What a downer. Why is it this team jut can't seem to win the games I think they should win. I'm not saying that the Blues are a horrendous team but to lose 1-0 when you have so much fire power is absolutely frustrating.
I guess the one highlight of the evening for Devils fans was the Lebond v Jannsen fight. I do miss Jannsen at times but only at times!!
I made a tweet last night where I joked about the "Energy" not making the trip to Toronto with the Devils except that I wasn't really joking. For the most part, I thought the Devils looked lethargic against the Leafs. Occasionally a shift would pop onto the ice, create some chances and then before we knew, the Devils looked as it they were playing on mud and not ice. I can say the same about the Leafs but then the Leafs aren't a team that is teetering between 2 and 4th overall in the East so I expect that from them.
I thought Yann Denis played a much better game against the Leafs than he did agasint the Islanders last weekend. He didn't really stand a chance on the Kessel goal but then bounced back and made a decent number of stops. The Devils lost in a shootout but the only reason they got to a shootout was because of Denis. Now, the shootout. That was horrendous. Phil Kessel, Nikolai Kulemin, and John Mitchell all made great moves in the shootout and Denis looked very lost out there. Poor guy hasn't done many of them so I guess we can't be surprised.
Now, Paul Martin... Last night was his second game since his arm injury but COME ON!!! When you have an open net in the final minutes of a game and are on a power play...BURY THE FRICKEN PUCK!! I know, I can't put the blame entirely on him. I mean if the Devils could figure out how to perform on the PP, this little sequence might not have even mattered. Power Play is still piss poor.
The bottom line for me is that they let a last placed team dictate the flow of the game instead of 2nd/4th place team dictating it. I know it was a road game and you tend to side on the cautious but this seems to be a trend with the lesser teams this season. If you think about the game, there isn't one Devil that stuck out. It was certinaly Elias the night before but tonight, no one took control except Maybe Phil Kessel and that's the wrong team.
I was glad to see that Lemaire recognized how crappy the Power Play is but I really need him to translate those words into action. This team should have a lethal PP unit and they don't. It would certainly go a long way if they could fix that aspect of their game.
In case you missed it, here are some of the highlights from last night courtesy of the TSN.
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A few thoughts come to mind from tonight's game. The first is a word..."Dominating!!" That's what the Devils have been against the Penguins this season and once again they dominated the Penguins tonight. The second thought is that while most love putting on the old uniforms, I forgot how ugly they really are on TV but thankfully the Devils only looked like the Devils of old in uniform and not in play.
So some thoughts on tonights tilt..
Paul Martin - I was wrong, he didn't need to sit tonight because the Penguins were too strong of a team. He fit in very well, looked very good and had a nice goal to put the Devils up 2-1 in the first. He looked good on defense as well which is the bigger story because we need him going forward.
Patrik Elias - Did we mention it's St. Patty's Day?? This guy loves to show up on this day and play, oh who are we kidding he shows up most days we just needed to make the Elias - St. Patricks Day connection. In all honesty those, his goal in the second came from a stretch of excellent play by the Devils. First Zajac takes off on a break away while shorthanded to get, i can't say robbed but it was a beauty of a save by Fluery. Penguins try to regroup and immediately get picked off by Elias who streaks down the ice and goes "Seven Hole" and then we get a lesson on the "Goalie's Hole's" by Chico Resch. (Insert crack about Henrik Lundqvist here!!)
Penguins Defense - or actually lack there of. Lets see, Zubrus, breakaway..SCORE!! Zajac..shorthanded breakaway, Fluery makes an incredible stop and Elias..shorthanded breakaway..SCORE!! If I am a Penguins fan I am scratching my head and asking WTF?? Why are you letting the Devils and this game get SO wide open??
Devils Offense - Right now its clicking and hopefully will only continue to do so. For the second game in a row, the Devils chase the starting goalie to the bench. I actually thought Johnson did a very good job although the first shot he faced is one I am not sure how it didn't go in. 
Rod Pelley - It was an ulgy hit. Obviously the name Goligoski and the number 3 were plain as day and Pelley probably shouldn't have followed through with the hit. Glad to see Goligoski out on the next shift but I'll be interested to see if the NHL doesn't demand a little money from Pelley. Huge penalty on Letang in that whole mess because it took 2 mins away from a 5 Minute Major.
