For most of the third period, the Buffalo Sabres went into a defensive shell to preserve their 2-1 lead. Whether by choice, or just by an rejuvenated Maple Leafs attack, the Sabres spent most of the final 20 minutes of regulation in their zone.
After Tim Connolly netted his third of the season on a breakout pass from Jason Pominville, the Sabres looked as if they had found a major weakspot in Toronto’s game plan but failed to exploit it.
Buffalo took a total of 3 penalties following Connolly’s goal and the late equalizer. But they were able to withstand all three chances without faltering
It wasn’t until Toronto had taken their own penalty, and pulled their goaltender, were they able to break through Ryan Miller again. And it took a controversial tip to do it.
Mikhail Grabovski tipped a Tomas Kaberle shot between the legs of Miller for a shorthanded marker. The Sabres, however, objected to the goal because Grabovski’s stick could have been over the crossbar when it connected with Kaberle’s shot. The major problem with the reviews was that not one replay angle provided a clear view of both the stick and the crossbar and therefore, it was upheld.
The Sabres, however, would get the last laugh.
Just over the minute into the overtime period, Tim Connolly controlled the puck at the high point and ripped a shot through a crowd of players in front of Jonas Gustavsson, and found the back of the net. His second of the game and fourth of season.
Note: Ryan Miller remains undefeated in regulation, posting an 8-0-1 record.
Sabres 3 – Leafs 2 F/OT
8-1-1, 17 points
Next up: Halloween night @ the Islanders, 7 pm
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Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Game 11: Giving a Devil His Due
Last season, Dainius Zubrus’ contract looked like a major mistake and a $3.4 million eyesore on towards the Devils’ salary cap space.15 goals and 25 assists hardly made the salary seem worth it, let alone the length of the deal.
Tonight, Zubrus continued on his quest to silence his critics, this time doing it on his offensive side. With under 2 minutes to go, Zubrus crashed the net on an aggressive forecheck while Zach Parise took a slap shot from the high point. Bruins’ goaltender Tim Thomas got most of the initial shot, but not all of it as the puck squeaked through his pads and settled on the ice behind him, 3 feet from the goal.
Zubrus saw the loose puck and pounced on it without hesitation, as he pushed the puck into the net for the go ahead goal, falling as he began to celebrate.
The Devils never looked back from that point, and held on for the 2-1 victory.
Moments prior to Zubrus’ goal, Devils’ goaltender Yann Danis withstood an onslaught of Bruin shots as Boston pushed for the leading tally. Danis made some fine saves during the rush, but also received a bit of luck as a Bruin shot went over his left shoulder, but bounced harmlessly off the crossbar.
David Clarkson put the Devils ahead early on with his third goal of the season. Clarkson joined a 2 on 1 rush with Niclas Bergfors as the Devils again caught Boston in the attacking zone. Bergfors’ shot was aimed at Thomas’ 5-hole, and as was the case with the game winning goal, Thomas only got a piece of the shot as Clarkson cleaned up the rebound on his way to a jumping celebration against the glass behind the net.
The major black eye to come from this game was the injury sustained by defenseman Johnny Oduya who left the game in the 2nd period with a lower body injury and did not return. While Oduya’s play early on this season has been marred by inconsistency, his loss would be detrimental to an already injury plagued defensive corps.
With Paul Martin our for 4 to 6 weeks, the Devils cannot stand to lose Oduya. If they do for an extended period of time, there is almost no question they will need to go out and find a defenseman who can help lead the team in Martin and Oduya’s absence.
While some will argue they will be able use the current players to fill the void, the shortcomings of the remaining defenseman are abundant.
Colin White, regardless of his current alternate title, has been ineffective for almost the entire season, save for about 5 minutes of solid playing, including two diving poke checks to preserve wins and eliminate scoring chances for the opposition.
Bryce Salvador cannot keep himself out of the penalty box, and besides Oduya, I do not think that anyone else on the team has taken as many lazy penalties as number 24.
Mike Mottau, a former Hoby Baker Award winner, just doesn’t strike me as the type of player who can pick up the defense on his back.
Andy Greene has played phenomenally thus far, but I think the added pressure of being the go to guy on defense will hurt his psyche and possibly kill his current hot streak.
Lastly, Mark Fraser is a rookie, and has only 3 games this season under his belt. To think he alone could pick up the slack is just ridiculous.
Sure, you can say that if the Devils loose Oduya, everyone else can step up and pick up a little piece of the slack, but I think there is far too much slack left to be shouldered by the remaining 6 defenders.
If the Devils loose Oduya, and another proven veteran is not brought in for assistance, the Devils could be in for a long couple of weeks.
7-4-0, 14 points
Next up: Saturday vs. Tampa Bay, 3pm
Tonight, Zubrus continued on his quest to silence his critics, this time doing it on his offensive side. With under 2 minutes to go, Zubrus crashed the net on an aggressive forecheck while Zach Parise took a slap shot from the high point. Bruins’ goaltender Tim Thomas got most of the initial shot, but not all of it as the puck squeaked through his pads and settled on the ice behind him, 3 feet from the goal.
Zubrus saw the loose puck and pounced on it without hesitation, as he pushed the puck into the net for the go ahead goal, falling as he began to celebrate.
The Devils never looked back from that point, and held on for the 2-1 victory.
Moments prior to Zubrus’ goal, Devils’ goaltender Yann Danis withstood an onslaught of Bruin shots as Boston pushed for the leading tally. Danis made some fine saves during the rush, but also received a bit of luck as a Bruin shot went over his left shoulder, but bounced harmlessly off the crossbar.
David Clarkson put the Devils ahead early on with his third goal of the season. Clarkson joined a 2 on 1 rush with Niclas Bergfors as the Devils again caught Boston in the attacking zone. Bergfors’ shot was aimed at Thomas’ 5-hole, and as was the case with the game winning goal, Thomas only got a piece of the shot as Clarkson cleaned up the rebound on his way to a jumping celebration against the glass behind the net.
The major black eye to come from this game was the injury sustained by defenseman Johnny Oduya who left the game in the 2nd period with a lower body injury and did not return. While Oduya’s play early on this season has been marred by inconsistency, his loss would be detrimental to an already injury plagued defensive corps.
With Paul Martin our for 4 to 6 weeks, the Devils cannot stand to lose Oduya. If they do for an extended period of time, there is almost no question they will need to go out and find a defenseman who can help lead the team in Martin and Oduya’s absence.
While some will argue they will be able use the current players to fill the void, the shortcomings of the remaining defenseman are abundant.
Colin White, regardless of his current alternate title, has been ineffective for almost the entire season, save for about 5 minutes of solid playing, including two diving poke checks to preserve wins and eliminate scoring chances for the opposition.
Bryce Salvador cannot keep himself out of the penalty box, and besides Oduya, I do not think that anyone else on the team has taken as many lazy penalties as number 24.
Mike Mottau, a former Hoby Baker Award winner, just doesn’t strike me as the type of player who can pick up the defense on his back.
Andy Greene has played phenomenally thus far, but I think the added pressure of being the go to guy on defense will hurt his psyche and possibly kill his current hot streak.
Lastly, Mark Fraser is a rookie, and has only 3 games this season under his belt. To think he alone could pick up the slack is just ridiculous.
Sure, you can say that if the Devils loose Oduya, everyone else can step up and pick up a little piece of the slack, but I think there is far too much slack left to be shouldered by the remaining 6 defenders.
If the Devils loose Oduya, and another proven veteran is not brought in for assistance, the Devils could be in for a long couple of weeks.
7-4-0, 14 points
Next up: Saturday vs. Tampa Bay, 3pm
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Game 10: Power Outage
I normally would focus a day after article on the completely listless performance the Devils put together the previous night, but something else became ever more so aggravating then their 'don't give a darn' attitude.
For the entire season, albeit 10 games to this point, one aspect of the Devils' system has been completely detrimental to their success.
It hasn’t been the spit and glue defensive corps, which lost their best player in last night’s game. It isn’t their offensive corps, which cannot seem to consistent behind the top 4 offensive players, and maybe Clarkson. And it certainly has not been their goaltending, even while Marty has had moments of inconsistency he still has kept them in nearly every game.
Have you figured it out yet? It’s the power play.
The system which Lemaire has in place is horrendous. I made a comment to both my roommate Andy and a Sabres-friend Matt saying, “It is the only freaking defensive power play in the league. It’s like they try to kill off their own man-advantage. Yeah why bother getting a solid shot on net, let’s just pass the puck back and forth like there’s an infinite amount of time to develop a play.”
Yes, they score a power play goal now in back to back games, the one tonight was a fluke bounce which Andy Greene snuck under the crossbar with Ryan Miller out of position.
Even when they got their 5 on 3, I was not alone in the apartment exclaiming disgust. Not because they were down 3, because any team can come back from that deficit, even under 2 minutes, it is mathematically possible. It was because, I knew with almost absolute certainty they would not convert, and probably give up a solid shorthanded chance for the Sabres.
And they did not disappoint, making my prophecy come to life.
It has gotten to the point where I’m almost begging the NHL to establish a policy similar to the NFL, where the team who draws the penalty has the option to accept or decline. At this point, it is almost more advantageous to remain on the 5 on 5, or maybe even creating an infraction of their own, cause last night, and in numerous games already, the Devils have generated more chances while on the penalty kill than with the man advantage of their own.
One last point, they came out flatter than road kill on the Jersey Turnpike and the Sabres took full advantage of it, scoring under 90 seconds into the competition and never took their foot off the accelerator.
Well, hopefully they can rebound tonight in Boston.
Oh, and for the love of god let Yan Danis start.
Sabres 4 – Devils 1
Devils: 6-4-0, 12 points
Next up: Thursday @ Bruins, 7
Sabres: 7-1-1, 15 points
Next up: Friday vs. Toronto, 730
For the entire season, albeit 10 games to this point, one aspect of the Devils' system has been completely detrimental to their success.
It hasn’t been the spit and glue defensive corps, which lost their best player in last night’s game. It isn’t their offensive corps, which cannot seem to consistent behind the top 4 offensive players, and maybe Clarkson. And it certainly has not been their goaltending, even while Marty has had moments of inconsistency he still has kept them in nearly every game.
Have you figured it out yet? It’s the power play.
The system which Lemaire has in place is horrendous. I made a comment to both my roommate Andy and a Sabres-friend Matt saying, “It is the only freaking defensive power play in the league. It’s like they try to kill off their own man-advantage. Yeah why bother getting a solid shot on net, let’s just pass the puck back and forth like there’s an infinite amount of time to develop a play.”
Yes, they score a power play goal now in back to back games, the one tonight was a fluke bounce which Andy Greene snuck under the crossbar with Ryan Miller out of position.
Even when they got their 5 on 3, I was not alone in the apartment exclaiming disgust. Not because they were down 3, because any team can come back from that deficit, even under 2 minutes, it is mathematically possible. It was because, I knew with almost absolute certainty they would not convert, and probably give up a solid shorthanded chance for the Sabres.
And they did not disappoint, making my prophecy come to life.
It has gotten to the point where I’m almost begging the NHL to establish a policy similar to the NFL, where the team who draws the penalty has the option to accept or decline. At this point, it is almost more advantageous to remain on the 5 on 5, or maybe even creating an infraction of their own, cause last night, and in numerous games already, the Devils have generated more chances while on the penalty kill than with the man advantage of their own.
One last point, they came out flatter than road kill on the Jersey Turnpike and the Sabres took full advantage of it, scoring under 90 seconds into the competition and never took their foot off the accelerator.
Well, hopefully they can rebound tonight in Boston.
Oh, and for the love of god let Yan Danis start.
Sabres 4 – Devils 1
Devils: 6-4-0, 12 points
Next up: Thursday @ Bruins, 7
Sabres: 7-1-1, 15 points
Next up: Friday vs. Toronto, 730
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Game 9: Devils vs. Penguins
Just over a week ago, the Devils went into Madison Square Garden to take on the 7-1 Rangers who were riding a 7 game winning streak.
When they left, the only streak that remained intact was their own winning streak away from the friendly confines of the Prudential Center.
Saturday night felt like déjà vu as they took the ice against the Penguins who were also on a bit of a roll, winners of eight straight, while the Devils' own streak was still progressing.
Unlike the game at MSG, though, the Devils left little room for doubt as to who's streak would roll on.
A fluky first period goal by Mark Fraser, the first of his career, set the tone early as the Devils rolled to a 4-1 victory.
Riding the momentum of some stellar saves by Brodeur, the Devils forced the play deep into the Penguins zone. Zubrus drew players to him before passing the puck behind the net to Bergfors, who made a quick feed to Fraser who got off an awkward one timer, the puck hit goalkeeper Marc Andre Fleury’s stick and popped up over his head. Fortunately for the Devils, as he went to catch it, the puck hit the heel of his trapper and went into the net.
Brodeur continued to mystify the Penguins offense in the 2nd with save after save including one from his backside while on the penalty kill.
On the flipside of the ice, Fleury’s luck continued to elude him. While on the power play, the Devils’ second unit broke through and finally got a marker. Bergfors took a quick shot through traffic which Fleury stopped, and he got most of the rebound chance from Rod Pelly but not all of it as the puck sneaked through his legs, towards the far side post. Bergfors, who followed his shot with a wrap around attack, saw the rebound and pushed it with Fleury’s glove into the net for the 2-0 lead.
Brooks Orpik’s aggression cost Pittsburgh a goal as he threw David Clarkson on top of MAF, Zajac had picked up Parise’s rebound and went top shelf over the dog pile in front.
Alex Goligoski, who was beyond sanctified by Pittsburgh’s announcers for one “hustle” play that turned into their highlight of the year, broke Brodeur’s bid for his record tying shutout almost midway through the 3rd.
Parise put the final nail in the coffin with a beautiful stick handling move in front of the net where he found himself wide open and skated around Fleury for the goal.
The road doesn’t get any easier as next up for the Devils are the Buffalo Sabres, and its at the Prudential Center, where the Devils have been surprisingly inconsistent to start the year.
6-3-0, 12 points
Next up: vs. Buffalo, 7 pm
When they left, the only streak that remained intact was their own winning streak away from the friendly confines of the Prudential Center.
Saturday night felt like déjà vu as they took the ice against the Penguins who were also on a bit of a roll, winners of eight straight, while the Devils' own streak was still progressing.
