5 road wins in 6 games and a big win against Montreal at home has the Devils sitting atop the Atlantic Division after 5 straight wins, going into the All Star Break.
After dropping a Thursday night matchup at home against the Atlanta Thrashers, the devils seemed to be in an awful slump that was about to get worse. They had dropped 2 in a row; the first loss was a very flat performance against a middle-of-the-pack Carolina Hurricanes team which was followed by their third home shutout loss of the season against Atlanta, before embarking on a season long 6 game road trip.
In 10 days, the Devils would find themselves traveling across the country, into Canada, come back across the country, stop in Ohio, then Long Island, then close out the trip in Tennessee before returning to Newark to face the Canadians. Normally, one would expect mixed results with such an extensive trip over such a short period of times. But the Devils seemed to take the back to back losses as fuel for their opener in Los Angeles.
Kevin Weekes got the nod to open the road trip for the first time in 13 games. Play was about even throughout the first period, until the Devils broke through with a power play goal off the stick of Travis Zajac. Zajac would add a pair of assists before the night was out, Zach Parise added his 100th career goal and Derek Armstrong ruined Weekes’ shutout bit early in the 3rd period, as the Devils got their road trip off on the right foot with 5-1 victory.
Following the decisive victory over the Kings, The Devils suffered their only blemish of the road trip during their stopover in Anaheim. Facing a Ducks team who seemed to be weaker than ones in years past, the Devils jumped out to an early lead with a rare goal by Bobby Holik. Complacency cost them as the Ducks netted 2 goals before David Clarkson could muster up an answer. Chris Kunitz would give Anaheim all the offense they would need to ensure victory as the Devils were only able to get within one before the final horn. The 4-3 result felt eerily similar to the 3-2 loss to the Hurricanes nearly a week before.
One article of important news happened even before the opening faceoff as the Devils announced they had agreed to sign Brendan Shanahan for the remainder of the season. Shanahan indicated at this point in time that he was skating with the prospects at their practice facility in Newark’s Prudential Center and he had aspirations of joining the team while on the road trip.
Three losses in four games, and being 1 and 1 on a 6 game road trip could have indicated a start of a fall from grace, and an air of reality to a team who, by many opinions, had been over achieving following the loss of Martin Brodeur. Facing a potent offensive team in the Canucks did not make things any easier, however, they were without Roberto Luongo. The Devils did not hesitate to exploit that fact and took advantage of a flat start by the Canucks. Three first period goals helped the Devils hold off a late Vancouver flurry of goals as they won their only Canadian appearance on the trip, and their first win in Vancouver in over 10 years, 5-3.
A 2 of 3 start on a road trip suddenly had begun to erase the memory of losing 3 of 4 and further proved the old cliché of “what a difference a win can make.” The Devils’ next stop came in a bitterly cold Columbus on Friday night. The game took on a change of pace that the Devils as of late were not used to: a defensive struggle. In the previous three games, they had managed to net 13 goals, including 3 in the first period of the previous game against Vancouver alone. The Blue Jackets put on a display of trapping once they attained the lead in the 2nd period that would have made the Canadiens of the 1970’s proud. Steve Mason was working on his 6th shutout of the season until Travis Zajac intercepted a Columbus clearing pass before wiring it top shelf breaking the shutout and tying the game. Just over a minute later, John Madden added the game winner in controversial fashion. The net had been forced off its moorings as the puck crossed the goal line leading many, myself included, to believe that after review, the goal would not stand. It was upheld and the Devils escaped Ohio with another victory.
Last season, a trip to Long Island usually spelt a loss for the Devils. This season had been very different up to this point as the Devils were a perfect 2-0 against the Islanders. They arrived in Nassau winning 2 games in a row but facing a young goalie, the type of player this team typically struggles against. Yann Danis, however, showed his inexperience as Zajac and Parise teamed up to literally steal an early 1-0 lead while on the penalty kill. Zajac nearly added a second shorthanded goal moments later but was denied by Danis’ quick glove hand. Parise and Clarkson netted second period goals 3 minutes apart as they helped the Devils continue their hot streak winning 3-1, and their 4th game of the trip.
The final stop was Nashville against the 13th placed team from the Western Conference, the Predators. Shanahan donned a Devils jersey for the first time in over 17 years, starting on the 4th line along side Bobby Holik and Mike Rupp. It wasn’t until the 2nd period where Shanahan made his presence felt as he beat goalie Pekka Rinne low and to the glove side during a 5 on 3 power play. He nearly netted another power play goal moments later as he crashed the right side of the net, but Rinne was able to get part of his glove on it and turn the shot aside. Clarkson would score a goal moments later, and Parise would add an empty netter to clinch a 5 and 1 road trip for the Devils and a 3-1 victory in the Music City.
After a very successful 5 and 1 road trip, the Devils returned home for their final game before the All Star break. Their opponent, Canada’s pride and joy, the Montreal Canadiens. Midway through the first, after the Devils had just successfully killed their 20th out of 21 penalties, Partik Elias hit Paul Martin, who just left out of the penalty box, on a breakout pass as he deked Carey Price and scored on him 5 hole for the opening goal. Zajac, Oduya and Parise added goals while Elias got the empty netter as the Devils sealed off their hot streak going into the break. Carey Price, in his All Star game tune up, looked like a goalie who had been out of the game for a while.
The 5 wins in a row was the longest streak the Devils have had this season… Shanahan set an NHL record for the longest gap between regular-season games with one team. His last regular-season game with the Devils before tonight was 6,504 days ago [thank you Elias Sports Bureau and espn.com for that little tidbit]… Scott Clemmensen continues to build his resume for next summer’s free agency as he is finally been given the opportunity to showcase himself… Travis Zajac [35 points] continues to play completely out of his mind and just keeps making everyone scratch their head and wonder “where the hell was this last season but… oh wait, I don’t care because he’s completely dominating now.” Okay so maybe a slight exaggeration but it is phenomenal that he is producing at nearly as rapid of rate as team leaders Parise [53] and Elias [52]…At 29-15-3 the Devils enter the ASB in first place in the Atlantic Division and 3rd in the Eastern Conference… 145 goals for is tied for 7th in the NHL while their 118 goals against is 5th.
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Thursday, January 22, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Shanahan in, but who's out?
Monday night’s game against the Nashville Predators marks the debut of Brendan Shanahan. It also marks a critical point in the season where head coach Brent Sutter must decide who to push off the carousal that will become the back two lines of the line up.
There is no question, Shanahan needs to be in the line up. The Devils need the help on the second power play unit, even with Rolston and Clarkson beginning to show productivity while on this road trip. Shanahan brings experience and skill to hopefully make both units equally dangerous.
Sure questions linger with brining in Shanahan. At 40, it can be wondered how effective Shanahan will be. Health and durability at that age can always become suspect. Which is why the Devils need to hold off on making any trades until they can effectively gauge Shanahan’s contribution.
The question, when that time comes, is who to move.
Jay Pandolfo and John Madden have been the most frequent names kicked around. Brian Gionta’s name was also tossed around earlier in the season. Mike Rupp has also been suggested as being the one who should be sitting to make room for Shanahan.
Jay Pandolfo just signed a contract extension over the offseason for 3 years/$2.5 million a season. With the new contract, it was assumed Pando would be able to keep his effectiveness from last season. But his productivity, as well as role, have both diminished significantly this year. Sutter’s new offensive-based system seems to be paying off dividends in the win column but has also diminished the need for a line dedicated to shadowing the opposing teams’ top lines.
The new system has also taken a toll on Madden, who is arguably one of the best defensive forwards currently playing in the NHL. His has a high value for teams who need to secure up a defensive line but his offensive abilities have been lacking, amassing a mere 14 points in 39 games, split up due to missing time because of an ankle injury and a bout with the flu. Madden has also suffered one of the longest goal droughts in his career with a 20 game skid, his longest being 29. It is very clear at this point, being a shadow to an opposing team’s top scorer even a role on the devils anymore as they currently sit 10th overall in scoring, and 5th in goals against, entering the Nashville game.
There has been speculation in news papers in New Jersey that Mike Rupp will not only lose playing time, but also could be moved from the team. Don’t believe it. There is no reason to move Rupp, and they need a player like him on the team, someone who is not afraid to drop the gloves, or send a physical message to an opposing player. Bryce Salvador and Johnny Oduya have done their part at times, as has David Clarkson, but Rupp has been the most physical of the Devils. He is filling the role vacated when Colin White began donning a visor. Rupp will stay on the Devils, he may lose a game or two here and there to gauge who should stay out of Madden and Pandolfo, but I firmly believe he’ll be around for the season.
