference yesterday that shot blocking is not the story of the series. It’s hard to agree or disagree with that statement but we can’t allow it to be the story of the series. It was certainly the story of the night after Game 1 because the Rangers did so well blocking shots. Hopefully the coaches came up with a game plan and watched some Capitals tape on how to combat the constant shot blocking of the New York Rangers. It can be overcome. Shot blocking isn’t going to be the be all end all of winning hockey games.

Since I am on the subject of shot blocking, I’ll throw my 2 cents into the conversations going on. Listen to hockey broadcasts, radio programs and podcasts, everyone is talking about it. Yes, it makes the game boring, something I’m sure Ranger fans will never admit to. I mean did we admit to the Neutral Zone trap being boring? No, it won hockey games and that to us wasn’t boring. Same thing for Rangers fans but this talk about how to get it out of the game, not sure we should be going that far. The only problem I have with it is that it does make for a boring hockey game but if guys want to throw their bodies in front of slap shots, go ahead. That’s a lot to ask a player to do because injuries are certainly possible.  I don’t think I could ever do it intentionally but then again, I’m not a professional hockey player.  I do fear that someday real soon, a guy is going to take a slapper to the face which will certainly make this a hot ticket debate. In due time, teams will figure out how to get around the shot blockers.

As for the Devils getting around the blockers in this series, I am certainly missing a guy like Brian Rafalski right now. He had the ability to take a (get my Boston accent out) wicked wrister  (or should that be wicket wrista??) from the blue line and have it find its way through or find a defection on its way to the net. Maybe someone on the Devils can find a way to channel Brian Rafalski? The Devils could do a better job faking shots, waiting for the blocker  to slide out of the way before taking the shot, although the Rangers have layers of shot blockers. The one true method that worked for Washington was quickly and effectively moving the puck around the entire real estate of zone. Not to take anything away from Lundqvist, because he is a good goalie but if the defense in front of him didn’t block so many shots, would he be just as good as he appears now? Ilya Bryzgalov probably would have come away with a shutout the other night if he had that type of shot blocking in front of him.

We will need to get more out of every player on the ice tonight. The Devils didn’t do a great job with the execution of whatever game plan they had. One major sticking point for me the other night was that Parise and Kovalchuk both allowed Ryan Mcdonagh to break up two good scoring chances, which is something they never let happen against Philly.  Zidlicky, Greene and Salvador, 3 players that were crucial in our wins over Florida and Philadelphia had horrible performances in Game 1. Fix it!! I expect the ice to be just as bad tonight and hopefully NJ does to.

No way is this series close to being over. The Devils will bounce back if they just keep doing the things they’ve done up to this point. Really throw the forecheck at them tonight. The Rangers have a bad habit of coughing up the puck in their end which will give us chances but they have to capitalize on them. Hopefully NJ does a better job at winning face-offs in the Rangers zone as well.  The Rangers have played two tough series up to this point and fatigue is certainly being questioned at this point. If they aren’t tired now, let’s make them tired.

Get Game 2 and take this series back to NJ where the game plan changes a bit.

Changes that you may see tonight, which were hinted at in the morning skate are: Parise, Zajac and Kovalchuk being reunited as the Devils top line and Peter Harold being inserted into the lineup and rookie defenseman Adam Larsson getting the healthy scratch. I have no problem with the change to the top line but I don’t understand the constant need to sit Larsson

And finally…

We in the US get the NBC feed who, don’t get  me wrong, is far better than it was but in Canada, they get the CBC feed who puts time and effort into their pregame presentations. This was the video before game 1 the other night. I don’t know how often they do these for the conference finals, I know they do them  before each game in the finals but everyone they do, I will post right here for the next game.

Well that didn’t go exactly as we had hoped. I wasn’t 100% confident that we could go in there and win Game 1 but I did think that we would have generated a little more offense than we did. We knew the Rangers do a great job at blocking shots but even though we knew it, it’s still so frustrating to see. I’m not going to take anything away from Lundqvist, he is a good goalie but if the guys in front of him aren’t blocking so many shots, how good is he? I’d like to pepper him with rubber so that we can find the answer to that question.

The reality is that the Devils gave themselves a chance after the first two periods but somewhere between the end of the 2^nd and the beginning of the 3^rd the team got sloppy. After a 0-0 tie through 2, I was worried that 1 mistake was going to result in the winner and the Devils made the mistake. They forgot about Girardi who came off the bench and just fired home a slapper from the blue line. After that, the wheels just kind of came off.

