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 fall to Rangers in season's first Battle of the Hudson

From the desks of:  

RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS  &  BRICK CITY DEMONS

BATTLE OF THE HUDSON

Game One Final

Rangers   4

Devils       3

overtime

New Jersey Devils: Life After Marty....

Life after Martin Brodeur has begun in Newark.

With Cory Schneider in net, the Devils opened the season with 3 straight victories.  But after last night's O.T. loss to the Rangers, the Devils have now dropped 3 straight.

As a result, the Devils have slipped behind the Islanders and Rangers in the local area standings.

Islanders   4-2-0   8 pts.

Rangers    4-3-0   8 pts.

Devils       3-2-1   7 pts.

The Devils goalie for most of the last 21 seasons, Martin Brodeur is stuck at 688 career victories - just 12 away from an increasingly elusive 700, but with no team to play for.  He is yet to strike a deal with any team, and none seem to be beating down his door for an autograph either.

The latest rumors have Brodeur connected with Colorado.  That would be something, huh? - if Brodeur wound up playing for Patrick Roy (the goalie whose record he broke).

Jaromir Jagr will turn 43-years old in February.  Last season, he played in 82 games for the Devils, averaged 19:10 minutes per game, and scored 24 goals - his most since the 2007-08 season with the Rangers.

Tuesday night against the Rangers, Jagr scored his first goal of the season, and the 707th goal of his career.  He is presently 7th on the NHL all-time list.  Old Rangers favorite Mike Gartner is next at #6 with 708 career goals.  Within potential reach this season, are #5-Phil Esposito (717) and #4-Marcel Dionne (731).

And then there was one....

When the Devils originally came to town in 1982-83, I was 16-yrs old, and all my (Rangers fan) hatred was already directed towards the Islanders.  So, by the Devils arrival, my attention was piqued more than anything.

The Kansas City Scouts and Colorado Rockies failed, which of course opened the door for Mr. John McMullen to buy the franchise and relocate them.

At the time, the Nets were only recently resettled into the Brendan Byrne Arena, the New Jersey Generals (USFL) were kicking off, and the New York Cosmos were immensely popular.  So, it was perhaps a good time to blend into the Meadowlands and greater metropolitan area sports scene.  I merely felt that a big sports metropolis was just getting bigger.

I came to appreciate guys like Pat Verbeek, Brendan Shanahan, Bruce Driver, John MacLean, Kirk Muller, a rookie named Ken Daneyko, then Peter Stastny.

Had the Devils defeated the Rangers in the 1994 conference finals, and not the other way around, I'm sure I would feel very differently about New Jersey's team today.  For instance, my son's hatred is primarily directed at the Devils, and less so towards the Islanders. That's understandable considering both team's respective histories ever since the Isles last competed for the Cup.

The Rangers won the Cup in 1994, and so I saw no harm in continuing to appreciate certain Devils players, and the overall success they enjoyed through 5 Stanley Cup appearances, and 3 Cup victories (just as long as they weren't playing the Rangers, because you can't be great, without great opponents).

Besides, with the Rangers, Devils and Islanders, it was just cool to be able to watch hockey (in general) every night.

The thing is, you just can not discount the Devils as some Mickey Mouse organization, as Wayne Gretzky once famously did.  And if you're a metropolitan area local of my age, then you watched their entire history (unlike the Islanders, whose earliest years escape my knowledgeable range).

Through those years, Martin Brodeur, Scott Stevens, MacLean, Daneyko, Scott Niedermeyer, and a few others held my respect.

Lou Lamoriello is easily among the greatest executives NY/NJ teams have ever known.  Scott Stevens is perhaps the toughest defensemen I ever saw play.  Martin Brodeur only become the NHL's all-time wins leader, while John MacLean initially set the organization's offensive records.

And then there was one....  

Patrick Elias is the man who broke John MacLean's club records, and continues to reset the organizational bar.  He is perhaps the last Devil I retain an interest for.  He may also be the last.  For me at least, what started with Pat Verbeek, may end once Patrick Elias retires.

Was I ever a Devils fan?  When they play the Islanders, sure.  Otherwise, no.  Regardless, my son is intolerant of whatever I call it.

Devils wins and losses have never, and do not factor in my life, or general disposition the way the Rangers/Giants/Mets can, and do.  

I'm just a guy who enjoys his surroundings.  Heck, I wish the Islanders were good again just to rekindle that rivalry, and elevate area hockey overall.

New York Rangers: Power Play Finally Lights The Lamp...

Yes, my team.

(sigh)

Just the opposite of the Devils, after losing 3 straight, the Rangers have won 3 in a row.  They entered Tuesday's game on the heels of an impressive 4-0 victory over the San Jose Sharks.

The Blueshirts scored 3 unanswered goals against the Devils to gain an (elusive) overtime victory.   Of course, that would not have been possible without Rick Nash's game tying goal in the 3rd period. It was his NHL leading 8th goal of the season.

The Rangers also finally scored on the power play - twice in fact, against the Devils.  They broke an 0 for 17 streak, and are now 2 for 20 on the young season.

Next stop, a true test against the Montreal Canadiens.

Derek Stepan has not skated yet.  Dan Girardi was back on the ice.

Mike

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

N.Y. Rangers vs. N.J. Devils; Battle Of The Hudson - Game One

From the desks of:  RAISE GRESCHER WITH THE GREATS  and  THE BRICK CITY DEMONS

2013-2014

BATTLE OF THE HUDSON

 

TONIGHT

 

NEW YORK RANGERS

vs.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS

From

THE ROCK

Brick City, New Jersey

 

 

 

NEW YORK RANGERS: With Callahan And Nash Sidelined, This Is Brad Richard's And Derek Stepan's Team Now.

