Game 21 Recap: Devils Dismantle Caps, 5-0, To End Skid
The Devils came into this short two-game homestand needing points. New Jersey, losers of their last three games, seemed to battle frustration and unlucky bounces during their terrible start. It wouldn’t get any easier tonight, as the Washington Capitals visited the Prudential Center. It seemed like yet another letdown in a season full of them. But by the end of the first period, the Devils showed they may have finally turned a corner. In a night where they honored Pat Burns, New Jersey destroyed the Capitals, 5-0, earning their second home win of the season.
Mattias Tedenby prepared for his penalty shot against Braden Holtby. The rookie right-winger beat the Caps goalie for his third goal of the season. Photo Credit: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Jason Arnott Powers The Offense
Coming into tonight’s game, Arnott led the team in goals. Not Ilya Kovalchuk , but Arnott. He’s been the best offensive option, and he displayed those skills tonight, helping put the Capitals away.
Arnott extended the Devils lead to 2-0 at 16:15 of the period. The center started the play at the blue line, grabbing a loose puck at the blue line. He skated down the side boards, drawing two defenders to him. Capitals goalie Braden Holtby came out of the net to challenge Arnott, but the center simply went behind the net and deposited the puck into the empty net on a wraparound attempt for his seventh goal of the season.
Arnott scored his second of the night in the second period, extending the Devils lead to 4-0. Andy Greene threw the puck toward the net, and Patrik Elias deflected the puck on net. Holtby made the initial save, but left the rebound in the low slot. Arnott swept the puck between a defender’s legs and into the net for his eighth goal of the season.
Mattias Tedenby – Penalty Shot Magic
Ever since his callup, Tedenby provided excitement and, importantly, offensive firepower. The rookie once again showed his scoring prowess, converting on the first penalty shot at The Rock since 2009.
Tedenby drew the penalty shot after beating Jon Erskine for a short breakaway. The Caps defender pulled Tedenby down, and the referee signaled for the penalty shot immediately. Tedenby moved in slowly on Holtby, who came out to challenge the right-winger. As Holtby retreated toward his net, Tedenby pulled the puck to the backhand and put the shot on net. The puck deflected off of Holtby’s left arm and into the net for his third goal of the season.
Devils coach John MacLean was pleased with the rookie’s performance tonight.
“He’s a young guy,” MacLean told Tom Gulitti of the Bergen Record. “He has great confidence with the puck. You’ve got to let his creativity come and he skates so well that he makes something happen each time he’s out there and you just have to hedge that with being responsible and he was tonight.”
Johan Hedberg stopped 30 shots for his 15th career shutout. Photo Credit: Bruce Bennett/Getty ImagesThe Moose Is On The Loose
Johan Hedberg wasn’t happy about being skipped over for Saturday’s start against St. Louis. He made that fact known during the pre-game skate, and came into tonight’s game with a chip on his shoulder. After his performance against the Capitals, we might get used to seeing Mike McKenna glued to the end of the bench.
The Devils needed Hedberg to be strong tonight, and the goalie stood up to the challenge. Hedberg stopped 30 shots tonight, blanking the Capitals for his 15th career shutout. They weren’t all cupcake saves either. Hedberg was in a zone, and it seemed like nothing could stop him.
His most impressive save came during the second period, with the Devils already ahead, 5-0.Alexander Semin carried the puck into the Devils zone, and made a beeline toward the slot. The left-winger fired a quick wrist shot on net, and Hedberg quickly flashed the glove and made the save.
“Heddy’s a veteran,” MacLean said to Gulitti. “He wasn’t happy that he wasn’t playing, but understood and he bounced back tremendously, which we expected him to do. It’s good for him because he works extremely hard.”
