Apparently the New Jersey Devils have taken a page straight out of the 2008 New York Mets guide to closing out a game. "If leading late, assume opposing team will give up and game will be won."
Twice now in the series, the Devils have held leads with victory in sight, and twice they have conceded the game winning goal under a minute to go.
Already, fans are playing the blame game, and yes, this is exactly what I intend to do.
Some are pointing fingers at a suspect Defensive corps that probably is barely in the middle of the pack compared to the rest of the league. If this core was so bad, why did they put together stellar numbers infront of a goaltender who never started more than 10 games in a single NHL season? Including impressive wins against top echelon opponents.
The defense wasn’t blamed then for the losses with Clemmensen in net, then why are they getting the blame when a Hall of Fame goalie is in net?
Some fans are blaming Brodeur for the loss. I will fully agree that he should have had the first and fourth goals, no questions asked. But he cannot put the offense together, he cannot score goals [well realistically] from his end of the ice. It’s the job of the players making multi-million dollars.
Yes, Brodeur should take the fall for 2 goals, but that still leaves 2 unaccounted for. Oh, and all arguments here on out that Marty is too tired when it comes playoff time, are hereby dismissed, cause he missed 50 games this season, and still couldn’t steal them more than 1 game.
“The role players never stepped up,” is another cry. Well, lets see who the Devils got goals from. The equalizer came from Langenbrunner who had missed 2 games in the series with a lower body injury. He took a brilliant feed from Parise down low and buried it past Ward. Later, Jay Pandolfo, who was scratched for nearly every game down the stretch, scored the first go-ahead goal. After the Cane’s tied it, Rolston answered on the powerplay to take the lead back. This team was on fire, and had Carolina on their heels, all they needed was one more to find the back of the net, and it looked like it was going to happen.
But then something happened with about 6 minutes to go.
They went defensive. The shell came back, the offense died, and Carolina smelt blood in the water.
Even watching at home, you could tell the ice was beginning to tilt towards the Devils end as Carolina began rush after rush, forcing Brodeur to make highlight reel saves to compensate for Devil breakdowns. But yet, they stayed defensive, and it was their demise.
I personally look no further than the man behind the bench, head coach Brent Sutter. Throughout the series, Sutter failed to have his team give him 100% effort for the entire 60 minutes. All season long, he never matched lines with the opposing teams, and for the last 2 games he did. Putting the geriatric line out there against the Staal line killed the Devils. As did the team thinking the game was over at the 18 minute mark of the 3rd period.
For those who wish to look beyond Sutter and say there needs to be a player out there to step up and be a leader on the ice, I ask that you find him, and ask yourself, would he honestly want to come to New Jersey.
Just like every year since 2003 except for 2, the Devils are playing golf following the first round.
When is enough enough? When will the ownership hold people in the front office accountable? Could this finally be the year? Please?
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Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
"Its Time for Letting Go"
With thanks to Tina Turner for the lyrical quote title of this post, it means a lot more after tonight's result.
Now joining the ranks of Aaron Boone, 0.5 seconds, 2 blown leads vs. Big East teams, and countless shots/saves by opposing goalies hockey games, 0.2 and Jussi Jokinen have joined the ranks of epic sports heart breaks.
The point of this article is not to focus on the misery, however, and instead to plead, beg or slap fellow Devils fans across the face, and hopefully, get them to STOP crying about the "no call" at the end of the game.
There is no question Jokinen and goalie Martin Brodeur made contact as the pass was being made just prior to the shot. Replay shows it, everyone saw it, point there. The issue is whether or not there should have been a call or not.
Moments after the game, the NHL released the following statement:
While it is true, the NHL almost never disagrees with the referees, I agree with the non-call.
My own personal reaction was that Brodeur moved into Jokinen's path to draw contact rather than focusing on the puck as it moved across the blue line. After watching the replay a few times, however, I feel it was more of a case of incidental contact and neither playing being at fault.
Regardless of my opinion, nor outsiders thoughts, we as a fan base need to move beyond it, right now.
It is no secret that referees in the Easter Conference playoff bracket have been exceptionally horrendous. One major factor, in my opinion, is not having one set of refs per series. But that is a different subject for a different post.
Devils fans, we need to stop making excuses and look at the positives that are coming from this game. We came out flatter than road kill in the first, and played just as bad for the second. We dug ourselves into a hole and it looked like we were on our way into getting slaughtered. But then we got a spark.
Brian Gionta took a long pass off the boards, turned it into a breakaway, and stole a little momentum before the end of the 2nd period.
That gave the Devils confidence, and they played like it in the 3rd period.
A powerplay goal by Brendan Shannahan made it a one goal game, with plenty of time to spare.
David Clarkson's goal with just under 10 minutes to go made it an entirely new hockey game.
The Devils had numerous chances, at least 5 or 6, to grab the lead, and either pushed the puck wide, got a bad shot off or Cam Ward made good saves.
In the end, it was their inability to clear the puck in the closing minute that caused the chance for the shot itself. If Paul Martin beats Jokinen into the corner after Brodeur's save, he might be able to clear the puck. If the wingers covering the point put a stick out before the shot, we head to overtime. If Mottau takes Jokinen to the left instead of pushing him right, blocked shot, go to overtime.
