N.Y. Islanders: Long Winding Road Trip Off To Bumpy Start

From the desk: LONG ISLAND NOMADS

Islanders Set Sail in Stormy Seas

Having to open the season with 13 consecutive road games is a gargantuan task.  

No one denies that.  

But the first four games provide a curious little narrative nonetheless.

Ilya Sorokin started all four games.  He has so far faced 141 total shots and yielded 14 (.901%) goals.  In the opening game against Carolina, he allowed six goals and five in game two against Florida.  Afterwhich, Sorokin allowed just three regulation goals over the next two games and one goal in overtime against Columbus.  So, chalk that up to a bad start ...

... by Long Island's forwards!  All those goals are not wholly on Sorokin.  Oliver Wahlstrom leads the team with three goals after four games, which means something else isn't clicking.  The Isles needed to work too hard to defeat Chicago, thanks to a pair of Wahlstrom goals.

Although scratched against the Blackhawks, Anders Lee is back after being limited to just 27 games last season.  Kyle Palmieri and Zach Parise return for a full season, and entering his 20th NHL season, Zdeno Chara dons an Islander jersey.  

Otherwise, a turnaround is expected sooner than later.

On Saturday, the Islanders arrive in Arizona to face off against the 0-3-1 Coyotes, who have scored just eight goals through four games.  The Islanders have netted ten over the same span.  

So, therein lies their challenge: winning convincingly over a lesser opponent.

N.J. Devils: Jeff Vanderbeek and Travis Zajac Moving Devils Forward

From the desk of:   THE BRICK CITY DEMONS


NEW JERSEY DEVILS - Carving A New Path Without Zach Parise.


Money changes everything.


New Jersey Devils owner Jeff Vanderbeek went from having the NHL threaten to separate him from the team, to recently buying out his partners, and solidifying his place as sole owner.  In the process, he refinanced the team's debt, and ultimately removed the Devils from under a constant cloud of organizational uncertainty.


With Jeff Vanderbeek's new found operational certainty, I guess comes operational flexibility as well.  And with a new CBA in place, I guess operational predictability plays a part too.  The result?  Wednesday, Lou Lamoriello announced the Devils signed their seventh year center, Travis Zajac, to an eight year contract extension worth $46 million dollars.  Last year, Zajac's season was derailed by an Achilles injury.  He only managed to play in fifteen regular season games before participating in the Devils inspired playoff run to the Cup Finals.  Zajac would have become a free agent at the conclusion of this season.


In the 2010's at least, it seems as if the Devils have turned over a new leaf.  This is twice now the Devils have bucked the trend and doled out major dollars for a player.  Money couldn't solve all the Devils problem though.  Sandwiched between signing Zajac and Ilya Kovalchuk's pact, was the  departure of free agent Zach Parise to the Minnesota Wild.  The Devils offer was representative.  But apparently, Zach Parise wanted to be home.  And speaking of home, Ilya Kovalchuk finally returned from Russia and reported to Devils camp.


So what do the reigning Eastern Conference champions do now?  They continue the relentless search for interchangeable players, like the Devils always have.  This is not the first time money came between a player and the Devils.  Instead, this is a way of life in New Jersey.  They will absorb the impact of Parise's defection, who was a Devils 2003 first round pick, and somehow find themselves right in the mix again this Spring.  It is now the turn of more recent first round selections like Jacob Josefson, Mattias Tedenby, and Adam Larsson, and an outstanding hockey player picked in the third round named Adam Henrique to carve a new path.  But without a suitable replacement for Zach Parise, the Devils certainly have their work cut out for them indeed.  However, if we've learned anything about the New Jersey Devils in the Lou Lamoriello era, it is to never count them out until they're out.



Mike.BTB

N.J. Devils ~ Zach Parise Gone Wild

From the desk of:   THE BRICK CITY DEMONS



NEW JERSEY DEVILS:  Brick City's Captain Off to the Land of 10,000 Lakes.


The Devils can't be too WILD about Zach Parise's departure to Minnesota.  As is the way in the new age of sports and athletes, Zach Parise and Ryan Suter conspired; that's right, I said it.. conspired; to sign together with the Minnesota Wild.... as is their right.


After leading the New Jersey Devils to within mere games of lifting the Stanley Cup, their best player is gone.  Truth is, even as far back as the 2010-2011 season, who really expected the Devils to be able to retain him?  Lou Lamoriello assured the fan base however, money was not a prohibitive factor.


Zach Parise wanted to go home to the Land of 10,000 Lakes.


For the Devils.., what now?


Ilya Kovalchuck remains the financial aberration with regards to how the Devils do business.  Zach Parise's situation seemed more like the Devils of old.


I'll say it for Devils' fans.  This sucks.




Mike.BTB

N.J. Devils ~ Flame Out

From the desk of:   The Brick City Demons

NEW JERSEY DEVILS:  The Kings Put Martin Brodeur Under Siege.

The Devils' Best Chance at Returning to the Finals Lies With Resigning Zach Parise.

The first ten minutes of Game Six looked like it was going to be another classic grinder.  But apparently, no one forwarded the memo to Steve Bernier, who went for the pulverization method instead.  What a shame too.  The Devils had something going there.

But a five minute major and a game misconduct, effectively took two Devils off the ice, as Petr Sakora sat the penalty, while Bernier was off to the showers; done for the night.  It ended the Devils' trip to the City of Angels, and brought New Jersey's season to a most ruinous close.  Three Kings' goals in the ensuing five minute power play exorcised the Devils' remaining hopes for a fourth Stanley Cup championship.  It would not be.  The power of the Kings compelled them.

The final score was 6-1, and to Martin Brodeur, I'm sure he was just as embarrassed as the meltdown actually looked.