The wild-card who I think has the most potential to be traded is Brian Gionta. I think his trading value will skyrocket if he can keep his offensive streak going and Shanahan can be a solid offensive threat. If both of those hypothetical come to fruition, Gionta could be moved for a solid defenseman to sure up the defensive corps. Currently at 38 points, Gionta is on pace to reach his highest points total since he scored a Devils record 48 goals and racked up 89 points in 2005-2006. Shanahan has averaged nearly a point a game throughout his entire career and matching that offensive productivity could be reason enough to gamble on moving Gionta, who is in the final season of a four year, $4 million contract he signed following the 48 goal campaign.
Further changes will be coming to the Devils, the only variable at this point, is time. Shanahan’s role will be identified within the next few weeks [I say weeks only because they have a game Monday and then Wednesday vs. Montreal before reaching the all-star break] but I believe moves will come well before the trading deadline on March 4th.
There is no question, Shanahan needs to be in the line up. The Devils need the help on the second power play unit, even with Rolston and Clarkson beginning to show productivity while on this road trip. Shanahan brings experience and skill to hopefully make both units equally dangerous.
Sure questions linger with brining in Shanahan. At 40, it can be wondered how effective Shanahan will be. Health and durability at that age can always become suspect. Which is why the Devils need to hold off on making any trades until they can effectively gauge Shanahan’s contribution.
The question, when that time comes, is who to move.
Jay Pandolfo and John Madden have been the most frequent names kicked around. Brian Gionta’s name was also tossed around earlier in the season. Mike Rupp has also been suggested as being the one who should be sitting to make room for Shanahan.
Jay Pandolfo just signed a contract extension over the offseason for 3 years/$2.5 million a season. With the new contract, it was assumed Pando would be able to keep his effectiveness from last season. But his productivity, as well as role, have both diminished significantly this year. Sutter’s new offensive-based system seems to be paying off dividends in the win column but has also diminished the need for a line dedicated to shadowing the opposing teams’ top lines.
The new system has also taken a toll on Madden, who is arguably one of the best defensive forwards currently playing in the NHL. His has a high value for teams who need to secure up a defensive line but his offensive abilities have been lacking, amassing a mere 14 points in 39 games, split up due to missing time because of an ankle injury and a bout with the flu. Madden has also suffered one of the longest goal droughts in his career with a 20 game skid, his longest being 29. It is very clear at this point, being a shadow to an opposing team’s top scorer even a role on the devils anymore as they currently sit 10th overall in scoring, and 5th in goals against, entering the Nashville game.
There has been speculation in news papers in New Jersey that Mike Rupp will not only lose playing time, but also could be moved from the team. Don’t believe it. There is no reason to move Rupp, and they need a player like him on the team, someone who is not afraid to drop the gloves, or send a physical message to an opposing player. Bryce Salvador and Johnny Oduya have done their part at times, as has David Clarkson, but Rupp has been the most physical of the Devils. He is filling the role vacated when Colin White began donning a visor. Rupp will stay on the Devils, he may lose a game or two here and there to gauge who should stay out of Madden and Pandolfo, but I firmly believe he’ll be around for the season.
The wild-card who I think has the most potential to be traded is Brian Gionta. I think his trading value will skyrocket if he can keep his offensive streak going and Shanahan can be a solid offensive threat. If both of those hypothetical come to fruition, Gionta could be moved for a solid defenseman to sure up the defensive corps. Currently at 38 points, Gionta is on pace to reach his highest points total since he scored a Devils record 48 goals and racked up 89 points in 2005-2006. Shanahan has averaged nearly a point a game throughout his entire career and matching that offensive productivity could be reason enough to gamble on moving Gionta, who is in the final season of a four year, $4 million contract he signed following the 48 goal campaign.
Further changes will be coming to the Devils, the only variable at this point, is time. Shanahan’s role will be identified within the next few weeks [I say weeks only because they have a game Monday and then Wednesday vs. Montreal before reaching the all-star break] but I believe moves will come well before the trading deadline on March 4th.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Road Trip Game 4 - Devils vs. Canucks
Alright so you know the drill at this point. I watch the game, sometimes alone with beer, sometimes with friends, with beers, and then comment, tonight, it’s again with Andy but no beer as we’re resting our livers for Friday’s Beerfest competition for my birthday.
Lines for tonight are as follows:
Elias – Zubrus - Gionta
Parise – Zajac – Langenbrunner
Rolston – Madden - Clarkson
Rupp – Holik – Pandolfo
White – Mottau
Martin – Oduya
Salvador – Greene
1:06 – The “David Clarkson” wrap-around has returned!!!! While he didn’t find the back of the net with it, ROLSTON was able to do so on a one timer, netting the opening goal, 8th of his season. Madden gets a secondary assist on the goal.
3:26 – A goal that just wowed me. Parise’s pass was just behind Zajac who kicked it to his stick with the heel of his skate, just manages to push a shot on goal which PARISE tips in right into the net.
--A further look later on in the game shows a big hit from Daniel Sedin on Langenbrunner, who takes the elbow to his face in the process and then outlet passes to Parise to get the goal.
Canucks elect to change their goalie at this point. Bye Bye LaBarbera, hello Curtis Sanford.
3:45 – Even with a goalie change and being smacked in the face with two fast goals, the Canucks look completely gassed. The Devils are dominating the flow of play. Speculation begins between me and Andy about what it could be, but we are both quick to note that if they were playing a much more potent offense, they’d be in for a really long night.
7:45 – Gionta just baseball hit a puck clear out of midair. I then begin to wonder if he can do that, why can’t he tip in pucks as frequent as he used to…
-- During the first media timeout, we wonder if the recent surge in performance is a result of fear that someone is about to lose their spot with Shanahan being almost game-ready.
-- Interesting stat #1 – Vancouver is 17-5-2 @ home vs. the Devils, and hasn’t lost at home in almost 10 years… rut-roh.
--Whitey gift-wraps a breakaway to Sundin [practically hands the puck right over to him with a clear path to Clemmer]. Much to my surprise, however, White hustles and takes it right back.
11:07 – Zubrus says thank you to Sanford as he pretty much skates behind the net, and beats the goalie to the puck. He chips to GIONTA who then buries it into the vacant net. 3-0 Devils.
-- On the VERY next Devils shot on goal, the Vancouver crowd gives Sanford a very sarcastic cheer.
-- Chico theorizes that the poor performance by the goaltenders could be a direct result of the recent speculation that with Luongo returning in the next week, one goalie will be on the outside looking in, possibly traded... Funny, but when you look across the ice, you see two goalies playing out of their minds with only a matter of time before future hall of famer Marty Brodeur returns.
-- The next commercial break gave Andy and I, two natives of the NY metro area, a damn good laugh. It’s the MSG commercial talking about Super Bowl XXV, where the Giants won on Scott Norwood’s missed field goal as time expired. What makes it funny is its being shown on the same network as the Buffalo Sabres.
-- With about 5 minutes to go, the TV feed cuts out for us. Who reading this cares, right? Here’s why it needs to be noted: as the feed cut, I threw my arms up yelling and smashed my left forearm against a chair that was behind me and I never saw it. Thought I broke the damn thing. Andy laughed so damn hard he almost fell off the couch, hence the need to report it.
-- Clarkson just made one hell of a move that trickled between Sanford’s legs and just slid wide of the net, drawing a loud boo from the crowd.
19:00 – With the “one minute remaining” announcement, the fans give the loudest ovation we’ve heard since the team took the ice at the start of the game.
-- END OF PERIOD, shots 12-4, and it only took 40 minutes.
-- INTERMISSION – Will Phil Kessel ever catch a break? First he beats cancer, then breaks out of a sophomore slump, now, while on absolute fire, catches mono…
-- Also, you know you’re having a bad day when you give up 2 goals in 3 minutes 29 seconds, then storm off the ice and it takes you 2 tries to slam the door to the bench closed, LaBarbera gave up after the second slam. Next time, rather than letting yourself look like a teenage girl, slam your stick or throw a water bottle, Jason. So sad, so sad.
-- Sanford makes save number 1 of the period, and the crowd rejoices.
4:18 – Rupp gets called for a penalty for something other than punching someone in the face. Granted it was for holding, hopefully he gets back to his scrapping ways later in the game.
~5:00 – Vancouver is finally deciding to show some life and are really tilting the ice to their end on this power play. They’re skating fast and moving the puck very well.