It’s just 1 game. We made some mistakes, we have things to fix but it’s just 1 game. We’ve been down a game in the playoffs before and have always responded well. I think DeBoer will make the right adjustments needed to get the Devils back into this.

Some more quick thoughts:

• Zidlicky has to get his head in the game. He was an important part of the first two series but last night I saw him make mistake after mistake. I’d even say the same about Salvador.
• The ice conditions were bad. There isn’t much more to say than that. Hopefully NJ can figure out a way to deal with it because I can’t imagine it improves drastically for game 2.
• Patrik Elias took a puck to the face in the first period and his nose got busted open. He opted to stay on the bench, have gauze sticks jammed up his nose to stop the bleeding and get back out on the ice. Tough as nails. It’s a shame we couldn’t find a way to fight like that on the ice.
• Kovalchuk had three shot on net last night, including what was likely Lundqvist's biggest stop of the night. However, I can’t say that Kovalchuk had a great game when he missed the net six times. Need more from him at this time of year.
• I felt that the Devils were trying to rush things a bit and the ice conditions made the rushing really sloppy. Pucks were bouncing over sticks, passes weren’t being completed. Trying to push the tempo of the game is fine but you need to control the puck first. Don’t think you can keep a puck along the boards in the zone with just your stick, get your whole body in front of it.
• The Devils held Brad Richards to 0 shots on net tonight and remember, he’s the guy who was leading the postseason in shots on net so that's is definitely something to build on. Gaborik had four shots but none of them found twine so that is a positive as well. Girardi got lucky and I’ll give him that shot a 1000 more times.
• The Rangers iced the puck so much last night it’s a shame NJ couldn’t capitalize on it. Zajac went 11-21 in the faceoff circle while Elias and Henrique both wen 5-15. Losing the faceoff battle never helps a team win a game.
• The Devils need to get more pucks on Lundqvist. Parise and Kovy led the team in shots on net in Game 1 but they didn’t get a lot there. We need more from Elias, Clarkson, Zubrus, Henrique, etc.

The bottom line is a 3-0 loss to the hatred Rangers is never a good feeling and I think today will be full of feeling crappy and putting up with gloating Rangers fans who are acting like the Canyon of Heroes parade is this afternoon (I came into work to find doughnuts in the kitchen because of the win) but it’s not the end of the world. There is a lot more hockey to be played. So until tomorrow when we can right this ship, hang in there Devils fans!!

Hello everyone and welcome to another addition Monday Masala. The last time I talked to you guys, our New Jersey Devils were in a trailing the Philadelphia Flyers. Hey well, y’all know the ending. New Jersey stormed back with 4 straight wins and are now gonna play the New York Rangers for the Eastern Conference Title and some extra bragging rights. Let’s take a look at some players who exceled in that series with Philly and if they can stretch that over today in Madison Square Garden.

Spicy

Travis Zajac – Must I say more? Zajac is arguably the most consistent and clutch player the Devils have on their roster. It’s incredible how he came back from a serious injury and became a complete BOSS afterwards! After celebrating his birthday yesterday, I hope Zajac didn’t eat too much cake because if he stays healthy, the Rangers, in my opinion, will have a tough time handling him.

Ilya Kovalchuk – Yes I did put him under the “Stale” category but look what he’s done since! He’s produced monster numbers and completely killed Bryzgalov and the Flyers with his shot! Kovy currently leads the Devils in the playoffs with 12 points (5g, 7a). This is stating the obvious but if the Devils want to win this series, Kovalchuk needs to continue his performance to an equal or greater level compared to that of the Philadelphia series.

Bryce Salvador – His story is just beyond incredible. Salvador, after missing the majority of last season was looked upon as an uncertainty in respect to his performance coming into this season. If you contribute that to his decaying age, many feared if he would even be effective. Well he sure proved the doubters wrong. His defensive presence has helped the Devils reach the conference finals. Also, remember how he got no goals in the regular season? Well he got 2 against the Flyers (the empty netter in Game 2 and the equalizer in Game 5). Look for his presence to shut down those speedy Rangers.

Alex Ponikarovsky – This is an interesting choice in my opinion. Many have overlooked what Ponikarovsky has done for the Devils this playoff season. The guy is a complete workhorse! He battles mindlessly and tirelessly along the boards. While he doesn’t have many goals, he scored the memorable one in Game 3 against Philly that sealed the deal in overtime! I truly believe he’ll carry his momentum into this round and perhaps, maybe do some more?

