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