6:44 – Parise takes a stick to the face, only 2 minutes. Of course, the feed continues to be crappy. No arm flailing this time. We don’t know if it’s the feed from Vancouver or if Time Warner sucks that much. Expletives are flowing from my mouth right now.
-- Andy is on the phone with Time Warner, and I think the devils get hit with a penalty with x amount of time left on the power play…. 22 seconds… maybe?
-- Midway though the period, the box goes out, cable and feed are now gone… son of a….
18:15 - Vancouver nets a goal while the cable is still out. The problem is obviously the bad luck.
-- Well, after missing the 2nd half of the 2nd period we solved the mystery of the crappy cable signal. College grads we are. No help at all from Time Warner Cable.
-- Chili’s hot dog slinger commercial is hysterical which leads a conversation over the intracasies of the training that the street vendor would need to have in order to earn a certification or license. “Maybe he has to shoot hot dogs through windows at certain distances like a sniper,” is just one of the ideas we throw out.
--THIRD PERIOD –
-- Doc notes that Kyle Wellwood hasn’t had a minor penalty called against him in almost 2 years. I then note that he has not played a full season of hockey in over 2 years so the stat is slightly warped. After doing some research, Wellwood has played over 148 games without being tagged for a minor, I’m a little impressed actually.
-- Just as I note that the 2 goal lead is one of the most dangerous leads in hockey and I’m nervous about the Devils 3-1 lead in the 3rd, Doc speaks of the magnitude which the next goal will have on the outcome of this game. GET OUT OF MY HEAD, GET OUT!!!
4:19 - Devils convert on a nice 3 on 2 right after Willie Mitchell, former Devil, rings a blistering slap shot off the post. Zajac to Langenbrunner back to ZAJAC who fires a drive home, as Parise is the decoy the middle. Another multi-point for Zajac helps put his dismal performance form last season behind him.
5:20 - After a flury of activity in the Devils end which was spearheaded by Ryan Kesler, Devils break out on another 3 on 2 which ends with Rolston firing a shot that’s stopped by Sanford, but as Clarkson aggressively drives to the net to get the rebound, he hits Sanford and gets called for interference.
-- Clemmer looks really good on the power play as he is all over the crease protecting his team’s 3 goal lead. Its like he found Dorothy and she gave the tin man his much needed oil can.
-- Devils kill off an entertaining power play, Doc and Chico talk about all-star selections as Andy and I talk about the Vote for Rory campaign from a few years ago. Then we try to figure out where he is today. Last time we checked, it was Philly.
-- Andy and I watch how Martin is keeping the puck on the penalty kill and then again on even strength and begin comparing his skills to those of Brian Rafalski. We then talk about how if Raffy should have been traded before the deadline, consensus: no. Then, of course, we talk about Scott “Benedict Arnold” Gomez and should HE have been traded: consensus: a resounding yes.
-- A shot of Kevin Weekes sitting on the bench begs the question, what other profession would you think Kevin Weekes would be if he wasn’t a hockey player, because to me, he’d be more fitting as an actor or politician. I don’t know where that came from but I swear to you I’m not drinking.
12:19 -- Pavol Demitra scores off a rebound, a big fat rebound, off Clemmer. Salvador faield to get back to clear the puck, but I don’t know who should have the blame for that goal. Andy thinks it was a botched line change. Of course, no replay angles show us where the heck Salvador was before he got back on defense.
With just about 7 minutes to go, the scary lead is starting to strike fear back into me. Vancouver is looking much more organized and a far cry from their first period performance.
Doc brings up how “truly valuable to the team Paul Martin is.” This is really starting to get a little weird that these coincidences keep happening.
14:36 – Elias gets called for hooking Daniel Sedin. Replay shows it was one heck of a joke call as Sedin clearly embellishes the hook and dives with it. Only consolation is that D. Sedin is also going to the box for holding the stick.
17:19 -- Zubrus hands the puck to Steve Bernier and he beats Clemmer. Effin’ A. Now the crowd is back into it, the ‘Nucks are playing harder and the Devils keep refusing to drop the hammer on them.
19:21 - Pretty interesting play: ZUBRUS gets a lucky bounce off Edler’s knee and makes it 5-3 by scoring on an empty net. This coming after Edler made one heck of a catch at the blue line that Derek Jeter would be impressed with. The play kept the pressure on the Devils and the puck in the offensive zone while they were trailing by only 1.
5-3 final, Center Ice cuts out before we see that Zajac, Parise and Demitra were named the 3 stars of the game.
Lines for tonight are as follows:
Elias – Zubrus - Gionta
Parise – Zajac – Langenbrunner
Rolston – Madden - Clarkson
Rupp – Holik – Pandolfo
White – Mottau
Martin – Oduya
Salvador – Greene
1:06 – The “David Clarkson” wrap-around has returned!!!! While he didn’t find the back of the net with it, ROLSTON was able to do so on a one timer, netting the opening goal, 8th of his season. Madden gets a secondary assist on the goal.
3:26 – A goal that just wowed me. Parise’s pass was just behind Zajac who kicked it to his stick with the heel of his skate, just manages to push a shot on goal which PARISE tips in right into the net.
--A further look later on in the game shows a big hit from Daniel Sedin on Langenbrunner, who takes the elbow to his face in the process and then outlet passes to Parise to get the goal.
Canucks elect to change their goalie at this point. Bye Bye LaBarbera, hello Curtis Sanford.
3:45 – Even with a goalie change and being smacked in the face with two fast goals, the Canucks look completely gassed. The Devils are dominating the flow of play. Speculation begins between me and Andy about what it could be, but we are both quick to note that if they were playing a much more potent offense, they’d be in for a really long night.
7:45 – Gionta just baseball hit a puck clear out of midair. I then begin to wonder if he can do that, why can’t he tip in pucks as frequent as he used to…
-- During the first media timeout, we wonder if the recent surge in performance is a result of fear that someone is about to lose their spot with Shanahan being almost game-ready.
-- Interesting stat #1 – Vancouver is 17-5-2 @ home vs. the Devils, and hasn’t lost at home in almost 10 years… rut-roh.
--Whitey gift-wraps a breakaway to Sundin [practically hands the puck right over to him with a clear path to Clemmer]. Much to my surprise, however, White hustles and takes it right back.
11:07 – Zubrus says thank you to Sanford as he pretty much skates behind the net, and beats the goalie to the puck. He chips to GIONTA who then buries it into the vacant net. 3-0 Devils.
-- On the VERY next Devils shot on goal, the Vancouver crowd gives Sanford a very sarcastic cheer.
-- Chico theorizes that the poor performance by the goaltenders could be a direct result of the recent speculation that with Luongo returning in the next week, one goalie will be on the outside looking in, possibly traded... Funny, but when you look across the ice, you see two goalies playing out of their minds with only a matter of time before future hall of famer Marty Brodeur returns.
-- The next commercial break gave Andy and I, two natives of the NY metro area, a damn good laugh. It’s the MSG commercial talking about Super Bowl XXV, where the Giants won on Scott Norwood’s missed field goal as time expired. What makes it funny is its being shown on the same network as the Buffalo Sabres.
-- With about 5 minutes to go, the TV feed cuts out for us. Who reading this cares, right? Here’s why it needs to be noted: as the feed cut, I threw my arms up yelling and smashed my left forearm against a chair that was behind me and I never saw it. Thought I broke the damn thing. Andy laughed so damn hard he almost fell off the couch, hence the need to report it.
-- Clarkson just made one hell of a move that trickled between Sanford’s legs and just slid wide of the net, drawing a loud boo from the crowd.
19:00 – With the “one minute remaining” announcement, the fans give the loudest ovation we’ve heard since the team took the ice at the start of the game.
-- END OF PERIOD, shots 12-4, and it only took 40 minutes.
-- INTERMISSION – Will Phil Kessel ever catch a break? First he beats cancer, then breaks out of a sophomore slump, now, while on absolute fire, catches mono…
-- Also, you know you’re having a bad day when you give up 2 goals in 3 minutes 29 seconds, then storm off the ice and it takes you 2 tries to slam the door to the bench closed, LaBarbera gave up after the second slam. Next time, rather than letting yourself look like a teenage girl, slam your stick or throw a water bottle, Jason. So sad, so sad.
-- Sanford makes save number 1 of the period, and the crowd rejoices.
4:18 – Rupp gets called for a penalty for something other than punching someone in the face. Granted it was for holding, hopefully he gets back to his scrapping ways later in the game.