We can't even start to truly find out how heavily a new system, adjusting to a new coach, and opening on the west coast weighed on the Rangers.  While a return back east garnered a well played all-around victory over the Capitals, not having Rick Nash and Ryan Callahan moving forward fails to lend any clarity to the Rangers early plight.  Carl Hagelin has yet to hit the ice as well.

Ryan Callahan continues to catch one bad break after another.  He missed camp stemming from off-season shoulder surgery, took a puck to the mouth against the Kings, and then suffered a broken thumb against the Caps, all the while, still literally doing everything for the Blueshirts.

Next on the forward lines are J.T. Miller and Taylor Pyatt.  Feel free to contribute at any time boys.

The Rangers are currently headlined by some good news, but mostly bad news.  In the early going, Alain Vigneault apparently has improved the power play.  The Rangers rank 13th overall - uncharted territory under Tortorella.  After five games, they have scored on the power play in three games, and have been shut down twice, and are 4 for 20 overall.  The now injured Ryan Callahan had two goals, Brad Richards and Marc Staal each have one.  On the other side of the coin, the Blueshirts rank 21st on the penalty kill, something they did exceedingly well under Torts.

If it's not one thing, it's another with this team.  Brad Richards is so far playing with marked improvement, however, Marc Staal's game is suffering after starting out strongly in the first two games of the season.  Coach Vigneault took away Staal's tradition partner against the Caps, and will most likely pair Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh on the top line again tonight against the Devils.

Entering tonight's game, the Rangers are likely to only dress five skaters who've scored a goal this season.  At least Brad Richards has four of them.  Otherwise, they rank 28th in the league in scoring, with still no sign of Chris Kreider.  Derek Stepan has yet to score a goal, but still leads the team with five assists.  So, his game seems to be coming along after holding out and missing camp.  The Rangers are battling attrition as well as the competition, so the time has come upon Stepan to take a larger leadership role and help stabilize the team.

Defensively, they rank a putrid 29th, however, enter tonight's game on the heels of a shutout victory over Washington.  Their goals against average is still inflated due to a 9-2 drubbing suffered against the Sharks, followed by a 6-0 wipeout against the Ducks.  Outside of the those two games, the Rangers have scored ten goals, and allowed ten goals.

The Rangers aren't home yet, but playing in Jersey is the next best thing - maybe not.  We'll find out later tonight.


NEW JERSEY DEVILS: Situation Getting Hot For Coach DeBoer And His Faltering Demons.

Maybe the new Devils owners can do something to prevent the next Brian Gionta, Zach Parise, David Clarkson or Ilya Kovalchuk from leaving town, although Kovalchuk's exit was unique, if not odd,  because he left a large sum of money on the table.  But these are certainly the most recent and frustrating departures that have slowly brought down the Devils.  This was a team that just two seasons ago played for a Stanley Cup, and is now in full blown transition.  Today, the Devils remain the lone team in Hockey not to have won a game this season.

The "old guard" is still led by the team's all-time scoring leader Patrick Elias.  While Travis Zajac, Bryce Salvador, Andy Greene and Dainius Zubrus are the remaining elders of the clan.  The group of players complimenting them is where I start to question (sacrilege, I know)) Lou Lamoriello's  direction from this point forward.

They are currently led in points by thirty-six year old defenseman Marek Zidlicky.  That already smells like trouble.   Forty-one year old Jaromir Jagr is presently averaging 17:03 minutes in October, but what about February?  Although Michael Ryder has two goals, he's thirty-three years old - not that old by any stretch.  He scored sixteen goals in forty-six games last season, which seemed promising, but can he be a 30-goal scorer for the Devils like he was for the Habs and Dallas?

Goals will certainly come at a premium this season.  So far in seven games, the Devils have scored thirteen times for a 1.8 goal per game average, and are a woeful 2 for 22 on the power play for a rate of 9.1% efficiency.

But so far scoring isn't New Jersey's biggest problem - it's their defense that looks extremely un-devilish this season.  Adam Larsson and Peter Harold can't seem to do anything right.  Having allowed twenty-six goals to date, or 3.7 per game, the Devils are uncharacteristically ranked 26th this season in goals against.  The have allowed the second most in the Eastern Conference, and rank third worst behind Edmonton and Florida in the entire NHL.

While the Devils are still in search of their first victory, goalie Martin Brodeur is still stuck on #669.  Devils fans no doubt would like for both to achieve a victory against the Rangers tonight at The Rock.




Mike.BTB

The Best Forward Line In NY/NJ Area Hockey Is...?

From the desks of:
RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS - NYR
THE BRICK CITY DEMONS - NJD
BROOKLYN's FOSTER HOCKEY CLUB - NYI

Which Metropolitan Area Hockey Club

Sports The Best Forward Line?

New York Rangers  -  New Jersey Devils  -  New York Islanders

At this time last season, the New York Islanders had the best forward line in hockey.  The trio of John Tavares, Matt Moulson, and Kyle Okposo, wound up cranking out ninety one goals last season.  This season, Tavares and Moulson have been joined primarily by Brad Boyes.  Kyle Okposo has been put on, then taken off the line this season.  Truth is, last season didn't go as smoothly as Kyle  would have liked.  And presently, his game is skating in sand again.  Okposo is an enigma who remains woefully inefficient for his talent.  He has one goal and four assists so far.  So, Brad Boyes, the team's third leading scorer, has been getting most of the wing action on the first line.