Devils Dominance - I thought the Penguins actually dominated the first 5 minutes of this game and then backed off. Its amazing what the Devils have done to the Penguins this season but I am going to keep the broom in the closet until games actually matter. With that said, the Devils have outscored the Pens 22-5 this season and no team has ever knocked off a team in the Stanley Cup Playoffs when losing 6+ game in the regular season.
Devils Power Play - If I have to look for something disappointing from tonight its the PP. Every night it's usually the PP. It just doesn't perform like I hope it would and it hasn't changed since we got a very good QB in Kovalchuk on it.
Tonight's Three Stars
#1 - Patrick Elias - 1 Goal, 1 Assist on 1 Shot (LOL!!)
#2 - Paul Martin - 1 Goal on 1 Shot (again LOL!!) and 18:05 mins of ice time (Huge ice time for first game in 5 months).
#3 - Danius Zubrus - 1 Goal on 2 shots.
The Devils travel to Toronto tomorrow night against a team that probably wants a little redemption for losing a game like they did the last time they played NJ, even if the game was here.
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If there is one thing I am going to remember about the Devils 2009/2010 season, it's going to be the Kovalchuk trade but if there is one other thing I will remember, its that the Devils won son many games by playing an excellent first period and then holding on the final two periods to secure the "W". Of cours, I just don't think that is a great recipe for winning in the post-season.
Last nights game against Boston followed this game play. The Devils came out, handed it to the Bruins and then played "Hold On Hockey." Brodeur stopped 34 shots, including 14 in the third period, in earning his 38th victory of the season. He also notched his third assist of the season on David Clarkson's breakaway goal at 17:23 of the first that gave the home team a 2-0 lead. Speaking of Clarkson's goal, it was a beauty because Marty was able to glove down the puck and make a tape to tape pass with a breaking Clarkson. I am sure it felt good for Clarkson since the last time these two teams met, Clarkson fractured his leg on a Chara slap shot.
I'm happy with the win but I certainly would like to see this team not just sit back when getting a 3-0 lead. They did it a few weeks ago in San Jose when they were up 4-0 and let SJ back in the game and did it again last night.
The win last night marked 4 home wins in a row and now have the Devils trailing the Pittsburgh Penguins by 2 points for the top spot in the Altantic Division. Oh, look at that, Pittsburgh comes back to town tomorrow night in a game we've all been looking forward to as the Devils pull out the old Red and Green Jerseys.
My Three Stars Last Night:
1. David Clarkson: 1 Goal, 1 Assist, 3 Shots on Goal
2. Zach Parise: 1 Goal (GWG), 3 Shots on Goal
3. Marty Brodeur: 1 Assists, Stopped 34 of 36 shots.
After the New Jersey Devils loss to Edmonton on Sunday, the Devils' were on a two-game slide and needed something to change their lethargic play.
Coach Jacques Lemaire cited one thing the Devils needed one thing to get back on track.
Practice.
After two physically intense days of practice, the Devils responded to the challenge with a win over their rivals, the New York Rangers, 6-3, Wednesday night at the Prudential Center.
"The last two days we’ve been working on the team concept," Lemaire said. "The guys responded very well to it. I think we played with more intensity. We showed that we really wanted to win tonight, more than I’ve seen lately. We’re headed in the right direction. This is what we want."
Jamie Langenbrunner broke a 3-3 tie at 13:06 of the second period. After a turnover by the Rangers in their own zone, Patrik Elias passed the puck to Andy Greene at the point. Greene sent the puck cross-ice to defenseman Mike Mottau, who shot the puck toward the net. Langenbrunner tipped the puck past Lundqvist and into the net for his 16th goal of the season.
That score would prove to be the decisive strike, as the Devils went on to score three more goals in the win.
Devils' center Rob Niedermayer scored the game's first goal at 4:16 of the first period. Brian Rolston took an awkward angle shot, and the rebound came to Niedermayer in the slot. The center blasted the puck off of Rangers' goalie Henrik Lundqvist’s right shoulder and into the net for his eighth goal of the season.
The Rangers tied the game 57 seconds later to tie the game at one. Vaclav Prospal set up near the side of the net, and Marian Gaborik found him with a pass. Prospal, who was wide open, put the puck past a diving Martin Brodeur for his 15th goal of the season.
