N.J. Devils: First Half Had Few Credible Highlights

From the desk of: ALL MOTHER LEEDS CHILDREN

So far, the firing of Peter DeBoer has failed to fan the flames.

1st Half ~ 7th Metropolitan Division

17-22-6 (42 points)

NEW JERSEY DEVILS: Lou Lamoriello Has Been Slow To Address An Aging Roster; Team Headed Towards 3rd Season Out Of Playoffs.

The Devils are in their third season since posting 102 points in 2011-12, and reaching the Stanley Cup finals against the Kings.

Last season, they fell to a 35-29-18 record for 88 points.  This season, gaining 80 points is questionable.

That's what happens when Martin Brodeur's Devils' career comes to an end; when Ilya Kovalchuk walks away from the NHL and still leaves behind a nearly $7 million dollar salary cap hit in 2014-15; when the organization fails to retain guys like Zach Parise, David Clarkson, and if you want to go back a little further, Brian Gionta, etc.

Instead, Scott Gomez is back.

Just saying...

Newark's 1st half highlights have so far been few, however, credible.  The Devils own victories over the Capitals, Penguins, a pair over the Lightning, and they defeated the Kings in Los Angeles last Wednesday by a 5-3 final.

Monday night, they turned in another impressive victory over the San Jose Sharks to end the first half of their season.  The team's leading goal scorer, Mike Cammalleri, broke a 2-2 tie in the second period with his 15th goal of the season.

But, despite their recent outbursts against L.A. and San Jose, it's no secret the Devils have trouble putting pucks on net, much less scoring goals.

Leading the Devils, Jaromir Jagr entered Monday night's game against the Sharks with 99 SOG this season.  Next was Michael Ryder with 83, followed by defenseman Marek Zidlicki with 76 shots on goal.  By comparison, the Islanders have 4 players with 100+ shots on goal, and another two players with 90+ SOG.

It's no wonder then, they rank 27th in the league in goals.  Their top three scorers; Jagr, Adam Henrique, and Mike Cammalleri; have only scored a combined 34 goals.  Henrique (10) and Cammalleri are the only Devils in double-digits.  By comparison, the Isles have 5 skaters in double digit goals, and the Rangers have three.  The Rangers Rick Nash has 28 goals, the Islanders John Tavares has 21, and as noted, Cammalleri leads the Devils with 15 goals.

Jagr leads the Devils with 25 points, and 16 assists.  He's played in 43 of 47 games this season, and averages 18:23 minutes a night.  On January 3rd against the Flyers, Jaromir Jagr became the oldest player in NHL history to register a hat trick.  He will turn 43-years old next month, and one has to ask how much longer can the Devils lean on him in the manner they do?

If Lou Lamoriello can negotiate a satisfactory deal, he should move Jagr to a willing contender, and begin adding more youth around Adam Henrique, and his young defensemen like Adam Larsson and Eric Gelinas.

The Devils are now 5-5-1 since Lou Lamoriello fired Peter DeBoer; a marginal improvement over their 12-17-7 record prior to his dismissal.

Lou Lamoriello is indeed famous for firing coaches.  I'm sure last season's 18 OT losses, failing to make the playoffs the past two seasons, and this year's poor start inspired Lou to make a move.  Peter DeBoer, however, deserved better.  Many aging players and matters of retention are Lou's problem, and Lou's only.

In just over 3 seasons, DeBoer posted a 119-88-42 record, had them playing ferocious hockey through various stretches of his tenure, and led them to the finals.

Highlight:

With a goal and two assists on January 6th against the Sabres, Patrik Elias scored the 1,000th point, and registered the 600th assist of his NHL career.


Mike

Devils vs. Rangers; Battle of the Hudson - II

From the desks of:

RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS  &  THE BRICK CITY DEMONS

Battle of the Hudson - II

TONIGHT

New Jersey Devils

vs.

NEW YORK RANGERS

FROM

33rd Street at 8th Avenue

NYC

New Jersey Devils: Lou Lamoriello Weilds His Ax; Coach Peter DeBoer Fired.

When you own a track record like Lou Lamoriello's, it's hard to question his judgment.  The architect of 3 Stanley Cup champions and 2 more Eastern Conference champions, sharpened his ax again, and this time swung it at coach Peter DeBoer.

That makes 16 head coaching changes by Lou Lamoriello since he took office in 1987.  Jacques Lemaire served as coach on three different occasions, and Lamoriello twice put himself behind the bench before settling on a replacement.

I liked DeBoer; I thought he was a good coach, and feel he was more a victim of Lamoriello's recent poor drafting, poor cap management, which of course led to his failure to retain key players.

Look no further than at the team's present reliance on Jarimir Jagr.  He is the poster boy for an old, slow, and otherwise injured team.

That's on the GM, not DeBoer.

The mumps have also come knocking on the Devils locker room doors, only adding to their troubles this season.

A furious stretch run and an appearance in the Cup Finals against the Kings perhaps overshadowed the true need to start reshaping the roster.

On that note, the Devils are in the midst of their 4th straight poor start, and have failed to make the playoffs the last two seasons.