Last week on Valentine's Day, the Isles' line of Martin/McDonald/Cizikas put the Rangers forward line of Gaborik/Callahan/Richards under house arrest, completely shutting them down on MSG ice.  While they took care of the Blueshirts top trio, John Tavares' line took care of the rest.  In his last two games against the Rangers and Devils, Tavares has four regulation time goals; a hat trick against the Devils, and a game tying goal, as well as a shoot-out winner against the Rangers.  John Tavares now has eleven goals in his last ten games.  Along with nine assists, he has twenty points this season.


Matt Moulson is not far behind.  He has seventeen points this season, and leads the team with ten assists.  Together, Matt Moulson and John Tavares have combined to score eighteen goals, assist on nineteen others, and have thirty seven points between them.  If we add Brad Boyes' four goals and eight assists, the line has produced forty nine points.


In New Jersey, David Clarkson continues to give the Atlantic Division hell.  He is out to prove last year's thirty goal season was no fluke.  With ten goals already in fifteen games, Clarkson is well on his way.  He plays on the second line along side Patrick Elias and Adam Henrique.  With six assists, David Clarkson has sixteen points this season.  Patrick Elias is having a renaissance season.  He has four goals, and leads the team with fifteen assists, and nineteen points.  Adam Henrique was a late comer to the ice after first having to recover from off-season surgery.  In ten games, he has contributed four goals and two assists.  Combined, this line has scored eighteen goals, assisted on twenty three more, and have produced thirty one points.  The Devils first line however, is now comprised of recently re-acquired Alexi Panikarovsky, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Travis Zajac.  Kovalchuk and Zajac have combined on eight goals and twelve assists, for twenty points - mostly by Kovalchuk's doing.  Coach DeBoer has at times included Adam Henrique, David Clarkson and Stephane Matteau on this line.


The Devils lost a lot of production with Zach Parise's departure to Minnesota.  Ilya Kovalchuk's goals are down if only somewhat since his Atlanta days.  This is due in part for having sacrificed somewhat to fit into the Devils system.  Being the Devils are in first place, the Devils philosophy clearly trumps personal achievement.  And so, Kovalchuk should be fine.  He recorded his 800th NHL point recently.


The Rangers top line - the Rangers have no top line.  Not with the way Coach Torts mixes and matches throughout games.  As a Rangers fan, I would like for Coach to set his lines and stick with them.  In a shortened season, sometimes thinking needs to bend and adapt to circumstances.  There is little time for experimentation right now.  That said, Brad Richards has made setting the forward lines a bit of a task.  His struggles have reached prolific levels, and so Brad Richards was shown the bench last week versus the Islanders.  He was skipped over during numerous third period shifts, and  additionally sat out a power play opportunity before Coach returned him to the ice for overtime.  Much more noticeable than Brad's shortcomings however, was the way John Tavares and his line skated circles around the Rangers on Valentine's Day from literally the beginning of the game, all the way to the end.


Coach Torts started the season stacking the first line with Rick Nash, Brad Richards, and Marian Gaborik.  But when the third and fourth lines crumbled, the GM tweaked the roster, while Coach relented and spread forwards around.  Brad Richards now skates on one of the top two lines with Marian Gaborik and Ryan Callahan.  The three have combined to score twelve goals, assist on thirteen others, and produce twenty five points.  Marian Gaborik is the team's leading scorer with six goals, four assists, and eleven points.  While Brad Richards is the provider of two scant goals, and eight assists.


The Rangers other-other first line is presently comprised of new stud import, Rick Nash, Derek Stepan, and Carl Hagelin.  Rick Nash's numbers look like the rest of the Blueshirts - average.  He has three goals and eight assists.  Though his numbers aren't reflective of his skill, his overall play has met fan's expectations so far.  However, the relentless Carl Hagelin has been the Rangers best forward lately.  He too sits at eight points for the season.  But he has four goals in his last three games.  Even if you mix and match the Rangers three top forwards, they still wouldn't equate with the production the Devils and Islanders top lines are pumping out.


Since arriving in the NHL, the Islanders top line featuring John Tavares has competed with every one of the league's best forward trios.  With so many other issues befalling the Islanders however, no one hardly seems to notice.  The Islanders are presently winners of two in a row.  The John Tavares/Matt Moulson combo has spent the last two games providing the other two area hockey clubs with a tutorial in first line scoring.  The Islanders clearly sport the top line in the NY/NJ hockey area.  In a more closely contested comparison, the John Tavares/Matt Moulson combo also holds a slight points scored advantage (39/35) over the Devils David Clarkson/Patrick Elias duo.  The top Rangers combo?  I'm a fan.  Why would I want to embarrass them?


Islander fans can only help but think, if only there was a correlation between first line play, and positioning in the standings.  But the papers say the Islanders are in fourth place, two points behind the Rangers, and eight points behind the Devils.  The Rangers, with by far the most unsettled forward lines of the three teams, play as Coach Torts dictates.  While in New Jersey, the Devils just continue to adhere to their system, and win.



Mike.BTB

Devils vs. Islanders - IV

From the desks of:   THE BROAD STREET DEMONS  &  BROOKLYN's FOSTER HOCKEY CLUB

Saturday Night Hockey

 

New Jersey Devils

vs.

New York Islanders

From

Long Island, N.Y.

 

 

Devils lead Series 2-1

I - NJD 2; NYI 1

II - NYI 5; NJD 4*

III - NJD 3; NYI 0

*overtime

New Jersey Devils - David Clarkson and Patrick Elias Continue Giving Atlantic Division Hell.