Bryce Salvador's goal at 18:17 of the first period restored the Devils' lead. Salvador began the play by keeping the puck in the zone. He took the puck and did a spin-o-rama, passing the puck behind the net to Niedermayer. Niedermayer got knocked down, and Langenbrunner passed the puck to Greene at the right point. Greene passed the puck to Salvador, who one-timed the pass. The puck hit the stick of Ollie Jokinen in front and went in for Salvador’s fourth of the season.
Erik Christensen pulled the Rangers even with the Devils at 5:01 of the second period. Brandon Dubinsky carried the puck into the zone and found Christensen at the point alone. Christensen received the puck and deked around a Devils’ defenseman, putting him alone in the slot. He whipped a shot past Brodeur for his sixth goal of the year.
The seesaw battle continued, with the Devils scoring again to take a lead, 3-2. With Wade Redden in the box
for hooking, Brian Rolston took a shot on Lundqvist. Both Dainius Zubrus and Travis Zajac crashed the net, bringing the defensemen with them. The puck slid to the right side of the net, where Zach Parise came untouched and backhanded it into the empty net for his 31st goal of the year.
Just 37 seconds later, Brandon Prust scored to draw the Rangers even. The Rangers' used their forecheck to force a turnover from Mark Fraser, who tapped a loose puck into the slot. Jody Shelley took a spin-o-rama shot that Brodeur stopped. But Prust worked his way to the front of the net and put the rebound past the Devil's goalie for his second goal of the year.
The Devils lost three leads, but they showed resiliency, continuing to pressure the Rangers and put shots on Lundqvist.
"Three days ago we might have (crumbled)," said Langenbruner, who scored the eventual game-winning goal at 13:06 of the third period. "But we had a different mindset tonight. We didn’t let those things affect us. You could see it on the bench. It was a tough break on the third goal that they tied it up on, but it was right back, ‘We’re still going to get it.’ And that wasn’t there the last little while when something goes wrong, we were like, ‘Here we go again.’ It was much-better mindset and it I think it showed in the way we played as solid a 60 (minutes) as we have in a long time."
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The New Jersey Devils hadn't won in Edmonton since Halloween in 1995.
After tonight's loss, the Devils will have to wait to break that streak.
The Edmonton Oilers scored two goals to blank the Devils, 2-0, tonight at Rexall Place.
After a quiet first period, Oilers' forward Gilbert Brule struck at 1:23 of the second period to break the scoreless tie. Devils 'goalie Martin Brodeur went behind the net to play the puck. It took a bad hop off the boards and came to Oilers' forward Andrew Cogliano. Cogliano pushed the puck past Devils' defenseman Anssi Salmela on the side boards, and it rolled to Oilers' forward Patrick O'Sullivan. O'Sullivan sent a quick pass to Brule in front, and Brule one-timed the puck past Brodeur for his 14th goal of the season.
The Oilers outshot the Devils, 16-9, in the second period.
Devils' center Dean McAmmond left the game with an injury 6:43 into the second period. McAmmond was driven in to the boards by the Devils' bench by Oilers forward Zach Stortini. McAmmond immediately clutched his arm and came off the ice. He went down the tunnel and into the visitor's dressing room.
The Devils released no news on the severity of the injury. McAmmond did not return to the game.
Marc Pouliot extended the lead to two at 8:28 of the third period. Oilers' forward Sam Gagner began the play in the neutral zone, taking the loose puck and passing it ahead to Robert Nilsson. Nillson deked around Devils’ defenseman Colin White and drove to the slot. As he fell to the ice, he passed to an open Pouliot in the slot. Pouliot sent the puck to the top of the net for his fourth goal of the season.
Pouliot's goal came right after a great breakaway save by Oilers' goalie Jeff Deslauriers. Devil's left-winger Ilya Kovalchuk split two defenders in the neutral zone, grabbing a loose puck and heading in alone on Deslauriers. Kovalchuk attempted to put the shot through Deslauriers' legs, but the goalie closed his pads and made the save.
Deslauriers finished with 22 saves in the win. Brodeur finished with 33 saves in the loss.
The Devils finish their road trip with a 1-4-0 record. They've only won six of their last 20 games (6-12-2). The loss drops the Devils five points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the Atlantic Division lead. The team plays Wednesday night against the Rangers at the Prudential Center.
