Monthly Archives: October 2011
Game Preview – Game 8: Your New Jersey Devils @ Winnipeg Jets Version 1.0
New Jersey Devils (4-2-1) @ Phoenix Coyotes (3-3-2)
10:00 PM EDT
TV: MSG Plus
Radio: WFAN 660 AM
Matchup:
Tonight is the only game between the Devils and the Coyotes this season. The two teams last met on December 16, 2010 at Prudential Center. That game saw Ilya Kovalchuk score a pair of goals and Martin Brodeur stop all shots, leading the Devils to a 3-0 win.
Devils @ Kings Recap:
In their last game against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday, the New Jersey Devils played a complete team game. Passing was tape-to-tape and it appeared that the team was having fun out on the ice.
Dainius Zubrus led the team’s efforts with a pair of goals in the matchup, leading the Devils to a 3-0 victory. Patrik Elias also scored, assisted by Petr Sykora. It appears that not only did Elias and Sykora find their old chemistry again, but Zubrus appears to be the Arnott-style player they needed on the line with them.
Johan Hedberg was completely outstanding again, stopping all shots fired at him. This shutout was Hedbergs 18th career shutout and he now improves to 4-1-1 on the season as Martin Brodeur continues to recover from a shoulder injury.
Zach Parise also played his first game as a center this season, in between Ilya Kovalchuk and Nick Palmieri. The line did not produce any points in the game; however, Parise did have a 64% face-off percentage. Not too bad for his first game.
Devils Claim Carter off Waivers:
On Wednesday, the Devils claimed center Ryan Carter off of waivers from the Florida Panthers. Carter has no points, six penalty minutes and is a -1, so far this season.
Carter had been playing with the Florida Panthers for the first seven games this season. He was acquired by the Panthers last year from Carolina. Coach DeBoer had the opportunity to work with him in Florida and is excited for what Carter can bring to the Devils.
Over his career, Carter has played 189 games and has 14 goals & 21 assists. He has previously played for Florida, Carolina and Anaheim.
Carter is participating in the morning skate at Jobing.Com Arena in Phoenix this morning wearing number 20. He is centering Mills and Janssen, meaning Rod Pelley is the extra forward.
Interesting Trivia: Carter got his first two NHL goals on February 8, 2008 in a 2-1 Anaheim win over the New Jersey Devils, scoring both on Martin Brodeur.
Against the Coyotes:
All-time the Devils are 18-29-7-0 in 54 games played against the Phoenix Coyotes/Winnipeg Jets.
Patrik Elias has the most points in his career, among active Devils with 15 points (6 goals, 9 assists) in 18 games played against the Coyotes.
John MacLean has the most career points, among any Devils player, with 20 points (13 goals, 7 assists).
Johan Hedberg is 3-5-1 against the Coyotes in his career, sporting a 3.54 GAA.
Projected Devils Lineup:
Kovalchuk – Parise – Palmieri
Sykora - Elias - Zubrus
Tedenby - Henrique - Clarkson
Mills-Carter-Janssen
Greene – Larsson
Tallinder - Fayne
Volchenkov – Salvador
Hedberg
Kinkaid
——————–
Coyotes Coming Off A Loss:
Coyotes captain, Shane Doan, reached the 300-goal milestone in front of hometown Phoenix on Tuesday in a game against the Dallas Stars. The third period goal would give the ‘Yotes a 2-1 lead, but they could not hang on as they fell 3-2 in a shootout. Upon collecting his 300th goal, Doan now joins only Scott Mellanby as players to score 300 goals, but never score a hat trick.
Lucky Alternate Jersey?:
The Coyotes will wear their alternate black jerseys every Thursday and Friday home game this season. Currently this season, they’re 0-1-0 while wearing the jersey, but they will look to turn that around tonight. Last season, the Coyotes were 8-5-1 while wearing the jerseys and have put up a total of 21-8-2 since debuting the jersey for the 2008-2009 season.