Friday night, David Clarkson continued his assault upon the Atlantic Division.  At 10:43 of he third period, his redirection goal put the Devils ahead 4-3, after falling behind 3-1 to Philadelphia in the first period.  Travis Zajac opened all scoring just 0:40 seconds into the game.  Then Philly scored three unanswered goals before the period was through.  The Flyers took eleven first period shots against Martin Brodeur.  However, Brodeur regrouped, and kept Philly off the scoreboard the rest of the way.


Just 0:26 after dropping the puck on the second period, Alexi Ponikarovsky made it a 3-2 game.  At 15:40 into the period, Patrick Elias scored his fourth goal of the season to tie the game at three all.  Ilya Kovalchuk assisted on all three Devils goals.  In the second period, Martin Brodeur faced another eleven shots, with far better results.


Midway through the third period, David Clarkson struck for his club leading tenth goal of the season.  With a minute and a half left in the game, Steve Bernier put a feather in the Devils cap with his fourth goal of the season.  Patrick Elias picked up two assists in the period.


Philly out-shot the Devils by a 28-19 margin.  David Clarkson led the Devils with six shots on goal in twenty four shifts.  With three points on the night, Patrick Elias now leads the Devils with eighteen points, and fourteen assists.  The Devils have three forwards with double digit points.


The Devils are now 9-2-3 for the season, and winners of six of their last seven games.  They still lead the Atlantic Division with twenty one points; one point better than Pittsburgh; and own the best goal differential in the division.  Martin Brodeur won his seventh game of the season, and the 663rd of his career.


B'Klyn/New York Islanders - Rumor; Wang Wants To Sell Team.


On Saturday, the New York Post reported owner Charles Wang might possibly be selling the team.  This latest development comes on the heals of the Islanders not being able to secure an arena deal in Nassau County, and announcing the team will move to Brooklyn to play in Barclays Center beginning with the 2015-2016 season.  The club has not commented.  But why shouldn't he sell?  The Islanders have lost/cost him a fortune to operate.  One man can only take so much.  With his hopes to build the Lighthouse Project in Nassau County long extinguished, there really is no reason for him to hold onto the team anymore.


On the ice, the Isles snapped a five game losing streak Thursday night, with a comeback, shootout victory over the New York Rangers.  The Rangers jumped out to an early 2-0 first period lead.  But the Islanders stormed back in the second period to take a 3-2 lead.  John Tavares scored the tying goal.  In shootout, he beat Marty Biron for the game clincher.  John Tavares has eight goals and eight assists to lead the team.


The Islanders are 5-7-1 (11 points) this season, and currently occupy last place in the Atlantic Division; ten points behind the Devils.



Mike.BTb

N.J. Devils: Newark Sweeps Home And Home From Penguins

From the desk of:   THE BRICK CITY DEMONS

NEW JERSEY DEVILS - David Clarkson Continues Pitching His Fork Into Atlantic Division Foes.

Broad Street Demons In First Place At First Quarter Check Point

 

 

The Devils extended their first place lead over the Pittsburgh Penguins by sweeping both games of a home-and-home series.  Sunday evening in Steel City, David Clarkson's hot scoring touch continued with two more goals, bringing his season total to nine.  Along with Ilya Kovalchuk's fourth goal of the season coming in the second period, the Devils rode a 3-0 lead into the third session.  James Neal scored for Pittsburgh, to get them within two goals of Newark.  But Johan Hedberg made sure the Penguins scored no more.  The Devils back-up stopped twenty three of twenty four shots to record his second win of the season.


Pittsburgh had more shots on goal, more hits, and won more face-offs than the Devils.  Newark also committed more penalties.  The Penguins were 1 for 3 on the power play.  David Clarkson's second period goal made the Devils a perfect 1 for 1 on the power play.  David had five shots on goal in twenty one shifts to lead the team.  He and Patrick Elias, who assisted on Clarkson's PP goal, are now tied for the team lead with thirteen points.  Ilya Kovalchuk was next in with only three shots on goal in twenty eight shifts.


The Devils now lead the Atlantic Division with nineteen points, three points better than the Pens.  They are also riding a five game win streak in which they defeated the Pens twice, Tampa, the Rangers, and Islanders.  Their lone regular season loss incidentally came against Pittsburgh back on February 2nd.  The Devils are now 8-1-3 for the season.  One quarter of the regular season is now complete.




* Devils Playground Graffiti
Mike.BTB

N.J. Devils Take First Battle of the Hudson

From the desks of:   RAISE GRESCHH WITH THE GREATS  &  BRICK CITY DEMONS

Battle of the Hudson

 

Final:

Rangers  1

DEVILS 3

 

 

Look what the Devils did to the New York Rangers...again.  Martin Brodeur, Patrick Elias, and David Clarkson were most responsible for denying the Rangers a measure of revenge against the team which eliminated them from last season's Eastern Conference finals.

 

 

After allowing three third period goals against Pittsburgh, and getting the next game off, Martin Brodeur returned fresh to stop twenty four of twenty five shots and earn the 660th victory of his career.  Other than a Chris Kreider shot and score from point blank range, the NHL's all-time wins leader made a series of remarkable saves reminiscent of last years playoff effort that had the Rangers so frustrated.

 

 

Devils fans no doubt must be happy with the return of Adam Henrique.  He quite literally picked up where he left off against the Rangers - celebrating a goal.  In just his fourth game back, he opened up the scoring Tuesday night with a first period goal; his second of the season.  Patrick Elias picked up the primary assist.  It was the first of three assist the Devils all-time winger would accumulate Tuesday night which tied a career game high.  That raises his team leading total to eight for the season.