For the rest of the recap, continue reading after the jump!
no commentsGame 19 Recap: Another Game, Another Loss As Leafs Defeat Devils, 3-1
As the New Jersey Devils approach the 20-game mark, the team’s struggles fall under greater scrutiny as valuable points fall by the wayside. The Devils traveled north of the border to face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs, who won one of their last nine games. But like so many times this season, the Devils couldn’t take advantage of the situation. New Jersey dropped yet another game, losing to the Maple Leafs, 3-1, continuing their horrid start to the season.
Photo Credit: Abelimages/Getty Images
Phil Kessel Sinks The Devils
From the drop of the puck, Kessel showed that he would be a force the entire night. He generated some of the better scoring chances, and narrowly missed converting on a powerplay opportunity when he put a puck off the post. But when it mattered most, the former Boston Bruin would bury his opportunity and help defeat the Devils.
The Maple Leafs, who controlled the puck for most of the second period, began a possession in the Devils zone. Rookie Nazem Kadri held the puck along the right point, and found a wide-open Kessel across the ice. The rookie passed the puck through the entire defense and to Kessel at the left circle, who had all the time in the world to pick his spot. The right-winger fired a shot past the pads of Martin Brodeur for his ninth goal of the season and the game-winning goal.
Jonas Gustavsson – No Goals For You!
The Devils faced a golden opportunity tonight, facing an inconsistent Gustavsson instead of Jean-Sebastian Gigure. But the opportunity quickly turned sour, as the Leafs’ goalie came to play tonight. Gustavsson stopped several quality shots tonight, including denying all 12 of the Devils chances in the third period. New Jersey continually tried to bang the puck low on Gustavsson, but the goalie met every challenge with his pads.
Gustavsson finished with 29 saves, allowing one (fluke) goal in the second period. He earned first star honors from the press, and he’s the reason the Maple Leafs controlled the game.
Brodeur and Another Injury Scare
Brodeur, who started his third straight game, was in the zone tonight. The Devils goalie made several great saves, and got beat on some good chances. But as the third period began, a new goalie skated to net for the Devils. Johan Hedberg began the third, and Brodeur took a seat on the bench. Since it wasn’t ineffective play, it had to be an injury. Just like that, the fears of several New Jersey fans spiked from little concern to nervous sweating.
It looked like Brodeur re-injured his elbow during a second period save on Toronto right-winger Mike Brown. After a turnover along the side boards, Mitchell broke in on net. He tried to cut across the front for a stuff attempt, but Brodeur went down to the ice and knocked the puck off of Mitchell’s stick. But as he went down, Brodeur let go of his stick and spun into a curled position. When he got back up to his feet, he slowly picked up the stick. Replays show Brodeur gingerly held the stick and favored his right elbow throughout the rest of the period.
Continue after the jump for the rest of the recap.
no commentsGame 17 Recap: Kovalchuk Blasts Devils To First Home Win
Coming into tonight’s game, the New Jersey Devils found themselves near the bottom of the league, somewhere completely unfamiliar to them. The Edmonton Oilers, a perennial loser, could have been a team the Devils used to jumpstart their floundering season. Losing through two periods, the Devils came back to tie the game in the third and win it in overtime, 4-3. It was their first home win of the season, and they ended their homestand on a good note.
Photo Credit: Paul Bereswill/Getty Image
Ilya Kovalchuk Gets The Monkey Off His Back
Through the first sixteen games of the season, the Devils hadn’t seen the Kovalchuk they thought they were getting this summer. The left-winger couldn’t score and didn’t seem to gel with the players on the ice. He took some dumb penalties and looked lost on the ice. All of his frustrations culminated Wednesday night, when, breaking in on a shootout attempt, he lost the puck and didn’t get a shot on net. He left the ice to a chorus of boos.
The left-winger found redemption in a big way tonight in overtime. First, Kovalchuk drew a tripping penalty against Dustin Penner, putting the Devils on a 4-on-3 powerplay. But what he did next would turn Wednesday night’s boos into cheers.