~5:00 – Vancouver is finally deciding to show some life and are really tilting the ice to their end on this power play. They’re skating fast and moving the puck very well.
6:44 – Parise takes a stick to the face, only 2 minutes. Of course, the feed continues to be crappy. No arm flailing this time. We don’t know if it’s the feed from Vancouver or if Time Warner sucks that much. Expletives are flowing from my mouth right now.
-- Andy is on the phone with Time Warner, and I think the devils get hit with a penalty with x amount of time left on the power play…. 22 seconds… maybe?
-- Midway though the period, the box goes out, cable and feed are now gone… son of a….
18:15 - Vancouver nets a goal while the cable is still out. The problem is obviously the bad luck.
-- Well, after missing the 2nd half of the 2nd period we solved the mystery of the crappy cable signal. College grads we are. No help at all from Time Warner Cable.
-- Chili’s hot dog slinger commercial is hysterical which leads a conversation over the intracasies of the training that the street vendor would need to have in order to earn a certification or license. “Maybe he has to shoot hot dogs through windows at certain distances like a sniper,” is just one of the ideas we throw out.
--THIRD PERIOD –
-- Doc notes that Kyle Wellwood hasn’t had a minor penalty called against him in almost 2 years. I then note that he has not played a full season of hockey in over 2 years so the stat is slightly warped. After doing some research, Wellwood has played over 148 games without being tagged for a minor, I’m a little impressed actually.
-- Just as I note that the 2 goal lead is one of the most dangerous leads in hockey and I’m nervous about the Devils 3-1 lead in the 3rd, Doc speaks of the magnitude which the next goal will have on the outcome of this game. GET OUT OF MY HEAD, GET OUT!!!
4:19 - Devils convert on a nice 3 on 2 right after Willie Mitchell, former Devil, rings a blistering slap shot off the post. Zajac to Langenbrunner back to ZAJAC who fires a drive home, as Parise is the decoy the middle. Another multi-point for Zajac helps put his dismal performance form last season behind him.
5:20 - After a flury of activity in the Devils end which was spearheaded by Ryan Kesler, Devils break out on another 3 on 2 which ends with Rolston firing a shot that’s stopped by Sanford, but as Clarkson aggressively drives to the net to get the rebound, he hits Sanford and gets called for interference.
-- Clemmer looks really good on the power play as he is all over the crease protecting his team’s 3 goal lead. Its like he found Dorothy and she gave the tin man his much needed oil can.
-- Devils kill off an entertaining power play, Doc and Chico talk about all-star selections as Andy and I talk about the Vote for Rory campaign from a few years ago. Then we try to figure out where he is today. Last time we checked, it was Philly.
-- Andy and I watch how Martin is keeping the puck on the penalty kill and then again on even strength and begin comparing his skills to those of Brian Rafalski. We then talk about how if Raffy should have been traded before the deadline, consensus: no. Then, of course, we talk about Scott “Benedict Arnold” Gomez and should HE have been traded: consensus: a resounding yes.
-- A shot of Kevin Weekes sitting on the bench begs the question, what other profession would you think Kevin Weekes would be if he wasn’t a hockey player, because to me, he’d be more fitting as an actor or politician. I don’t know where that came from but I swear to you I’m not drinking.
12:19 -- Pavol Demitra scores off a rebound, a big fat rebound, off Clemmer. Salvador faield to get back to clear the puck, but I don’t know who should have the blame for that goal. Andy thinks it was a botched line change. Of course, no replay angles show us where the heck Salvador was before he got back on defense.
With just about 7 minutes to go, the scary lead is starting to strike fear back into me. Vancouver is looking much more organized and a far cry from their first period performance.
Doc brings up how “truly valuable to the team Paul Martin is.” This is really starting to get a little weird that these coincidences keep happening.
14:36 – Elias gets called for hooking Daniel Sedin. Replay shows it was one heck of a joke call as Sedin clearly embellishes the hook and dives with it. Only consolation is that D. Sedin is also going to the box for holding the stick.
17:19 -- Zubrus hands the puck to Steve Bernier and he beats Clemmer. Effin’ A. Now the crowd is back into it, the ‘Nucks are playing harder and the Devils keep refusing to drop the hammer on them.
19:21 - Pretty interesting play: ZUBRUS gets a lucky bounce off Edler’s knee and makes it 5-3 by scoring on an empty net. This coming after Edler made one heck of a catch at the blue line that Derek Jeter would be impressed with. The play kept the pressure on the Devils and the puck in the offensive zone while they were trailing by only 1.
5-3 final, Center Ice cuts out before we see that Zajac, Parise and Demitra were named the 3 stars of the game.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
"All We Are Say-ing... Is Give Us a Goal!!"
No no no. I'm just kidding, this will not be a post about how angry I am with the result of tonight's game, cause the reality of it is, I'm okay with it. I am not thrilled with losing to Boston, but they fought hard. Also, its going to be a sloppy article, don't really care at the moment, read, enjoy, deal.
Okay, so we lost one, some streaks were snapped, here was my take on the game from my perspective in section 1 row 4:
--Madden looked rusty as all heck out there tonight, but having missed 2 games, gotta expect some rough patches.
--Rolston also looked shakey out there with the puck. thomas made a good save on his slapper in the first that got the post, didn't really see him do much after that... well other than taking a puck to the upper body while sitting on the bench. I also wasn't thrilled with the turnover to seal the game for the Bruins.
--Elias should have burried that goal on the 2-on-1 with Langs, but the d-man made a good play on it, and thomas got a heck of break by getting it with the heel of his stick.
--Speaking of Tim Thomas, you heard it here first, with Ryan Miller's struggles, Thomas will be the USA starting goalie next winter in Vancouver.
--Parise showed me the most heart tonight, throwing the body around, fighting in the corners, doing everything to spark the offense. He will someday be captain of this team, he already shows flashes of brilliance and leadership by taking charge out there, so its only a matter of time before he dons the C on his chest.
--Colin White, my whipping boy as of late, surprised me early by playing a good game, blocking shots, breaking up passes, playing smart hockey. But then his game came apart. I dont know who was to blame for the goal in the 3rd, Clemmer made a good save but Whitey and Oduya both left Lucic wide open in the slot. I'll blame lack of communication for that one for the time being. I'll watch it on the DVR later and see if I can point a finger at any one player. My biggest gripe, however, is still his refusal to use his full force when playing the bod. In the 2nd he was simply shoving one Bruin before parise came in and threw a HUGE hit on the player [dont remeber who it was].
--Mike Rupp was a force tonight, throwing bodies, having the fight, and even throwing in some decent chances on offense.
Overall i thought it was a good game of hockey vs. a trap team. Boston was patient, and exploited our one major mistake. Simply put, they showed tonight why they are atop the east right now.
last point of the night: I thought the refs played too much of a factor in the game. weird penalties, phantom offsides calls, and how they missed parise getting the high stick off the visor from Chara was beyond me. Chara also tossed Clarkson on his backside with a stiff arm to the face yet no call was made either.
We get 2 off days for the holiday, then need to step up again vs. Pitt on Friday.
Merry Christmas and go Devs!
Okay, so we lost one, some streaks were snapped, here was my take on the game from my perspective in section 1 row 4:
--Madden looked rusty as all heck out there tonight, but having missed 2 games, gotta expect some rough patches.
--Rolston also looked shakey out there with the puck. thomas made a good save on his slapper in the first that got the post, didn't really see him do much after that... well other than taking a puck to the upper body while sitting on the bench. I also wasn't thrilled with the turnover to seal the game for the Bruins.
--Elias should have burried that goal on the 2-on-1 with Langs, but the d-man made a good play on it, and thomas got a heck of break by getting it with the heel of his stick.
--Speaking of Tim Thomas, you heard it here first, with Ryan Miller's struggles, Thomas will be the USA starting goalie next winter in Vancouver.
--Parise showed me the most heart tonight, throwing the body around, fighting in the corners, doing everything to spark the offense. He will someday be captain of this team, he already shows flashes of brilliance and leadership by taking charge out there, so its only a matter of time before he dons the C on his chest.
--Colin White, my whipping boy as of late, surprised me early by playing a good game, blocking shots, breaking up passes, playing smart hockey. But then his game came apart. I dont know who was to blame for the goal in the 3rd, Clemmer made a good save but Whitey and Oduya both left Lucic wide open in the slot. I'll blame lack of communication for that one for the time being. I'll watch it on the DVR later and see if I can point a finger at any one player. My biggest gripe, however, is still his refusal to use his full force when playing the bod. In the 2nd he was simply shoving one Bruin before parise came in and threw a HUGE hit on the player [dont remeber who it was].