The Devils were no fluke.  I'll say that right now.  I can't help but think how they stormed back last season, and just missed the playoffs.  And I think that team, and this year's team, was more representative of the Devils than the team which played under John MacLean.

So where do the Devils go from here?  Zach Parise is no doubt priority number one.  The soon to be free agent apparently wants to stay with the Devils.  But truth be told, the organization's finances are in shambles.  If they do manage to resign him, look out Atlantic Division, as he's heading into his prime.



Mike.BTB

N.J. Devils ~ Marty Brodeur Has Newark California Dreamin'

From the desk of:   THE BRICK CITY DEMONS

GAME FIVE FINAL

L.A. KINGS    1

N.J. DEVILS   2

NEW JERSEY DEVILS:  Headed Back to the City of Angels With Pitchforks Held High!


The fore-check, Zach Parise, and a power play goal all in one package.  It didn't take two and a half periods this time.  It took a little more than half of the first period to get on the board this time.  The Devils had scored the all important first goal of the night.  It was Zach Parise's first point of the Finals.  And it was also New Jersey's first power play goal of the series after fifteen fruitless chances...., Finally.

But through the first period, L.A. continued to out shoot the Devils.  Their shooting spilled over into the second period, and a little over three minutes in, the Kings' Justin Williams scored to tie the game at one.

The shots on goal favored the Kings twelve to six by the midway point of the period.  But that mattered not to Bryce Salvador.  He wristed one from up top, with David Clarkson in Jonathan Quick's way.  That puck found net at the 9:05 mark to put the Devils back ahead again.

Mark Fayne probably had his named mentioned for the first time since playing the Rangers when he assisted on Salvador's goal, which by the way, were two more points for New Jersey's defensemen.  But soon after scoring, Fayne then committed an ill-timed delay of game penalty.  During the PK, Martin Brodeur was needed to stop a puck off Doughty's stick right at New Jersey's doorstep.  Then a Kings' goal was dis-allowed due to a high stick.  And luckily for Mark Fayne, a crisis narrowly avoided.

The Devils continued to carry play through the rest of the second period.  At one point, Ryan Carter found himself with a nice opportunity and put a shot off Quick's mask.  But just as New Jersey was exerting control, Bryce Salvador got called for a high stick, putting L.A. on the power play with less than two minutes to go.  Martin Brodeur was excellent in holding off the Kings until the horn signaled the end of the second period.


The Kings out shot the Devils in the third period again.  And for the game, they out-shot New Jersey by a 26-19 margin.  Martin Brodeur made twenty-five saves on twenty-six shots, just as I said he would have to after Game Four:

"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?"

Well, make that twenty-five saves down, and fifty more to go.  Martin Brodeur has gotten the Devils half way to another Cup.  The Kings might be a game closer to glory, but in the grand scheme of things, what is winning two consecutive games really about?  We're not talking about four or three wins anymore.  It just two now.  And all you really have to worry about is the next one.  For now, that's all that matters..., again.

The third Battle in Newark is done.  This time Brick City prevailed.  The Kings have been repelled.  And the Devils are once again dancing around the fire with pitchforks held high.

Another battle in the City of Angels awaits.


SLAP SHOT:  I have but one question.  Can it be that Adam Larsson has no place in this series?  Coach DeBoer has made him a healthy scratch for all five games during the finals.  I realize he is a rookie.  But I think he can help the Devils.  Then again, it is hard to argue with New Jersey's defensive play so far, not to mantion, the continued defensive scoring should be complimented for producing points.



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

N.J. Devils ~ All The Kings Men Have Devils Pinned

From the desk of:   THE BRICK CITY DEMONS

2011-2012

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

Kings Lead Series 3-0

I  -  LAK 2; NJD 1*

II  -  LAK 2; NJD 1*

III  -  LAK 4; NJD 0

* overtime

GAME FOUR ~ WEDNESDAY

NEW JERSEY DEVILS

vs.

Los Angeles Kings

From

Some West Coast Arena

SoCal

NEW JERSEY DEVILS:  After Game Three Victory,

L.A. Kings Poised To Lift Lord Stanley's Cup.

Devils' Flame Reduced to a A Mere Flicker.

Into The City Of Angels

Can't Afford a Second let Down in The Rock

Kings Slay Devils In Overtime

East Coast; West Coast; both coasts have been hell for the Devils.  They only managed one goal in each of the first two games in Newark.  In Game Three out in L.A., they had none.  The Kings?  They scored four.  For the series, the Kings now have eight goals, to the Devils two.  New Jersey can point directly at Jonathan Quick for most of their woes, because they actually have had quality chances.  But in a word, Kings' goalie, Jonathan Quick, has had New Jersey - bedeviled.

Whether the Devils managed too few shots like in Game One, or, almost doubled their shots on goal in Game Two, or fell somewhere in between like in Game Three, has not interested Jonathan Quick the slightest bit.  Neither has stopping the Devils in overtime for that matter, twice.


At the other end, after L.A.'s first goal and no whistle, for Martin Brodeur, there was only aggravation. Then after L.A.'s fourth and last goal, there was dejection.  The look on Coach Peter DeBoer's face was that of consternation.  And for the New Jersey Devils, they now face elimination.  History by the way, is not on Brick City's side.


Looking back, the Kings' long layoff between the Western Conference Finals, and Game One versus the Devils, didn't seem to bother L.A. much.  There was no rust.  As a matter of fact, travelling from the west coast to the east, didn't seem to bother them much either.  Nor did travelling back cross-country again for Game Three.  Afterall, New Jersey was making the flight for the first time.  Regardless, it seems as if nothing bothers the Kings right now.