Unlike the game at MSG, though, the Devils left little room for doubt as to who's streak would roll on.
A fluky first period goal by Mark Fraser, the first of his career, set the tone early as the Devils rolled to a 4-1 victory.
Riding the momentum of some stellar saves by Brodeur, the Devils forced the play deep into the Penguins zone. Zubrus drew players to him before passing the puck behind the net to Bergfors, who made a quick feed to Fraser who got off an awkward one timer, the puck hit goalkeeper Marc Andre Fleury’s stick and popped up over his head. Fortunately for the Devils, as he went to catch it, the puck hit the heel of his trapper and went into the net.
Brodeur continued to mystify the Penguins offense in the 2nd with save after save including one from his backside while on the penalty kill.
On the flipside of the ice, Fleury’s luck continued to elude him. While on the power play, the Devils’ second unit broke through and finally got a marker. Bergfors took a quick shot through traffic which Fleury stopped, and he got most of the rebound chance from Rod Pelly but not all of it as the puck sneaked through his legs, towards the far side post. Bergfors, who followed his shot with a wrap around attack, saw the rebound and pushed it with Fleury’s glove into the net for the 2-0 lead.
Brooks Orpik’s aggression cost Pittsburgh a goal as he threw David Clarkson on top of MAF, Zajac had picked up Parise’s rebound and went top shelf over the dog pile in front.
Alex Goligoski, who was beyond sanctified by Pittsburgh’s announcers for one “hustle” play that turned into their highlight of the year, broke Brodeur’s bid for his record tying shutout almost midway through the 3rd.
Parise put the final nail in the coffin with a beautiful stick handling move in front of the net where he found himself wide open and skated around Fleury for the goal.
The road doesn’t get any easier as next up for the Devils are the Buffalo Sabres, and its at the Prudential Center, where the Devils have been surprisingly inconsistent to start the year.
6-3-0, 12 points
Next up: vs. Buffalo, 7 pm
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Game 8: Drew to the Rescue, Myers Seals It
With just over a minute to go, Lindy Ruff pulled keeper Ryan Miller for the extra skater but didn’t use his time out.
From my seat on the couch, it looked to me like Tampa was reeling. To Harry Neal and Rick Jeanneret, he was making the wrong call. To my conscious, I hoped it was over so my friend could come over, but I knew better and told my roommate Andy, "They're gonna tie it. Book it." His response, "no way, they're too sloppy."
Just over 40 seconds later, Drew Stafford proved me wrong, scoring from an almost impossible angle. Thus causing Tampa goalie Mike Smith to destroy his water bottle lumberjack style with his goaltender stick.
5 minutes of overtime passed with the Sabres dominating the first half, Tampa getting the better of the latter stages.
In the shootout, the goaltenders were infallible, well at least one was throughout its entirety.
7 rounds into the shootout, after Martin St. Louis had failed on his shot, the Sabres called upon 19 year old defenseman Tyler Myers to try his luck against Mike Smith.
He came in quick from the right side, deked a little, then slammed on the breaks and shifted right, with Smith sprawled trying to protect the left side of the net, Myers pulled his stick back and wrapped it around the keeper, tripping as he placed the biscuit in the back of the net for the winner.
Harry Neal exclaimed, “Any doubts that this kid would stay with the big club are gone! He's staying for sure!" as the Sabres rushed to encircle and congratulate the rookie for his winner.
Rick Jeanneret added, “They need to jump to hit him on the head. That’s why they tackled him. He's too tall to pat on the head!"
At this point, the Sabres would be making a major franchise mistake and an even bigger disservice to the kid if they sent him down. It would be along the same lines as the "Joba Rules" enforced by baseball's New York Yankees.
Myers, even in his worst game, looked no worse than most NHL regulars.
He has without question earned his spot on the Sabres top 6 and should be treated as such.
Lookout out Tavares, you have MAJOR competition for the Calder.
On Wednesday night, the entire Devils’ fan base will see what I'm talking about.
From my seat on the couch, it looked to me like Tampa was reeling. To Harry Neal and Rick Jeanneret, he was making the wrong call. To my conscious, I hoped it was over so my friend could come over, but I knew better and told my roommate Andy, "They're gonna tie it. Book it." His response, "no way, they're too sloppy."
Just over 40 seconds later, Drew Stafford proved me wrong, scoring from an almost impossible angle. Thus causing Tampa goalie Mike Smith to destroy his water bottle lumberjack style with his goaltender stick.
5 minutes of overtime passed with the Sabres dominating the first half, Tampa getting the better of the latter stages.
In the shootout, the goaltenders were infallible, well at least one was throughout its entirety.
7 rounds into the shootout, after Martin St. Louis had failed on his shot, the Sabres called upon 19 year old defenseman Tyler Myers to try his luck against Mike Smith.
He came in quick from the right side, deked a little, then slammed on the breaks and shifted right, with Smith sprawled trying to protect the left side of the net, Myers pulled his stick back and wrapped it around the keeper, tripping as he placed the biscuit in the back of the net for the winner.
Harry Neal exclaimed, “Any doubts that this kid would stay with the big club are gone! He's staying for sure!" as the Sabres rushed to encircle and congratulate the rookie for his winner.
Rick Jeanneret added, “They need to jump to hit him on the head. That’s why they tackled him. He's too tall to pat on the head!"
At this point, the Sabres would be making a major franchise mistake and an even bigger disservice to the kid if they sent him down. It would be along the same lines as the "Joba Rules" enforced by baseball's New York Yankees.
Myers, even in his worst game, looked no worse than most NHL regulars.
He has without question earned his spot on the Sabres top 6 and should be treated as such.
Lookout out Tavares, you have MAJOR competition for the Calder.
On Wednesday night, the entire Devils’ fan base will see what I'm talking about.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Post Game 8: Road Warriors Continue to Roll
1.) Solid effort by Marty, great saves, great positioning.
2.) a pretty good defensive effort. great back-checking but poor positioning leading to breakaways and needed efforts for diving back checks.
3.) while he made one solid play on the back check, White's admiration of the Zubrus shot lead to the Kotalik goal. His dogging it back almost allowed Callahan get a great chance on marty after Oduya tried to jump the route but White never backed him up.
4.) Zubrus FINALLY got rewarded for all of his hard work. His hustle directly created his own goal. Great tip by him, and another stellar effort.
5.) Nice to see Bergfors getting on the scoring sheet for his first of the season. hopefully the weights have been lifted.
6.) my biggest gripe about the night, we didnt put out a full 60 of effort. that 2nd period was awful, i almost felt like Zach's 2nd intermission interview was apologetic for the effort.
7.) the powerplay, all 1 of them that we were given, was atrocious. But that's not news, nor shocking.
Go Devils!
2.) a pretty good defensive effort. great back-checking but poor positioning leading to breakaways and needed efforts for diving back checks.
3.) while he made one solid play on the back check, White's admiration of the Zubrus shot lead to the Kotalik goal. His dogging it back almost allowed Callahan get a great chance on marty after Oduya tried to jump the route but White never backed him up.
4.) Zubrus FINALLY got rewarded for all of his hard work. His hustle directly created his own goal. Great tip by him, and another stellar effort.
5.) Nice to see Bergfors getting on the scoring sheet for his first of the season. hopefully the weights have been lifted.
6.) my biggest gripe about the night, we didnt put out a full 60 of effort. that 2nd period was awful, i almost felt like Zach's 2nd intermission interview was apologetic for the effort.
7.) the powerplay, all 1 of them that we were given, was atrocious. But that's not news, nor shocking.
Go Devils!
Game 8: Devils @ Rangers, Live Blog
Here we go again, back on the couches, with Andy watching as well, the live blog has returned. Enjoy!
Game on!
20:00 - Peters is announced as a scratch, and already we have a "good" in unison.
19:26 - Andy notes the empty seats, I attribute the vacancies to the potentially pennant clinching game tonight for the Yankees.
17:35 - My old roommate texts me a picture of his seats behind the Devils bench. I swear under my breath.
17:25 - Devils nearly gift wrap a goal for the Rangers following a shot from Gaborik. Martin fanned on the rebound-clearing attempt, luckily, Salvador was there to play the puck in the corner.
16:13 - Andy suggests the new Zajac-Clarkson-Bergfors line is like a parent trying to help two kids find their way.
15:22 - Parise narrowly misses a centering attempt from Neidermayer. If it connects, the game's 1-0 Devils, but it floats harmlessly into the corner.
14:34 - FIGHT - Wow, Avery actually dropped the gloves... Mottau vs. Avery. The fight lasts 1 minute 7 seconds, great punches by both players, both players got their right arms free from their jerseys. Crowd chants numerous times for Avery.
13:49 - GOAL - 1-0 Devils - Devils capture momentum from the fight. Martin from behind his net, feeds Neidermayer, who hits Langenbrunner at the center ice boards by the Boxes, who hits Parise at the blueline with a one-touch pass wide open on a breakway and beats Lundy for the 1-0 lead.
13:35 - Andy just realizes that this game is being played in MSG, I kid you not. "That explains why there were so many people chanting Avery, now I'm not as mad." I ask: "The ads on the glass behind the net didn't give it away, nor the GIANT Ranger logo at center ice?" He replies with something that I cannot type. Gotta love roommates.
13:29 - Rangers narrowly escape a 2-0 hole as Lundqvist stone Clarkson right in front after some nice passing and he finds himself wide open.
12:16 - PENALTY - Kotalik for hooking Rod Pelly
10:16 - Devils do not get a single shot off on the PP. Is anyone truely shocked?
8:25 - Oduya starting to get his season going. Two great blocks on Vinny Prospal to prevent a solid scoring chance for the Rangers.
7:54 - Doc announces that the Devils hold a 12-1 advantage in the face off circle.
6:00 - Pandolfo and Rolston break in on a 2 on 1, Pandolfo feeds Rolston wide open who shoots it right into the pads of Lundqvist.
4:50 - GOAL - 2-0 Devils. Bergfors! With a tip in from Clarkson. Just a beautiful goal over the shoulder of Lundqvist.
End of First - Devils hold a 2-0 lead at the break
Start of the 2nd
18:20 - PENALTY - Mottau called for a high stick
18:10 - GOAL - 2-1 Devils - Gaborik on the pp. Brodeur gets part of it, but not all of it. If this is reviewed for the scorer, Callahan might get it.
17:31 - Rolston is shooting more, and they're being registered as shots on goal, but they're right into the keeper.
17:30 - Cheeko says that 2 goals is a high total for the Devils... So much for that new offensive system Lemaire was bringing in, huh?
16:24 - Clarkson gets an open look from the glove side, but the puck rolls to the heel of his stick and moves harmlessly aside.
14:00 - Salvador bails Brodeur out of a horrendous pass, and struggles to get the bench. Looks to be a right leg injury, hopefully only a contusion, or at worst a charlie horse.
12:50-12:34 - Nice end to end action, 2 on 1 for the Devils fails after a good defensive play and a horrendous passing decision, leads to a 3 on 2 the other way when Brodeur makes a amazing skate save to preserve the lead, and on the other way Devils get another 2 on 1 which Lundqvist stops.
On the replay of the first Devils 2 on 1, we find out that it was Matt Hallischuk who had the puck and elected to try and force a centering pass to Rod Pelley. We [Andy and I] attribute it to inexperience and a lack of confidence. Hopefully that will come over time.
10:00 - There are too many odd-man rushes being allowed by both teams right now, moreso on the Devils part. There have been at least a half dozen by my count in this period alone.
9:56 - Neidermayer and Roszival go into the boards on a delayed icing against the Devils, they collide and somehow Neids emerges with a penalty. Hopefully the PK unit can survive more than the 7 seconds on the first of the period.
9:22 - Devils get a clear, they've survived 34 seconds already, but it hasn't been easy.
8:20 - Devils get their 3rd clear of the kill, this is looking more and more like they may actually kill this one.
7:56 - They prove me right but narrowly avoid surrendering the equalizer moments after the penalty ends.
7:25 - Salvador saves a great breakaway chance by diving and poke checking the puck away. Doc then chimes in with this gem, "Oh boy, that could prove to be vital, if we knew what the end result of the next 90 minutes has in store." I cannot help but burst out laughing at the randomness of Dr. Emerick.
5:35 - GOAL - 2-2 - Kotalik off to the races after Zubrus takes a nice shot from the point, and Redden takes the rebound and catches White and Mottau admiring the play, hitting Kotalik just ahead of the blue line, who beats Marty glove side. Nice job, Colin, continue to earn that undeserving $3 million a season.
I'm sorry, but White needs to at least sit a game. He has just been too much of a liability all season. We cut Cory Murphy for doing less. I'll take the blunder from a guy making under a million, but not the $3 million Stay Puft Marshmellow Man.
2:15 - Devils blow a chance for a 3 on 1 by having a man well offsides. The season long 2nd period woes continue.
1:25 - Rolston get's a nice look and fires at Lundqvist. Problem is, just as it has been all game and for the most part all season, he aims 5-hole and is, of course, denied. Hey Brian, ever think goalies are starting to figure out that all you do is look between the legs? How about you adjust, buddy?
0:40 - Devils take too long to develop a play behind the Rangers net, the Rangers backcheck and get over it.
Andy wonders why we don't go back to having 1 player who's speedy and 1 who's a stay at home for each defensive pair. I say we perfer to put all of our eggs into one basket.
Luckilly for us and the Devils, the 2nd period mercifully comes to an end.
If this team does not figure out that they need to stop going onto their heels during the 2nd, it will cost them, as it has already in the past.
Even Parise says in his intermission interview, "We need to be more aggressive like we were in the first. We didnt get pucks in deep and it hurt us." Does anyone on the coaching staff think to say anything during the period? Probably not.
2-2, end of 2.
Even Stan Fischler, master of the obvious, is calling out the power play unit. The players are not buying into the system and it's showing, Jacques needs to change it up.
Start of the 3rd
A must win period here, if they blow this game, you know the team is in severe trouble.
19:45-18:30 - Rangers are the more aggressive time out of the gate in the 3rd. The Devils have turned aside, with major help from Marty, the attack thus far, including a nice between the legs no-look clear by Mottau.