Lou Lamoriello will once again place himself behind the bench tonight when the Rangers host the Devils at MSG.   However, assisting him will be Adam Oates (who will be charged with the forwards) and Scott Stevens (who will be charged with the defense).

Lamoriello's said this will be a short term plan.

After getting off to their own sluggish start, the Rangers appear settled in.  They will be looking to extend their winning streak to eight games tonight.



Mike

Rangers vs. Devils; Battle of the Hudson - V

From the desks of:

RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS  &  NEWARK SINNERS ON SKATES 

BATTLE OF THE HUDSON - V

Devils Lead Series 3-1

I - NJD 4; NYR 0

II - NJD 3; NYR 2

III - NJD 4; NYR 3

IV - NYR 7; NJD 3

TONIGHT

NEW YORK RANGERS

vs.

New Jersey Devils

FROM

The Rock

Newark, N.J.

New York Rangers: Their Kindness Has Been A Weakness. Playing Hockey With A Bad Attitude Is Exactly What They Needed.

Rick Nash Finally Lashes Out

There's more to just salvaging a second win in the season series against the Devils.  Despite being seven points ahead of today's rival, the Rangers must avoid having Newark close to within five points.  It sounds simplistic, but remember what the Devils did two years ago.

Last night's gritty victory over Columbus gave the Blueshirts a mere 24-hours of breathing room.

The Rangers enter tonight's game against the Devils tied with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference, and only sit in third place of the Metropolitan Division by two points over the Blue Jackets.  So, for the Rangers, everything can still change on the drop of a dime.

There are 22 points up for grabs before the regular season ends.  The Rangers need to secure as many of them as possible.  After tonight's game, the Rangers will host Phoenix, then welcome the #5 Philadelphia Flyers (81 points) to Madison Square Garden.  That game will be paramount, as the Rangers will then hit the road for a four game swing through the Western Conference.

Did last night's game in Columbus awake a sleeping giant?  Rick Nash finally played with the fury someone of his size and skill should be skating with.  The man needed an edge, and the Blue Jackets may have finally sharpened his.  His team mates also responded in kind, with great tenaciousness, push-backs and fists, and goals.  Games like yesterday's were meant to propel teams forward.  What effect it will have on the Rangers with just 11 games left in the season remains to be seen.

New Jersey Devils: Will This Be The Last Time Martin Brodeur Squares Off Against Henrik Lundqvist?

The #11 Devils trail the #8 seeded Columbus Blue Jackets by five points.  With 12 games remaining in their schedule, an outside chance to reach the post-season still exists.  The Devils have a more Eastern Conference heavy schedule left than the Rangers.  They need all the help they can get, but it won't hurt to play like a bunch of crazed dogs.

The Devils are also coming off a 4-3 OT win over the Jackets.  It snapped a three game losing streak.  In fact, the Devils have been converting more overtime games into victories lately, which was something that stymied their standing very early in the season.  The Devils lost their first five extra time games this season.  They are now 9-13 for the season in extra innings.

Entering tonight's game against the Rangers, the Devils own the NHL's 3rd best power play, and are tops on the penalty kill.  They also rank 11th in goals against.  The Rangers are 6th on the PK, 14th on the PP, and 6th in goals against.

Jaromir Jagr continues his years long swan song.  He is currently posting a triple crown, leading the team with 23 goals, 37 assists, and 70 points.  Earlier this season, he became only the 7th player in NHL  history to surpass 700 goals in a career.

The match-ups between Martin Brodeur and Henrik Lundqvist are coming to an end.  Who knows when the next time might be.  Therefore, I for one, will be watching this game with great interest. Both teams will be desperate for a positive outcome tonight.

Henrik Lundqvist recently gained his 303rd career victory.  Martin Brodeur more than doubles him, with 686 career victories.  He only needs 14 more wins to reach 700, and the Devils should give him the opportunity to achieve that next season (then make him retire!).

Mike.BTB

New York City's NHL Stadium Series

From the desks of:

RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS  ~ THE BRICK CITY DEMONS ~ BROOKLYN'S FOSTER HOCKEY CLUB

Sunday, January 26, 2014

NEW YORK RANGERS

vs.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS

AT

YANKEE STADIUM

Bronx, New York

Scene From Sunday Afternoon

FINAL

New York Rangers   7

New Jersey Devils    3

The standings remain a problematic situation for all three local teams.  Heading into tomorrow night's showdown in the frozen tundra of Yankee Stadium, a mere four points separate the Rangers from the Devils, and nine points separate the 2nd place Rangers from the last place New York Islanders.  The Devils play tonight.

After all these years, the Devils still have us asking ourselves - how do they do it?  But the answer is a different this time.  For starters, they have one identity during regulation time, but another beyond that.  New Jersey has 11 OT losses, good for 2nd worst in the league.  If they start converting some of those OT situations, the Blueshirts had better look out.

During Sunday's first period, it looked like New Jersey's geezers had Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers off their game.  Patrick Elias, the all-time Devils scoring leader, who will turn 38-years old in April, opened the afternoon's scoring with a goal 5:36 into the match.  After Dominic Moore tied the game, Elias scored again on a feed from Jaromir Jagr.  Travis Zajac then made it a 3-1 game on another feed from Jaromir Jagr.