Too many what ifs happened following Clarkson's goal to be pinning the loss on a non-call with 0.2 seconds to go in the game.
Right now, we need to just take the positives of the spirited comeback and let that be the motivation to win by a multi-goal margin Thursday at the Prudential Center.
Now joining the ranks of Aaron Boone, 0.5 seconds, 2 blown leads vs. Big East teams, and countless shots/saves by opposing goalies hockey games, 0.2 and Jussi Jokinen have joined the ranks of epic sports heart breaks.
The point of this article is not to focus on the misery, however, and instead to plead, beg or slap fellow Devils fans across the face, and hopefully, get them to STOP crying about the "no call" at the end of the game.
There is no question Jokinen and goalie Martin Brodeur made contact as the pass was being made just prior to the shot. Replay shows it, everyone saw it, point there. The issue is whether or not there should have been a call or not.
Moments after the game, the NHL released the following statement:
Interpretation of goalie interference rule: New Jersey at Carolina - 19:59
of the third period - 04.21.2009 / 10:34 PM ET
The NHL's goalie interference rule sets a mandate to protect the goalie in the blue ice – to let the goalie do his job. In the white ice, it is a more delicate matter, including who moved into whom. The referee has one split-second look at it and it is a judgment call. NHL Hockey Operations has no video review capacity in this instance. Hockey Operations officials agreed with the call on the ice, that it looked like the goalie, Martin Brodeur, moved out toward the skater.
While it is true, the NHL almost never disagrees with the referees, I agree with the non-call.
My own personal reaction was that Brodeur moved into Jokinen's path to draw contact rather than focusing on the puck as it moved across the blue line. After watching the replay a few times, however, I feel it was more of a case of incidental contact and neither playing being at fault.
Regardless of my opinion, nor outsiders thoughts, we as a fan base need to move beyond it, right now.
It is no secret that referees in the Easter Conference playoff bracket have been exceptionally horrendous. One major factor, in my opinion, is not having one set of refs per series. But that is a different subject for a different post.
Devils fans, we need to stop making excuses and look at the positives that are coming from this game. We came out flatter than road kill in the first, and played just as bad for the second. We dug ourselves into a hole and it looked like we were on our way into getting slaughtered. But then we got a spark.
Brian Gionta took a long pass off the boards, turned it into a breakaway, and stole a little momentum before the end of the 2nd period.
That gave the Devils confidence, and they played like it in the 3rd period.
A powerplay goal by Brendan Shannahan made it a one goal game, with plenty of time to spare.
David Clarkson's goal with just under 10 minutes to go made it an entirely new hockey game.
The Devils had numerous chances, at least 5 or 6, to grab the lead, and either pushed the puck wide, got a bad shot off or Cam Ward made good saves.
In the end, it was their inability to clear the puck in the closing minute that caused the chance for the shot itself. If Paul Martin beats Jokinen into the corner after Brodeur's save, he might be able to clear the puck. If the wingers covering the point put a stick out before the shot, we head to overtime. If Mottau takes Jokinen to the left instead of pushing him right, blocked shot, go to overtime.
Too many what ifs happened following Clarkson's goal to be pinning the loss on a non-call with 0.2 seconds to go in the game.
Right now, we need to just take the positives of the spirited comeback and let that be the motivation to win by a multi-goal margin Thursday at the Prudential Center.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Swiriling the Bowl to the Playoffs
The Devils since the NHL trade deadline should have been a team gearing up for a serious run at the Stanley Cup.
With Martin Brodeur making his much anticipated return from a 4 month hiatus to recover from biceps surgery, the Devils should have erased Boston’s once insurmountable lead in the Eastern Conference.
Instead, after a very hot return which led to Brodeur easily catching and passing Patrick Roy for all time regular season wins, the Devils have looked very human, if not borderline feeble.
The offence that had produced over 200 goals before Brodeur returned to his all too familiar crease has significantly cooled off. Scoring over two goals only once, and that was a 5 goal effort to beat Tampa Bay in overtime.
The defense has been nothing short of atrocious, with the likes of Colin White and Paul Martin being the only air of consistency. Deadline acquisition Niclas Havelid has been a major disappointment as he struggles to find his groove in the new system. The defensive corps is constantly out of position or are guilty of making poor decisions while handling the puck.
Even the future hall of famer has had his share of disappointments during this stretch. It almost seems that since a court ruled in favor of his ex wife in a child support case in the amount of $500,000 per year until 2020, Marty has had his mind elsewhere. During the pregame ceremony honoring Brodeur before the Tampa Bay game, my friend Andy and I joked at the price values of the gifts he was receiving and how Melanie was probably sitting at home saying “I pretty much own all of those right now.”
Of all the gifts he received, none foreshadowed the poor run more than the gift he received from the captains: a 3 day 2 night trip to play at Jack Nicklaus’ private golf course. That night, the Devils seemingly put to bed talk of a losing streak by controlling the flow of play after being out hustled for most of the first period.