16:30 - The desperation by Brian Rolston to hit the net is becoming bothersome. He's forcing off-balanced shots with no shooting lanes now, one of these times it will cost the Devils with an odd-man rush. Andy: "I'm surprised they haven't moved him onto the Zajac line." I agree, he's becoming the catalyst to getting players going.
13:45 - Marty gets trapped behind the net, caughs the puck up to the front where the Rangers almost capitalize, if it weren't for the nice diving block by Mottau. This, almog with the fight, are two reason why I can accept his role in the blown coverage leading tot he Kotalik goal.
12:09 - GOAL - 3-2 Devils -ZUUUUBS!!! ZUUUUBS!!!! Zubrus finally snaps his drought! Zubrus goes as fast as he can to keep the puck in deep and chips the puck around the boards to Parise, who throws it on net but slow enough for Zubrus to get his stick on it and deflect it between Lundqvist's legs.
9:02 - Zajac gets denied on a great breakaway by an even better split save by Lundqvist.
8:22 - Marty makes a swift glove save on Gaborik which he bobbles but contains. The Devils need to go for the throat and get another goal to put this almost out of reach. It is a must.
5:53 - Rolston and Parise break out on a 2 on 1, Rolston to Parise, who tries to force a pass back to Rolston but gets blocked so he shoots on net, Rolston goes for the tip and a quick whistle saves Lundqvist.
4:42 - Rangers get one heck of a chance as Oduya goes to break up the pass and Colin White, instead of backing up his defensive parter, dogs it back on the back-check and nearly costs the equalizer.
2:00 - Callahan breaks in but another great diving pokecheck on the back-checkby the defense. Stay Puft manages to get a stick on it while Oduya cuts off the angle with a dive. One tiny slice of humble pie for this guy.
1:29 - Rangers pull Lundy. Oh boy...
Parise seals it with an empty net goal. Andy: "He's getting way too many empty netters." Me: "Its a goal either way, who cares." Laughs are shared by both.
Oduya takes a holding penalty. Rangers pull Lundy again.
Gaborik with a few chances, Kotalik with two as well, but Marty stops them all.
End of Game
Devils 4 - Rangers 2
4-0 on the road.
Great first period, awful awful 2nd period, better 3rd.
5-3-0, 10 points
Next up: @ Pittsburgh on Saturday, 7:30.
Game on!
20:00 - Peters is announced as a scratch, and already we have a "good" in unison.
19:26 - Andy notes the empty seats, I attribute the vacancies to the potentially pennant clinching game tonight for the Yankees.
17:35 - My old roommate texts me a picture of his seats behind the Devils bench. I swear under my breath.
17:25 - Devils nearly gift wrap a goal for the Rangers following a shot from Gaborik. Martin fanned on the rebound-clearing attempt, luckily, Salvador was there to play the puck in the corner.
16:13 - Andy suggests the new Zajac-Clarkson-Bergfors line is like a parent trying to help two kids find their way.
15:22 - Parise narrowly misses a centering attempt from Neidermayer. If it connects, the game's 1-0 Devils, but it floats harmlessly into the corner.
14:34 - FIGHT - Wow, Avery actually dropped the gloves... Mottau vs. Avery. The fight lasts 1 minute 7 seconds, great punches by both players, both players got their right arms free from their jerseys. Crowd chants numerous times for Avery.
13:49 - GOAL - 1-0 Devils - Devils capture momentum from the fight. Martin from behind his net, feeds Neidermayer, who hits Langenbrunner at the center ice boards by the Boxes, who hits Parise at the blueline with a one-touch pass wide open on a breakway and beats Lundy for the 1-0 lead.
13:35 - Andy just realizes that this game is being played in MSG, I kid you not. "That explains why there were so many people chanting Avery, now I'm not as mad." I ask: "The ads on the glass behind the net didn't give it away, nor the GIANT Ranger logo at center ice?" He replies with something that I cannot type. Gotta love roommates.
13:29 - Rangers narrowly escape a 2-0 hole as Lundqvist stone Clarkson right in front after some nice passing and he finds himself wide open.
12:16 - PENALTY - Kotalik for hooking Rod Pelly
10:16 - Devils do not get a single shot off on the PP. Is anyone truely shocked?
8:25 - Oduya starting to get his season going. Two great blocks on Vinny Prospal to prevent a solid scoring chance for the Rangers.
7:54 - Doc announces that the Devils hold a 12-1 advantage in the face off circle.
6:00 - Pandolfo and Rolston break in on a 2 on 1, Pandolfo feeds Rolston wide open who shoots it right into the pads of Lundqvist.
4:50 - GOAL - 2-0 Devils. Bergfors! With a tip in from Clarkson. Just a beautiful goal over the shoulder of Lundqvist.
End of First - Devils hold a 2-0 lead at the break
Start of the 2nd
18:20 - PENALTY - Mottau called for a high stick
18:10 - GOAL - 2-1 Devils - Gaborik on the pp. Brodeur gets part of it, but not all of it. If this is reviewed for the scorer, Callahan might get it.
17:31 - Rolston is shooting more, and they're being registered as shots on goal, but they're right into the keeper.
17:30 - Cheeko says that 2 goals is a high total for the Devils... So much for that new offensive system Lemaire was bringing in, huh?
16:24 - Clarkson gets an open look from the glove side, but the puck rolls to the heel of his stick and moves harmlessly aside.
14:00 - Salvador bails Brodeur out of a horrendous pass, and struggles to get the bench. Looks to be a right leg injury, hopefully only a contusion, or at worst a charlie horse.
12:50-12:34 - Nice end to end action, 2 on 1 for the Devils fails after a good defensive play and a horrendous passing decision, leads to a 3 on 2 the other way when Brodeur makes a amazing skate save to preserve the lead, and on the other way Devils get another 2 on 1 which Lundqvist stops.
On the replay of the first Devils 2 on 1, we find out that it was Matt Hallischuk who had the puck and elected to try and force a centering pass to Rod Pelley. We [Andy and I] attribute it to inexperience and a lack of confidence. Hopefully that will come over time.
10:00 - There are too many odd-man rushes being allowed by both teams right now, moreso on the Devils part. There have been at least a half dozen by my count in this period alone.
9:56 - Neidermayer and Roszival go into the boards on a delayed icing against the Devils, they collide and somehow Neids emerges with a penalty. Hopefully the PK unit can survive more than the 7 seconds on the first of the period.
9:22 - Devils get a clear, they've survived 34 seconds already, but it hasn't been easy.
8:20 - Devils get their 3rd clear of the kill, this is looking more and more like they may actually kill this one.
7:56 - They prove me right but narrowly avoid surrendering the equalizer moments after the penalty ends.
7:25 - Salvador saves a great breakaway chance by diving and poke checking the puck away. Doc then chimes in with this gem, "Oh boy, that could prove to be vital, if we knew what the end result of the next 90 minutes has in store." I cannot help but burst out laughing at the randomness of Dr. Emerick.
5:35 - GOAL - 2-2 - Kotalik off to the races after Zubrus takes a nice shot from the point, and Redden takes the rebound and catches White and Mottau admiring the play, hitting Kotalik just ahead of the blue line, who beats Marty glove side. Nice job, Colin, continue to earn that undeserving $3 million a season.
I'm sorry, but White needs to at least sit a game. He has just been too much of a liability all season. We cut Cory Murphy for doing less. I'll take the blunder from a guy making under a million, but not the $3 million Stay Puft Marshmellow Man.
2:15 - Devils blow a chance for a 3 on 1 by having a man well offsides. The season long 2nd period woes continue.
1:25 - Rolston get's a nice look and fires at Lundqvist. Problem is, just as it has been all game and for the most part all season, he aims 5-hole and is, of course, denied. Hey Brian, ever think goalies are starting to figure out that all you do is look between the legs? How about you adjust, buddy?
0:40 - Devils take too long to develop a play behind the Rangers net, the Rangers backcheck and get over it.
Andy wonders why we don't go back to having 1 player who's speedy and 1 who's a stay at home for each defensive pair. I say we perfer to put all of our eggs into one basket.
Luckilly for us and the Devils, the 2nd period mercifully comes to an end.
If this team does not figure out that they need to stop going onto their heels during the 2nd, it will cost them, as it has already in the past.
Even Parise says in his intermission interview, "We need to be more aggressive like we were in the first. We didnt get pucks in deep and it hurt us." Does anyone on the coaching staff think to say anything during the period? Probably not.
2-2, end of 2.
Even Stan Fischler, master of the obvious, is calling out the power play unit. The players are not buying into the system and it's showing, Jacques needs to change it up.
Start of the 3rd
A must win period here, if they blow this game, you know the team is in severe trouble.
19:45-18:30 - Rangers are the more aggressive time out of the gate in the 3rd. The Devils have turned aside, with major help from Marty, the attack thus far, including a nice between the legs no-look clear by Mottau.
16:30 - The desperation by Brian Rolston to hit the net is becoming bothersome. He's forcing off-balanced shots with no shooting lanes now, one of these times it will cost the Devils with an odd-man rush. Andy: "I'm surprised they haven't moved him onto the Zajac line." I agree, he's becoming the catalyst to getting players going.
13:45 - Marty gets trapped behind the net, caughs the puck up to the front where the Rangers almost capitalize, if it weren't for the nice diving block by Mottau. This, almog with the fight, are two reason why I can accept his role in the blown coverage leading tot he Kotalik goal.
12:09 - GOAL - 3-2 Devils -ZUUUUBS!!! ZUUUUBS!!!! Zubrus finally snaps his drought! Zubrus goes as fast as he can to keep the puck in deep and chips the puck around the boards to Parise, who throws it on net but slow enough for Zubrus to get his stick on it and deflect it between Lundqvist's legs.
9:02 - Zajac gets denied on a great breakaway by an even better split save by Lundqvist.
8:22 - Marty makes a swift glove save on Gaborik which he bobbles but contains. The Devils need to go for the throat and get another goal to put this almost out of reach. It is a must.
5:53 - Rolston and Parise break out on a 2 on 1, Rolston to Parise, who tries to force a pass back to Rolston but gets blocked so he shoots on net, Rolston goes for the tip and a quick whistle saves Lundqvist.
4:42 - Rangers get one heck of a chance as Oduya goes to break up the pass and Colin White, instead of backing up his defensive parter, dogs it back on the back-check and nearly costs the equalizer.
2:00 - Callahan breaks in but another great diving pokecheck on the back-checkby the defense. Stay Puft manages to get a stick on it while Oduya cuts off the angle with a dive. One tiny slice of humble pie for this guy.
1:29 - Rangers pull Lundy. Oh boy...
Parise seals it with an empty net goal. Andy: "He's getting way too many empty netters." Me: "Its a goal either way, who cares." Laughs are shared by both.
Oduya takes a holding penalty. Rangers pull Lundy again.
Gaborik with a few chances, Kotalik with two as well, but Marty stops them all.
End of Game
Devils 4 - Rangers 2
4-0 on the road.
Great first period, awful awful 2nd period, better 3rd.
5-3-0, 10 points
Next up: @ Pittsburgh on Saturday, 7:30.
Here it Goes Again
Round 2 of the always entertaining drama between the Rangers and the Devils kicks off tonight a 7 at good ol' Madison Square Garden.
Recent trends suggest that the Devils are in for another long night with their cross river rivals, but tonight they look to buck that notion.
Fresh off Martin Brodeur's 102nd career shutout, the Devils are still looking to get a complete 60 minutes of work out of their entire team.
Travis Zajac and Zach Parise have provided nearly all of the team's offense, with a few chip-ins from Rob Neidermayer, Jamie Langenbrunner, and David Clarkson (yes, you did read that right.) Dainus Zubrus, while still goalless on the year, has done more than his share on the defensive side of the puck. But the rest of the team is in dire need of contribution.
Brian Rolston is in dire need of getting his offensive game going. He's making $5.3 million per season and currently has a mere 1 goal on this now 7 game season.
Hopefully, the Devils can snap the dominance which Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers have over them as of late.
Only time will tell.
Recent trends suggest that the Devils are in for another long night with their cross river rivals, but tonight they look to buck that notion.
Fresh off Martin Brodeur's 102nd career shutout, the Devils are still looking to get a complete 60 minutes of work out of their entire team.
Travis Zajac and Zach Parise have provided nearly all of the team's offense, with a few chip-ins from Rob Neidermayer, Jamie Langenbrunner, and David Clarkson (yes, you did read that right.) Dainus Zubrus, while still goalless on the year, has done more than his share on the defensive side of the puck. But the rest of the team is in dire need of contribution.
Brian Rolston is in dire need of getting his offensive game going. He's making $5.3 million per season and currently has a mere 1 goal on this now 7 game season.
Hopefully, the Devils can snap the dominance which Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers have over them as of late.
Only time will tell.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Game 7: Chasing the Keepers
Earlier tonight, I posted that the Sabres would be in store for a challenge if the Panthers started Scott Clemmensen. Well, I was half right, as the Panthers started Clemmer, but I was way off with his performance and the problems facing the Sabres.
A mere 1 minute and 56 seconds into the game, the Sabres had a 2-0 lead and Clemmensen had himself an early exit.
Mike Grier got things started as he broke in on an odd-man rush and beat Clemmensen 5 hole for his 2nd of the season, just 1 minute 11 seconds into the game.
Jason Pominville sealed Clemmer's fate with a powerplay goal a mere 45 seconds later.
Clemmensen's line: 3 shots faced, 1 save, .333 save percentage.
Enter Tomas Vokoun who started off just as shaky as Clemmensen, surrendering a goal to Matt Ellis for his first, the team's 3rd, and the game wasn't even 5 minutes old at this point.
Buffalo would add another from Tyler Myers, his second, before Florida would respond with their first.
Steve Reinprecht would get Florida's only first period marker, but just over 2 minutes later, on a great never-give-up type of play, Thomas Vanek crashed the net hard while the puck was still loose and registered his 4th.
Buffalo held a 5-1 edge at the end of the first period, and they never looked back.
Stealing a line from the on-line soccer game hattrick.org, "at this point with a safe lead, the Sabres decided to focus on their defensive aspects of the game."
While the Panthers held a decisive edge in the shots on goal department, the Sabres' lead never looked in doubt.
Going back to Myers really quick, he looked quite impressive, including his shot from the point which narrowly missed Derek Roy's stick and deflected off of Vokoun's catching glove and into the net. He certainly rebounded from a shaky performance against the Thrashers on Saturday night.