With Penner in the box, Patrik Elias and Henrik Tallinder played catch at the point. Elias passed the puck to Tallinder, who sent it to Kovalchuk in the right circle. The left-winger one-timed the puck past Oilers goalie Devan Dubnyk for his second game-winning goal of the year.
After the goal, Kovalchuk skated to center ice, pumping his fist and looking like a new man. That goal was a HUGE relief for the left-winger, and we’ll see if it can loosen his play in the coming games.
The Kids Are Alright
With all the injuries this season, the Devils needed to pepper rookies throughout their lineup. Many of them played important roles during their time with the team, but none were more important than the goals scored by both Alexander Vasyunov and Mattias Tedenby.
Vasyunov’s first career goal at 15:43 of the first period put the Devils on the board, cutting the Oilers lead to 2-1. Both Vasyunov and Travis Zajac stayed out for a long shift as they moved into the Oilers defensive zone. Elias corralled a loose puck at the side boards and moved to the goal line. Elias then layed a pass to Zajac along the end boards, who passed the puck to the front of the net. Vasyunov skated into the slot and beat Oilers goalie Devan Dubynk for the goal.
Not to be outdone, Tedenby scored his first NHL goal at 11:00 of the third period to tie the game, 3-3. With Ales Hemsky in the box for high-sticking, the Devils won a faceoff in the Oilers zone. Andy Greene held the puck along the point, and sent a shot on net. Tedenby tipped the puck into the back of the net for the goal.
Colton Fraser Makes The Devils Pay
Coming into tonight’s game, Fraser had no goals in 14 games this year. The five-year pro would change that, doubling his total in the first ten minutes of the game.
Fraser opened the game’s scoring at 4:34 of the period, putting the Oilers ahead, 1-0. The Oilers forward drove the net and tried to stuff the puck past Martin Brodeur. The Devils goalie made two stops, but Fraser knocked in the third attempt for his goal of the season.
Fraser’s second goal at 9:50 of the period extended the Oilers lead to 2-0. Ryan Jones began the play in his own zone, flipping the puck high into the Devils zone. Olivier Magnan attempted to glove down the puck, but he missed and was knocked off the puck. Foster picked up the loose puck in the low slot and fired it past the stick of Brodeur for his second goal of the season.
For the rest of the recap, read after the jump!
Game 16 Recap: Devils Still O-fer At Prudential Center
It seemed like the New Jersey Devils finally woke up tonight. While the defensive play wasn’t great, the team created scoring chances and actually converted them. They scored four goals with a goalie in the net! But home effort would be for nothing. Ilya Kovalchuk‘s failed shootout attempt (more below) would epitomize the Devils season as the team dropped their second game in a row, losing to the Buffalo Sabres, 5-4, in a shootout tonight. The loss extended their home losing streak to seven games.
Photo Credit: Bill Kostroun/AP PhotoWho is this #17, and what have you done with the real Kovalchuk?
The Devils spent $100 million dollars and suffered through public humiliation just to re-sign Kovalchuk, who they believed could be a difference maker. But when push came to shove tonight, the left winger once again fell flat on his face.
Kovalchuk’s heard boos during the third period of tonight’s game, when he had the chance to be the hero. The left-winger broke in on a partial breakaway against Sabres third-string goalie Jhonas Enroth, but sent a shot high over the net. But coach John MacLean would give him a chance to redeem himself. With the Devils down, 2-1, in the shootout and facing a loss, MacLean called on Kovalchuk to keep the Devils in the game. With the game on the line, Kovalchuk lost the puck and didn’t even get a shot off on net
Just like that, Kovalchuk drew the ire of every Devils fan. Through sixteen games, Kovalchuk has three goals and eight points total. When asked if he was frustrated, Kovalchuk replied “I think we all are.”
Kovalchuk needs to find himself – and fast – to start helping this team win.