 

 

The second assist on Henrique's goal went to David Clarkson.  Just yesterday I made mention of Clarkson's quick start.  Coming into the game, he led the Devils with five goals and nine points.  After dispatching the Rangers, David Clarkson skated off the ice with seven goals and twelve points in just nine games.  The Devils need Clarkson to replicate his breakout 30-goal season he had last year.  For the moment, the Devils couldn't ask for more.
 

 

For the game, Devils forwards made a first period mess in front of Henrik Lundqvist that the Rangers goalie had a hard time cleaning up.  The Devils were 1 for 4 on the power play.  The Rangers were held scoreless in five opportunities.
 

 

The Devils win their fifth game, and gained their thirteenth point of the season.  Pittsburgh defeated the Islanders, and therefore the Devils could not gain ground on the Atlantic Division leader.


Meanwhile, the Blueshirts malady continues.  At The Rock in Newark, "Rangers Suck!" was the anthem of the night.  For starters, Dan Girardi was scratched from Tuesday's game.  He is suspected to have suffered an injury against Tampa.  Then to literally add insult to injury, the Rangers had four first period power play opportunities and came up empty each time.  Marian Gaborik led the Rangers with five shots on goal.




Mike.BTB



Rangers vs. Devils - Battle Of The Hudson - I

From the desks of:   RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS  &  BRICK CITY DEMONS

BATTLE OF THE HUDSON

 

TUESDAY NIGHT
Game One of Four

 

NEW YORK RANGERS

vs.

New Jersey Devils

From

The Rock,

NEWARK



 

 

The rematch is upon us.  Lets get ready to rumble..!  And for Coach DeBoer and Coach Tortorella, it's hello douche bag!  Good to see you again.

 

After last season's Eastern Conference championship round, the Rangers/Devils rivalry should be full steam ahead again.  For now, the Devils hold sway.  As of Monday, Newark has eleven points and sits in second place of the Atlantic Division behind Pittsburgh.  The Rangers have eight points and find themselves in fourth place just ahead of Philadelphia.

 Since 1982-1983, the Rangers and Devils have met 218 times during the regular season.

The Rangers enjoy a slight advantage in the all-time series.

N.J. Devils; W-90 L-94 T-27 OL-7 Pts.-214 Goals-659

N.Y. Rangers; W-101 L-84 T-27 OL-6 Pts.-235 Goals-722

 

 

 

New York Rangers: Mike Rupp Exiled To The Wild of Minnesota for Pair of Younger Forwards.


It's a new season.  But I'm sure there is no love lost between the two coaches.  Only now Torts has a problem on his hands.  The former Devil, Mike Rupp, is now a former Blueshirt as well.  The New York Rangers parted with their second top fighter from last season.  Mike Rupp was traded to the Minnesota Wild.  It was a good pick-up by the Wild, as Rupp will give them size and toughness at no real tangible cost.  The Rangers get younger, but not much else.  That leaves Coach Torts with Stu Bickel and Aaron Asham as his top glove droppers.


This Rangers dilemma is still evolving.  But I'd still like to think my incessant complaining over Mike Rupp this season precipitated this trade.  As if...but I am definitely enjoying a bit of validation when this blog said A) - this roster needs definite tinkering at forward, and B) - Mike Rupp needed to go.  The ice time he was getting was preposterous.  Last season, Brandon Prust led the team with twenty fights.  Rupp was second on the team with twelve.  Stu Bickel was third with six fights.  Prust, and now Rupp, are gone.
 

 

In return for the big lumbering Mike Rupp, the Wild will be sending the Rangers centerman Darroll Powe and Nick Palmieri.  Powe is six years younger that Rupp, and is a defensive minded forward. As with Rupp, the Rangers shouldn't expect any scoring out of this kid.  He is also about thirty pounds lighter than Mike Rupp too.  Palmieri is twenty-three years old, and plays right wing.  Palmieri most likely seems headed to Connecticut.  And word on NHL Network is Darroll Powe will join him.  Upon the trade, the Rangers also called-up J.T. Miller and Brandon Mashinter.


The Rangers responded nicely to getting beat rather handily by Pittsburgh last Thursday.  The Penguins' effort was in itself unspectacular.  That means the Rangers were down right pathetic suffering through a 3-0 loss.  But then against the Lightning in Tampa, the Rangers held on to a 3-2 lead to give back-up goalie Martin Biron the win in his first start of the season.  Rick Nash scored his second goal of the season and continues to be the Rangers best player.  I want to see him be a little more greedy with the puck and shoot more.  Marian Gaborik leads the Rangers with five goals.  And an unlikely Taylor Pyatt is second with three goals this season.

 

 

 *   *   *   *

 

New Jersey Devils: David Clarkson And Steve Bernier Overshadowing Ilya Kovalchuk.


In the early going of the post Zach Parise era, David Clarkson has stepped up to fill the dreaded scoring void.  He has five goals in eight games, and nine points in all.  Clarkson scored a career high thirty goals last season.  Right now he is operating at an accelerated pace.  I tend to believe as Clarkson goes, so go the Devils.  Steve Bernier is second on the club with three goals.  Ilya Kovalchuk is still stuck on two.  The Devils recently played four straight games that went into overtime.  They lost three times and dropped one in shoot-out.  This is a very short season.  If Ilya doesn't find his form of just two or three years ago quickly, the Devils will find themselves on the losing side of many more overtime sessions to come.  They rank among the bottom fourth in conference scoring.  However, some things about the Devils never change.  Only two Eastern Conference teams have allowed less goals than Newark.  Within the division.., none.