Sabres 5 - Panthers 2
5-1-1, 11 points
Next up: Saturday night @ Tampa Bay, 730.
A mere 1 minute and 56 seconds into the game, the Sabres had a 2-0 lead and Clemmensen had himself an early exit.
Mike Grier got things started as he broke in on an odd-man rush and beat Clemmensen 5 hole for his 2nd of the season, just 1 minute 11 seconds into the game.
Jason Pominville sealed Clemmer's fate with a powerplay goal a mere 45 seconds later.
Clemmensen's line: 3 shots faced, 1 save, .333 save percentage.
Enter Tomas Vokoun who started off just as shaky as Clemmensen, surrendering a goal to Matt Ellis for his first, the team's 3rd, and the game wasn't even 5 minutes old at this point.
Buffalo would add another from Tyler Myers, his second, before Florida would respond with their first.
Steve Reinprecht would get Florida's only first period marker, but just over 2 minutes later, on a great never-give-up type of play, Thomas Vanek crashed the net hard while the puck was still loose and registered his 4th.
Buffalo held a 5-1 edge at the end of the first period, and they never looked back.
Stealing a line from the on-line soccer game hattrick.org, "at this point with a safe lead, the Sabres decided to focus on their defensive aspects of the game."
While the Panthers held a decisive edge in the shots on goal department, the Sabres' lead never looked in doubt.
Going back to Myers really quick, he looked quite impressive, including his shot from the point which narrowly missed Derek Roy's stick and deflected off of Vokoun's catching glove and into the net. He certainly rebounded from a shaky performance against the Thrashers on Saturday night.
Sabres 5 - Panthers 2
Running Tally of Sabres Chasers
1.) Chris Osgood - 10/13
2.) Dwayne Roloson - 10/16
3.) Scott Clemmensen - 10/21
5-1-1, 11 points
Next up: Saturday night @ Tampa Bay, 730.
Sabres Look to Rebound
After a 4 day break, with most of it being in the sunshine state, the Buffalo Sabres look to get back on the winning track when they take the ice against the Florida panthers tonight.
On Saturday night, the Sabres hot streak seemed to run out of gas at the hands of an even hotter Atlanta Thrashers team. While the final score showed a 4-2 advantage for the Thrashers, buffalo kept it a lot closer than the stat sheet displayed.
Atlanta made the most of their limited chances and took advantage of backup Patrick Lalime who started his first game of the season in order to spare Ryan Miller from needing to play back to back nights.
Tonight, the Sabres face the Panthers who have 2 wins on the year. The most recent coming Friday night when former Devils’ netminder Scott Clemmensen stopped 25 of 27 Flyer shots in his first start of the season.
If the Sabres hope to get back on the winning track, they need to hope that the Panthers don’t go with Clemmensen, as he was 2-0 last year in his only meetings against Buffalo.
Faceoff is 7:30 from Sunrise.
On Saturday night, the Sabres hot streak seemed to run out of gas at the hands of an even hotter Atlanta Thrashers team. While the final score showed a 4-2 advantage for the Thrashers, buffalo kept it a lot closer than the stat sheet displayed.
Atlanta made the most of their limited chances and took advantage of backup Patrick Lalime who started his first game of the season in order to spare Ryan Miller from needing to play back to back nights.
Tonight, the Sabres face the Panthers who have 2 wins on the year. The most recent coming Friday night when former Devils’ netminder Scott Clemmensen stopped 25 of 27 Flyer shots in his first start of the season.
If the Sabres hope to get back on the winning track, they need to hope that the Panthers don’t go with Clemmensen, as he was 2-0 last year in his only meetings against Buffalo.
Faceoff is 7:30 from Sunrise.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Paille Traded To Boston
The Buffalo Sabres traded left wing Daniel Paille, to the Boston Bruins for a 3rd round pick and a conditional 4th round selection in next year's draft, according to ESPNBoston.com.
Not much to say about the winger, except that he has a cool name to hear Rick Jeaneret call when he scored a power play goal, which in itself was a rare feat. Maybe he'll find a niche playing in Milan Lucic's spot while Lucic recovers from finger surgery.
A little did you know here: Paille was the first round selection for the Sabres in 2002, a pick that origininated in New Jersey, but they traded the pick to Dallas as part of the Randy MacKay/Jason Arnott for Jamie Langenbrunner/Joe Neiuwendyk deal in 2002, Dallas then traded the pick to Colombus who finally dealt it to Buffalo.
Not much to say about the winger, except that he has a cool name to hear Rick Jeaneret call when he scored a power play goal, which in itself was a rare feat. Maybe he'll find a niche playing in Milan Lucic's spot while Lucic recovers from finger surgery.
A little did you know here: Paille was the first round selection for the Sabres in 2002, a pick that origininated in New Jersey, but they traded the pick to Dallas as part of the Randy MacKay/Jason Arnott for Jamie Langenbrunner/Joe Neiuwendyk deal in 2002, Dallas then traded the pick to Colombus who finally dealt it to Buffalo.
In Need of Experienced D, Devils Sign....
...Left winger Dean McAmmond...really?
McAmmond, who's 36, split time between the Senators and the Islanders last year. The move is listed as a move done by the Lowell Devils management, but I see it as a Lou move.
Roger Mussa, of hockeybuzz.com, is suggesting this is strictly a depth move in case Partick Elias is not ready to return on schedule. I see that as a viable excuse, however, I cannot help but believe there are more qualified players out there who actually received invitations to training camps this past summer, something McAmmond failed to do.
Also, there HAS to be players, especially wingers, who amassed more than 5 goals and 11 assists in 62 games.
Another point I would like to address is the lack of NHL ready depth at the center position. Inconsistency from the bottom 2 lines has marred the Devils throughout the season, nearly as drastically as the defensive inexperience has done. Dainius Zubrus has done well as the 2nd line center, Travis Zajac is the MVP at the game 7 mark of the season, and Rob Neidermayer has also performed well in a few games. But if the Devils are looking to be legitimate contenders throughout the season, they need to plug the hole at center on at least the 4th line, because at the moment, Rod Pelley is not cutting it.
Finally, as was stated in the title of this article, the Devils are in dire need of NHL experienced Defenseman who have the ability to play with the top 2 lines. This need alone needed to be addressed before addressing depth needs at the wing position. The one thing this team did not need more of were wingers, yet we added another aging one.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but did we not just cut a winger who at least has a few Stanley Cup titles under his belt?
McAmmond, who's 36, split time between the Senators and the Islanders last year. The move is listed as a move done by the Lowell Devils management, but I see it as a Lou move.
Roger Mussa, of hockeybuzz.com, is suggesting this is strictly a depth move in case Partick Elias is not ready to return on schedule. I see that as a viable excuse, however, I cannot help but believe there are more qualified players out there who actually received invitations to training camps this past summer, something McAmmond failed to do.
Also, there HAS to be players, especially wingers, who amassed more than 5 goals and 11 assists in 62 games.
Another point I would like to address is the lack of NHL ready depth at the center position. Inconsistency from the bottom 2 lines has marred the Devils throughout the season, nearly as drastically as the defensive inexperience has done. Dainius Zubrus has done well as the 2nd line center, Travis Zajac is the MVP at the game 7 mark of the season, and Rob Neidermayer has also performed well in a few games. But if the Devils are looking to be legitimate contenders throughout the season, they need to plug the hole at center on at least the 4th line, because at the moment, Rod Pelley is not cutting it.
Finally, as was stated in the title of this article, the Devils are in dire need of NHL experienced Defenseman who have the ability to play with the top 2 lines. This need alone needed to be addressed before addressing depth needs at the wing position. The one thing this team did not need more of were wingers, yet we added another aging one.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but did we not just cut a winger who at least has a few Stanley Cup titles under his belt?
Monday, October 19, 2009
Murphy Experiment Over
The Cory Murphy experiment is over... at least for the near future. The 28 year old defenseman has been placed on waivers.
General Manager Lou Lamoriello stated that if Murphy clears waivers, he will be assigned to Lowell of the AHL, this according to Tom Gulitti of NJ.com. Mark Fraser, who had suffered a head injury during a training camp fight, looks to be the leading candidate to take Murphy's place.
The re-inspired play of Andy Greene is more than likely the primary factor in the Murphy decision. Add in the 4-0 record when Greene plays vs. 0-3 when Murphy dresses, sending Murphy down is not a difficult decision. He had his chance, and almost appeared to get worse as he progressed in his 3 games.
Due to his low salary, should Murphy be called back up, he would not need to pass through re-entry waivers. So should he perform well in Lowell, and someone slips in the defensive corps, he could get another shot.
Only time will tell.
General Manager Lou Lamoriello stated that if Murphy clears waivers, he will be assigned to Lowell of the AHL, this according to Tom Gulitti of NJ.com. Mark Fraser, who had suffered a head injury during a training camp fight, looks to be the leading candidate to take Murphy's place.
The re-inspired play of Andy Greene is more than likely the primary factor in the Murphy decision. Add in the 4-0 record when Greene plays vs. 0-3 when Murphy dresses, sending Murphy down is not a difficult decision. He had his chance, and almost appeared to get worse as he progressed in his 3 games.
Due to his low salary, should Murphy be called back up, he would not need to pass through re-entry waivers. So should he perform well in Lowell, and someone slips in the defensive corps, he could get another shot.
Only time will tell.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Sabres Game 6: The First Blemish
Just a really quick hit for this game. On Saturday night the Sabres suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of the Thrashers.
While a knee-jerk reaction from simply viewing the box score and seeing a 4-2 loss would allow for fans to be upset, one must keep the following in mind: Atlanta is off to their best start in franchise history.
On the previous night, the Thrashers handed the Devils their 3rd loss of the season halting their 3 game winning streak, by the same 4-2 score. Ondrej Pavelec has stepped in phenomenally for the injured Kari Lehtonen, posting a 3-1 record with a 2.76 goals against. Johan Hedberg, Pavelec's backup, got the best of the Sabres on Saturday night.
Tyler Myers had his first "bad" game in the NHL. Its not so much he had a bad game, it was just his inexperience that cost him. Being out of position on a few plays hurt, but being burned by former Sabre Max Afinogenov is nothing new for young defenseman.
Also, the Sabres limited the chances for the Thrashers. The only real problem was that the chances they did receive, they capitalized on.
4-1-1, 9 points
Next up: Wednesday night @ Florida, 7:30 start.
While a knee-jerk reaction from simply viewing the box score and seeing a 4-2 loss would allow for fans to be upset, one must keep the following in mind: Atlanta is off to their best start in franchise history.
On the previous night, the Thrashers handed the Devils their 3rd loss of the season halting their 3 game winning streak, by the same 4-2 score. Ondrej Pavelec has stepped in phenomenally for the injured Kari Lehtonen, posting a 3-1 record with a 2.76 goals against. Johan Hedberg, Pavelec's backup, got the best of the Sabres on Saturday night.
Tyler Myers had his first "bad" game in the NHL. Its not so much he had a bad game, it was just his inexperience that cost him. Being out of position on a few plays hurt, but being burned by former Sabre Max Afinogenov is nothing new for young defenseman.
Also, the Sabres limited the chances for the Thrashers. The only real problem was that the chances they did receive, they capitalized on.
4-1-1, 9 points
Next up: Wednesday night @ Florida, 7:30 start.
Game 7: First Home Win
Only saw the 3rd again, this time because I went on a haunted Buffalo ghost walk.
1.) Marty looked like vintage marty, from what i saw. Nice to see him get shutout #102
2.) Our 5 on 3 powerplay was horriffic. Rolston is unbelieveably passive on the blue line. the behind the net camera angle showed how many lanes he passed up. Also, are our PP units the only ones who dont like shooting off a one timer?
3.) Andy Greene has continued to prove to the fans that he deserves to be a regular in the line up. My only question is if the fans see the effort from a player who struggled most of last season, how can't the Devils' coaching staff? He's right in front of them day in and day out, there is almost no explination as to why he is being benched in favor of Cory Murphy. I'd also like to take the time to point out that the Devils are 4-0-0 when Greene plays, and 0-3-0 when Murphy plays. Please take that into account, Jacques.
4-3-0, 8 points
Next up: Thursday @ the Rangers, 7:00
1.) Marty looked like vintage marty, from what i saw. Nice to see him get shutout #102
2.) Our 5 on 3 powerplay was horriffic. Rolston is unbelieveably passive on the blue line. the behind the net camera angle showed how many lanes he passed up. Also, are our PP units the only ones who dont like shooting off a one timer?
3.) Andy Greene has continued to prove to the fans that he deserves to be a regular in the line up. My only question is if the fans see the effort from a player who struggled most of last season, how can't the Devils' coaching staff? He's right in front of them day in and day out, there is almost no explination as to why he is being benched in favor of Cory Murphy. I'd also like to take the time to point out that the Devils are 4-0-0 when Greene plays, and 0-3-0 when Murphy plays. Please take that into account, Jacques.
4-3-0, 8 points
Next up: Thursday @ the Rangers, 7:00
The Devils are....
In a new approach, I will be keeping a running log of the Devils' results based off of situational statistics.
You always hear and see things like "They are ____ after scoring first," ect. So I felt the need to kill some time during the pregame warmup of the Tampa Bay game by begining to write a list of situations.
4-2-0 when scoring first
1-1-0 when the opposing team scores first
1-2-0 when tied after 1st period
1-1-0 when trailing after 1st period
1-2-0 when trailing after 2nd period
2-1-0 when tied after 2nd period
2-0-0 when leading after 1st
2-0-0 when leading after 2nd
5-3-0 when Brodeur starts a game
4-0-0 when Brodeur allows 2 goals or fewer
1-3-0 when Brodeur allows 3 goals or more
2-2-0 when Parise doesn't score a goal
3-1-0 when Parise scores
2-2-0 when Zajac scores
0-3-0 when Cory Murphy plays
5-0-0 when Andy Greene plays
2-2-0 when Ilka Pikkarainen plays
1-3-0 when Andrew Peters plays
3-0-0 when Pierre Luc Letourneau-Leblond plays
You always hear and see things like "They are ____ after scoring first," ect. So I felt the need to kill some time during the pregame warmup of the Tampa Bay game by begining to write a list of situations.