Here's a weird stat - As the Devils' scoring has now taken a steep down turn from one to zero, their power play opportunities have gone up with each passing game.  New Jersey was 0-2 in Game One; 0-4 in Game Two; and 0-6 in Game Three.  That's 0-12 in the series.  Anyone will tell you, they needed to do better.  L.A. scored the first two power play goals of the series in Game Three.  Otherwise, the Kings have won the first two games at even-strength.  And it's not like the Devils have spent an inordinate amount of time on the penalty kill.  They've only committed five penalties all series.


The point is, the Devils have simply been getting out-played by Los Angeles, and it's happening five-on-five.  New Jersey's fore check hasn't been as effective as it was in the previous two rounds, and  their crisp passing isn't so crisp anymore.  While you can argue the teams played fairly evenly in the first two games, and the Devils might have been shorted a break or two, the Kings still thoroughly out-everything'd the Devils in Game Three.  And that's bad news considering the Devils are a long way from home.  If they should slip, if only slightly again in Game Four, that means there will be no Hockey this Saturday in Newark, or L.A., or anywhere.  It means the Kings' players will be taking the Cup on an unusual tour of places of the winning players choosing.


If Ilya Kovalchuck is playing hurt, no one on the Devils is saying.  But he remains without a goal in this series.  As does the Devils' Captain, Zach Parise, Dainius Zubrus, and Travis Zajac- meaning, the Devils first line.  First line, or even the new Fourth Line of Carter, Bernier, and Gionta aside, the fact is, regular season thirty-goal scorers, Patrick Elias and David Clarkson, still remain silent in the night.  The Devils' best player at the moment is rookie center, Adam Henrique.

I don't know how the Devils can pull this off.  History says they can't.  While we are at it, let's give full credit to Los Angeles for overwhelming the Devils thus far.  We all know the Devils can't win three times in Game Four alone.  They can only play, and win, one at a time.  And we all know who needs to finally show up in order for them to turn this around too.  But again, credit the Kings for making those same players disappear.




Mike.BTB

N.J. Devils ~ Into the City of Angels

From the desk of:   THE BRICK CITY DEMONS

2011-2012

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE

STANLEY CUP FINALS

Kings lead Series 2-0

I  -  LAK 2; NJD 1*

II  -  LAK 2; NJD 1*

* overtime

GAME THREE

NEW JERSEY DEVILS

vs.

Los Angeles Kings

From

Some Left Coast Arena

SoCal

NEW JERSEY DEVILS:  For the Brick City Demons, Danger Lurks in the City of Angels.


Look what the Kings did to the Devils..., again.  Two games, two goals, two overtime losses, - all too familiar.  For a second straight game, Los Angeles sandwiched the Devils' (third period) lone goal, with an opening goal in the first period, and a finishing goal in overtime.  And now the Devils are down 2-0, going away.

Suddenly, the Kings are making the Devils look like New Jersey made the Rangers look in the Conference Final.  New Jersey's forecheck is sputtering, and suddenly, they are now experiencing a drought of goal scoring.  Anton Volchenkov and Ryan Carter have the Devils' only two goals.

In Game One, the Devils were limited to seventeen shots on goal.  In Game Two, New Jersey practically doubled their output by taking thirty-three shots on goal.  But they got the same results each time.  Meanwhile, Martin Brodeur has been vintage, if not brilliant.


So where do the Devils go from here?  The answer is Los Angeles.  They must go to the west coast and win at least one game so as to bring the series back to Newark.  If not, the Kings will lift the Cup on their own ice.  But if there is one singular player taking the ice tonight, who is best prepared and experienced enough to get his team back in this series, it is Martin Brodeur. All they need to do is win tonight.  And he is certainly capable of stealing a game; even at forty years old.


Having only surrendered one goal in regulation time in each game, there's only so much else Brodeur can do.  Unless Zach Parise and his line can muster some points, unless Ilya Kovalchuck can turn up his game again, unless the Devils start getting multiple goals again, like they did against Florida, Philly,and the Rangers, and unless they get that forecheck grinding again, they will be facing elimination heading into Game Four.


It's not like the Devils are getting thoroughly out-played, or out-classed.  They are not.  But they could use a break or two.




Mike.BTB

N.J. Devils ~ Can't Afford a Second Let Down In The Rock

from the desk of:   THE BRICK CITY DEMONS

Kings Slay Devils In Overtime

Marty's Revenge

Stanley Cup Finals

GAME TWO ~ SATURDAY

Los Angeles Kings

vs.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS

From

THE ROCK

Brick City, Newark

Kings Lead Series 1-0

I -  L.A. 2; NJD 1*

*OT

NEW JERSEY DEVILS:  More Forecheck; More Pitchforks!

A Much More Complete, And Pointed Effort Needed In Game Two.

Can it be that after just one game, the Devils are in a bad spot?  They dropped the first game in each series to get here though.  So how much trouble can they really be in?


After playing three incomplete periods during regulation in Game One, then getting ice-capaded by L.A. in overtime for a crushing loss, The Devils can ill afford to go down 0-2 in this series, especially going away, not to mention flying cross country after travelling by bus for over a month now.  Strange hotel beds can make you lose sleep.  Flying cross country, dehydration, lack of sleep, all matter.  So yeah, the Devils better cover everything, and do anything to win Game Two at home.


I though after "too"much time off between games, the Kings would be the sloppier, more rusty team on the ice Wednesday night.  Hardly.  They sandwiched New Jersey's score with the first and last goals of the game.  But L.A. thought they were indeed sloppy.  Then again, so did the Devils.  Both teams dictated play in ten minute stretches, until overtime that is.


First off, the Devils will have to generate more shots.  They only managed eighteen shots on goal to the Kings' twenty-five.  Both team's power plays were non issues with only three penalties called all game.  So that means, the Devils need to get back to skating four strong lines at even strength.  And last game, I noticed the Kings gave Adam Henrique a lot of room to move around.  For the Devils, there might be something to that.