Derek Roy delivers a win
Roy skated to center ice for his shootout attempt in the fourth period after Jamie Langenbrunner put one past Enroth to knot it up. Calm and collected, Roy collected the puck and broke in on Hedberg. The forward made a beautiful move to bring the puck to his backhand. He fired it past the glove ofJohan Hedberg for the game-winning goal in the shootout.
The Sabres Never Say Die
The Sabres were behind the eight ball three times tonight, and each time they came back to tie the game. The best comeback of the night came in the second period, where the Sabres would take a 2-1 lead in 13 seconds.
Jason Pominville tied the game at one with a goal at 5:22 of the second period. Tim Connolly took a shot from the point that Hedberg stopped, but a rebound went to the slot. Pominville collected the rebound and beat the Devils’ goalie for his first goal of the season.
Roy gave the Sabres a 2-1 lead merely 13 seconds later. Roy received a pass from Thomas Vanekand skated the puck over the blue line. He blasted a slap shot from the low slot that beat Hedberg for Roy’s eighth goal of the season.
The Captain backs up his talk
Langenbrunner has been a subject of fan ire for most of the season. Several fans commented the captain could only talk about improvements and attitude, not display it on the ice. But tonight, Langenbrunner proved those doubters wrong. The Devils captain scored a goal in the second period, was taken out hard into the boards but came back to play, and kept the Devils alive in the shootout.
Not only that, but Langenbrunner showed his leadership after Kovalchuk flubbed his shootout attempt. He skated to Kovalchuk first and made sure he knew the team had his back. That may seem insignificant, but support like that in the locker room is huge. I thought it was a big step for Langenbrunner, and he should quiet the critics.
Continue reading the preview after the jump!
Rangers Win, Devils Continue To Struggle Finding Goals
The Devils fail to win 2 straight and fail to win at home yet again. Despite outshooting the Rangers 33-20 and having the ice appear to tilt towards Henrik Lundqvist a few times, the Devils couldn't find a way to win this game. In fact the Devils were shutout for the 2nd time in 3 games and continue to struggle finding the net, a common storyline for this season. In my opinion, the Devils have never had a guy that you could depend on when it came to scoring goals. Sure, we've had goal scorers and Parise is probably the closest thing we've had to what I am talking about but never the type of scorer that whenever he was on the ice, you wondered if the puck was going in the net on that shift. I thought signing Ilya Kovalchuk would be that guy for us. So far, he hasn't been and it is comepletely frustrating.
Someone needs to step up for NJ and carry this team offensively. Like I said, at times tonight, the ice looked as if it were tilted towards Lundqvist but the Devils just couldn't get one home. The Devils started the third period in a very bad way as Kovalchuk took a very undisciplined penalty and then Clarkson got called for boarding as he sent Boyle head first into the boards.
Give the Rangers credit tonight. They are a very good shot blocking team and don't seem to be afraid to throw the body in front of a shot. They also did a great job swarming Kovalchuk everytime he got the puck. I said it in my preview that Dubinsky was the guy to watch tonight and he made the Devils pay twice.
A few observations from tonight's game
- I liked what Gionta brought to the rink tonight. I'm very interested in seeing what he can bring to this team if he stays in NJ for a bit.
- Tallinder is still not winning me over. I don't remember him playing this poorly in Buffalo.
- For the most part, Langenbrunner, Zajac and Kovalchuk are just giving the Devils nothing offensively.
- Passing game...Not so good.
- I didn't think Hedberg did too poorly. The only questionable goal he gave up was the 3rd of the game, the shorthanded on to Dubinsky.
- Shooters looked frustrated after every shot that leads to a stoppage.
NJ will have a few days to work on some things as they don't play again until Wednesday when the Sabres come to town. A 4 day break is very welcomed at this point.
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Game 12: Devils Fall To Kings, Parise Hurt
As expected, Kovalchuk was booed loudly by the Kings faithful. Image by Kelvin Kuo/US PresswireAs Devils fans, we can hope that change in the calendar month might bring a change in luck for this team. Unfortunately, the Devils had to play the Kings last night, which was still in the month of October, which has been a pretty bad month for the Devils and ended up losing to the Kings 3-1.