4-2-0 when scoring first
1-1-0 when the opposing team scores first
1-2-0 when tied after 1st period
1-1-0 when trailing after 1st period
1-2-0 when trailing after 2nd period
2-1-0 when tied after 2nd period
2-0-0 when leading after 1st
2-0-0 when leading after 2nd
5-3-0 when Brodeur starts a game
4-0-0 when Brodeur allows 2 goals or fewer
1-3-0 when Brodeur allows 3 goals or more
2-2-0 when Parise doesn't score a goal
3-1-0 when Parise scores
2-2-0 when Zajac scores
0-3-0 when Cory Murphy plays
5-0-0 when Andy Greene plays
2-2-0 when Ilka Pikkarainen plays
1-3-0 when Andrew Peters plays
3-0-0 when Pierre Luc Letourneau-Leblond plays
Friday, October 16, 2009
Sabres Game 5: Deja Vu?
For the second game in a row, the buffalo Sabres netted 6 goals. And, for the second straight time, they chased the starting goalie for the opposing team.
Their first victim was Chris Osgood, last night Dwayne Roloson. both were sent shamefully to the bench in the 2nd period, but Roloson allowed only 4 goals to Osgood’s 5 before losing their coach's favor.
While the 4 goals are an obvious way to see the goalie didn't bring their ‘A’ game, the first goal allowed was a great harbinger.
Tyler Myers' shot midway through the first period seemed pretty harmless. It was a backhander from the high slot with not a lot on it, but it almost seemed to catch Rolie off guard. Normally though, when a goalie gets caught off guard, it’s on a hard shot. Myer's was a fluttering wrister that snuck right through Roloson's 5-hole for the rookie's first career goal.
4 goals later, Roloson found himself sitting on the bench, being lifted in favor of former Sabre Martin Biron.
Biron, who entered to a rousing ovation, had a lot of success while facing his former club, and he gave he Isles a chance to get back into it.
John Taveres netted his third of the season while on the powerplay just under 4 minutes after Biron entering the game in the 2nd period.
The Isles were given another opprotunity to cut into the Sabres' lead when Henrik Tallinder took a holding call about 3 minutes into the 3rd period. However, the Sabres were able to kill off the opprotunity, and were able to turn that momentum into their 5th goal of the night.
Andy Sutton would answer less than a minute later, but that would be the final Islander goal of the night.
Jason Pominville added further insurance with his first goal of the season at the 15:52 mark of the period as Buffalo cruised to a 6-3 victory.
4-0-1, 8 points
Next up: Saturday vs. Atlanta, 7:30
Their first victim was Chris Osgood, last night Dwayne Roloson. both were sent shamefully to the bench in the 2nd period, but Roloson allowed only 4 goals to Osgood’s 5 before losing their coach's favor.
While the 4 goals are an obvious way to see the goalie didn't bring their ‘A’ game, the first goal allowed was a great harbinger.
Tyler Myers' shot midway through the first period seemed pretty harmless. It was a backhander from the high slot with not a lot on it, but it almost seemed to catch Rolie off guard. Normally though, when a goalie gets caught off guard, it’s on a hard shot. Myer's was a fluttering wrister that snuck right through Roloson's 5-hole for the rookie's first career goal.
4 goals later, Roloson found himself sitting on the bench, being lifted in favor of former Sabre Martin Biron.
Biron, who entered to a rousing ovation, had a lot of success while facing his former club, and he gave he Isles a chance to get back into it.
John Taveres netted his third of the season while on the powerplay just under 4 minutes after Biron entering the game in the 2nd period.
The Isles were given another opprotunity to cut into the Sabres' lead when Henrik Tallinder took a holding call about 3 minutes into the 3rd period. However, the Sabres were able to kill off the opprotunity, and were able to turn that momentum into their 5th goal of the night.
Andy Sutton would answer less than a minute later, but that would be the final Islander goal of the night.
Jason Pominville added further insurance with his first goal of the season at the 15:52 mark of the period as Buffalo cruised to a 6-3 victory.
4-0-1, 8 points
Next up: Saturday vs. Atlanta, 7:30
Game 6: Unmotivated
I only was able to catch the 3rd and highlights of the 2nd tonight so...
1.) Can someone please tell me why the heck murphy started? Anyone? Anyone? Greene was a HELP to the horrendous 2nd unit we have and yet he sits.
2.) That effort in the 3rd was pathetic. they seemed lethargic and unmotivated. to me, it looked like they were skating in quick sand.
3.) Something needs to be done about the PP, our performance with the man advantage is just... ugh. Even with the empty net, we couldnt get organized.
That's just about it, I don't know, can't really get in the spirit of writing tonight.
Oh well, lets hope for a recovery against the 'canes tomorrow
Thrashers 4 - Devils 2
3-3-0, 6 points
Next up: Hurricanes tomorrow night
1.) Can someone please tell me why the heck murphy started? Anyone? Anyone? Greene was a HELP to the horrendous 2nd unit we have and yet he sits.
2.) That effort in the 3rd was pathetic. they seemed lethargic and unmotivated. to me, it looked like they were skating in quick sand.
3.) Something needs to be done about the PP, our performance with the man advantage is just... ugh. Even with the empty net, we couldnt get organized.
That's just about it, I don't know, can't really get in the spirit of writing tonight.
Oh well, lets hope for a recovery against the 'canes tomorrow
Thrashers 4 - Devils 2
3-3-0, 6 points
Next up: Hurricanes tomorrow night
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Sabres Game 4: Domination over Detroit
I had the privilege of attending my 3rd Sabres’ game this year tonight, and I cannot help but be impressed with the team they have put together on the ice this season. But more importantly, one player stuck out in my mind: 19 year-old Tyler Myers.
Having seats in the Red Wings shooting twice end gave me a chance to focus on Myers’ defensive abilities up close. At least 3 times during the first period, my friend and I turned to one another and commented about how unique of a rookie Myers is proving to be.
With the Wings pushing for the opening goal, Myers had a rebound bounce right on his stick, but rather than trying to dump the puck down the ice, or force a bad outlet pass, he chose to bank the puck off the closest boards where not only were there no Red Wings players, but close enough for a Sabres player get to it and start a breakout.
Moments later, Myers again took control of the puck in the defensive zone. This time, he again decided against forcing moving the puck and chose, instead, to corral the puck against Henrik Zetterberg. As Zetterberg went for the poke check, Myers pulled the puck in, backed up a little bit, then banked the puck off the boards to Paul Gaustad, who, again, led the breakout.
Later in the period, Myers helped set up the game’s first goal while on the power play. He took the faceoff feed from Drew Stafford, then moved the puck across the blueline to Jason Pominville. Pominville then fed Paul Gaustad who’s shot was kicked right to the stick of Stafford who beat Chris Osgood for the goal.
In the 2nd, Myers again showed his offensive abilities by going coast to coast on the Wings. The play began in his own zone where he gathered the puck, then with the help of a pick from Mark Ellis, broke into the neutral zone and made a nice move around the Wings’ forwards. He entered the attacking zone having only Jonathan Ericsson to beat before getting to Osgood. He used his size and reach to elude the defender, then got a decent shot off on the keeper. His rebound was kicked into the low slot, where Pat Kaleta buried it between Osgood’s outstretched leg and the near post, a space of about 6 inches, for the go-ahead goal.
There is almost no doubt in my mind that the Sabres have something very special in Myers. Now that isn’t to take anything away from the rest of the squad, especially Ryan Miller, but Myers is one of those young players who you know in the future, you need to keep an eye on.
Miller played a phenomenal game tonight and was two lucky Detroit bounces away from getting the shutout. He made some critical saves including stopping Valtteri Filppula’s penalty shot in the 2nd period, and a number of glove and kick saves in the 3rd to preserve the multi-goal lead.
Within the next 5 games, the Sabres need to make a critical decision which could not only affect the effectiveness of their blueliners, but also the career of Tyler Myers. If he plays 10 NHL regular season games, his money will count against the cap and will have a year counted towards his entry level contract. The Sabres can either keep him on the team and continue to grow while helping the Sabres continue on their much improved season, or they can return him to his junior squad.
Manager Darcy Regier stated within the past few days that Myers needs to prove he can be an every day player, because if he does not, then there is no point in having him stay and be scratched while he can go back to juniors and play every day.
But based upon the effort of tonight (on special teams and his awareness on both offensive and defensive sides of the puck), his performance against Phoenix (where he registered a power play assist and still played a solid game even after taking a cheap shot from Shane Doan), and in the Toronto preseason game (where he showed toughness by not backing down from Jason Blake’s challenge. Granted there was about a foot in height difference between the two), there will be little doubt that Myers will remain with the squad this season.
If he stays, and continues to perform at this level which he has displayed, he will give New York Islanders’ John Tavares a run for his money in pursuit of the Calder Trophy.
As for the game, the Sabres routed the Wings 6-2 fueled by a 4 goal effort in the 2nd period. Kaleta had his first career multi-point game, Thomas Vanek had a 2 goal night, and Derek Roy had 3 assists.
NOTES: The Sabres in the second period out scored the Buffalo Bills' past weekend point total of 3...Following the game, Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff stated that Thomas Vanek would miss "weeks" after sustaining an upper body injury while scoring his 2nd goal...Next up for the Sabres are Tavares' Islanders on Friday night. Could this be a good way to see who is the better rookie?
Having seats in the Red Wings shooting twice end gave me a chance to focus on Myers’ defensive abilities up close. At least 3 times during the first period, my friend and I turned to one another and commented about how unique of a rookie Myers is proving to be.
With the Wings pushing for the opening goal, Myers had a rebound bounce right on his stick, but rather than trying to dump the puck down the ice, or force a bad outlet pass, he chose to bank the puck off the closest boards where not only were there no Red Wings players, but close enough for a Sabres player get to it and start a breakout.
Moments later, Myers again took control of the puck in the defensive zone. This time, he again decided against forcing moving the puck and chose, instead, to corral the puck against Henrik Zetterberg. As Zetterberg went for the poke check, Myers pulled the puck in, backed up a little bit, then banked the puck off the boards to Paul Gaustad, who, again, led the breakout.
Later in the period, Myers helped set up the game’s first goal while on the power play. He took the faceoff feed from Drew Stafford, then moved the puck across the blueline to Jason Pominville. Pominville then fed Paul Gaustad who’s shot was kicked right to the stick of Stafford who beat Chris Osgood for the goal.
In the 2nd, Myers again showed his offensive abilities by going coast to coast on the Wings. The play began in his own zone where he gathered the puck, then with the help of a pick from Mark Ellis, broke into the neutral zone and made a nice move around the Wings’ forwards. He entered the attacking zone having only Jonathan Ericsson to beat before getting to Osgood. He used his size and reach to elude the defender, then got a decent shot off on the keeper. His rebound was kicked into the low slot, where Pat Kaleta buried it between Osgood’s outstretched leg and the near post, a space of about 6 inches, for the go-ahead goal.
There is almost no doubt in my mind that the Sabres have something very special in Myers. Now that isn’t to take anything away from the rest of the squad, especially Ryan Miller, but Myers is one of those young players who you know in the future, you need to keep an eye on.
Miller played a phenomenal game tonight and was two lucky Detroit bounces away from getting the shutout. He made some critical saves including stopping Valtteri Filppula’s penalty shot in the 2nd period, and a number of glove and kick saves in the 3rd to preserve the multi-goal lead.
Within the next 5 games, the Sabres need to make a critical decision which could not only affect the effectiveness of their blueliners, but also the career of Tyler Myers. If he plays 10 NHL regular season games, his money will count against the cap and will have a year counted towards his entry level contract. The Sabres can either keep him on the team and continue to grow while helping the Sabres continue on their much improved season, or they can return him to his junior squad.
Manager Darcy Regier stated within the past few days that Myers needs to prove he can be an every day player, because if he does not, then there is no point in having him stay and be scratched while he can go back to juniors and play every day.
But based upon the effort of tonight (on special teams and his awareness on both offensive and defensive sides of the puck), his performance against Phoenix (where he registered a power play assist and still played a solid game even after taking a cheap shot from Shane Doan), and in the Toronto preseason game (where he showed toughness by not backing down from Jason Blake’s challenge. Granted there was about a foot in height difference between the two), there will be little doubt that Myers will remain with the squad this season.
If he stays, and continues to perform at this level which he has displayed, he will give New York Islanders’ John Tavares a run for his money in pursuit of the Calder Trophy.
As for the game, the Sabres routed the Wings 6-2 fueled by a 4 goal effort in the 2nd period. Kaleta had his first career multi-point game, Thomas Vanek had a 2 goal night, and Derek Roy had 3 assists.
NOTES: The Sabres in the second period out scored the Buffalo Bills' past weekend point total of 3...Following the game, Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff stated that Thomas Vanek would miss "weeks" after sustaining an upper body injury while scoring his 2nd goal...Next up for the Sabres are Tavares' Islanders on Friday night. Could this be a good way to see who is the better rookie?
Monday, October 12, 2009
Game 5: "...If we win one tomorrow, that's what's called a winning streak"
They came out flat in the first, and Washington capitalized, with no pun intended.
They put forth a much better effort in the 2nd and Brian Rolston got them within a goal, but bad penalties, or should I say bad calls, hurt momentum.
In the 3rd, they had their best period of the season. Marty got nailed for a high sticking call while he was trying to bat the puck out of the air, moments after Bryce Salvador also took a penalty. The team endured a furry of Washington shots while on the 5 on 3 and killed off the first one. Then faced a similar number of shots and chances, and managed to kill off the remaining time on Brodeur’s penalty. However, moments following the end of an impressive penalty kill, they took a too many men penalty.
Yet again, penalties are becoming way too much of a problem. How many time do we expect our PKers to be able to stay out on the ice and face an offense of Washington’s caliber without at least giving them some kind of a lead? This team is in desperate need of discipline. Which leads me to point #2…
Johnny Oduya needs to step up his game. For someone who just earned a rather large contract extension, he has been playing very sloppy hockey. He has taken at least 1 penalty in each of the Devils’ first 6 games. 2 of those were hooking and 2 holding calls. Those are lazy penalties to take and set the team back, granted tonight’s was a blatant phantom penalty. He also has been playing very sloppy defense. He has been caught out of position many times, a handful of which have been taken advantage of by the opposing teams and resulted in goals.