Ryan Carter had three shots on his line, and Zach Parise has three shots on goal playing on his line.  And that's your best of the best.  Alex Volchenko's goal was more the product on a lucky deflection off a Kings' skater.  So clearly, the Devils will need to do much more than they managed in Game One.  Ilya Kovalchuk, Patrick Elias, Dainius Zubrus, and Travis Zajac, all only managed one shot each.  And that will need to change.  But they'll have to do it by increasing their speed.  New Jersey appeared to be a slower team than Los Angeles Wednesday night.


It's hard to knock the game Martin Brodeur had in Game One.  It was actually quite remarkable.  He faced twenty-two regulation time shots, and allowed the one goal to Colin Frasier, midway through the first period.  And then came overtime where he faced three shots before allowing the game winner.  Just remember that Anze Kopitar skated in on an unmolested break-away when he fired the winning shot passed Brodeur.


Game One came in waves.  Only problem for New Jersey was that L.A. caught the last one of the night.


New Jersey threw their body around plenty enough.  But they lost the game's face-off battle.  And over large portions of the game, they lost their forecheck as well.  That's what they need to get back to most.  And I think L.A.'s speed caught the Devils off guard too.  So I think New Jersey will come out skating faster in Game Two as well.





Mike.BTB

N.J. Devils ~ Kings Slay Devils in OT

From the desk of:   THE BRICK CITY DEMONS

2011 - 2012

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE

STANLEY CUP FINALS

GAME ONE

Los Angeles Kings

vs.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS

From

THE ROCK

Brick City, Newark

FINAL:

Kings 2

Devils 1
OVERTIME

NEW JERSEY DEVILS:  Bedeviled in Game One.

In the opening game of the Stanley Cup Finals, New Jersey was reminded what it's like to get scored on early, and having to play from behind.  The Kings came barrelling in on the forecheck and got deep in the Devils' zone, where Jordan Nolan gained possession of the puck behind net.  He found and passed to centerman Colin Fraser positioned at the edge of the right circle, who one-timed a shot passed Brodeur for a 1-0 Los Angeles lead, midway through the first.


The Kings owned the first period battle of the face-offs by a 12-5 count.  But overall, shots on goal were limited in the first period to five apiece.  Only problem was, Broduer let one get by too early.  With 2:15 left, Bryce Salvador had the Devils' best chance on net.  But no goal.  So, off went the Devils into the first intermission trailing by a 1-0 score.


L.A. committed one penalty which they successfully killed off.


The Kings came into the second period like they entered the first; aggressively.  They were the ones taking taking shots over the first half of the second, and were throwing the body more often, again, like in the first period.  The Devils showed they were getting their legs back over the latter half of the first period however.  But the trend didn't seem to be continuing in the second.


With 7:18 left in the second, Marty challenged a shot from point, and won, to kept it a 1-0 game.


New Jersey put L.A. on the power play after committing their first penalty, and even managed a short-handed opportunity by Zach Parise.  They successfully killed off penalty.  At 4:28, they finally managed their first shot on goal of the second period.  Dainius Zubrus had a great look but got stoned by Jonathan Quick on the shot.  Then...


Score at 1:12 - Patrick Elias tied the game off a big rebound/deflection left by Jonathan Quick following Anton Volchenkov's shot from the top of the left circle.


Over the first five minutes of the third period, this time New Jersey was carrying the play.  Zach Parise had a goal waived off after he forced a puck in net with his hand.  But the point is, the Devils were forcing the issue now.  Ryan Carter had another good look against Jonathan Quick, but was stopped with thirteen minutes to go.  But neither team managed much else during regulation.


Into overtime they went.  At 8:47, the Kings scored and the crowd in The Rock crumbled once Anze Kopitar scored.  He juked, and deeked, as he came in on Brodeur virtually unmolested, and scored the Game One winner.


Kings lead the series, one game, to none.




Mike.BTB

N.J. Devils ~ MARTY'S REVENGE

From the desk of:   THE BRICK CITY DEMONS

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE ~ STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

Eastern Conference Finals

GAME SIX

New York Rangers  2

New Jersey Devils    3

DEVILS WIN SERIES 4-2

I  -  NYR 3; NJD 0

II  -  NJD 3; NYR 2

III  -  NYR 3; NJD 0

IV  -  NJD 4; NYR 1

V  -  NJD 5; NYR 3

VI  -  NJD 3; NYR 2*

*overtime

2011-2012

EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS

NEW JERSEY DEVILS:  Lou Lamoriello's Club is Headed to Their Fifth Stanley Cup Finals.


At age forty, Marty Brodeur finally gets his revenge against the New York Rangers.  Eighteen years after being sent home upon the Rangers scoring a double-overtime goal in Game Seven of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals, Marty exorcises his personal demon.  Maybe now he'll retire in peace, but not before he has a little more fun against the L.A. Kings.  Marty stressed over and over, he was having fun this season.  So, I'm sure he's having a ball right about now.  And why not?  The renaissance man had a great series.s


For the NHL's All-Time Career Shut-Outs leader, and for the NHL's All-Time Wins leader, Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals was career playoff win number one-hundred and ten.  And save for raising the Stanley Cup three times, this was probably his most satisfying win of all.  Lou Lamoriello's 1990 draft pick is taking the Devils to their fifth Stanley Cup appearance in the franchise's history.


In Game Six, Martin Brodeur faced thirty-five shots, and turned back thirty-three Rangers' pucks on goal, sending his chief nemesis back through the Holland Tunnel, a dejected team.  He even recorded another assist this series.  And by the way, his ability to handle the puck, and make accurate stretch passes back to mid-ice, in large part, ruined the Rangers' season long formidable forechecking.