Adam Larsson – What took Coach DeBoer so long to put him in the lineup?! This guy is a complete stud! I’m sorry if I ever thought that Larsson’s confidence would decrease due to his benching. It turns out that benching Peter Harrold and putting in Larsson was a key move in determining why the Devils are in the conference finals. Larsson tied the game in the 3^rd in Philadelphia during Game 2. Since then, his defensive presence has grown into a force to be reckoned with. I’m looking forward to his game tonight against the Rangers.

Marek Zidlicky – Due to some slight verbal skirmishes on a New Jersey Devils fan group on Facebook, I’ve decided to refrain myself from addressing Zidlicky as “Bum” (as some people are too immature to take a joke it seems). Zidlicky has been a great pick up and to be honest, he’s done more work than Kurtis Foster did during his short tenure with NJ. Arguably, Zidlicky’s best playoff game came in Game 4 vs. the Flyers, where he added 2 points (1g, 1a). If he is healthy, you’ll see him pestering those pesky Ranger forwards every game, trust me.

Stale

Anton Volchenkov – Unfortunately this is true. Volchenkov has enjoyed the team’s success so far. Hockey is a team sport after all. However, individual performance also plays into some account. He’s done part of his job, which is to hit players and block shots. However, I don’t really see him carrying the puck as often and trying to generate plays! Perhaps if he realizes he has potential to be a thorn on the Rangers’ side, then he can become an overlooked x-factor.

Patrik Elias – Whoa how did this happen? I’m shocked too that I’m putting Elias here! Truth is however, that he does belong here for now because slowly, his numbers have been decreasing while the numbers of forwards around him have been skyrocketing. Though it’s a slight disappointment, I have faith in Elias. After all, who else has more fun playing the Rangers?

Devils 4^th Line – This line is without a doubt, still a threat. However, they’re stale at the moment because while Carter, Bernier, and Gionta give the Devils emotional life, their goal scoring touch has disappeared just a wee bit. That’s not a sole negative because that’s not the 4^th line’s job. They do their job handsomely and then some! Though, I’d love it if I could see them score a bit more often now. If they do, I wonder how Lundqvist is gonna feel getting 5-holed by fourth liners.

As a team? I would say without a doubt the Devils are SPICY! Following an impressive punishing of the Flyers, let’s hope the Devils can repeat it over the slightly favored Rangers. That’s alright because in some cases, underdogs rule! Rust will not affect New Jersey if you can believe my wise words. If you don’t believe so, do share your views. Once more, I encourage your views! You all can send me your views/criticisms via commenting or via tweeting.

For all the latest Devils news, follow us on twitter: @RWTDblog, @Rvaidya33, @RealScottRobb, and @DEVIN88MATTERA and you can like us on our Facebook page! So long for now – I’m Raj Vaidya, and hopefully this spice wasn’t too hot to handle!

The war begins tonight and I use the word war because that is exactly what this is. A war, a battle against the two teams divided by one river whose fan base literally hates one another. This is going to be an intense series, both on the ice for the players and off the ice for the fans.

Can the Devils win? The one thing the regular season proved is that these two teams are evenly matched. Everyone wants to talk (well mostly Rangers fans) how the Rangers were one win away from the President’s Trophy. Well, the Rangers only finished 7 points ahead of the Devils and there were plenty of games that the Devils left points on the ice this season. 7 points is NOTHING and that stat really means nothing.

The important thing to remember going into game 1 is that the Devils need to relax. It’s one game, the series can neither be won or lost tonight. I would like NJ to come away from MSG with at least 1 game in their win column and certainly would love to see it tonight but one game doesn’t win us anything.

I believe the Devils are the better team 5-on-5 so NJ will need to play disciplined hockey between the whistles. Don’t get involved in the stuff after the whistle and don’t give the refs any easy calls (I’m talking to you Zidlicky, keep the puck in the rink!!).  Try not to get too frustrated at the Rangers ability to block shots and just keep plugging away at the net.

All eyes will be on Marty Brodeur, the man considered the best goalie this league has ever seen  vs Henrik Lundqvist, the upcoming man who might have the tools needed to knock Marty off that throne someday. The other heroes in this series will played by guys you don’t expect. The top stars on both teams will be held in check but the opposition so for NJ, it comes down to guys like Clarkson, Zubrus and Henrique to get the job done.

Rangers fans are throwing this tweet at us today:

Bad news for NJ. #6 seeds are 0-4 in ECF history (circa 1994). Last 3 #6 seeds lost in 4 or 5 games.