The next night, they traveled to Buffalo and again, put on a dominating performance, but for only 40 minutes. In the third period, they became complacient, and it nearly cost them a victory. Buffalo tallied two 3rd period goals and nearly completed the comeback after falling behind 3-0 midway in the 2nd.
The win was the 2nd in a row for the Devils and seemingly put one of the final nails in the coffin of Buffalo’s playoff hopes.
They had built up some momentum, all be it in sloppy fashion, and had the fan base believing the worst was behind them. But the Devils opened their game against Toronto in a lethargic attitude. Costly giveaways led to defensive miscues which then led to soft goals and the Devils found themselves on the wrong end of a 3-0 score. A power play goal by Jamie Langenbrunner could have been the spark they needed, but it was to no avail as the Leafs answered right back with a goal of their own.
Following their 3-2 shootout victory over the Senators in Ottawa last night, the Devils clinched their second Atlantic Division title in 3 years.
And while that feat is something for a team to be very proud of they must keep in mind a few grounding facts:
- The Devils have not beaten a playoff team since beating Chicago at home over a month ago.
- Their road record in their last 10 is beyond terrible, registering a mere 2 wins.
- Since win #552, [a total of 13 games] Brodeur has only 4 wins.
If the Devils have any illusions that the Stanley Cup playoffs will be a breeze, let the past month and change be a humble reminder nothing will be handed to them. They need to find the fighting attitude they had when Scott Clemmensen was filling in for the injured Brodeur. The attitude where just one goal would not cut it and they capitalized on nearly every legitimate scoring change they had.
Without Brodeur, this team was supposed to be dead in the water, destined for a lottery pick. But with him, they seem to be too complacent in relying on #30 to pitch a shutout game in and game out.
Hello New Jersey Devils, its playoff time, this is your wakeup call.
With Martin Brodeur making his much anticipated return from a 4 month hiatus to recover from biceps surgery, the Devils should have erased Boston’s once insurmountable lead in the Eastern Conference.
Instead, after a very hot return which led to Brodeur easily catching and passing Patrick Roy for all time regular season wins, the Devils have looked very human, if not borderline feeble.
The offence that had produced over 200 goals before Brodeur returned to his all too familiar crease has significantly cooled off. Scoring over two goals only once, and that was a 5 goal effort to beat Tampa Bay in overtime.
The defense has been nothing short of atrocious, with the likes of Colin White and Paul Martin being the only air of consistency. Deadline acquisition Niclas Havelid has been a major disappointment as he struggles to find his groove in the new system. The defensive corps is constantly out of position or are guilty of making poor decisions while handling the puck.
Even the future hall of famer has had his share of disappointments during this stretch. It almost seems that since a court ruled in favor of his ex wife in a child support case in the amount of $500,000 per year until 2020, Marty has had his mind elsewhere. During the pregame ceremony honoring Brodeur before the Tampa Bay game, my friend Andy and I joked at the price values of the gifts he was receiving and how Melanie was probably sitting at home saying “I pretty much own all of those right now.”
Of all the gifts he received, none foreshadowed the poor run more than the gift he received from the captains: a 3 day 2 night trip to play at Jack Nicklaus’ private golf course. That night, the Devils seemingly put to bed talk of a losing streak by controlling the flow of play after being out hustled for most of the first period.
The next night, they traveled to Buffalo and again, put on a dominating performance, but for only 40 minutes. In the third period, they became complacient, and it nearly cost them a victory. Buffalo tallied two 3rd period goals and nearly completed the comeback after falling behind 3-0 midway in the 2nd.
The win was the 2nd in a row for the Devils and seemingly put one of the final nails in the coffin of Buffalo’s playoff hopes.
They had built up some momentum, all be it in sloppy fashion, and had the fan base believing the worst was behind them. But the Devils opened their game against Toronto in a lethargic attitude. Costly giveaways led to defensive miscues which then led to soft goals and the Devils found themselves on the wrong end of a 3-0 score. A power play goal by Jamie Langenbrunner could have been the spark they needed, but it was to no avail as the Leafs answered right back with a goal of their own.
Following their 3-2 shootout victory over the Senators in Ottawa last night, the Devils clinched their second Atlantic Division title in 3 years.
And while that feat is something for a team to be very proud of they must keep in mind a few grounding facts:
- The Devils have not beaten a playoff team since beating Chicago at home over a month ago.
- Their road record in their last 10 is beyond terrible, registering a mere 2 wins.
- Since win #552, [a total of 13 games] Brodeur has only 4 wins.
If the Devils have any illusions that the Stanley Cup playoffs will be a breeze, let the past month and change be a humble reminder nothing will be handed to them. They need to find the fighting attitude they had when Scott Clemmensen was filling in for the injured Brodeur. The attitude where just one goal would not cut it and they capitalized on nearly every legitimate scoring change they had.
Without Brodeur, this team was supposed to be dead in the water, destined for a lottery pick. But with him, they seem to be too complacent in relying on #30 to pitch a shutout game in and game out.
Hello New Jersey Devils, its playoff time, this is your wakeup call.
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