And for Lou Lamoriello?  Vindication.  He has rebuilt this team into a Stanley Cup contender, again.  Only one of the greatest team executives the metropolitan area has ever known, Lou Lamoriello persisted through chiding he was cap challenged, which reached a pitched level when he signed Ilya Kovalchuck to what many thought would be a franchise breaking contract.  While the organization's financial footing is a whole other matter, Ilya Kovalchuck and Lou Lamoriello finally made this union work.


And the "What If's" over last season's poor start will persist.  Lou Lamoriello's hiring of John MacLean to be head coach nearly doused the fires in Newark.  Jacques LeMaire returned, and spear-headed a furious recovery and charge towards the playoffs.  But they fell just short and missed the tournament for the first time in nearly two decades.


Lou then hired little known Peter DeBoer, whom most widely agree got shafted by the Florida Panthers.  The new coach then led these Devils to a 102-point season inside a brutal Atlantic Division in which four teams amassed over 100 points.  Additionally, they finished the regular season by winning six in a row.  In this playoff encounter, I think Peter DeBoer played Coach Torts brilliantly.  But that is not to say either coach out-coached the other.  But Peter clearly won the battles along the peripheral fronts.


Lou also drafted a centerman whom I think is a tremendous hockey player; Adam Henrique.  Heading into Game Two, I posted here, how at the game, I told my son to keep an eye on Henrique in the offensive zone.  He's going to kill us; the Rangers that is.  I thought that about Dave Clarkson as well.  But it was Henrique who ultimately ended the Rangers' season.  Adam Larsson was another defensive draft pick Lou made which, along with the acquisition of Marek Zidlicki, vastly contributed to the Devils' defensive success this season.


These teams split the regular season battle of the Hudson with three wins apiece.  By the time New Jersey met the Rangers in the Conference Finals, New Jersey clearly emerged as the better team.  While the Rangers' overall scoring came from a most ponderous and broad range of skaters this series, the Devils' forward lines dominated enough of Game Two, Four, Five and Six , to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.


Really, in any given game, the Parise/Zajak/Zubrus line was the best line on the ice.  Then Peter DeBoer's late season creation; the Bernier/Carter/Gionta line; also at many times this series, was the best line on the ice.  Those two lines wracked up points like they were playing pinball.  Zach Parise in particular, put up points like no Ranger could.  Ryan Carter was putting up points like no Ranger could.  Travis Zajac scored his seventh goal of the playoffs in this series.  He, was putting up points like no Rangers' forward could, unless you include the many Ryan Callahan deflection goals.  Ilya Kovalchuck...ditto.


The Rangers needed scoring from their defensemen in order to stay alive.  The Devils' back line scoring matched them.  Bryce Salvador, and of course, Adam Henrique, saw to that.  And before Game Five, I doubt many Ranger fans even heard of Mark Fayne.  After the night he had in Game Five, not many Ranger fans will forget him.


Yea, I'm a Rangers Fan.  Good Luck Devils.  You out-Rangered the Rangers.  You won face-offs, won the battle along the boards, had more guys in front of the net, blocked as many shots, and managed to neutralize our shot-blocking.  You guys skated faster, passed better, took two games at MSG, were more disciplined, and cashed in on your opportunities in a way we couldn't.  The Devils' experience rose to the top, and their ability to finish games was markedly better than that of the young Rangers.


I will continue talking Devils Hockey throughout the next round against the Los Angeles Kings.


Maaar-Teeeee! - has his Revenge.  The near dynastic era of the New Jersey Devils is not over yet.  They are the NHL 's 2011-2012 Eastern Conference Champions for the fifth time in their history.





* Devil's Playground Graffiti-Bushwich, BK
Mike.BTB

N.J. Devils ~ Coach DeBoer Putting Rangers Through Hell

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

GAME FOUR FINAL

N.Y. Rangers   1

N.J. Devils       4

NEW JERSEY DEVILS:  DeBoer's Demons

Playing With Pitchforks High!

NEW YORK RANGERS GET BURNT IN DEVILS' PLAYGROUND

Battle of the Coaches Heats Up ~ Coach Tortorella and Coach DeBoer moved their series feud from the press room to the benches.  The two engaged in a heated third period exchange, which rumor has it, turned personal in nature. 
Both coaches declined to comment after the game.

Game Four Preview; GRUDGE MATCH, and links to all my Eastern Conference Finals posts.


The Devils beat Philadelphia, primarily because the Flyers were terribly undisciplined and because the Devils wouldn't allow themselves to succumb to their level.  Coach DeBoer constantly implored his team to look the other way in the face of any Flyers' transgressions.  They all listened, and after Game Four against the New York Rangers Monday night, New Jersey is again, clearly the more composed and competent team on the ice.


The Rangers put the Devils on the Power Play another six times in Game Four, although New Jersey only scored once.  But for the Rangers, you can't establish a tempo, or flow, and in the Blueshirts case - grind, or mount any kind of offense when you're consistently killing penalties.  Now, here's the worst part of that.  If Blueshirts fans think staying out of the penalty box alone will help the Rangers, WE are all sadly mistaken.  For a team who's forte used to be playing at even strength, the Rangers have scored a mere two goals throughout these four games while playing five on five hockey.


Late in the first period, Mike Rupp authored the Rangers' best offensive rush of the evening; Ruslan Fedotenko's goal aside.  Rupp's attempt didn't get past Martin Brodeur, but he did draw a penalty.  And for a change, that wasn't a bad proposition.  Unlike the regular season, the Rangers have actually been somewhat successful on the Power Play these playoffs.  They are four for eleven this series.  And we all know they didn't have a near 40% success rate during the season.  But unlike the Rangers were doing, the Devils only put the Rangers on the power play this one time.


Let's be clear.  Mike Rupp was the Rangers' best forward Monday night, right up until he wiped out Peter Harrold behind the net, took a swipe at Anton Volchenkov, then punched Martin Brodeur in the chest.  When a melee ensued, Steve Bernier came charging in towards Mike Rupp.  But Bernier made a mistake by leaving his feet and lunging at Rupp.  So, Mike Rupp wiped him out in mid-air too.