— Kevin Gibson (@TSNResearch) May 14, 2012

But I am going to respond with “no team has won the Stanley Cup after playing the maximum 14 games in the opening rounds”

So enough talk (especially about 1994) and let’s get this series started. Like I said, it’s a war, a battle and it is going to be intense.

Keys to Winning Tonight:

• Stay out of the box
• Don’t let the crowd get to us. It’s near impossible to take them out of the game because even when they are losing they are loud. Just don’t let them take us out of the game.
• Don’t get frustrated by blocked shots. The Rangers are great at it but just keep firing pucks at the net, eventually stuff is going to get through.
• Play in between the whistles, not after. Don’t give the refs anything easy.
• Take it shift by shift and if you get a lead, DON’T SIT BACK!!

At Noon today I will participating in a New Jersey Devils Playoff Rally live on Spreecast with Seth Everett. Hope you can join us or watch.



 

Here we are. Nine years removed from the Eastern Conference Finals and the Devils are finally back. With the series set to begin on Monday, May 14 at Madison Square Garden, the Devils will look to make the most of their brief time off and win over the New York Rangers. New York and New Jersey are ready to add another chapter to their historic rivalry.

Who: The sixth-seeded New Jersey Devils will square off against the top-seeded New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Finals. The last time these two teams met in the Eastern Conference Finals, the year was 1994. Jersey was able to force a Game Seven before falling short after Stéphane Matteau's 2OT goal in that contest. The Rangers would go on to win the Stanley Cup that year by defeating the Vancouver Canucks in seven games.

When:

 

Season Series: The Rangers won the season series with seven points (3-2-1), while the Devils collected six points against the Rangers (3-3). At times, New York completely dominated New Jersey and vice versa. It will be interesting to see who prevails in this series.

Half Way There: The Devils are now just eight wins away from lifting the Stanley Cup. After a completely dominant series over the Philadelphia Flyers, can New Jersey keep their momentum moving in the right direction? The first two games are going to be a challenge and with at least split on the road, the Devils will be in fine shape. All of New Jersey's home games for this series have been sold out and the Prudential Center should be relatively free of Rangers fans. If the Devils can pick up four wins against the Rangers, they'll be three-quarters of the way to a Stanley Cup Championship.

Key Players: Look for the Devils big three to step up in a huge way this series. Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise, and Patrik Elias will play a very influential role in the Devils success if they are going to have any. If New Jersey can solve Rangers' goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, they will do just fine. On the other hand, look for Rangers' captain Ryan Callahan to have a big impact this series. Callahan is a big part of the picture both offensively and defensively. Callahan loves to block shots, as does the rest of the Rangers team, and this will test the Devils' patience for sure. With a tight defense, the Rangers are definitely a tough opponent.

Bet You Didn't Know: Teams are 0-38 in the Eastern Conference Finals after taking the first two rounds to Game Sevens. The last three teams to knock out the Flyers have won the Stanley Cup: 2009 (PIT), 2010 (CHI), and 2011 (BOS).

Prediction: Devils in six. I said it last series, and New Jersey pulled it off in five. Can they do it again? Hopefully, we'll be looking at a Kings-Devils Stanley Cup Finals.

 
Above: Devils winger David Clarkson celebrates his tying goal scored against the Rangers with 47.6 seconds remaining in the third period. (Photo by Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-Ledger)

Make sure you follow the @RWTDblog staff on twitter: @RealScottRobb, @DEVIN88MATTERA, and @Rvaidya33. You can check us out on facebook, too. If you haven't done so already, make sure you check out our photo gallery of highs and lows from round two of the playoffs. This is going to be an interesting series, folks, so enjoy the roller-coaster ride! LET'S GO DEVILS!

Usually I would sit back and be happy about where the Devils are and believe me I am happy and shocked and a million more emotions because I honestly didn’t think they’d get this far this season. Especially not after missing the playoffs just one year ago but that’s what is great about the parody in the NHL, year to year is different. Just ask Tampa Bay.

However, with that said, I am sick of the media and its constant looking down on the New Jersey Devils. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard something along the lines of “what’s wrong with the Flyers that they lost to NJ?”

Yes, the Flyers beat the Penguins who most, including myself, picked to win the cup but the Penguins put up no defense and played stupid hockey in round one. When the Flyers came up against a team that played defense, they didn’t have any answers to solving the defense. The fact is, the Devils were just the better team in this series. THAT’S WHY THEY WON not because the Flyers didn’t show up.