--Mike Rupp was a force tonight, throwing bodies, having the fight, and even throwing in some decent chances on offense.
Overall i thought it was a good game of hockey vs. a trap team. Boston was patient, and exploited our one major mistake. Simply put, they showed tonight why they are atop the east right now.
last point of the night: I thought the refs played too much of a factor in the game. weird penalties, phantom offsides calls, and how they missed parise getting the high stick off the visor from Chara was beyond me. Chara also tossed Clarkson on his backside with a stiff arm to the face yet no call was made either.
We get 2 off days for the holiday, then need to step up again vs. Pitt on Friday.
Merry Christmas and go Devs!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
20 Games A.B. [After Brodeur]
The Good
Scott Clemmensen – Hands down playing lights-out hockey right now. He could be considered the MVP of the Devils, or at least sharing that title with their leading scorer Zach Parise. Once Marty went down hurt, and Kevin Weekes could not achieve a level of consistency, Clemmensen rose to the occasion. Amidst the rumors of Khabibulin and Roloson, Clemmer took it upon himself to establish an air of consistency in net for the Devils. Making save after save, Clemmensen allowed the devils to focus their efforts on attacking the other team’s next, which then allowed them to get hot. 6 wins in seven games and nine of 10 helped thrust the Devils right in the middle of the playoff hunt. This type of streak is uncommon for goalies not named Brodeur on the Devils. Also, with today’s victory, his 11th, Clemmensen has the most wins of a Devils goalie not named Brodeur since Chris Terreri in 1993-1994. [Special thanks to Steve Cangailosi for that statistic.]
The Devils Offense – Yes, you did read that correctly, the Devils offense is Hotter than Jessica Biel in her bikini scene in Summer Catch [see here]. They have accounted for 33 goals in 9 games in the month of December alone, which translates to just below 4 goals a game at 3.67. Since the loss of Brodeur 20 games ago, the Devils have tallied 5 or more goals in a game 6 times, that’s right, 6 times, including back to back 5 goal performances against Buffalo and Ottawa. The top two lines are gelling well, and are firing on all cylinders. If a team plans on going far into the playoffs, they need at least two solid lines who can provide a scoring threat. The Stanley Cup finalists from last year, Pittsburg and Detroit, proved that last season, and it continues on back down the line.
Zach Praise continues to wow the crowds with his ability to single handedly carry this team as well as put points on the board. Travis Zajac has rediscovered his scoring touch which he seemed to lose last season in a sophomore slump. Patrik Elias is also on fire right now, with a 10 game, 17 point streak going and has tallied points in 15 of his last 16 games where he has added 28 points to his season total. Prior to that, he had only 8 points in 15 games. His current point pace would put him on the cusp of 100 at 95, which would be his highest since he added 96 in 2000-2001. Both he and Parise are in the top 10 in the NHL, and the last time 2 Devils players finished in the top 10 in scoring, assistant coach John MacLean was donning an A on his jersey.
Brian Rolston – Back after missing 14 games with an ankle injury, Rolston has began to find his scoring touch as well. While he only has 4 points on the season, he has goals in two of his last three games, all the while playing on the third line with a rotating cast of characters, today he was with David Clarkson and Jay Pandolfo. As Rolston works his way back to 100% health, look for him to continue to add firepower to the offense.
Mike Mottau and Jay Leach – Many people, myself included, were confused and maybe even a little upset that Mike Mottau was retained in the offseason. I, for one, thought he was too much of a liability and his inconsistent play would doom the team considering he would have to play a good amount of minutes this season. This season, however, Mottau has played 28 out of 31 games, logging an average of 18 minutes of ice time. His plus minus sits at a comfortable plus 9 while he has contributed 6 assists to the team. He has become very smart with the puck as the season has progressed, and his awareness on both sides of the puck is something desperately needed on this defense.
Leach has also been a pleasant surprise. While Andy Greene had been injured and Sheldon Brookbank continues to be as useful as wet toilet paper, Leach has stepped up to earn playing time with the Devils. He received two games in early November, then was sent back to Lowell, only to be recalled again on the 23rd. Since that recall, Leach has not missed a game, playing in all 10 of the Devils’ contests. Typically Leach is paired with Mottau, and has contributed just as effectively. He adds both size and a take-no-crap attitude on the defense, and is not afraid to throw down the gloves. In today’s game, for example and as Ken Daneyko pointed out in the post-game, Leach and Rupp were quick to stand up for their teammates who were being harassed by the Flyers players. While both Leach and Mottau are not major offensive threats from the blue line, by bringing consistency and solid defense to whichever line they pair up allows that forward set to take more chances and be a much larger threat down ice.
The Bad
Surrendering Leads – Yes, the offense is potent, and yes, they have managed to hang on or come back for the eventual victory, but far too many times already the Devils have gotten leads, and given them up. Today, they had a two goal lead on the Flyers before surrendering a goal in the 2nd and another in the 3rd to allow Philly to still gain a point by forcing overtime. Since the beginning of the current hot streak, the Devils have surrendered leads on six different occasions, including a four goal lead against the Rangers, a game the Devils eventually would win by three goals. Only one of these instances, however, have the Devils failed to emerge with a point in the game and that was at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres, a game where the final was 4-2. The other instance where the Devils lost was a 3-2 shootout loss to the Maple Leafs.
Kevin Weekes – Enough has been said about the poor performance of Weekes in the previous article about the goaltending. My biggest gripe: rebound control. Rebounds mean second chances which unfortunately have turned into goals in most cases for the struggling and the now back up to the 2nd backup.
John Madden – While he hasn’t been performing poorly, Madden hasn’t played in back to back games with a supposed flu bug, but with the team firing on all cylinders and the defense rising to the occasion, many have been speculating that Madden might be on the chopping block, especially after his absence from the active roster Friday night against the Senators, which was the last game before the holiday roster freeze. Madden and his sub-$3 million price tag have recently been subject to movement as he as a valuable asset for a team needed a solid defensive forward. It will also free up some cap space going into free agency next summer as Travis Zajac will need his contract renewed along with a handful of other Devils, Madden included. Don’t get me wrong, I love Madden, he’s a gritty player and always plays hard, game in and game out, I am just speculating what I have read on nj.com.
The Ugly
Colin White – Please, for a moment, forget the points and the plus minus total, they are VERY deceiving. Yes, he has 10 points, one of which is a goal, but how many of those assists are of the secondary nature? His shot against the Leafs was saved and the rebound was buried by Mike Rupp in one heck of an offensive effort by the 4th line and Whitey, but early in the 2nd, he looked lost as the Leafs netted the equalizer. Today, on the Flyers’ first goal, he didn’t even lay a finger on Jeff Carter as he scored on the power play as they pulled the score within one. He has been way too large of a liability on defense, I would rather see Sheldon Brookbank starting in his spot, and that says a lot because I despise Brookbank.
Whitey was a force to be reckoned with in the past, but ever since nearly losing an eye in an accident in practice during the summer of 2007, he has not been even remotely the shell of the player he used to be. I don’t know if it is because of his injury or what, but he just does not seem to know what is going on. His awareness has plummeted and his physicality is almost non-existent during play. Sure, he will act tough after the whistle once in a while and go face to face with an opposing player, but he never fights anymore, and takes stupid, lazy penalties. Sadly, he is under contract at $3 million a season until 2013, that’s right, four more full seasons of this contract blunder. If he would do more with his size, I would be more opt to let him get away with his defensive blunders, but he wont even be tough with his size. He’s like a telephone booth, big but freakin’ useless nowadays. Maybe a team will come calling that will have a need for White and the Devils could luck out with unloading the remainder of his $12 million contract. Only time will tell.
Scott Clemmensen – Hands down playing lights-out hockey right now. He could be considered the MVP of the Devils, or at least sharing that title with their leading scorer Zach Parise. Once Marty went down hurt, and Kevin Weekes could not achieve a level of consistency, Clemmensen rose to the occasion. Amidst the rumors of Khabibulin and Roloson, Clemmer took it upon himself to establish an air of consistency in net for the Devils. Making save after save, Clemmensen allowed the devils to focus their efforts on attacking the other team’s next, which then allowed them to get hot. 6 wins in seven games and nine of 10 helped thrust the Devils right in the middle of the playoff hunt. This type of streak is uncommon for goalies not named Brodeur on the Devils. Also, with today’s victory, his 11th, Clemmensen has the most wins of a Devils goalie not named Brodeur since Chris Terreri in 1993-1994. [Special thanks to Steve Cangailosi for that statistic.]