Game Notes
Devils' "enforcer" Andrew Peters, playing in his first game since the Olympic break, received a game misconduct at 9:25 of the third period. Peters and Ryan Whitney drew matching roughing penalties, but Peters continued to talk and taunt Whitney. The refs gave him the game misconduct, ending his night...Edmonton remains one of three teams Brodeur has never shut out...Oilers' goalie Deslauriers defeated the Devils for the second time in his career. He previously defeated them on November 9, 2008.
Photo Credit: John Ulan, The Canadian Press/AP Photo
The former coach versus his old team.
Tonight’s matchup between the New Jersey Devils and the Calgary Flames came down to a matchup between Devils former coach Brent Sutter against the team he led to two straight playoff appearances.
The Flames scored five unanswered goals and beat the Devils, 5-3, at the Pengrowth Saddledome.
Trailing 1-0 after the first period, Daymond Langkow scored 1:43 into the second period to tie the game. The Flames were able to catch the Devils top line of Zach Parise, Travis Zajac and Jamie Langenbrunner on the ice for an extended period of time. After a faceoff win, Christopher Higgins took the puck behind the net. Higgins took a shot from the goal line hit the stick of Devils’ goalie Martin Brodeur and went right to Langkow in the slot. Langkow backhanded the puck past Brodeur for his 12th goal of the season.
Curtis Glencross gave the Flames the lead with a shorthanded goal at 5:41 of the period. Devils’ left-winger Ilya Kovalchuk took the puck at the point after a Devils face-off win. He tried to make one too many moves, and Glencross stripped him of the puck. Glencross chased it down at center ice and broke in alone on Brodeur. He put the puck high over the glove for his third shorthanded goal of the season.
That was the fourth shorthanded the goal the Devils allowed this season.
Eric Nystrom added the third unanswered goal at 16:04 of the period. Glencross created the opportunity for Nystrom’s goal. After coming off the bench for a change, Glencross beat Devils’ defenseman Andy Greene and eliminated the icing. He checked Greene into the sideboards, and the Devils defenseman turned the puck over to Nystrom. Nystrom drove to the front of the net, and Brodeur tried to poke the puck away. It snuck under Brodeur’s pads and across the crease, and Nystrom backhanded the puck past a diving Brodeur for his seventh goal of the season.
Flames forwards Matt Stajan and Brandon Moss scored 33 seconds apart in the third period to extend the Flames lead to 5-1.
Stajan scored his 19th goal at the season at 9:29 of the third period. Flames forward Rene Bourque took a shot from the slot that bounced off of Brodeur’s right pad and back into the slot. Stajan collected the loose puck and put it through Brodeur’s pads for the Flames fourth-straight goals.
Moss created a turnover after a hit in the Devils zone almost thirty seconds later. Niklas Hagman took a shot that hit Moss in front of the net. The puck slid by Brodeur and toward the right post. Moss put the puck past Brodeur for his eighth goal of the season.
The Devils staged a comeback late in the third period, scoring two goals in 1:18 seconds.
Parise tallied his second goal of the game at 16:08. With Mark Giordano in the box for roughing, Zajac carried the puck into the zone. Two Flames pinned him on the side boards, but Zajac found a way to get the puck to Langenbrunner in the slot. Langenbrunner one-timed the shot, and Flames goalie Mikka Kiprusoff made the initial save. The puck trickled behind him, and Parise tapped the puck into the open net for his 30th goal of the season.
Kovalchuk scored 1:18 seconds later to pull the Devils within two. Patrik Elias passed the puck to Kovalchuk, who took a shot from the right circle. The puck trickled through Kiprusoff and over the goal line for Kovalchuk’s 34th goal of the season.
But the effort would fall short as the Devils lost for the 11th time in 19 games. They’re 6-11-2 during the streak.
Brodeur finished with 20 saves in the loss. Kiprusoff, who beat the Devils for the first time, stopped 22 shots in the win.
Game Notes:
David Clarkson and Jamal Mayers fought twice in the game. While they didn’t throw many punches in the first go-around, both threw several rights in the second bout. Clarkson won both of the fights…Martin Skoula was a healthy scratch for the Devils tonight. The Devils acquired Skoula at the trade deadline from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a fifth-round draft pick in this year’s draft…The Devils have not won two consecutive games since January 9 (2-1 overtime win agains the Canadians) and January 12 (1-0 shootout win over the Rangers)…The Devils allowed five goals in a game for the fifth time this season. Brodeur played in each of those games.