DeBoer has taken his fair share of criticism since he took the head coaching job last summer. I didn’t know much about him at the time but if you believed what the media was selling, he was a bum coach who couldn’t do anything in Florida. Guess what, they were wrong. The guy is a hell of a coach and with the right tools he is proving that he can win. I guess the issues in Florida may have been more about the roster than the coach.

People have really short memories because it would appear that everyone has forgotten that the Devils came into the playoffs as the league’s hottest team by winning its final 6 games. The Devils ended the season with 102 points which makes for an incredible season. They aren’t the Rangers, Flyers or Penguins so I don’t think people noticed how good this team actually was in the regular season. Yes, the Panthers took them to 7 and to double OT in the 7^th game but the Devils took a lot of bad penalties in that series and the Panthers were just killers on the power play. Had the Devils stayed out of the box, that series isn’t close.

And then there was this tweet that came out this morning..


 

REALLY?? I’ll admit to the Devils playing boring hockey in the mid 90’s because the trap, while effective, wasn’t the most exciting thing to watch. But how can you call a team that forechecks so effectively and has guys like Parise, Elias and Kovalchuk firing pucks into the net “boring to watch?” You might want to go get a checkup Don because that dementia might be setting in.

So now on to the Eastern Conference Finals and I have to ask, who are you rooting for as an opponent. Having a Rangers and Devils conference finals would be an amazing series and great for the NY/NJ area hockey fans but wow can you say stressful? The Caps have put together a nice run and it would be a sad thing to see that end but if wouldn’t getting to the Stanley Cup Finals at the Rangers expense just be an amazing run? Either team will be hard to beat but if the Devils stick to their game, there is no reason we can’t get 4 more wins.


 

                 

 Eight down, eight to go! The New Jersey Devils are headed to the Eastern Conference Finals! Our team has proved all the non-believers wron yet again; the underdog has risen and boy oh boy, are we rising! Tomorrow night on NBC Sports Network, we may in fact discover our opponent. If the New York Rangers can close out Alexander Ovechkin and the Caps in Washington, we will pack our bags and resume the Hudson River Rivalry. If Brayden Holtby has other things planned, and can manage to steal a game away from New York,  the teams' fate will be decided in a second straight Game 7 for both the Rags & the Caps.

Tonight I am writing a shorter recap, primarily focusing on "my thoughts" of the game, but, for now, let us bask in the glory of the accomplishment this team has done.

 After getting scored on in the first period, for the 4th straight game, the Devils would take FULL CONTROL and take charge of the game. After every big hit by Philadelphia, the Devils' players would get right back up on their horse and go! I liked the whole, persona of the squad in this one. Their mind was in right place for the full 60 minutes... ON THE ICE. One minor penalty, two even strength goals, and a powerplay goal would be in the Devils' side of the boxscore. This is ideal. They've shown what needs to be done to get into the next round and what that is is to play with your head, not, your heart. I tend to use Philadelphia as an example of a team that plays with their heart. They're a ruthless group of players who act without thought; this afterthought mentallity ultimately came back to bite them in the a** in this series. Devils defensemen stayed focused. Fayne, & Zidlicky in my opinion really came through big in the Semifinals and Im expecting big things from these two in the E.C.F. 

 Im exceptionally confident in this group of men. They play together, one game at a time. Confident, determined, driven, united. Goals by Salvador & Bryzgalov, (lol, it was credited to Clarkson), and a powerplay goal by Kovalchuk would hammer that final nail in the coffin of Philadelphia forward, number 19, Yukon Cornelius & his Band of Bullies, leaving the rest of their week open for early tee times. Brodeur was, as expected, clutch in big situations like he was been his entire career, along with strong leadership by Devils captain Zach Parise & alternate captain, Ilya Kovalchuk. The two have combined for a total of 9 goals, 11 assists for 20 points. A total of 86 shots from these two, 51 of them from Zach are evidence that these two are striving for the back of the net night after night, which makes the oppositions job that much more difficult. Unlike Mr. Universe, A.K.A. 

        

 As for the next New Jersey Devils game, a date will be determined in due time. Keep up to date with MORE New Jersey Devils playoff news right here! Be sure to check out our "RWTD" app for iPhone & Android! As for social networking, we have our outlets as well! Follow us on twitter at: @RWTDblog @DEVIN88MATTERA, @RealScottRobb and @Rvaidya33. Along with twitter, be sure to check out our facebook page or find us on Instagram, "rwtdblog". Be sure to hashtag #RWTD ! From all of us here on Running With The Devils, Im Devin Mattera, (recapping yet ANOTHER series clincher), you stay classy Devils Fans!