The Devils Offense – Yes, you did read that correctly, the Devils offense is Hotter than Jessica Biel in her bikini scene in Summer Catch [see here]. They have accounted for 33 goals in 9 games in the month of December alone, which translates to just below 4 goals a game at 3.67. Since the loss of Brodeur 20 games ago, the Devils have tallied 5 or more goals in a game 6 times, that’s right, 6 times, including back to back 5 goal performances against Buffalo and Ottawa. The top two lines are gelling well, and are firing on all cylinders. If a team plans on going far into the playoffs, they need at least two solid lines who can provide a scoring threat. The Stanley Cup finalists from last year, Pittsburg and Detroit, proved that last season, and it continues on back down the line.
Zach Praise continues to wow the crowds with his ability to single handedly carry this team as well as put points on the board. Travis Zajac has rediscovered his scoring touch which he seemed to lose last season in a sophomore slump. Patrik Elias is also on fire right now, with a 10 game, 17 point streak going and has tallied points in 15 of his last 16 games where he has added 28 points to his season total. Prior to that, he had only 8 points in 15 games. His current point pace would put him on the cusp of 100 at 95, which would be his highest since he added 96 in 2000-2001. Both he and Parise are in the top 10 in the NHL, and the last time 2 Devils players finished in the top 10 in scoring, assistant coach John MacLean was donning an A on his jersey.
Brian Rolston – Back after missing 14 games with an ankle injury, Rolston has began to find his scoring touch as well. While he only has 4 points on the season, he has goals in two of his last three games, all the while playing on the third line with a rotating cast of characters, today he was with David Clarkson and Jay Pandolfo. As Rolston works his way back to 100% health, look for him to continue to add firepower to the offense.
Mike Mottau and Jay Leach – Many people, myself included, were confused and maybe even a little upset that Mike Mottau was retained in the offseason. I, for one, thought he was too much of a liability and his inconsistent play would doom the team considering he would have to play a good amount of minutes this season. This season, however, Mottau has played 28 out of 31 games, logging an average of 18 minutes of ice time. His plus minus sits at a comfortable plus 9 while he has contributed 6 assists to the team. He has become very smart with the puck as the season has progressed, and his awareness on both sides of the puck is something desperately needed on this defense.
Leach has also been a pleasant surprise. While Andy Greene had been injured and Sheldon Brookbank continues to be as useful as wet toilet paper, Leach has stepped up to earn playing time with the Devils. He received two games in early November, then was sent back to Lowell, only to be recalled again on the 23rd. Since that recall, Leach has not missed a game, playing in all 10 of the Devils’ contests. Typically Leach is paired with Mottau, and has contributed just as effectively. He adds both size and a take-no-crap attitude on the defense, and is not afraid to throw down the gloves. In today’s game, for example and as Ken Daneyko pointed out in the post-game, Leach and Rupp were quick to stand up for their teammates who were being harassed by the Flyers players. While both Leach and Mottau are not major offensive threats from the blue line, by bringing consistency and solid defense to whichever line they pair up allows that forward set to take more chances and be a much larger threat down ice.
The Bad
Surrendering Leads – Yes, the offense is potent, and yes, they have managed to hang on or come back for the eventual victory, but far too many times already the Devils have gotten leads, and given them up. Today, they had a two goal lead on the Flyers before surrendering a goal in the 2nd and another in the 3rd to allow Philly to still gain a point by forcing overtime. Since the beginning of the current hot streak, the Devils have surrendered leads on six different occasions, including a four goal lead against the Rangers, a game the Devils eventually would win by three goals. Only one of these instances, however, have the Devils failed to emerge with a point in the game and that was at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres, a game where the final was 4-2. The other instance where the Devils lost was a 3-2 shootout loss to the Maple Leafs.
Kevin Weekes – Enough has been said about the poor performance of Weekes in the previous article about the goaltending. My biggest gripe: rebound control. Rebounds mean second chances which unfortunately have turned into goals in most cases for the struggling and the now back up to the 2nd backup.
John Madden – While he hasn’t been performing poorly, Madden hasn’t played in back to back games with a supposed flu bug, but with the team firing on all cylinders and the defense rising to the occasion, many have been speculating that Madden might be on the chopping block, especially after his absence from the active roster Friday night against the Senators, which was the last game before the holiday roster freeze. Madden and his sub-$3 million price tag have recently been subject to movement as he as a valuable asset for a team needed a solid defensive forward. It will also free up some cap space going into free agency next summer as Travis Zajac will need his contract renewed along with a handful of other Devils, Madden included. Don’t get me wrong, I love Madden, he’s a gritty player and always plays hard, game in and game out, I am just speculating what I have read on nj.com.
The Ugly
Colin White – Please, for a moment, forget the points and the plus minus total, they are VERY deceiving. Yes, he has 10 points, one of which is a goal, but how many of those assists are of the secondary nature? His shot against the Leafs was saved and the rebound was buried by Mike Rupp in one heck of an offensive effort by the 4th line and Whitey, but early in the 2nd, he looked lost as the Leafs netted the equalizer. Today, on the Flyers’ first goal, he didn’t even lay a finger on Jeff Carter as he scored on the power play as they pulled the score within one. He has been way too large of a liability on defense, I would rather see Sheldon Brookbank starting in his spot, and that says a lot because I despise Brookbank.
Whitey was a force to be reckoned with in the past, but ever since nearly losing an eye in an accident in practice during the summer of 2007, he has not been even remotely the shell of the player he used to be. I don’t know if it is because of his injury or what, but he just does not seem to know what is going on. His awareness has plummeted and his physicality is almost non-existent during play. Sure, he will act tough after the whistle once in a while and go face to face with an opposing player, but he never fights anymore, and takes stupid, lazy penalties. Sadly, he is under contract at $3 million a season until 2013, that’s right, four more full seasons of this contract blunder. If he would do more with his size, I would be more opt to let him get away with his defensive blunders, but he wont even be tough with his size. He’s like a telephone booth, big but freakin’ useless nowadays. Maybe a team will come calling that will have a need for White and the Devils could luck out with unloading the remainder of his $12 million contract. Only time will tell.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Game 29: Devils at Sabres, Game Log
After setting up my Christmas tree with the family, having the fuse on the lights blow and spending 15 minutes finding a new one, I finally get to watch the game, 3.5 hours after the start. Thank you DVR. I already know the devils will jump out to the early 1-0 lead, thank you very much Lance, but now I shall enjoy seeing who gets it and how.
1st period
--0:45 - MacArthur with a nice stiff arm on Elias 1915 of the first to send him flying.
--1:36 - ZAJAC with a rebound off a Mottau shot. Ryan Miller looked like Weekes did on Saturday night on that rebound. Chico thinks he tried to play it to the winger, I think he just didn’t wanna bother freezing it. Langenbrunner with the secondary helper.
-- 3:55 – Elias gets revenge on Mcarthur.
--520 – Holik knocks Numminen right over behind the net.
--555 - Hect hits the post after a feed from Pomminville.
--658 - STAFFORD with a hell of a touch on a feed from MacArthur and Roy. It may have gone off his skate... My sister chimes in with “Stafford looks like the brother in law from ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’” and we both have a laugh going “wow he really does.”… 2 different angles initially, no definitive view of the shot. The overhead and corner view make it look like he hits it with his skate. Ref calls good goal. I then wonder “When did this become the NFL with the “upon further review” crap?”
--729 Holik with a dumb penalty. Pulls Kaleta down, for holding. Then I remember that the Devils haven’t killed off a powerplay versus the Sabres since 2 games ago.
--White tries to size up Clarke Mcarthur time and time again. Its one thing to send a message, its another to push someone around, but its pathetic when you wear a visor that goes below your mouth, you really are not a tough guy, just sotp it.
--946 Mcarthur goes after white and cross checks him, gets the devs a powerplay
-- 1036 Tallinder gets a blaitent hooking, 5-on-3 for the devils.
-- 1144 PARISE with a PPG. Langs with a nice pass through the slot to zach down low, gets his own rebound, then scores. The 5 on 4 still remains. Elias with the secondary helper.
-- 1650 – Clemmensen makes a split save on Afinogenov’s wrap around. Paul Martin helps with his stick too.
-- 1734 Rupp takes an interference penalty on Kaleta.
Just before the end of the period Numminen hits a bad piece of ice and nearly wipes out trying to start the rush. I had a small chuckle, as did the Devils’ announcers.