The Zubrus-Bergfors-Clarkson line has a lot of potential. They are the ones who should be the second unit, let the Neidermayer line be the checking line and give ZBC some more ice time. The only downside is Clarkson is the only one with a goal. But, if they can gel, the over time, they could become effective. Their effort on the game tying goal is prime evidence. Their passing was crisp, their puck control was solid, and their shooting was actually on target.
Dainius Zubrus and Andy Greene remain the only bright spots on the second power play unit. If you watched the game at all tonight, you saw why. They’re the only two who can try to set things up while the other 3 pieces, which seem to change nightly, try to find space but cant seem to find it. They are also the only ones who tried to register a shot. Moving Clarkson off the first unit, in my eyes, was a mistake and hopefully will be rectified by Friday night.
Zach Parise has to be the most unlucky person in the NHL right now. Back to back games he has had wide open looks at almost open nets and either the goalie or a defenseman have gotten just enough of the puck to prevent a goal. Vokun did it, then Theodore and Poti tonight. Then again, in overtime first post, then glove on the goal line, then by a defender.
Luckily for us, he scored in the shootout, along with Langenbrunner, to get us a win.
Lastly, Brodeur played another phenomenal game and kept us in it, even after our shaky first period. His performance, along with Clarkson’s and the aforementioned shootout takers, got us the win tonight.
Devils 2 (2) - Washington 2 (1)
3-2-0, 6 points
Next up: Atlanta on Friday.
They put forth a much better effort in the 2nd and Brian Rolston got them within a goal, but bad penalties, or should I say bad calls, hurt momentum.
In the 3rd, they had their best period of the season. Marty got nailed for a high sticking call while he was trying to bat the puck out of the air, moments after Bryce Salvador also took a penalty. The team endured a furry of Washington shots while on the 5 on 3 and killed off the first one. Then faced a similar number of shots and chances, and managed to kill off the remaining time on Brodeur’s penalty. However, moments following the end of an impressive penalty kill, they took a too many men penalty.
Yet again, penalties are becoming way too much of a problem. How many time do we expect our PKers to be able to stay out on the ice and face an offense of Washington’s caliber without at least giving them some kind of a lead? This team is in desperate need of discipline. Which leads me to point #2…
Johnny Oduya needs to step up his game. For someone who just earned a rather large contract extension, he has been playing very sloppy hockey. He has taken at least 1 penalty in each of the Devils’ first 6 games. 2 of those were hooking and 2 holding calls. Those are lazy penalties to take and set the team back, granted tonight’s was a blatant phantom penalty. He also has been playing very sloppy defense. He has been caught out of position many times, a handful of which have been taken advantage of by the opposing teams and resulted in goals.
The Zubrus-Bergfors-Clarkson line has a lot of potential. They are the ones who should be the second unit, let the Neidermayer line be the checking line and give ZBC some more ice time. The only downside is Clarkson is the only one with a goal. But, if they can gel, the over time, they could become effective. Their effort on the game tying goal is prime evidence. Their passing was crisp, their puck control was solid, and their shooting was actually on target.
Dainius Zubrus and Andy Greene remain the only bright spots on the second power play unit. If you watched the game at all tonight, you saw why. They’re the only two who can try to set things up while the other 3 pieces, which seem to change nightly, try to find space but cant seem to find it. They are also the only ones who tried to register a shot. Moving Clarkson off the first unit, in my eyes, was a mistake and hopefully will be rectified by Friday night.
Zach Parise has to be the most unlucky person in the NHL right now. Back to back games he has had wide open looks at almost open nets and either the goalie or a defenseman have gotten just enough of the puck to prevent a goal. Vokun did it, then Theodore and Poti tonight. Then again, in overtime first post, then glove on the goal line, then by a defender.
Luckily for us, he scored in the shootout, along with Langenbrunner, to get us a win.
Lastly, Brodeur played another phenomenal game and kept us in it, even after our shaky first period. His performance, along with Clarkson’s and the aforementioned shootout takers, got us the win tonight.
Devils 2 (2) - Washington 2 (1)
3-2-0, 6 points
Next up: Atlanta on Friday.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Game 4: Finally, a Solid, Complete Effort
Thoughts from tonight’s game:
1.) Great win. We finally played 60 minutes of hockey, and we didn’t let up. Great effort and, again, a much needed victory.
2.) Brodeur’s best game of the season. His defense let him down tonight, primarily one player. He stopped a lot of shots, again, and he looked to be in great position on almost every shot. You can see a clear difference between tonight and the Philly game. He’s more focused, more determined. He’s finally looking like the Marty that brought us success before.
3.) Oduya was awful tonight. Out of position numerous times, a bad line change led to the first Panther’s goal and being on his heels led to the 2nd one. He may have taken a good penalty in the 2nd, and he lucked out that we were able to kill it off.
4.) Penalties are hurting us, badly. We need to be more disciplined. End of story. Game 1 we were lights out on the PK and we even got a shorty, but the past 3 games now we’ve given up at least a PPG per game.
5.) Our power play is a tale of two lines. The first unit has a PPG per game. The second unit is horrendous. Rolston isn’t taking charge out there, and the rest of the unit has zero confidence.
6.) Florida Panther announcers are the worst in hockey. The color commentator did not go 5 minutes of the game without complaining about the trap. He came close to saying we haven’t won a cup nor had success without Lemaire as coach. I think he forgot 2000 when we swept Florida on our way to cup #2. This is one of the biggest drawbacks to needing NHL Center Ice to watch Devils games, dumb, annoying announcers.
My game puck goes to Michael Frolik of the Panthers. Why give it to an opposing player, especially on the losing team after a game like this, you ask? Its because he took 3 penalties, one borderline, and two of them led to power play goals, including the game winner by Clarkson. Thanks Mike!
Devils 3 - Panthers 2
2-2-0, 4 points
Back to .500 and a great effort just in time to take on Alex the Great and his solid Capitals team on Monday.
Pre-Game 4: "If we win one today, thats 2 in a row..."
The infamous words of Indians manager Lou Brown in 'Major League' to his team as they started to turn their season around. I found it a little fitting considering tonight, the Devils would like to get back to .500 and essentially hit the reset button on the season.
The time is now to get back on track.
Two nights after registering their first win of the season, the Devils look to get a streak going when they take on the Florida Panthers.
The team has been marred in inconsistency thus far. They haven’t gotten a solid 60 minutes of effort from anyone on the squad. Their power play is very hit or miss. Actually, its pretty much the first unit gets the best chances, the second gives up the best shorthanded chances for the opposing teams. Martin Brodeur, having his best effort thus far in the young campaign, has also been inconsistent.
Actually, there have only been a few constants in the season. Zach Parise and Travis Zajac have been consistently solid on the offensive front. Colin White has been consistently horrendous. And the team is almost consistently undisciplined, and their penalties have cost them valuable goals in two straight games.
Tonight, they take on a Panthers team who has also been inconsistent, and who are coming off a massacre at the hands of the Hurricanes last night. 7 Hurricane players were able to notch goals on the night. What better chance for the lines below the first to get valuable experience and finally get a goal or two.
While the rest of the team has not been shutout, Rob Neidermayer, Jay Pandolfo and Brian Rolston are the only 3 players not on the ZZ Pops line who have registered goals on the year.
The Devils will also look for Martin Brodeur to finally put together a solid effort on the ice. While his game against the Lightning was a vast improvement from the first two games, there were still parts of his game that looked noticeably rusty. In his defense, however, he faced an ungodly amount of shots, including 24 in the 2nd period alone.
Dainus Zubrus has been a pleasant surprise on the bottom 3 lines. While he has yet to register a goal, he has found a way to generate chances, but his linemates have been unable to pick up the rebounds and pounce on the chance.
Rob Neidermayer has also been a nice surprise, registering the opening goal against the Rangers and being a nice asset on the 3rd line. The rest of the team, however, is in need of making themselves known.
What better of an opportunity than against a team who lost their most valuable asset, all-star defenseman Jay Bouwmeester.
The time is now to get back on track.
Two nights after registering their first win of the season, the Devils look to get a streak going when they take on the Florida Panthers.
The team has been marred in inconsistency thus far. They haven’t gotten a solid 60 minutes of effort from anyone on the squad. Their power play is very hit or miss. Actually, its pretty much the first unit gets the best chances, the second gives up the best shorthanded chances for the opposing teams. Martin Brodeur, having his best effort thus far in the young campaign, has also been inconsistent.
Actually, there have only been a few constants in the season. Zach Parise and Travis Zajac have been consistently solid on the offensive front. Colin White has been consistently horrendous. And the team is almost consistently undisciplined, and their penalties have cost them valuable goals in two straight games.
Tonight, they take on a Panthers team who has also been inconsistent, and who are coming off a massacre at the hands of the Hurricanes last night. 7 Hurricane players were able to notch goals on the night. What better chance for the lines below the first to get valuable experience and finally get a goal or two.
While the rest of the team has not been shutout, Rob Neidermayer, Jay Pandolfo and Brian Rolston are the only 3 players not on the ZZ Pops line who have registered goals on the year.
The Devils will also look for Martin Brodeur to finally put together a solid effort on the ice. While his game against the Lightning was a vast improvement from the first two games, there were still parts of his game that looked noticeably rusty. In his defense, however, he faced an ungodly amount of shots, including 24 in the 2nd period alone.
Dainus Zubrus has been a pleasant surprise on the bottom 3 lines. While he has yet to register a goal, he has found a way to generate chances, but his linemates have been unable to pick up the rebounds and pounce on the chance.
Rob Neidermayer has also been a nice surprise, registering the opening goal against the Rangers and being a nice asset on the 3rd line. The rest of the team, however, is in need of making themselves known.
What better of an opportunity than against a team who lost their most valuable asset, all-star defenseman Jay Bouwmeester.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Game 3: FINALLY!
Finally, a break that went our way. Finally, a last minute flurry that results in a positive for our squad. Finally, Travis Zajac hits the net when in close. Finally, the Devils get a win.
With just under 15 seconds to go in the period, the Devils looked dead to rights. They couldn't control the puck in the Lightning zone. They couldn't get the puck free, and set up their offense. Then something happened.
Andy Greene baseball swings a bouncing puck out of mid-air. The puck flips through the slot, towards the feet of Travis Zajac. Zajac settles it as best as he could with his skate, took a slight step back, and ripped the puck as quickly as he could.
The puck flew past Tampa goalie Mike Smith, and the final horn sounded.
The Devils celebrated as if they had just won a playoff series.
The crowd booed and then cheered when they saw the replay, many mis-reading the time remaining on the clock in the lower left of the screen. I know i even was sitting on pins and needles waiting for MSG+ to show the overheard replay with the clock.
Then it came, starting with 1.4 seconds, you see Smith on the left side of his crease, then sliding to his right.
1.2 seconds remain when the puck enters the frame.
1.1 and its on the goal line.
1.0 and its in the back of the net and the Devils clinch at least their first point of the season.
They took their momentum right over the 5 minute break between regulation and overtime and came out firing. They had a handful of chances early on, including a Mike Mottau shot which found its way through a crowd in front, and had Smith not kept control over the rebound, could very well have been Zach Parise's second of the night and a game winning goal.
Tampa Bay had its fair share of chances late in the period as well. Including a beauty of a shot from the right circle, and the only thing preventing a game winning goal by the Bolts was great positioning by Andy Greene in support of Broduer who was diving and losing his mask on the play.
Parise had a wide open, top part of the net while Smith was on his side, only to have the Smith made an incredible save.
In the shootout, Parise deked Smith out of his pads and beat the sprawling keeper low, blocker side after Stamkos, who already had 2 goals on the night, hit the crossbar.
Tanguay followed Parise with a nifty deke of his own, and had he not gone for the extra move at the end of it, would have had his second. The puck instead drifted harmlessly to Marty's glove side.
Langenbrunner saw Parise's move, took notes, and did a similar deke to beat Smith for the Devils' second shootout goal, clinching their first victory of the season.
Game Puck goes to.......Andy Greene, for setting up the game tieing goal with excellent hand eye corrdination, blocking the shot to preserve the OT period. As user Nasty_Magician said, "If he plays like that every night, he's one of the best defenders on the team." I said it was necessary for him to be in the lineup, especially after how horrendous the 2nd power play unit had been, his shot and vision on that line was necessary on its own.
Devils 3 (2) - Lightning 3 (0) F/SO
1-2-0, 2 points
Time to build some momentum... See you Saturday.
With just under 15 seconds to go in the period, the Devils looked dead to rights. They couldn't control the puck in the Lightning zone. They couldn't get the puck free, and set up their offense. Then something happened.
Andy Greene baseball swings a bouncing puck out of mid-air. The puck flips through the slot, towards the feet of Travis Zajac. Zajac settles it as best as he could with his skate, took a slight step back, and ripped the puck as quickly as he could.
The puck flew past Tampa goalie Mike Smith, and the final horn sounded.
The Devils celebrated as if they had just won a playoff series.
The crowd booed and then cheered when they saw the replay, many mis-reading the time remaining on the clock in the lower left of the screen. I know i even was sitting on pins and needles waiting for MSG+ to show the overheard replay with the clock.
Then it came, starting with 1.4 seconds, you see Smith on the left side of his crease, then sliding to his right.
1.2 seconds remain when the puck enters the frame.
1.1 and its on the goal line.
1.0 and its in the back of the net and the Devils clinch at least their first point of the season.
They took their momentum right over the 5 minute break between regulation and overtime and came out firing. They had a handful of chances early on, including a Mike Mottau shot which found its way through a crowd in front, and had Smith not kept control over the rebound, could very well have been Zach Parise's second of the night and a game winning goal.
Tampa Bay had its fair share of chances late in the period as well. Including a beauty of a shot from the right circle, and the only thing preventing a game winning goal by the Bolts was great positioning by Andy Greene in support of Broduer who was diving and losing his mask on the play.
Parise had a wide open, top part of the net while Smith was on his side, only to have the Smith made an incredible save.
In the shootout, Parise deked Smith out of his pads and beat the sprawling keeper low, blocker side after Stamkos, who already had 2 goals on the night, hit the crossbar.
Tanguay followed Parise with a nifty deke of his own, and had he not gone for the extra move at the end of it, would have had his second. The puck instead drifted harmlessly to Marty's glove side.
Langenbrunner saw Parise's move, took notes, and did a similar deke to beat Smith for the Devils' second shootout goal, clinching their first victory of the season.