If the Devils want better luck in November, someone is going to have to step up and start putting in goals for the Devils. Rookie defenseman Matt Taormina scored the lone goal Saturday night as the Devils fell to the Los Angeles Kings, 3-1. The Devils have dropped 4 of 5 and goals scoring seems to be the major problem surrounding this team at the moment.
A few of the problems on offense are:
Kovalchuk is scoreless in 3 which is not something you want from a guy being paid as much as he is.
Parise is now scoreless in the last 4 games. News gets worse than that surrounding Parise though. Parise suffered what the team is calling a lower body injury midway through the game and did not accompany the Devils to Vancouver. Instead, he and general manager Lou Lamoriello flew back to New Jersey on a red eye flight or private jet. The Devils are fearful that Parise may have suffered a serious right knee injury when he was hit by Kings winger Kyle Clifford with 3:40 left in the second period.
Jason Arnott, who started the season out with 2 goals in 2 games has quieted since then
Travis Zajac hasn't found the back of the net since opening night.
Point is, if these guys start putting pucks in the net, the Devils will be in much better shape.
As for the game last night against the Kings, Justin Williams gave the Kings a 1-0 lead at 6:52 of the first period when he pulled the puck back while approaching rookie defenseman Tyler Eckford in the right circle. Williams skated around Eckford and beat goalie Martin Brodeur on his stick side. Michal Handzus gave the Kings a 2-0 lead at 9:32 in the second period with a power play goal. The Devils answered at 10:38 on a Taormina goal but L.A. struck quickly at 11:02. Rob Scuderi’s slapper missed the net and hit the end boards. It caromed out to Stoll in the left circle and he backhanded a shot in as Brodeur came sliding back across the goal mouth after playing the shot from Scuderi.
The Devils head to Vancouver for a Monday night matchup and as mentioned above, will not have Parise in the lineup. We will keep careful eye on the Parise injury for you.
no commentsGame 10 Recap: Thornton Hat Trick Helps Sharks Thrash Devils, 5-2
After a loss to the Rangers on Sunday, the New Jersey Devils player’s spoke about the need to get away and build team chemistry. It was all fun and games during practice today, and the Devils felt confident coming into tonight’s matchup. When it came to the game, however, the Devils were unprepared for the onslaught of Joe Thornton. The former Bruin scored three goals in two periods to help the Sharks win their first game at home, 5-2, and extend the Devils early season struggles.
Thornton trick a treat for the Sharks
San Jose struggled at home this season, and entered Wednesday night’s game still searching for the first home victory of the season. Thornton made sure the fans would get their win.
Thornton’s goal at 9:57 of the first period put the Sharks ahead of the Devils, 1-0.
The play began with a turnover in the Devils zone. Dany Heatley scooped up the loose puck at the point, and sent a pass to Thornton in the right circle. The center’s shot deflected off of Devils’ defenseman Matt Taormina‘s stick, and the puck beat Martin Brodeur stick side for his third goal of the year.
Thornton’s second goal of the game, at 18:59 of the first period extended the Sharks lead to 3-0.
Marleau put a shot on net from the side boards that Brodeur should have stopped. But the Devils goalie was tangled with Thornton, who crashed the net, and the big center poked home the puck for his fourth goal of the season.
Thornton’s third goal of the night, a powerplay tally, came at 16:55 of the second period.
After the Devils benefitted from a awkward bounce from the boards, the Sharks received one of their own. After trying to clear it around the boards, Brodeur went behind the net, expecting the puck to come behind. But it bounced off the end boards and went to the front of the net, where Thornton came crashing down. The center fired the puck past a diving Henrik Tallinder for his fifth goal of the season.