That's it.  That's the extent of the Rangers speakable effort from Monday.


While New Jersey's Forwards were busy skating circles around the Rangers and accumulating eight points, the Ranger Forwards looked like they were skating in sand.  Zach Parise scored twice and assisted once.  Travis Zajac scored his sixth goal of the playoffs.  Ponikarovsky, Clarkson, and Zubrus all assisted on those goals.  Then you can figure in contributions they got from their defensemen.  Bryce Salvador's scored the opening salvo of the evening, and they got an assist from Adam Henrique.


The Rangers' blueliners?  Michael Del Zotto had perhaps his worst game of the playoffs.  And Ryan McDonagh can't be tangling with Adam Henrique like that.  The Devils will take that trade off every time.  Especially now, since the Rangers' defensemen represent so much of the Blueshirts' offense.  Which brings us right back to Mike Rupp.


Mike Rupp was indeed the Rangers best forward Monday night, even as he walked through the tunnel on his way to the locker room.  So what does that say?  The same thing I said yesterday.  I'm still waiting for a Rangers' forward line to dominate a game, like Parise-Zajac-Zubrus did in Game Four, and not having us pray for another Lundqvist miracle.


But John Tortorella's usage of Mike Rupp represented everything that went wrong for the Flyers last round against the Devils.  As a matter of fact, Coach Torts' usage of a number of players showed that some old grudges never went away.  But Peter DeBoer and the Devils, just aren't going there.  Or that's what they would have you believe.  They've successfully fought their battles so far through the Media, inside the Rangers zone, and now from the corners of the bench.  Coach DeBoer even snuck in a goon too.  However, the Devils consistently posted four goals a night against Philly because the Flyers played exactly the way the Rangers did Monday night, over an entire series.  So with the Rangers mirroring something from that series, the Devils wound up posting four goals against the Rangers as well.


As the series heads back to the Garden Wednesday night, even I, a self-admitted Torts Grunt, believes he needs to come up with a better plan than the one he unleashed Monday night.  There was something a little desperate looking about Game Four's decisions and efforts, considering it was the Rangers who held a 2-1 series lead, and not the other way around.  Nor in Game Four did the Rangers resemble the team who made adjustments after games two and three of the previous two series.  This lot looked more than just a little bit lost.


After the game, Coach Torts said his team needs to possess the puck more.  That means our forcheck isn't working.  Martin Brodeur's ability to make a long stretch pass to the blue line has something to do with that.  The Devils' quickness and accurate passing has been another factor hampering the Blueshirt forcheck.  And without the puck, that means the Rangers aren't spending much time in the Devils' zone.  Game Four ended with both goalies facing twenty-nine shots each.  But the Rangers shots came in late period flurries, and not through anything sustained like the Devils have created for themselves.


Nothing is lost for the Rangers.  Not by a long shot.  For Blue leaning Fans like myself, the series boils down to them imposing their will upon the Devils.  But Peter DeBoer and the Devils have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, the Rangers better do it smartly.  Reducing the game to alternative hockey will not help the Rangers.  In Game Four, the Devils also proved they can be patient enough to negate many of the Rangers blocked shots.  For Monday night, the Devils managed twenty-nine shots against Henrik, while the Rangers and Devils were tied with only six blocked shots each by the midway point of the third period.


The third period was supposed to be the Rangers' period.  That's how the first three games played out.  The Rangers have outscored the Devils 6-1 in the third period this series.  But not this time.  It is Coach Tortorella's turn to make adjustments now.  The series might only be tied, but after Game Four's performance, Coach DeBeor holds a distinct edge.


The Rangers can not continue to rely on their defensemen for scoring, nor the wily machinations of their Head Coach.  At some point, and it better be soon, the Forward Lines need to start taking control of these games or else the Devils will be playing for a Stanley Cup.


But these are the Rangers, and they prefer to do things the hard way.  They've been in worse positions than this.   After all, we are only headed into Game Five tied at two apiece.  The Rangers have dug down deep before.  They'll know how to dig in again.  But can they?  Or has their system reached it Law of Diminished Returns?


In any case, Coach Torts is right - it starts with possessing the puck.

The Battle of the Hudson Continues...

2011-2012

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE - STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS
EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

SERIES TIED 2-2

I  -  NYR 3; NJD 0

II  -  NJD 3; NYR 2

III  -  NYR 3; NJD 0

IV  -  NJD 4; NYR 1

GAME FIVE ~ WEDNESDAY

NEW JERSEY DEVILS

vs.

NEW YORK RANGERS

From

MADISON SQUARE GARDEN

33rd Street at 7th Avenue

NYC

*Devil's Playground ~ Bushwick Urban Art, BK
Mike.BTB

N.Y. Rangers ~ Grudge Match; Game Four

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

Battle of the Hudson

Game Four ~ Grudge Match

2011-2012

NHL STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

Rangers Lead Series 2-1

I  -  NYR 3; NJD 0

II  -  NJD 3; NYR 2

III  -  NYR 3; NJD 0

TONIGHT

GAME FOUR

NEW YORK RANGERS

vs.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS

From

THE ROCK

Brick City - Newark

The King Lays Siege to Newark in Game Three

Rangers vs. Devils; Game Three at The Rock

Coach Torts Versus The Media

Devils Pounce On Blueshirts in Game Two

King Henrik Puts The Devils On Ice

Rangers Versus Devils ~ Eastern Conference Finals

NEW YORK RANGERS:

Tonight, We Dance Around The Fire!