Game Puck goes to.......Andy Greene, for setting up the game tieing goal with excellent hand eye corrdination, blocking the shot to preserve the OT period. As user Nasty_Magician said, "If he plays like that every night, he's one of the best defenders on the team." I said it was necessary for him to be in the lineup, especially after how horrendous the 2nd power play unit had been, his shot and vision on that line was necessary on its own.
Devils 3 (2) - Lightning 3 (0) F/SO
1-2-0, 2 points
Time to build some momentum... See you Saturday.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
The Devil's Deal
While watching ESPN’s documentary on Tuesday night, Peter Berg’s “Kings Ransom,” I found myself wondering what if a similair situation had come across the Devils brain-trusts’ minds.
In case you did not catch the 60 minute show, the documentary covers nearly every aspect of the unforgettable Wayne Gretzky to Los Angeles trade completed on August 9th, 1988. It was very well done and you can’t help but feel the emotions of both team’s general managers, the fans and even The Great One himself.
The wave of emotions felt on all sides is truly remarkable, and again, it got me thinking about if a similar situation would happen to the Devils.
On the active roster, I could only think of two players which would draw the type of notoriety as the Gretzky deal had: Martin Brodeur and Zach Parise. If either player were to be traded at this point in their careers, the community backlash against the team alone, could be astronomical, regardless of the pieces the Devils would receive in return.
Some fans could argue that at the moment, Brodeur being traded based upon his current performance, might not be a bad thing. I’d hesitate to agree simply because without Brodeur, the franchise has an even greater diminished place in the NHL spotlight. If you lose Marty, you lose the crowd and maybe the team.
The same can be true for Zach Parise. The Devils’ leading scorer for the past 2 seasons is undoubtedly the future of the franchise. He is to the team now as Brodeur was in the late 90s and early part of this decade. If he doesn’t go, the rest are standing still.
While it did not come as a result of a trade, but as the end result of a game of chicken, which has ultimately bit the Devils harder than it did the player, only the Scott Neidermayer signing with Anaheim comes as close to as big of a deal for a franchise as the Gretzky deal did to Edmonton.
Not even Bobby Holik nor Scott Gomez jumping ship to go play for the Rangers stung nearly as much as losing Neids did prior to the first year after the lockout. Losing Neidermayer left a gaping hole on the Devils’ blue line that the team’s general manager Lou Lamoriello, is still struggling to fill.
Couple the Neids signing with the retirement of Scott Stevens, and the loss is felt even greater. The physical and offensive presence on the backline was no longer there, and you can feel a sense of emptiness when thinking of what used to be and what there is now.
What was once one of the most dominant defensive corps of the NHL, has now become a rag-tag group of a pair of top-teir defensemen, a pair of middle of the road players, a handful of players who might not crack the lineup on even the weakest NHL teams, and one player who has not been the same since narrowly avoiding losing an eye almost 3 seasons ago.
To compare the loss Scott Neidermayer to the loss of Wayne Gretzky may seem outrageous, but it is the best example of how great an impact losing one player can have on a franchise.
In Edmonton’s case, however, they were able to rebound 2 seasons later, and return to the pinnacle of the NHL, proving that they could, if for just one season, overcome the loss.
We’re still waiting for that type of recovery to happen in New Jersey.
In case you did not catch the 60 minute show, the documentary covers nearly every aspect of the unforgettable Wayne Gretzky to Los Angeles trade completed on August 9th, 1988. It was very well done and you can’t help but feel the emotions of both team’s general managers, the fans and even The Great One himself.
The wave of emotions felt on all sides is truly remarkable, and again, it got me thinking about if a similar situation would happen to the Devils.
On the active roster, I could only think of two players which would draw the type of notoriety as the Gretzky deal had: Martin Brodeur and Zach Parise. If either player were to be traded at this point in their careers, the community backlash against the team alone, could be astronomical, regardless of the pieces the Devils would receive in return.
Some fans could argue that at the moment, Brodeur being traded based upon his current performance, might not be a bad thing. I’d hesitate to agree simply because without Brodeur, the franchise has an even greater diminished place in the NHL spotlight. If you lose Marty, you lose the crowd and maybe the team.
The same can be true for Zach Parise. The Devils’ leading scorer for the past 2 seasons is undoubtedly the future of the franchise. He is to the team now as Brodeur was in the late 90s and early part of this decade. If he doesn’t go, the rest are standing still.
While it did not come as a result of a trade, but as the end result of a game of chicken, which has ultimately bit the Devils harder than it did the player, only the Scott Neidermayer signing with Anaheim comes as close to as big of a deal for a franchise as the Gretzky deal did to Edmonton.
Not even Bobby Holik nor Scott Gomez jumping ship to go play for the Rangers stung nearly as much as losing Neids did prior to the first year after the lockout. Losing Neidermayer left a gaping hole on the Devils’ blue line that the team’s general manager Lou Lamoriello, is still struggling to fill.
Couple the Neids signing with the retirement of Scott Stevens, and the loss is felt even greater. The physical and offensive presence on the backline was no longer there, and you can feel a sense of emptiness when thinking of what used to be and what there is now.
What was once one of the most dominant defensive corps of the NHL, has now become a rag-tag group of a pair of top-teir defensemen, a pair of middle of the road players, a handful of players who might not crack the lineup on even the weakest NHL teams, and one player who has not been the same since narrowly avoiding losing an eye almost 3 seasons ago.
To compare the loss Scott Neidermayer to the loss of Wayne Gretzky may seem outrageous, but it is the best example of how great an impact losing one player can have on a franchise.
In Edmonton’s case, however, they were able to rebound 2 seasons later, and return to the pinnacle of the NHL, proving that they could, if for just one season, overcome the loss.
We’re still waiting for that type of recovery to happen in New Jersey.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Game 2: Getting the Back on Track…
The live blog has returned. A mere 3 minutes from faceoff, I elected to initiate my first live blog of the season.
I was supposed to be accompanied for watching this game by a Rangers fan. It would have provided some interesting bickering matches, and maybe some colorful comments, however, a busy day has elected him to keep his blue skirt in his closet and stay home.
Interesting note thanks to Tom Gulitti: Martin Brodeur has not beaten the Rangers in regulation since Feburary 27th, 2007. This is fantastic news considering Brodeur has had his head up his ass since April of last year. Maybe tonight will finally be the night he removes it.
I said it Saturday night while posting on a Devils message board, and Doc and Eddie Olczyk pointed it out on their opener for the Versus telecast, Marion Gaborik will be a handful tonight. He’s been clicking very well with Brandon Dubinsky so far, and there is obvious chemistry there.
Marty needs to bring his A game, the rest of the team, ESPECIALLY the power play unit, also needs to step the heck up and remind us fans that they can actually compete in the Atlantic Division, let alone the rest of the NHL. If they don’t, it could foreshadow a long, empty season at The Rock.
Ikka Pikkarainen may get his first NHL start tonight. If he does, expect Andrew Peters to be the one sitting as a result of his selfish double minor penalty, midway in the 3rd period of Saturday’s game.
1st Period
-Devils come out firing early, and nearly net the opening goal, moments after Oduya allows Brandon Dubinsky to walk in uncontested.
-GOAL- Rob Neidermayer from Pandolfo and Clarkson. Super Jay hustles to the puck, sets up Neids who goes top glove corner beaing the "King".
-Zubrus loses an edge and almost takes out Lundqvist. Prompting Torts to call a time out, 1 minute 24 seconds into the game.
-One of the loudest 'Lets go Devils' chants I've heard in a while once Rozsival gets called for interference.
-Pikkarainen gets some time on the 2nd PP unit. They proceed to give Boyle a shorthanded chance on Brodeur.
-Langenbrunner wasted a chance to get a shot on goal, instead electing for a risky pass to Zajac, resulting in a turnover and narrowly avoiding being an odd-man rush. Power play over.
-Hooking call on Pikkrainen. Nice game thus far, Rook....
-Brodeur with a nice save after a shot kicked off the back boards and nearly was perfect to be tapped in.
-GOAL-The PK falls apart, loses track of their men, Del Sotto nets a PPG.
-Discipline falling apart for the Devils at the moment, Rolston takes a penalty for holding, and they go right back on the PK.
-Zajac and Oduya break out shorthanded, Zajac opts to pass rather than shoot, opportunity lost. but they do kill the penalty.
-Dubinsky takes a holding penalty, Devils back on the PP.
-GOAL- ZAJAC FROM CLARKSON AND PARISE. AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THEY ACTUALLY SHOOT! OPPORTUNITES ARRIVE! Parise to Langs for a one timer, blocked in front, Parise recovers the puck, the dances free, feeds Clarkson in front who no-look back handed pass on the tape to Zajac who goes top-shelf in a virtually empty net, 2-1 Devs.
-Mottau creating chances from the blue line by throwing the puck on net and allowing Lundqvist to give up juicy rebounds.
-First real aggressive scrum breaks out. Pelley going for blatant tripping, but no one else gets tagged from the skirmish.
-Mottau with a solid defensive play as he intercepts a crossing attempt. Rangers get away with a too many men.
-Chris Drury knees Paul Martin and he is promptly taken down by Johny Oduya. While I didnt agree with it at the time, does anyone wonder why Chris Neil went after him high while he was playing for the Sabres?
A text from my Sabres fan friend "I think he wet himself when he turtled like a bitch"
-GOAL-Rangers get a powerplay as a result, and then score off the draw, Kotalik from the point. There is still no explanation how the Rangers got a powerplay. Gotta love how they got away with an obvious too many men, then Drury knees Martin, Oduya stands up for his teammate, and yet the Devils end up shorthanded. Oduya got a double minor for roughing which leaves me as well as many of my friends to promptly say "huh?"
-Prospal takes a roughing penalty with under a minute to go in the period. Devils back on the PP. Hopefully they learn from PP #2 and actually shoot more. Period ends without a shot on goal, they tried to get too fancy and elected to pass through the high slot where 2 Rangers were.
-First commercial after the horn sounds is the NHL 2K10 promo. Not only does the acting and accents suck, but the graphics of the game itself is horrific.
THOUGHTS ON THE FIRST - The Devils need to stay out of the box. The Rangers' best chances have come on the powerplay, as have both of their goals. While I fully agree with what Oduya did, and I blame the officials for screwing up the missed call and giving Oduya a double minor, it cost them the lead.
2nd Period
I was supposed to be accompanied for watching this game by a Rangers fan. It would have provided some interesting bickering matches, and maybe some colorful comments, however, a busy day has elected him to keep his blue skirt in his closet and stay home.
Interesting note thanks to Tom Gulitti: Martin Brodeur has not beaten the Rangers in regulation since Feburary 27th, 2007. This is fantastic news considering Brodeur has had his head up his ass since April of last year. Maybe tonight will finally be the night he removes it.
I said it Saturday night while posting on a Devils message board, and Doc and Eddie Olczyk pointed it out on their opener for the Versus telecast, Marion Gaborik will be a handful tonight. He’s been clicking very well with Brandon Dubinsky so far, and there is obvious chemistry there.
Marty needs to bring his A game, the rest of the team, ESPECIALLY the power play unit, also needs to step the heck up and remind us fans that they can actually compete in the Atlantic Division, let alone the rest of the NHL. If they don’t, it could foreshadow a long, empty season at The Rock.
Ikka Pikkarainen may get his first NHL start tonight. If he does, expect Andrew Peters to be the one sitting as a result of his selfish double minor penalty, midway in the 3rd period of Saturday’s game.
1st Period
-Devils come out firing early, and nearly net the opening goal, moments after Oduya allows Brandon Dubinsky to walk in uncontested.
-GOAL- Rob Neidermayer from Pandolfo and Clarkson. Super Jay hustles to the puck, sets up Neids who goes top glove corner beaing the "King".
-Zubrus loses an edge and almost takes out Lundqvist. Prompting Torts to call a time out, 1 minute 24 seconds into the game.
-One of the loudest 'Lets go Devils' chants I've heard in a while once Rozsival gets called for interference.
-Pikkarainen gets some time on the 2nd PP unit. They proceed to give Boyle a shorthanded chance on Brodeur.
-Langenbrunner wasted a chance to get a shot on goal, instead electing for a risky pass to Zajac, resulting in a turnover and narrowly avoiding being an odd-man rush. Power play over.
-Hooking call on Pikkrainen. Nice game thus far, Rook....
-Brodeur with a nice save after a shot kicked off the back boards and nearly was perfect to be tapped in.
-GOAL-The PK falls apart, loses track of their men, Del Sotto nets a PPG.
-Discipline falling apart for the Devils at the moment, Rolston takes a penalty for holding, and they go right back on the PK.
-Zajac and Oduya break out shorthanded, Zajac opts to pass rather than shoot, opportunity lost. but they do kill the penalty.
-Dubinsky takes a holding penalty, Devils back on the PP.
-GOAL- ZAJAC FROM CLARKSON AND PARISE. AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THEY ACTUALLY SHOOT! OPPORTUNITES ARRIVE! Parise to Langs for a one timer, blocked in front, Parise recovers the puck, the dances free, feeds Clarkson in front who no-look back handed pass on the tape to Zajac who goes top-shelf in a virtually empty net, 2-1 Devs.
-Mottau creating chances from the blue line by throwing the puck on net and allowing Lundqvist to give up juicy rebounds.
-First real aggressive scrum breaks out. Pelley going for blatant tripping, but no one else gets tagged from the skirmish.
-Mottau with a solid defensive play as he intercepts a crossing attempt. Rangers get away with a too many men.
-Chris Drury knees Paul Martin and he is promptly taken down by Johny Oduya. While I didnt agree with it at the time, does anyone wonder why Chris Neil went after him high while he was playing for the Sabres?
A text from my Sabres fan friend "I think he wet himself when he turtled like a bitch"
-GOAL-Rangers get a powerplay as a result, and then score off the draw, Kotalik from the point. There is still no explanation how the Rangers got a powerplay. Gotta love how they got away with an obvious too many men, then Drury knees Martin, Oduya stands up for his teammate, and yet the Devils end up shorthanded. Oduya got a double minor for roughing which leaves me as well as many of my friends to promptly say "huh?"