--STAT OF THE PERIOD – Devils took 17 shots in the period. Compared to the 9 in the first last night, I’m impressed.
2nd period
--I love how doc points out what signs on the boards the puck deflects off of. Its pretty entertaining.
--John Madden might not be on the bench to start the period… not good…
--400 they found him at the end of the bench, but he’s stretching out his legs. He apparently didn’t play much of the first either, 4 shifts 322. yeah, he’s hurting
-- 1052 SALVADOR scores from the point through traffic. Gionta may have tipped it. Give Elias the primary assist for feeding Bryce at the point, Gionta the secondary.
--1110 KALETA gets a goal immediately after. Another nice tip goal. Paille broke in on the left wing, sent a pass through the traffic in front of the net, where Kaleta was crashing and he beats Clemmensen glove side. Both Sabres goals thus far have been "wow" worthy. Spacek with the secondary assist.
Intermission- goal given to Salvador, turns out Gionta never got a piece of it.
3rd period
-- 226 Colin White takes a stupid holding penalty. My disdain for him only grows with every mistake. His flashes of intelligence aren’t enough to counter my loathing.
-- 319 kotalik gets sloppy, falls and trips madden swinging for the puck
-- Salvador is not on the bench, has not been since the end of the 2nd. Strange since he was interviewed at the end of the period.
-- Sekera and Roy do a good job killing the devils power play by maintaining puck possession in the devils’ zone.
-- 604 CLARKSON after one hell of a hit by bobby Holik to free the puck, and Clarkson walks in with the puck and beats miller in the 5 hole. Holik drops his shoulder into MacArthurs chin, knocks him down and dazes him.
-- During the commercial break, I begin to wonder if I am the only one sick of the Geico caveman commercials where they storm off all bitching and moaning like a 5 year old who was told he cant have a piece of candy from the checkout line…
-- Rupp his Nathan Paetsch behind the net, more sound of the boards than physical contact.
-- 931 WELCOME BACK BRIAN ROLSTON. Gets a Clarkson rebound after he keeps the puck back in the zone, runs into Numminen and Miller and Rolston calmly nets the loose rebound.
-- 943 Sabres answer: GAUSTAD nets Pominville’s rebound. White over skates the play and covers the far left post. Didn’t you know? Inanimate objects are a 6th man on the ice posing a threat to the Devils…. Oh wait… they’re not… he’s such moron….
-- 1053 Hecht takes a slashing penalty just as the Sabres looked like they were carrying the momentum back.
-- Just told by Doc that Salvador has an upper body injury, will not return this period. Crap…
-- 1939 COLIN WHITE TAKES ANOTHER STUPID PENALTY. Well ahead of the play he punches Vanek in the face and gets nailed for interference. I hate him, I HATE him I FREAKING HATE HIM. Why take that penalty there WHY?!
-- Gaustad takes exception to a cross check from paul martin. Replay shows goose crosschecked martin first, martin retaliates, goose counters with a left hook. Both players go off for crosschecking.
-- Game over, Devils win!!
Three stars of the game:3) Kaleta 2) Elias 1) Clarkson [yes, david Clarkson is the #1 star of the game]
Stat of the night: Scott Clemmensen has 9 wins in his last 11 starts. I am impressed and give a little golf clap, as should you.
1st period
--0:45 - MacArthur with a nice stiff arm on Elias 1915 of the first to send him flying.
--1:36 - ZAJAC with a rebound off a Mottau shot. Ryan Miller looked like Weekes did on Saturday night on that rebound. Chico thinks he tried to play it to the winger, I think he just didn’t wanna bother freezing it. Langenbrunner with the secondary helper.
-- 3:55 – Elias gets revenge on Mcarthur.
--520 – Holik knocks Numminen right over behind the net.
--555 - Hect hits the post after a feed from Pomminville.
--658 - STAFFORD with a hell of a touch on a feed from MacArthur and Roy. It may have gone off his skate... My sister chimes in with “Stafford looks like the brother in law from ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’” and we both have a laugh going “wow he really does.”… 2 different angles initially, no definitive view of the shot. The overhead and corner view make it look like he hits it with his skate. Ref calls good goal. I then wonder “When did this become the NFL with the “upon further review” crap?”
--729 Holik with a dumb penalty. Pulls Kaleta down, for holding. Then I remember that the Devils haven’t killed off a powerplay versus the Sabres since 2 games ago.
--White tries to size up Clarke Mcarthur time and time again. Its one thing to send a message, its another to push someone around, but its pathetic when you wear a visor that goes below your mouth, you really are not a tough guy, just sotp it.
--946 Mcarthur goes after white and cross checks him, gets the devs a powerplay
-- 1036 Tallinder gets a blaitent hooking, 5-on-3 for the devils.
-- 1144 PARISE with a PPG. Langs with a nice pass through the slot to zach down low, gets his own rebound, then scores. The 5 on 4 still remains. Elias with the secondary helper.
-- 1650 – Clemmensen makes a split save on Afinogenov’s wrap around. Paul Martin helps with his stick too.
-- 1734 Rupp takes an interference penalty on Kaleta.
Just before the end of the period Numminen hits a bad piece of ice and nearly wipes out trying to start the rush. I had a small chuckle, as did the Devils’ announcers.
--STAT OF THE PERIOD – Devils took 17 shots in the period. Compared to the 9 in the first last night, I’m impressed.
2nd period
--I love how doc points out what signs on the boards the puck deflects off of. Its pretty entertaining.
--John Madden might not be on the bench to start the period… not good…
--400 they found him at the end of the bench, but he’s stretching out his legs. He apparently didn’t play much of the first either, 4 shifts 322. yeah, he’s hurting
-- 1052 SALVADOR scores from the point through traffic. Gionta may have tipped it. Give Elias the primary assist for feeding Bryce at the point, Gionta the secondary.
--1110 KALETA gets a goal immediately after. Another nice tip goal. Paille broke in on the left wing, sent a pass through the traffic in front of the net, where Kaleta was crashing and he beats Clemmensen glove side. Both Sabres goals thus far have been "wow" worthy. Spacek with the secondary assist.
Intermission- goal given to Salvador, turns out Gionta never got a piece of it.
3rd period
-- 226 Colin White takes a stupid holding penalty. My disdain for him only grows with every mistake. His flashes of intelligence aren’t enough to counter my loathing.
-- 319 kotalik gets sloppy, falls and trips madden swinging for the puck
-- Salvador is not on the bench, has not been since the end of the 2nd. Strange since he was interviewed at the end of the period.
-- Sekera and Roy do a good job killing the devils power play by maintaining puck possession in the devils’ zone.
-- 604 CLARKSON after one hell of a hit by bobby Holik to free the puck, and Clarkson walks in with the puck and beats miller in the 5 hole. Holik drops his shoulder into MacArthurs chin, knocks him down and dazes him.
-- During the commercial break, I begin to wonder if I am the only one sick of the Geico caveman commercials where they storm off all bitching and moaning like a 5 year old who was told he cant have a piece of candy from the checkout line…
-- Rupp his Nathan Paetsch behind the net, more sound of the boards than physical contact.
-- 931 WELCOME BACK BRIAN ROLSTON. Gets a Clarkson rebound after he keeps the puck back in the zone, runs into Numminen and Miller and Rolston calmly nets the loose rebound.
-- 943 Sabres answer: GAUSTAD nets Pominville’s rebound. White over skates the play and covers the far left post. Didn’t you know? Inanimate objects are a 6th man on the ice posing a threat to the Devils…. Oh wait… they’re not… he’s such moron….
-- 1053 Hecht takes a slashing penalty just as the Sabres looked like they were carrying the momentum back.
-- Just told by Doc that Salvador has an upper body injury, will not return this period. Crap…
-- 1939 COLIN WHITE TAKES ANOTHER STUPID PENALTY. Well ahead of the play he punches Vanek in the face and gets nailed for interference. I hate him, I HATE him I FREAKING HATE HIM. Why take that penalty there WHY?!
-- Gaustad takes exception to a cross check from paul martin. Replay shows goose crosschecked martin first, martin retaliates, goose counters with a left hook. Both players go off for crosschecking.
-- Game over, Devils win!!
Three stars of the game:3) Kaleta 2) Elias 1) Clarkson [yes, david Clarkson is the #1 star of the game]
Stat of the night: Scott Clemmensen has 9 wins in his last 11 starts. I am impressed and give a little golf clap, as should you.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
A Tale of Two Goalies
On November 1st, many hockey fans officially wrote the Devils off as done for the season. Martin Brodeur tore his biceps tendon on his catching arm, knocking him out for the better part of the season.