The deeper these playoffs have gone, the longer Ranger Fans wait for their forward lines to dominate a game for a change, instead of looking to their goalie for miracles.  Well, that's what I've been doing.  In the mean time, the Rangers have three pairs of defensemen who've been contributing an overwhelming portion of the team's offense.  And the Devils?   They have done everything they've needed to do in order to get plenty of shots on Lundqvist.  But Broadway's liege has stopped them cold, as he's done to all comers in these playoffs.

That almost seems secondary now.  The real battle has just begun.  While the Media kept badgering Coach Torts to talk, he quietly compiled his own list of gripes against the Devils, but never aired them out; until Sunday that is.  He's been refusing to delve into any kind of outward exchange with the opposing coach or the Media.  Conversely, Peter DeBoer and Marty Brodeur continued to air out their grievances in public.  Now, finally, by speaking out Sunday, Coach Torts finally gave everyone what they wanted ~ a grudge match.

In response to Peter DeBoer's "head-hunter" barb regarding Brandon Prust, Coach showed up at his media session Sunday armed with accusations the Devils were setting picks on their power play opportunities, he voiced displeasure with Zach Parise's hit on Michael Del Zotto, and likewise expressed his annoyance with Dainius Zubrus' hit on Anton Stralman.  Coach was going to keep all that in-house, and between him and the League.  But the cat is out of the bag now.

What John Tortorella worked so hard to avoid in these playoffs is now front and center.  Damn if you do, and Damned if you don't, Coach.  The Media wanted it, and now they got it.  The inner beast in Coach has been summoned upon the instigation of a one, Coach Peter DeBoer.  Brilliant!  Remember, I like Caoch DeBoer.  But going forward, whether this becomes his folly remains to be seen.

Game Three ended with both teams feeling a little ill-tempered too.  Upon the final horn to end regulation, a scrum ensued surrounding Brandon Prust.  That won't happen in Game Four.  Brendan Shanahan suspended Prust one game for his elbow the back of Alex Volchenkov's head.  That doesn't mean the bad blood between these teams won't spill over tonight.  We'll see, as we have ill will between teams, dirty hits and other questionable player infractions to ponder, and two coaches finally engaged in a full blown war of words.

But what Coach DeBoer is trying so hard to accomplish in the now, still does not compare with what Coach Torts started working on back in October.   Coach Torts made it his business to make sure Henrik Lundqvist was fresh (fresher) for these playoffs, than in years and playoffs past.  Coach made the reluctant King sit for twenty-one games during the regular season.   They signed Marty Biron precisely to get that accomplished.   Henrik Lundqvist started 62 regular season games this season; his lowest total in six years.  If you don't think there a correlation between Coach Torts' plan and the fact Henrik Lundqvist shut out the Devils twice now in this third round series, you're stoned.

Outside of Chris Kreider, Coach Torts long ago ensured Henrik Lunqvist would be the freshest guy on the ice in Game Four tonight.  That fact continues to go unspoken.  Instead, the Media continues to prod Coach Torts for their columns.  If they just look at his methods and moves over a full season, and not just casually show up in April or May, they'd know full well Coach Torts is in full control of his team and his faculties, and has all his bases covered.  Which points directly to the reason why he treats the Media the way he does.

Instead, it is the Devils who seem rattled.  Their Coach and goalie are the chirpy ones.  On the ice, the Devils are proving to be the chippy ones as well.  And Zach Parise shuns the Media?  Those are the signs of a frustrated team.  Whether or not the Devils really have a sympathetic media on their side remains to be seen.  Coach DeBeor is trying his damnedest.  But Coach Torts seems well prepared to take them both on regardless.

The Rangers can make life very miserable for the Devils tonight.  The Devils know that, and are acting like it.  But if they do have any temerity to them, which I think they do, the Devils will salvage a game at home tonight and tie the series.  The odds say if they keep doing what they've been doing, eventually, some shots will find the net.  If only Henrik Lundqvist wasn't so well preserved by a coach who many think acts and behaves like a troglodyte.  Well, so far the Grunts lead this series two games to one.

But not so fast.  The Rangers are asking for trouble if they let the Devils hang around.  Especially if they are going to put New Jersey on the PP another five times.  Or let the Devils outplay them two out of three periods again.  Or let them take over thirty shots against Henrik Lundqvist again.  All that aside, the Rangers still came out in Game Three and played a much darker shade of Blue.  In order to secure another two wins against the Devils, they'll have to get even darker.  For the Devils will not go quietly into the night.

Tonight, everyone dances around the fire.

Mike.BTB

N.Y. Rangers ~ The King Puts Devils On Ice

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

2011 - 2012

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

BATTLE OF THE HUDSON

GAME ONE FINAL

N.J. Devils      0

N.Y. Rangers  3

Henrik Lundqvist, One - Martin Brodeur, Zero.

If you're really keeping score, that's Henrik's second shutout over the Devils this season, versus one shutout for Martin Brodeur.


Tried as the Devils might in a furious second period, The King offered no quarter.  New Jersey had all the opportunities they wanted materialize against the Rangers, so let us not confuse matters.  This was a shutout of a well rested New Jersey team that routinely stung Philadelphia in the last round for four goals a night.


Just ask Zach Parise about having great chances against The King.  Dan Girardi turned over the puck right in front of Henrik (a-la Michael Del Zotta), in which Lundqvist rejected three point blank shots and self-rebounds taken by the Devils' Captain.  There's your game story right there.


Ryan McDonagh was just a step ahead of New Jersey's other two best chances of the night.  His speed and ability to get back to break up two break away chances was a story.  And Chris Kreider continuing to emerge - those are the stories, not the growing outcry over blocked shots ever since Larry Brooks wrote a Sunday piece about that in the post Lock-Out/Cap era.  The rest of the know-nothings picked up on this item and are now driving it into the ground.  Worse, they're already debating on how the League should reconfigure the rules.  Ponderous.  These people are mad!  Why?  Cause they don't know Hockey!  Had Larry Brooks not written anything, these cats on the radio would know nothing.  But I digress.