The Thorton Line gets it going
It wasn’t only Thornton lighting the lamp in the Sharks victory. Patrick Marleau collected four points (one goal, three assists), including his 700th career NHL point after assisting on Thornton’s first goal of the night. Heatley also collected four points (one goal, three assists) on the night. In total, the Thornton Line had 13 points tonight. That’s almost as many goals the Devils have scored this season.
Brodeur told Rich Chere of the Star Ledger it looked like the Thornton Line was “playing against kids.” He wasn’t wrong.
Brodeur does all he can
There are some nights where Brodeur seems superhuman. Even if he gave one of those efforts tonight, it wouldn’t have been enough for the Devils. Brodeur faced 39 shots tonight – his second consecutive game of 30-plus shots – and made 34 difficult saves. The Sharks got a fluke goal and a soft score, but Brodeur was the usual rock in the net. But when the defense gives Brodeur no support, there’s only so much he can do.
Continue reading after the jump for the rest of the recap.
no commentsGame 9 Recap: Devils sunk (again) in second period, lose to Rangers
The Devils began a six-game road trip with a game against their hated rivals, the New York Rangers, at Madison Square Garden. New Jersey had a chance to get their road trip started right, with the opportunity to beat their rivals on their home ice and give them a good feeling heading out to the West Coast. The Devils, however, couldn’t capitalize on their opportunities, losing to their rivals, 3-1. Now the team goes out west with a two-game losing streak and several questions left to be answered.
Second period struggles continue
The Devils second period woes began last season, and it’s carried over into this season. Through the first nine games of the season, the Devils have allowed 17 goals in the middle period. That’s two more than the Devils’ scored this entire season. Those problems continued tonight, as the Devils once again left the second period in with a two goal deficit. Out of the many problems the Devils have, the biggest is their play in the middle period.
Coach John MacLean said the lack of consistency contributes to the Devils’ second period woes.
“We haven’t been consistent,” the Devils’ coach told the media after the game. “We need to have consistency night in and night out.”
Zach Parise echoed those same concerns.
“We’re a pretty talented team, but we’re missing something right now” the left-winger said. “At times, we’re not playing together out there. The effort was there tonight, but it’s not the result that we needed.”
Ryan Callahan kills the Devils (Again)
Callahan loves playing against the Devils. In 16 games against the Devils, Callahan has ten points (five goals, five assists) and seems to always come up with a big play at key moments in the game. And when that moment came, Callahan was there to bury the Devils.
With the Rangers already ahead, 1-0, Ilya Kovalchuk gave the Devils a powerplay opportunity with a questionable interference call. The Rangers controlled the puck, with Michael Rosival holding the puck at the point. The defenseman passed the puck to Brandon Dubinsky along the side boards, and the forward drifted into the right circle. He put a shot on net as Callahan crashed the crease. The forward tipped the puck through Martin Brodeur's pads for his first goal of the season.
Rosival gets a great bounce
There’s a lot of things contributing to the Devils 2-6-1 start to the season, and some of it is bad luck. For the Rangers, a bounce went their way in the second period, and it gave them a 1-0 lead.
The scoring drive began on a shot from Ruslan Fedentko from the right circle. The puck went off of Brodeur’s shoulder and stunned the Devils’ goalie. The rebound rolled up to Rosival at the point, who one-timed the puck to the net. The puck grazed off the leg of Andy Greene and went around Brodeur for his second goal of the season.
Henrik Lundqvist stands tall
Like so many Devils – Rangers game before tonight, a win hinged on the play of the goalies. And as he’s done 18 times before, Lundqvist stood tall and backstopped the Rangers to a victory. The Swedish goalie stopped several opportunities in the third period as the Devils tried desperately to come back and tie the game. The Devils took 12 shots in the third period, and only beat Lundqvist on a beautiful feed from Dainius Zubrus to Kovalchuk, who had a wide open net to shoot into. There’s a reason why the Rangers’ goalie has 19 wins against the Devils. He single-handidly helped the Rangers hold on to their win tonight.
For the rest of the recap, continue reading after the jump.