Newark and back-up goalie Johan Hedberg are coming off a shut-out victory over the Islanders - a game which halted a streak of four games without a win.  Prior to the Isles, the Devils suffered their first regulation time defeat of the season to the Penguins.


In game two of the season against Philadelphia, Martin Brodeur extended two of his all-time NHL records.  In addition to earning his all-time leading 658th career win, he also recorded his all-time leading 120th career shut-out.  Also of note, with a goal and two assists in game four of the season against Montreal, Patrick Elias scored his all-time franchise leading 900th point of his Devils career.




Mike.BTB

Hockey Round-Up: Arnott Deal Off - Devils and Islanders Both Lose In Canada

 

 

Metropolitan Area Hockey Report: Sunday Night Pucks

 

1) - DEVILS............3-0-1   7 pts.

2) - ISLANDERS.....2-2-1   5 pts.

3) - RANGERS........2-3-0   4 pts.

 

NEW YORK RANGERS - Jason Arnott Fails Physical - Deal For Free Agent Center Is Off.


Thirty-eight year old free agent centerman Jason Arnott did not pass his physical.  He will not be joining the Rangers.  Several team doctors saw him on Saturday.  But an espnNY report states the team hasn't disclosed why Arnott did not pass.  Regardless, for the Rangers it's now back to the 'ol drawing board.


As they still need to acquire reinforcements for their back forward lines, on Thursday the Rangers completed a deal with the Penguins sending Chad Kolarik to Pittsburgh in exchange for twenty-five year old winger, Benn Ferriero.  Kolarik was the Whale's leading scorer this season, while Ferriero is labeled as a strong two way player.  He immediately saw ice time as Chris Kreider spent last Thursday's game in Coach Tortorella's doghouse.  But he also did not play Saturday against the Leafs.  It turns out he is day-to-day with a bone chip in his ankle.  Kreider is also speculated to be headed back to the AHL Connecticut Whale.


The Rangers get to enjoy a rare few days off until they host the Flyers on Tuesday, and the Penguins on Thursday.



NEW JERSEY DEVILS - Lose To Habs In Overtime.  Patrick Elias Scores Point #900 Of His Devils Career.


Up in the Great White North, the New Jersey Devils overcame a 2-0 deficit, and a 3-1 deficit to tie the Montreal Canadiens, and send their game into overtime.  The Devils got a second period goal from Patrick Elias to make it a 2-1 game.  Two minutes into the third period, former Rangers, Brando Prust put Montreal 3-1 again.  David Clarkson then scored his third goal of the season on a power play.  And Dainius Zubrus tied the game 3-3 with seven minutes left in regulation time.  Four minutes into the extra session, Andy Greene got whistled for holding.  Twenty one seconds later, career long Canadien Andrei Markov scored the game winner for Montreal.  In four games played, that was the Devils first loss, overtime or otherwise.


* Patrick Elias' second period goal was the 363rd score of his Devils career.  His third period assist of Clarkson's goal was the 536th assist of his career.  He then assisted again on Dainius Zubrus' goal.    His three point evening gives him 900 points for his Devils career.  All three are Devils records.

* corrected 1am Monday morning - failed to realize Elias had second assist.



NEW YORK ISLANDERS - Brooklyn's Foster Team Starts Season With Five Points In First Five Games.


After two more seasons playing in Uniondale, Long Island, the Islanders Hockey Club will relocate to Brooklyn for the 2015-2016 regular season, and call it home for at least the following twenty-five years thereafter.  That's how long the lease to play in Barclays Center extends.  If the Islanders moving to another city represented the worst case scenario, then I guess a move to Brooklyn was a best case scenario for their fans.  After a very long and drawn out negotiation process trying to secure a deal with Nassau County on a new arena, and a No-Vote by the local residents who's taxes would have been affected by such a deal, and in addition to losing millions of his own dollars in the process, give Charles Wang all due credit for keeping the team in the area and still well within reach of its core fan base.


Sunday evening, the Islanders visited the Great White North as well.  The Isles were trailing the Jets 2-1 after two periods in Winnipeg.  It was the Islanders who jumped out to a 1-0 lead on David Ullstrom's 2nd goal of the season.  But midway through the period, Winnipeg tied it.  In the second period, the Jets went ahead.  Just 0:22 into the third period, John Tavares scored his first goal of the season, tying the game at two all.  Then at 5:09, Matt Moulson (3) deflected a John Tavares shot which fooled Winnipeg's Al Montoya to give the Isles a 3-2 lead.  At the midway point of the third, Mark Streit scored on a power play to make it 4-2 Islanders.


Three third period goals by the Islanders however, went for not.  At 12:59, Winnieg scored on a power play, after David Ullstrom got whistled for hooking.  Then just one minute and five seconds later, Winnipeg put another puck passed Isles goalie, Evgeni Nabokov, to tie the game at four goals apiece.  And so, like the Devils/Canadiens game, this contest went into overtime.


When Keith Aucoin misfired and turned the puck over in the offensive zone, Winnipeg's Olli Jokinen rushed up the left side and ripped a shot on goal at Nabokov.  At 1:59 of the extra session, the rebound went to Evander Kane who then scored the game winner.


Like the Devils, the Islanders also lose in overtime up in the Great White North.




Mike.BTB

New Jersey Devils: Newark Needs Kovalchuk Of Old

From the desk of:   THE BRICK CITY DEMONS


NEW JERSEY DEVILS - With Zach Parise Gone To Be Wild, Who Will Fan The Fires Of Newark Now?

Patrick Elias' Swan Song?