Photo Credit: Jeff McIntosh, The Canadian Press/AP Photo
This game was certainly a weird game in my opinion. For a part of the game, the Devils completely dominated one of the best teams in the Western Conference and then poof, had one of those moments where the opposition pumps in goal after goal in a very short time frame. When McAmmond went off for tripping and gave the Sharks their first PP of the game and they were able to cut the lead to 2, I was really worried at what I was seeing. In my opinion, a 2 goal lead is the worst kind of lead to have in hockey. One goal and the lead is cut in half, completely changing momentum in a hockey game. One minute later, the Sharks were knocking on the door after Pavelski cut the lead 4-3. Thankfully, the Devils were able to hang on but I'll be honest, when Zajac scored to make it 4-0, I never thought that would end up being the game winner. Allowing 3 goals in 2:35 seconds is down right scary.
As I mentioned yesterday, if the Devils lost, I was going to look for the moral win and even though the Devils skated away with the victory. This was a roller coaster ride and while the Defense scares me at times, which makes me wonder about todays deadline, the offense is simply amazing when they are clicking.
I do believe the Defense will get a HUGE bump if/when Paul Martin returns. We certainly were hoping for some Paul Martin after the Olympics but he's just not ready yet. I hope he close, I read he's close but I've been reading that for so long now, I don't know what to believe.
Congratulations to Travis Zajac who netted his 20th of the year and now has back to back 20 goal seasons. I think he was tired of the Parise / Langenbrunner spotlight the last two weeks because he looked like he was on a mission, skating into the zone and ripping a slapshot right by Nabakov.
I could get used to Kovalchuk scoring wristers from the point on Power Plays. He usually opts for the bigger slapper but sometimes it's not neccesary. Credit down the stretch must go to the third line for some excellent defensive play. With 90 seconds left, Rob Niedermayer decided to play keep away from the Sharks for a good thirty seconds. The Sharks finally got Nabokov off, but could not launch a successful attack. Kovalchuk nearly hit an empty netter but he missed and came back on defense to shut down the final Shark breakout, and the game ended and a huge sigh of relief went up in Devils Nation.
Don't forget today is the deadline and everything I've read says you won't be seeing a certain brother of a current NJ Devil coming back to NJ. With the Ducks in the hunt, I'm not sure why they would trade Scotty. We'll see if Lou does something to sure up the defense a little, other than that, I don't think NJ needs much.
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With the recent trades by the Carolina Hurricanes, it wouldn't surprise anyone to see left-winger Ray Whitney be dealt before the trade deadline.
If this was his last home game, he made it memorable for the Hurricanes.
Whitney and Jussi Jokinen each scored two goals to lead the Hurricanes past the New Jersey Devils, 5-2.
Whitney broke the game open with two powerplay goals in the second period. His first powerplay goal, at 4:34 of the period, came on a 5-on-3 opportunity. With Devils players Dainius Zubrus and Rob Niedermayer in the box, Erik Staal carried the puck into the Devils zone. He stopped at the top of the left circle and passed the puck cross-ice to Whitney. Whitney one-timed the puck past a diving Martin Brodeur for the goal.
Whitney scored his second powerplay goal a minute later. With Niedermayer serving the rest of his penalty, Tim Gleason fired a shot that beat Brodeur and hit the right post. The puck sat in the crease, and as Brodeur dove back to get the puck, Whitney came into the crease and tapped home the loose puck for the goal.
Carolina went 2-for-4 with the man advantage in the game.
Whitney set up Jokinen for his first goal at 3:27 of the third period. Whitney held the puck along the boards and spun to get away from Devils center Travis Zajac. He passed the puck cross-ice to Jussi Jokinen, who beat Brodeur with a one-timer from the left circle for the goal.
After that goal, with the Devils facing a 4-0 deficit, Devils coach Jacques Lemaire pulled Brodeur and inserted Yann Danis.
The Devils came within two after Brodeur was pulled.