The two McDonagh plays were reminiscent to the same two plays Alex Ovechkin, and Chimera, each darted off one step ahead of Stu Bickel in the previous round.  Eventually, the Rangers are going to get burnt off the wing when the two back guys stray in too deep.  Just remember, four times is a trend.


Martin Brodeur was equally stingy right up to the opening minute of the third period.  Then Marty's wall sprung a leak.  Dan Girardi took a brilliant feed from Chris Kreider and converted the game's first goal.  The leak then became a steady flow.  Eleven minutes later, Chris Kreider continued to author the forward on his own career, scoring his third goal of the playoffs, a power play goal, which put the Blueshirts up 2-0, with eight minutes left in regulation.  The flow, became a torrent.  Artem Anisimov scored on an empty net at the 18:33 mark.


Henrik faced twenty-one shots and stopped them all.  Martin Brodeur faced twenty-seven Ranger shots on goal, letting two get by.


Four whistles each are probably more than either team wanted to draw from the Stripes.  The Rangers were 1 for 4 on the power play, while the Devils went scoreless in their four opportunities.  But it was that first goal by Girardi, in which the Devils got caught in a line change because Kreider was quick to a puck in the offensive zone, that ruined New Jersey's night.


Henrik ensured that goal held up.  One game to none, Rangers.  Game Two Wednesday night at The Garden.  See you there.





Mike.BTB

N.J. Devils ~ The Renaissance Men Dismantle Philly

From the desk of:   THE BRICK CITY DEMONS

NEXT!

Devils Set Broad Street Bully Dreams on Fire

NEW JERSEY DEVILS:  After Nine Years,

The Devils Are Going BACK..., to the Conference Finals!

Philly Cheese Steaks Fall to Brick City Demons in Five Games.

I - PHI 4; NJD 3

II - NJD 4; PHI 1

III - NJD 4; PHI 3

IV - NJD 4; PHI 2

GAME V FINAL:

New Jersey Devils     3

Philadelphia Flyers   1

Can we call it a sweep?  Not a clean one, but a sweep none the less?

Philly was able to advance past Pittsburgh because both teams were more that willing to throw Hockey in the back seat and just try to beat each other up.  That plays right into Philly's hands.  Their style of attack first also seems to work best against PITT as well.  Pittsburgh just lost all their composure.  Good job by Philly.  But against the Devils, they were forced to play hockey all game.

And after completely disassembling the Philadelphia Flyers over the course of the last four games, the New Jersey Devils are going to the Eastern Conference Finals.  They left their turnpike rivals behind in pieces.  It was a methodical dismantling.  Not a Philly style beat down.

Playing without the suspended Claude Giroux, the Devils still let Philly get on the board first..., again.  Max Talbot stepped in to fill Philly's void with a goal at the 7:18 mark of the first period.  The Devils answered that goal post haste.  Within two minutes, Bryce Salvador struck net with his second of the playoffs, and a tie, off feeds from Henrique and Kovalchuck.

The dormant stick of David Clarkson arose in this clinching game, to also net his second goal of the series.  Scoring unassisted at the 9:27 mark of the first, he gave the Devils and Marty Brodeur a lead they'd never relinquish.  It would be Dave Clarkson's second game winning goal against Philadelphia.  It also resulted from Ilya Bryzgalov's biggest mistake of the night.

Ilya Kovalchuck made Philly's comeback even more improbable when he scored his fifth goal of the playoffs at the 5:00 mark of the third period, on a power play off feeds from Henrique, Adam's second of the game, and Zubrus.

With 2:00 minutes-plus to go, the Flyers finally rid their net of Ilya Bryzgalov for the extra skater.  Marty Brodeur denied a Hartnell shot with 1:29 left.  At 1:07 the Devils got a clear.  At 0:47, they got another.  At 0:31, the Devils had an empty net goal waived off due to an offsides.

Philly took one last shot against Marty with 0:07 left and were denied again.  And that's how this series ends.  Martin Brodeur, the forty year old, made twenty-seven saves in all, on twenty-eight Philly shots on goal.

The Devils played their most disciplined hockey over these last two games.  They committed one penalty in all of Game Five, after limiting themselves to two early penalties in Game Four. 

What an amazing climb back to the Conference Finals for the Devils.  They never could recover from their horrific start to the 2010-2011 season, and thus missed the playoffs last season under a combination of John MacLean and Jacques LeMaire as Head Coach.  Of course we know LeMaire got them close, but alas no cigar.

I even said prior to their turning things around last season, that being as they will most likely lose Zach Parise to free agency, they should have traded him and finally closed the door on an era.  I also thought Kovalchuck's contract was literally and financially dancing with the devil.  Look at me now.  The Devils have been solid, consistent, and formidable all season.  Reinvesting in the back line with a pair of young draft picks like Adam Henrique and Adam Larsson, then picking up Zidlicki at the deadline have kept Devils' own defensive standards up to snuff this season.

As a Rangers Fan, this haunts me.  It's almost as if this is being set up to be Marty's Revenge for 1994.  But of course, the Rangers would have to win their series first, and that is another story.

The Devils.... The Mickey Mouse organization... are headed back to the Conference finals for the first time since their Stanly Cup winning 2002-2003 season.  Nine years later, Martin Brodeur and Patrick Elias return.  The renaissance men are back indeed.

After last season, Peter DeBeor was named head Coach by Lou Lamoriello and has since reintroduced the New Jersey Devils upon the National Hockey League.  His team will enjoy an extra day off or two.  In Marty's case, that might be just fine.  But here come the Devils!  Peter DeBoer's Devils.

Be afraid.  Be very afraid.





Mike.BTB