How is New Jersey going to get back to the finals?  That's a devil of a question.  I've been forecasting the Devils' demise for a couple of years now.   Yet they earned 102 points last season, defeated the Eastern Conference regular season champs, and competed for a Stanley Cup.  But was Adam Henrique's goal in Game 6 of last season's Eastern Conference final the Devils last hurrah?  Because after celebrating that goal, they had nothing left.


Martin Brodeur, the NHL's soon to be forty-one year old, all-time, multi category leader for goalies, is, well..., forty-years old.  Was last season his final hurrah?  In fifty nine starts, Brodeur was 31-21 last season.  His .908 Save% ranked below his career average.  His 2.41 GAA was certainly not his highest.  Brodeur's work load is clearly on the way down.  But in a compressed forty eight game schedule, how many games should he start?  Marty's history says he will have another solid season.  Even though Johan Hedberg is ancient in his own right at thirty nine years old, he proved he is no slouch between the pipes.  Between these two geezers, the Devils should have flexibility in net and enough potassium and zinc to get through a season.  They will both benefit from having a good defense in front of them.


What of the Devils other Renaissance Man?  Last year Patrick Elias matched his highest point total (78) since he tallied 81 points during the 2003-2004 season.  His twenty six goals were his second most over the last seven years.  Patrick Elias will now turn thirty seven years old in April.  He will also be a free agent after the season.  Will the 2013 season be his swan song?  The answer should be yes.  But then, look at Marty.


Patrick Elias rewrote the Devils offensive records:

* Holds record for most points in a single season - 96
* Devils all-time playoffs leader in goals, assists, points;  45-80-125
* Devils all-time regular season leader in goals - 361
* Devils all-time regular season leader in assists - 440
* Devils all-time regular season leader in points - 894


He and Martin Brodeur will surely be the next Devils greats to have their numbers retired, and their jerseys lifted to the rafters........ if they ever retire!  But if last season was the hypothetical question, then the answer should surely be - Why should they?  Unfortunately for Devils fans, Patrick Elias' goal count will not change the new condition of the Devils.


Without Zack Parise, the Devils scoring ability has been severely depleted.  All sticks quite literally now point to their ridiculo-million dollar forward, Ilya Kovalchuk, who, through his own devise, recently made fans question his commitment to the New Jersey Devils.  He is here now.  But will he score goals....lots of them?  Last season his total finally started creeping back near his earlier career numbers.  For seven seasons between 2002-2003 and 2009-1010, Ilya Kovalchuk averaged forty four goals a year.  Over that span, he eclipsed forty goals a season six times, and fifty goals twice.  Last year's thirty seven goals was a step in the right direction.  But the Devils need the Kovalchuk of just three years ago to partly compensate for the departure of Zach Parise and Petr Sykora.  Kovalchuk is still only twenty-nine years of age.  That is a good thing.  But they need the former younger Atlanta sniper of old.


I think Adam Henrique is a marvelous player.  But the Devils must first wait till he fully recovers from off-season thumb surgery.  Then maybe the Devils can hope to get more than sixteen goals from him.  Travis Zajac, recently signed to a big money deal, missed most of last season.  The Devils need for him to contribute a respectable number of goals.  If he can get back to his twenty to twenty five goal form, that would sure go a long way towards getting his team from Point-A to the playoffs.


I hold a small notion that as David Clarkson goes, so go the Devils.  Last season was a career year for him, as he scored thirty goals, which was thirteen more than his previous regular season high of seventeen.  Somewhere between ten and thirty goals, lies Clarkson's upcoming season assuming he stays healthy.  Can he duplicate a thirty goal season?  I think the Devils will be happy with twenty, and ecstatic with twenty five.  But they need at least fifteen goals from their twenty eight year old center.  They can not afford to have Clarkson disappear the way he did at times throughout the playoffs.  He needs to be a nightly force.., when he is not in the box, that is.


After that, the Devils utilize the neutral zone like a nursery for potential goals.  Once again, they will rely more on a system than they will on one individual not named Kovalchuk.  Thing is, the Devils, Lou Lamoriello, and Coach DeBoer all know how to make it work.


Congratulations to Bryce Salvador for being named new Captain of the Devils.

2013

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE

REGULAR SEASON OPENER

 

New Jersey Devils

vs.

Long Island/Brooklyn Islanders

FROM

Uniondale, Long Island

 

 

Mike.BTB

N.J. Devils ~ David Clarkson Must Help Spark a Comeback

Fromm the desk of:   THE BRICK CITY DEMONS

THE BATTLE OF NEWARK

GAME FIVE

NEW JERSEY DEVILS:  Call To Arms!

Defending Newark from Kings and Elimination

All the Kings Men Have Devils Pinned

Into The City of Angels

Devils Can't Afford Second Let Down in Newark

Kings Slay Devils in Overtime

David Clarkson Needs To Play a Disciplined Game Five, and Help His Team With a Goal.

Just one goal tonight, can help immeasurably.


Maybe it's just me.  I don't know.  David Clarkson was never a prolific scorer in his five years with the Devils.  But when you score thirty goals during the recent regular season, there is a reasonable expectation for more goals in the playoffs.


If the Devils are going to embark on a historic comeback, David Clarkson needs to stay out of the penalty box and chip in a little more with scoring.  It's that simple.  During the playoffs, he leads the Devils in penalty minutes .  And you can't score when you're in the box.


In 2009-2010, Clarkson only played half a season.  But he was on pace to serve well over 160 penalty minutes for the third straight season.  In those first three seasons, he scored 9, 17, and 11 goals, and those 11 goals in 2009-2010, could have translated into twenty with a full, healthy season.  This past regular season, David Clarkson brought his penalty minutes down to 138, and his goals scored skyrocketed to thirty.