Zach Parise broke the shutout with his 28th goal at 7:26 of the period. Devils left winger Ilya Kovalchuk carried the puck into the Hurricanes zone, but lost the puck in the slot. Parise picked up the puck and put a shot on net. The rebound came to his stick, and he beat Hurrcianes goalie Justin Peters for the goal.
Brian Rolston scored a powerplay goal at 17:02 to cut the deficit to two. With Staal in the box for roughing, Zajac set up along the goal line. Rolston came down from the point alone, and Zajac fed him with a pass across the crease. Rolston put the puck to the top of the net for his 17th goal of the year.
But the comeback would fall short as Jokinen iced the victory.
After pulling Danis, Kovalchuk carried the puck to the Hurricanes blue line. Jokinen stripped him of the puck and picked it up in the Devils zone. As Devils defenseman Mike Mottau came over to block the puck, Jokinen lifted the puck into the empty net for his second goal of the game.
With the win, the Hurricanes go into the break winning five in a row and six straight on their home ice. The Devils limp into the break with a 5-10-2 record in their last 17 games.
Game Notes
Hurricanes rookie Zach Boychuk scored his first NHL goal in the first period...The Devils went 1-for-4 tonight on the powerplay...Devils rookie defenseman Matt Corrente and Hurricane's right-winger Tom Kostopoulos fought at 6:25 of the period. Corrente won the fight...Rolston had a goal disallowed at 11:04 in the second period. After originally being ruled a goal, the video review showed officials in Toronto that Rolston used a "distinct kicking motion" to put the puck in the net.
The Devils newest acquisition, Ilya Kovalchuk, went four games without scoring a goal after being traded from the Atlanta Thrashers almost two weeks ago.
Tonight was his coming out party.
Kovalchuk scored the game winning goal in the third period, and the Devils defeated the Predators, 5-2.
Kovalchuk’s first goal as a Devil at 8:24 broke a 3-3 tie in the third period. Patrick Elias carried the puck up the side boards, bringing the defense with him. He sent a backhanded pass to streaking Kovalchuk, who carried the puck to the slot. Kovalchuk sent a wrist shot past the outstretched glove of Predators goalie Pekka Rinne for the goal.
After he scored, some Devils fans decided to throw their hats on the ice to celebrate the goal. Kovalchuk was named the first star of the game, and recorded two points and finished the game with a +3 rating.
The Devils began the scoring at 9:49 in the first period. Devils captain Jamie Langenbrunner carried the puck into the Predator’s zone, where he skated around two Predators defenseman. He went into the slot and held the puck just below the goal line, drawing Rinne out of the goal. Langenbrunner then passed the puck to Travis Zajac, who tapped the puck into the empty net for his 19th goal of the season.
Zajac’s 19 goals is the second-highest goal output of his career. His career high is 20 goals, which he achieved last season.
After tying the game in the first period, the Predators took the lead 46 seconds into the second period. Predators right-winger Jordin Tootoo carried the puck over the blue line and used Devils defenseman Andy Greene to screen goalie Martin Brodeur. Tootoo let go a wrist shot from the point that beat Brodeur for his fourth goal of the season.
But the Devils responded with a goal of their own 1:14 later. Elias carried the puck over the blue line and blasted a slap shot from the point. The puck beat Rinne high for the game-tying goal. It’s Elias’ 11th of the season.
Then Kovalchuk took over.
After scoring the game-winner, Kovalchuk assisted on Parise’s powerplay goal at 13:08 in the third period. With Predators defenseman Dan Hamhuis in the box for tripping, Kovalchuk carried the puck down the side boards. He attempted to pass the puck to the front of the net, but the puck deflected off the skate of Predator’s defenseman Shea Webber. Parise picked up the loose puck in the slot and put a wrist shot past Rinne to give the Devils a two goal lead.
The victory was the Devils fifth in their last 16 games. The team plays the Carolina Hurricanes tomorrow in their final game before the Olympic break.
Game Notes:
The Devils powerplay is anemic as of late, going 3-28 over their last five contests (the team was 1-for-5 tonight). One of those missed chances was a two-man advantage, which the Devils are only 2-for-17 this season...Despite their second period goal, the Devils have still been outscored, 12-2, in the second period of their last six games...Kovalchuk's goal drought of six games (two with Atlanta, four with the Devils) was the second longest of his career. He had a nine-game scoreless streak with Atlanta in 2008.
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