-Prospal takes a roughing penalty with under a minute to go in the period. Devils back on the PP. Hopefully they learn from PP #2 and actually shoot more. Period ends without a shot on goal, they tried to get too fancy and elected to pass through the high slot where 2 Rangers were.
-First commercial after the horn sounds is the NHL 2K10 promo. Not only does the acting and accents suck, but the graphics of the game itself is horrific.
THOUGHTS ON THE FIRST - The Devils need to stay out of the box. The Rangers' best chances have come on the powerplay, as have both of their goals. While I fully agree with what Oduya did, and I blame the officials for screwing up the missed call and giving Oduya a double minor, it cost them the lead.
2nd Period
-One of the times I'd prefer the pass over the shot, Martin shoots from a crowded point while he had Parise open in the left faceoff circle.
-The second unit continues to be horrendous. They're out of sync, unfocused, might as well ask for a one shift powerplay.
-GOAL- Gillroy beats Broduer on a very, very soft goal. Brodeur gets lazy and doesn't drop the right leg all the way to the ice and the puck sneaks in. Yet another rookie beats the future Hall of Famer.
-Colin White proves he's completely useless and heartless. Callahan crashes into Marty, White stands there looking at him.
-Devils get a late power-play, under a minute again, and the second unit starts off and proves, yet again, unable to generate a legit scoring chance.
3rd Period
-Devils get a gift of a 5 on 3, but as the story goes so far this season, they are unable to convert on it. Their best chance came off the stick of Zach Parise who deflected a Rolston shot that hit the post.
-A lot of action in the Rangers zone, but still no goals.
-Coincidental minors: Clarkson and Voros with roughing minors. 4 on 4 to ensue. Last time the Devils had a chance like this, they really exposed the Rangers. Hopefully this time they'll find the back of the net.
-Rangers keep getting icing calls, yet the Devils cannot capitalize on the long shifts. Even the announcers are saying that they need to get to the circle quicker.
-With the net empty the Devils couldn't even set up an offense in the zone. Their best chance came when Langenbrunner crossed a pass to Zajac with about 11 seconds left. Rather than ripping a one-timer at the net, Zajac hesitated for a clean shot, and gave Kotalik time to get back in position to knock the puck into the corner.
Rangers 3 - Devils 2
Devils fall to 0-2-0 on the season after a much better effort than Saturday night.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Opening Night Fright Fest
Sure, Six Flags is the original home of the annual Fright Fest celebration in October, but on Saturday night, the Devils decided they wanted to get in on the action by putting up a simply horrific performance at the Prudential Center against Philadelphia Flyers.
The nightmare began early, a mere 5 minutes into the game to be exact, when the Devils were given a gift of a 5 on 3 power play at the hands of Jeff Carter and Scottie Upshall.
While 3 of the 5 members of the first unit had double shifted, they still produced some solid chances, yet only registering 1 shot on goal. The second unit, however, looked awful. With 2 youngsters in Matt Hallischuck and Niklaus Bergfors playing on the line, the team was out-hustled and out matched by the Flyers penalty killers, and the 2 man-advantage seemed to vanish quicker than a ghost on camera.
Later in the period, in what almost feels like is becoming a trend, Brodeur was lazy on a Flyer shot, and was beaten by Jeff Carter to give Philly a 1-0 lead.
A late penalty in before the end of the period seemed to give the Devils a chance, but they failed to convert by the buzzer, and nearly gave up a phenomenal shorthanded opportunity to the Flyers. If it was not for the back checking of Paul Martin and the limited amount of time on the clock, they could very well have gone into the break in a 2-0 hole.
The second period opened with another fortunate break for the Devils as Ray Emery made a blunder and was penalized 2 minutes for illegal playing of the puck in the restricted zone.
But again, the Devils failed to capitalize on their gifts from the Flyers and, again, failed to convert on the 5 on 3, and the remainder of Emery’s error.
Just before the midpoint of the period, Ian Laperierre found the back of the net, and 6 minutes later, Bryce Salvador should have been given an assist on Mike Richards’ goal as he deflected the puck up and over Brodeur, who looked like he was almost cheating to the far-side post in anticipation of the crossing attempt.
Marty’s age and its effect on his overall game became ever more so apparent on Darrol Powe’s shot that beat him glove side. Granted he got a piece of it, it looked like he didn’t even know it was coming.
Long gone, it seems, are the years when the Devils could rely on Marty to steal them games with his quick reflexes. He went out with a fizzle from the playoffs last season, and he opened this one by only reaffirming questions of his ability, rather than erasing the demons from playoff failures of season’s past.
The only glimmer of hope on this night was Brian Rolston preventing the team from being shutout at home by scoring moments after Powe’s tally.
Any hopes of a comeback were quickly shattered when Matt Carle beat Brodeur. And again, he got part of, but not enough, of the puck. Again, I will attribute this to his age finally catching up.
Langenbrunner broke through, shorthanded, and beat Ray Emery stick side for a shorthanded goal, to draw the game to within 3. I still cannot believe it took the Devils 2+ periods to finally bring Emery back to earth following an opening night shutout.
The crowd cheering after nearly every Brodeur save just shows how bad of a night it was, and the rousing cheers when the 1 minute mark was announced put icing on the proverbial cake.
1 horrifying game down, 81 to go.
Here’s to hoping the rest of October, let alone the remainder of the season, isn’t as big of a nightmare as this game foreshadows.
The nightmare began early, a mere 5 minutes into the game to be exact, when the Devils were given a gift of a 5 on 3 power play at the hands of Jeff Carter and Scottie Upshall.
While 3 of the 5 members of the first unit had double shifted, they still produced some solid chances, yet only registering 1 shot on goal. The second unit, however, looked awful. With 2 youngsters in Matt Hallischuck and Niklaus Bergfors playing on the line, the team was out-hustled and out matched by the Flyers penalty killers, and the 2 man-advantage seemed to vanish quicker than a ghost on camera.
Later in the period, in what almost feels like is becoming a trend, Brodeur was lazy on a Flyer shot, and was beaten by Jeff Carter to give Philly a 1-0 lead.
A late penalty in before the end of the period seemed to give the Devils a chance, but they failed to convert by the buzzer, and nearly gave up a phenomenal shorthanded opportunity to the Flyers. If it was not for the back checking of Paul Martin and the limited amount of time on the clock, they could very well have gone into the break in a 2-0 hole.
The second period opened with another fortunate break for the Devils as Ray Emery made a blunder and was penalized 2 minutes for illegal playing of the puck in the restricted zone.
But again, the Devils failed to capitalize on their gifts from the Flyers and, again, failed to convert on the 5 on 3, and the remainder of Emery’s error.
Just before the midpoint of the period, Ian Laperierre found the back of the net, and 6 minutes later, Bryce Salvador should have been given an assist on Mike Richards’ goal as he deflected the puck up and over Brodeur, who looked like he was almost cheating to the far-side post in anticipation of the crossing attempt.
Marty’s age and its effect on his overall game became ever more so apparent on Darrol Powe’s shot that beat him glove side. Granted he got a piece of it, it looked like he didn’t even know it was coming.
Long gone, it seems, are the years when the Devils could rely on Marty to steal them games with his quick reflexes. He went out with a fizzle from the playoffs last season, and he opened this one by only reaffirming questions of his ability, rather than erasing the demons from playoff failures of season’s past.
The only glimmer of hope on this night was Brian Rolston preventing the team from being shutout at home by scoring moments after Powe’s tally.
Any hopes of a comeback were quickly shattered when Matt Carle beat Brodeur. And again, he got part of, but not enough, of the puck. Again, I will attribute this to his age finally catching up.
Langenbrunner broke through, shorthanded, and beat Ray Emery stick side for a shorthanded goal, to draw the game to within 3. I still cannot believe it took the Devils 2+ periods to finally bring Emery back to earth following an opening night shutout.
The crowd cheering after nearly every Brodeur save just shows how bad of a night it was, and the rousing cheers when the 1 minute mark was announced put icing on the proverbial cake.
1 horrifying game down, 81 to go.
Here’s to hoping the rest of October, let alone the remainder of the season, isn’t as big of a nightmare as this game foreshadows.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Its Baaaaaaaack!
No, this isn’t a self promotion piece, glorifying my first entry in nearly 3 months.
Instead, this is about the greatest game on early, that far too few people take note of.
Hockey’s back, and I for one, am willing to say, it’s about time.
Baseball has been a horrendous sport to watch this year. This season was unlike any others, as I had zero interest and practically never got interested. Typically, I’ll get dragged in, but for some reason, it never happened. Maybe its because when I see players who are 270 pounds and probably haven’t touched their toes since 150 pounds ago making almost a quarter of a billion dollars, it really ticks me off.
Now, that’s not to say hockey contracts are not outrageous, but they have the protection of a salary cap to prevent unbelievable nauseating salaries from being handed out. Until baseball adopts what the rest of the major sports in North America have, I highly doubt I’ll regain my interest. [NOTE: this sentiment is not because of the Red Sox recent skid, as a matter of fact, I went on record with multiple individuals stating in December of last year the Yankees would win the World Series in 09.]
Sure, the NFL opened up their season just under a month ago, And yes, that has greatly filled the void left over the summer when [gasp] soccer was in a lull and baseball is about as stale a month old bread, but nothing beats having games nearly every night across North America, with teams that actually can compete with one another.
Here is a brief pro vs. con list I have come up with on this, the opening night of the NHL.
Pro – Hockey’s back, and if you’re lucky enough to have a roommate, or two, who are willing the split the cost with you, you can purchase NHL Center Ice and see nearly every televised game. I, for one, love this and am chomping at the bit at the opportunity to watch 3 games a night, if the schedule permits.
Con – Barry Melrose is back. The Mullet rides the hot hand like a desperate woman looking for love at a craps table. His failure as a player translated to a failure as a coach, and his inability to learn from previous mistakes hinders him as analyst. He’s way too subjective, and has drank WAY too many cups of Crosby brand Kool-Aid. Luckily for the television audience, my next “pro” is there.
Pro – Mathew Barnaby. I had the privilege of meeting him this past May. He was easy to talk to, very down to earth, just an overall amazing athlete to meet, cause you’d never know it from his demeanor. He’s now working across from the oil-slicked mullet on most occasions, and is not afraid to put Barry in his place when he’s out of line.
Con – having to endure a season of hearing “the defending champion Penguins” any time they are mentioned. I didn’t like it when the Red Wings held the title, nor the Avalanche and Rangers, but nothing has quite the nails-on-a-chalkboard effect to me quite as well as that phrase does.
Pro – Rivalries amongst friends. I know in the close group of friends that I have, 5 teams, 2 divisions are represented. Nothing beats having bragging rights, if only for a few minutes, nights or weeks, over them. Nightly battles over the remotes, couches, what channel to watch for the next game, are at stake. Forget the cup, guys, you better win so we can listen to Doc next time.
Con – There are 20-30 Saturday night games during the season, and the Maple Leafs have games on nearly every single one of them. Thus, I’m stuck watching Leaf games on Hockey Night in Canada rather than any of the other two Eastern Canada teams. Ugh. Sure, its hockey and I should be grateful, but does the NHL really need to gift wrap optimal home games for Toronto?
Like I said, this was gonna be a short list, if I feel ambitious, I’ll add to it. Otherwise, I’ll see you in a few days.
Go Devils!
Instead, this is about the greatest game on early, that far too few people take note of.
Hockey’s back, and I for one, am willing to say, it’s about time.
Baseball has been a horrendous sport to watch this year. This season was unlike any others, as I had zero interest and practically never got interested. Typically, I’ll get dragged in, but for some reason, it never happened. Maybe its because when I see players who are 270 pounds and probably haven’t touched their toes since 150 pounds ago making almost a quarter of a billion dollars, it really ticks me off.
Now, that’s not to say hockey contracts are not outrageous, but they have the protection of a salary cap to prevent unbelievable nauseating salaries from being handed out. Until baseball adopts what the rest of the major sports in North America have, I highly doubt I’ll regain my interest. [NOTE: this sentiment is not because of the Red Sox recent skid, as a matter of fact, I went on record with multiple individuals stating in December of last year the Yankees would win the World Series in 09.]
Sure, the NFL opened up their season just under a month ago, And yes, that has greatly filled the void left over the summer when [gasp] soccer was in a lull and baseball is about as stale a month old bread, but nothing beats having games nearly every night across North America, with teams that actually can compete with one another.
Here is a brief pro vs. con list I have come up with on this, the opening night of the NHL.
Pro – Hockey’s back, and if you’re lucky enough to have a roommate, or two, who are willing the split the cost with you, you can purchase NHL Center Ice and see nearly every televised game. I, for one, love this and am chomping at the bit at the opportunity to watch 3 games a night, if the schedule permits.
Con – Barry Melrose is back. The Mullet rides the hot hand like a desperate woman looking for love at a craps table. His failure as a player translated to a failure as a coach, and his inability to learn from previous mistakes hinders him as analyst. He’s way too subjective, and has drank WAY too many cups of Crosby brand Kool-Aid. Luckily for the television audience, my next “pro” is there.
Pro – Mathew Barnaby. I had the privilege of meeting him this past May. He was easy to talk to, very down to earth, just an overall amazing athlete to meet, cause you’d never know it from his demeanor. He’s now working across from the oil-slicked mullet on most occasions, and is not afraid to put Barry in his place when he’s out of line.
Con – having to endure a season of hearing “the defending champion Penguins” any time they are mentioned. I didn’t like it when the Red Wings held the title, nor the Avalanche and Rangers, but nothing has quite the nails-on-a-chalkboard effect to me quite as well as that phrase does.
Pro – Rivalries amongst friends. I know in the close group of friends that I have, 5 teams, 2 divisions are represented. Nothing beats having bragging rights, if only for a few minutes, nights or weeks, over them. Nightly battles over the remotes, couches, what channel to watch for the next game, are at stake. Forget the cup, guys, you better win so we can listen to Doc next time.
Con – There are 20-30 Saturday night games during the season, and the Maple Leafs have games on nearly every single one of them. Thus, I’m stuck watching Leaf games on Hockey Night in Canada rather than any of the other two Eastern Canada teams. Ugh. Sure, its hockey and I should be grateful, but does the NHL really need to gift wrap optimal home games for Toronto?
Like I said, this was gonna be a short list, if I feel ambitious, I’ll add to it. Otherwise, I’ll see you in a few days.
Go Devils!
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