Twenty-two penalty minutes in twenty-two playoff games played, may not seem too disturbing.  But in the playoffs, and currently against the Kings, it is still too much.  What I'm saying is, there's a direct correlation between David Clarkson being on the ice, and the Devils scoring, and ultimately winning.


He has three goals, but a solid nine assists in these playoffs.  That means he's involved and participating.  If he can just stay on the ice longer, he might score, and better the Devils' chances of  winning two games to tie the series.


Guys like Zach Parise are designed to be defended and neutralized.  It's simple.  Pick out a team's best scorer, and stop him.  The Kings have effectively done that.  The scoreboard after each game has reflected that as well.  The C-B-G Line, and Parise's Line, have have been effectively shut down.  But in the Kings' effort to stop Parise's line, they've allowed Adam Henrique, and Ilya Kovalchuck, who many believe is playing injured and with pure heart now, to play on.  For the Devils, all there is, is tonight.  Patrick Elias may or may not play big this evening.   He's been spotty.  That's why David Clarkson can give New Jersey's scoring an extra push.


Even though they are down 3-1 as a direct result of only scoring two goals in the first three games this series, the Devils have still played competitively against the Kings, but have just suffered some bad breaks, and perhaps made one or two mistakes more that Los Angeles has.  What Martin Brodeur and the Devils have been doing so far is keeping them in games.  If Adam Henrique continues to be New Jersey's best player this series, then perhaps David Clarkson can emerge as an X-factor again.  If David Clarkson can stay on the ice and finish his shifts, get shots on goal, and score just one goal, the Devils can win Game Five, and position themselves to tie the series in Game Six.


The Kings have made several Devils disappear.  If just one of them can reappear, then the Devils have a real and credible shot at a comeback, because the differences between how these teams have played is that slim.



* Devils Playground Graffiti - Bushwick, Brooklyn
Mike.BTB

N.J. Devils ~ Defending Newark From Kings and Elimination

From the desk of:   THE BRICK CITY DEMONS

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE

Stanley Cup Finals

Kings Lead Series 3-1

I  -  LAK 2; NJD 1*

II  -  LAK 2; NJD 1*

III  -  LAK 4; NJD 0

IV -  NJD 3; LAK 1

* overtime

GAME FIVE

Los Angeles Kings

vs.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS

From

THE ROCK

Brick City, Newark

NEW JERSEY DEVILS:  Game Four's Counter-Offensive In Los Angeles Brings the Battle for Lord Stanley's Cup

Back to Newark.

How much more can the renaissance men offer?  Are they crafty enough to win three more games?  Can Martin Brodeur hold back another seventy-five shots?  That's what it will take.  It's certainly another way of looking at things, isn't it?  Martin Brodeur, along with Petr Sykora and Patrick Elias, are the last horsemen of the old Stanley Cup winning Devils.

Martin Brodeur looks up to the task.  But that doesn't rule out Jonathan Quick being better.  And Quick just needs to be better in one game.  Not three.

Coach DeBoer knows this, and reactivated Petr Sykora.  And who can blame him?  The Devils needed more scoring.  Say this for Coach DeBoer, he's been pro-active throughout these playoffs.  Did his move to reinstate Sykora help?  Sykora was plus-one, with one shot on goal.  So the jury is still out.

But I do not think it is a coincidence that Patrick Elias scored his fifth goal of the playoffs, and the Devils won.  I also do not think it was a coincidence, that Dave Clarkson registered a point, and the Devils won.  Likewise, with Ilya Kovalchuck's eighth goal of the playoffs.  If Kovalchuck is indeed hurt, he is still trying.

The Carter-Bernier-Gionta line has been quiet.  The Devils rode their backs for a few games.  So it's not like you can just stop expecting them to come through now.  And the Devils are also still waiting for Zach Parise to erupt.  Beyond a shadow of a doubt however, Adam Henrique continues to be the Devils' best player through this series.  He scored his fourth goal of the playoffs, and the Devils' second goal of Game Four, in the third period.  Without Henrique, where would the Devils be?  Certainly not in the Finals.

Adam Henrique's goal was the Devil's response to Los Angeles tying the game on Drew Doughty's power play goal at 8:56 in the third which negated Patrick Elias' score exactly one minute earlier.   Adam's goal turned out to be yet another game winner for Henrique during these playoffs.

The Devils are still spitting into the wind when it comes to the power play.  They are now 0 for 15 this series, while L.A. seemingly has their power play working now, as they have scored three times in the last two games on the man advantage.  That does not bode well for the Devils at all.  Not if they plan to win three games it doesn't.  The Devils can't realistically expect Martin Brodeur out-play that stat.

The Devils have proven this much during the series, they can defend Los Angeles for prolonged periods of play.  And finally in Game Four, they proved to themselves, they can score goals again.  They had to wait till the third period for the goals to come.  But throughout these NHL playoffs, three goals has proven to be good enough to win.

While the Devils keep waiting for a couple of their top scorers, to score..., more, in the mean time, the defensemen have been contributing their share of points.  Volchenkov, if you remember, scored in Game One.  Marek Zidlicky added an assist in Game Two, and most recently in Game Four, Bryce Salvador picked up two assists, and Andy Greene one.

If you're going put yourself behind 3-1 in the series, I guess heading back to Newark is the next best place to be.  And so, the Devils will try and hold home ice Saturday night.  They showed a lot of fight in Game Four.  There is still some fire burning in the Devils.  Saturday night, they dance again in Brick City.

Mike.BTB