Patrick Elias now has 384 goals in his long Devils career.  However, the Devils leading scorer this season is, of all people, Jaromir Jagr, who will turn 42-years old next month.  In the game, Jagr passed his one time former team mate Mario Lemieux, and now owns the 10th spot on the NHL's all-time assists leaders board, with 1,035 for his career.  He has 44 points in 53 games this season, while his 16 goals give him 697 for his career.  Only six players in NHL history have scored 700 or more goals in a career.  Jagr most recently passed Mark Messier on the list.  Since returning in 2011-12, after three years playing in Russia, Jagr has scored 51 goals in 171 games played.

Another Devil chasing the number 700 is Martin Brodeur.  He is 18 victories away.  He was respectfully given Sunday's start at Yankee Stadium.  But his first start ever in an outdoor game, turned into one of his worst.  After the Devils jumped out to a 3-1 lead Sunday, Brodeur went on to allow five unanswered goals, for a total of six on the day.  After the game, Brodeur complained of very poor ice conditions, and the Rangers coach agreed.  Nonetheless, instead of gaining career victory number 683 Sunday, Brodeur earned his 392nd career loss.  Marty will turn 42 years of age in May.  At this stage of his Devils career, there is no getting around the fact Cory Schneider is the better net minder, or, has been playing that way. Schneider started in each of the last five games prior to Sunday.  Perhaps Brodeur will agree to come back next season in a back-up role.

For the Rangers, Michael Del Zotto drew the ire of two coaches, and was dispatched out of town.  Rick Nash is playing with the consistency originally expected of him, but collectively, Henrik Lundqvist and the team were giving up more goals than scored...., until Sunday that is.  They exploded for seven goals in total.

Henrik Lundqvist is arguably having his worst season as a Ranger.  In my view, his newly minted contract, his play this season, and the play of Cam Talbot have created an interesting dynamic.  It will be interesting to watch this unfold.  It's a good thing you haven't heard from me in a month.  You don't want to know what I was really thinking.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT

New York Rangers

vs.

New York Islanders

From

YANKEE STADIUM

On Sunday, Rick Nash scored for the 5th straight game.  He now has 27 points in 37 games played, with 18 goals and 9 assists.  Wednesday night, he'll square off against the Islanders John Tavares.  The Isles star has 64 points this season, with 23 goals and 41 assists. Kyle Okposo joins him with 23 goals and 57 points, and Thomas Vanek now has 38 points in 39 games played.  Brad Richards leads the Rangers with 38 points. There's a punchline in there somewhere.

What's with the NHL scheduling three NYR/NYI games in January?  Freakin' brilliant!  I'll be at the game.

Brrrrrr!

Mike.BTB

N.Y. Rangers vs. N.J. Devils - Battle Of The Hudson - II

From the desks of:

RAISE GRESCHNER WITH THE GREATS  &  THE BRICK CITY DEMONS

 

 

 

BATTLE of the HUDSON

 

 

Devils Lead Series 1-0

NJD 4; NYR 0

 

 

TONIGHT

 

NEW JERSEY DEVILS

vs.

NEW YORK RANGERS

FROM

Madison Square Garden

33rd Street and 8th Avenue

New Jersey Devils

Tonight's starter between the pipes, Marty Brodeur is coming off consecutive shut out performances, and now has 123 for his Hall of Fame career.  The last time these teams played Cory Schneider authored a 4-0 white washing in Newark.  That game was New Jersey's first victory of the season.  Since then, the Devils have gone 5-5, which included a pair of shoot-out losses.

The Devils have benefited lately from the return of Travis Zajak, but Patrick Elias will miss tonight's game with continuing back spasms, while Bryce Salvadore and Ryane Clowe remain out of action.

It doesn't surprise me that Jaromir Jagr leads the Devils with five goals.

LOCAL STANDINGS:

#3  N.Y. Rangers     9-8  18 pts.

#5  N.J. Devils      5-7-5  15 pts.

#6  N.Y. Islanders  6--3  15 pts.

 

 

 

New York Rangers

 

With no current toughness to speak of, cheap shots keep finding their marks and costing the Rangers dearly.  Taylor Pyatt remains out, and joins Rick Nash with a concussion.  And twice this season, teams have taken runs at Derek Stepan's head.

They've managed to outlast injuries to Carl Hagelin and Ryan Callahan, and despite their increased lack of physicality, the Rangers continue to turn their early season woes around.  With Sunday's 4-3 victory over the Florida Panthers, the Rangers own a 9-8 record, breaking the .500 mark for the first time this season.  They have gone 7-2 in their last nine games to recover from a 2-6 start.

The Rangers have also upped their offensive output, averaging 3.4 goals in their last 7 games, scoring 24 times.  They've scored four or more goals in four of their last five games.  With a goal against the Panthers, Brad Richards now has six goals this season.

Henrik Ludqvist has faced off against Martin Brodeur 36 times in the regular season, and owns a 24-7-5 record against him.  The playoffs are another matter however.





Mike.BTB