After the official announcement later that week, the Devils’ options looked grim.
Option A: Trade for one of the few available goaltenders out there. Dwayne Roloson of Edmonton was struggling before Brodeur was injured, but of course, hit a hot streak, thus sending his trade value through the roof. The same can be said for Nikolai Khabibulin of the Blackhawks. Initially, he wanted to be shipped out in favor of not platooning with off-season acquisition Cristobal Huet. But, like Roloson, he hit his stride just when Brodeur got hurt, and also increasing his trade value.
Option B: Continue the season, and see how backups Kevin Weekes and Scott Clemmensen would perform carrying the workload of the future Hall of Famer.
Option B appears, at least as of the past month or so, the wise choice. In the first 6 games after losing Brodeur, Weekes started four of the six games, losing 3 of 4 by an average of two goals. Clemmensen, over his two starts in the span, surrendered a total of 5 goals but only receiving 2 goals of support.
Then on November 15th, against the Washington Capitals and in front of a nearly sold out Prudential Center, something clicked with the Devils. The Devils got out to an early 1-0 lead, but as the early trend had shown, they would vanquish the lead by allowing two tallies from the Caps. Then, just 41 seconds into the 2nd period, Jamie Langenbrunner netted his fourth of the season. Patrik Elias added a power play goal to take back the lead. Former Devil added the tying goal for the Caps before the end of the 2nd. The Devils and Caps would trade two goals before the end of regulation. After a scoreless overtime came the shootout. Clemmensen stopped shootout guru Kozlov, superstar Alex Ovechkin and Boyd Gordon. The Devils first shooter, and the player who nearly single handedly carried the Devils during the fallout of Brodeur’s injury, netted the only goal in the shootout to give Clemmensen his first win of the season.
With the offense clicking, Clemmensen was able to focus on being the last line of defense, rather than being the superstar to replace Brodeur for the time being. He won two starts in a row for the first time in his career, and, following a victory by Weekes, Clemmensen extended his streak to four games.
He dropped a game to the Pens, but then fired off yet another four in a row. The first four gamer was against weak teams, beating Florida twice, the Tampa Bay Turmoils [Lightning], and last seasons 8th seed Capitals. This one, however, was much more significant. Clemmensen helped guide the Devils to back to back overtime victories over the Flyers and Canadians, both teams who have extremely potent offenses. He then withstood a barrage thirty five shots from the Penguins, only allowing one behind him as the Devils stopped Pittsburg. Then, in one of the best offensive games in the NHL this season, the Devils surrendered a four goal lead against the Rangers, only to retake the lead with three goals in the third period to clinch a remarkable 8-5 victory.
Over this span, Weekes had only gotten one start, which he did manage to win. The game against the Islanders was a 5-2 victory where Weekes was able to stop 25 of 27 shots. But in his next start, almost three weeks later, he struggled mightily. The Sabres bombarded the goalie with 34 shots on goal, of which he only stopped 30, and at least two of the goals were entirely on his shoulders.
On the first goal, Tomas Vanek took a Derek Roy rebound and buried it to the vacant side where Weekes was not even close to covering. While the goal could also be attributed to the pathetic defense by the struggling Colin While, the loose rebound is entirely on Weekes. This was a common struggling point of Weekes’ night, rebound control, as there were far too many which defenders bailed him out on, but they could only do so much as Vanek netted another rebound goal late in the 3rd to put the game out of reach.
Clemmensen came back last night against the Maple Leafs and played well enough to win the game, but the offense could not find its potency. The Devils got a late goal from Parise to tie the game and force overtime, but after a fury of activity, they failed to score, and if not for a brilliant spin-o-rama by Jason Blake, the shootout could have realistically gone on the entire night.
Clemmensen is hands down the most consistent player on the Devils right now. He provides a good backstop for the defense which can help open the offense up. If given an early lead, it provides him with confidence which then translates into victories. Sadly, you cannot get this type of guarantee out of Weekes, who, with the diminished amount of playing time thanks to the successes of Clemmensen, is far too inconsistent for this team to be the starting goalie. For proof, see the first dozen games since Brodeur was injured.
For now, I'll place my money on Clemmensen to carry the Devils. His 8-3-1 record, 2.38 goals against and his cool demeanor are all the evidence you need.
After the official announcement later that week, the Devils’ options looked grim.
Option A: Trade for one of the few available goaltenders out there. Dwayne Roloson of Edmonton was struggling before Brodeur was injured, but of course, hit a hot streak, thus sending his trade value through the roof. The same can be said for Nikolai Khabibulin of the Blackhawks. Initially, he wanted to be shipped out in favor of not platooning with off-season acquisition Cristobal Huet. But, like Roloson, he hit his stride just when Brodeur got hurt, and also increasing his trade value.
Option B: Continue the season, and see how backups Kevin Weekes and Scott Clemmensen would perform carrying the workload of the future Hall of Famer.
Option B appears, at least as of the past month or so, the wise choice. In the first 6 games after losing Brodeur, Weekes started four of the six games, losing 3 of 4 by an average of two goals. Clemmensen, over his two starts in the span, surrendered a total of 5 goals but only receiving 2 goals of support.
Then on November 15th, against the Washington Capitals and in front of a nearly sold out Prudential Center, something clicked with the Devils. The Devils got out to an early 1-0 lead, but as the early trend had shown, they would vanquish the lead by allowing two tallies from the Caps. Then, just 41 seconds into the 2nd period, Jamie Langenbrunner netted his fourth of the season. Patrik Elias added a power play goal to take back the lead. Former Devil added the tying goal for the Caps before the end of the 2nd. The Devils and Caps would trade two goals before the end of regulation. After a scoreless overtime came the shootout. Clemmensen stopped shootout guru Kozlov, superstar Alex Ovechkin and Boyd Gordon. The Devils first shooter, and the player who nearly single handedly carried the Devils during the fallout of Brodeur’s injury, netted the only goal in the shootout to give Clemmensen his first win of the season.
With the offense clicking, Clemmensen was able to focus on being the last line of defense, rather than being the superstar to replace Brodeur for the time being. He won two starts in a row for the first time in his career, and, following a victory by Weekes, Clemmensen extended his streak to four games.
He dropped a game to the Pens, but then fired off yet another four in a row. The first four gamer was against weak teams, beating Florida twice, the Tampa Bay Turmoils [Lightning], and last seasons 8th seed Capitals. This one, however, was much more significant. Clemmensen helped guide the Devils to back to back overtime victories over the Flyers and Canadians, both teams who have extremely potent offenses. He then withstood a barrage thirty five shots from the Penguins, only allowing one behind him as the Devils stopped Pittsburg. Then, in one of the best offensive games in the NHL this season, the Devils surrendered a four goal lead against the Rangers, only to retake the lead with three goals in the third period to clinch a remarkable 8-5 victory.
Over this span, Weekes had only gotten one start, which he did manage to win. The game against the Islanders was a 5-2 victory where Weekes was able to stop 25 of 27 shots. But in his next start, almost three weeks later, he struggled mightily. The Sabres bombarded the goalie with 34 shots on goal, of which he only stopped 30, and at least two of the goals were entirely on his shoulders.
On the first goal, Tomas Vanek took a Derek Roy rebound and buried it to the vacant side where Weekes was not even close to covering. While the goal could also be attributed to the pathetic defense by the struggling Colin While, the loose rebound is entirely on Weekes. This was a common struggling point of Weekes’ night, rebound control, as there were far too many which defenders bailed him out on, but they could only do so much as Vanek netted another rebound goal late in the 3rd to put the game out of reach.
Clemmensen came back last night against the Maple Leafs and played well enough to win the game, but the offense could not find its potency. The Devils got a late goal from Parise to tie the game and force overtime, but after a fury of activity, they failed to score, and if not for a brilliant spin-o-rama by Jason Blake, the shootout could have realistically gone on the entire night.
Clemmensen is hands down the most consistent player on the Devils right now. He provides a good backstop for the defense which can help open the offense up. If given an early lead, it provides him with confidence which then translates into victories. Sadly, you cannot get this type of guarantee out of Weekes, who, with the diminished amount of playing time thanks to the successes of Clemmensen, is far too inconsistent for this team to be the starting goalie. For proof, see the first dozen games since Brodeur was injured.
For now, I'll place my money on Clemmensen to carry the Devils. His 8-3-1 record, 2.38 goals against and his cool demeanor are all the evidence you need.
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