Projected Coyotes Lineup:
Whitney-Langkow-Doan
Boedker-Hanzal-Vrbata
Pyatt-Gordon-Korpikoski
Torres-Nokelainen-Bissonnette
Yandle-Morris
Ekman-Larsson – Aucoin
Schlemko-Klesla
Smith
LaBarbera
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.
New Jersey Welcomes Formula One in 2013
It was officially announced yesterday that Formula 1 racing will be coming to the Garden State. In June of 2013, the air will be filed with the sound of screeching tires and roaring engines as F1 racecars speed around the streets of Hudson County. Specifically, the towns of Weehawkin and West New York will place host to the race. Now, I know what you’re saying. “But Doug, there is no room there build a race track.” Well, that’s been addressed. Much like the world famous Monaco Grand Prix, the cars will race on the city streets.
The track combines the tight turns of a city track with a long straight offering a spectacular view of the city. That view is not for the drivers though. When driving at 200+ miles per hour, taking a glance at the city skyline is not exactly a safe idea. Speaking of driving at 200+ MPH, it must be pretty fun to drive that fast past a 25 MPH sign. I don’t know about you, but I’d get a good laugh out of that.
Oh, and did I mention this is a ten-year long agreement we are talking about? That’s right. Starting in June 2013, you can expect a race every summer for ten years. The economic benefit is impossible to deny. While a full economic impact study by Formula 1 is still in the works, the region can expect to see millions in economic development. A quick quote from Governor Christie sums everything up: “The three-day event will bring very positive economic activity to the region, while giving fans of the sport in our region and around the world an exciting, new venue to experience Formula 1 racing. This is another example of how New Jersey remains a leader in hosting marquee national and international sporting and entertainment events like the Super Bowl, NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, and the Ironman Triathlon in various parts of our state.”
I’m sold. I think this is a great idea, and I may even splurge for tickets when the time comes. We could use the economic boost. And bringing more and more unique sporting events can only bring positive attention to the state. What do you think? Maybe now members the Devils Army will turn into racing fans.
Feeding An Army: Hell’s Kitchen Lounge
Alright Devils Army – here’s the first installment of Feeding an Army, a series of posts where “Cowbell” Steve and “Crazy” Jaime (me!) give you the breakdown on the various restaurants located around the Prudential Center area for your pre-game and post-game meals!
Our first adventure began on Saturday, October 8th which was the night of the Devils home opener, when we hit up Hell’s Kitchen Lounge for some pre-game festivities. Our group started arriving around 3PM and there was already a decent showing, but by 4PM the place was packed with Devils fans – inside and out! As will always be the case, Hell’s Kitchen was not aware of what we were doing, and we received no special treatment whatsoever and paid for our food and drinks out of our own pockets.
But enough about the fans, what about the food? Well, we started off with appetizers of course, Steve ordered the hummus with flat bread (we recommend the extra flat bread option… you’ll thank us later!) and I ordered some buffalo wings that were, as you would expect, HOT! These are two of our favorite dishes at Hell’s and there is usually not a night that goes by where we don’t order them. It’s a nice little “hold me over” before your dinner and enough to share for a whole group.
Moving on to dinner, we’ve both eaten a lot of burgers in our lives, but I always say that Hell’s Kitchen has some of the best I’ve ever tasted. The Brick City Burger is my personal favorite, and how can you go wrong with a half pound of beef, cheese, chorizo, onion rings & their signature meat spackle? It definitely hits home with that “Taste of Newark” feel, but that’s just one of their many burgers and sandwiches. In addition to the Brick City burger, they also offer the Guinness Burger with marbled Guinness bacon and cheddar (YUMMY!) and the Taylor Ham & Cheese Burger… talk about the New Jersey attitude! Let’s not start the taylor ham versus pork roll debate though (we all know it’s TAYLOR HAM)!
Steve decided to choose one of Hell’s Kitchen other options and ordered the Chorizo Sandwich, which gives you great big slices of grilled chorizo on a locally baked Portuguese roll along with peppers and onions and a side of fries. You can also substitute sweet potato fries on any of their dishes, which we both have a preference for. You cannot go wrong with any of these choices, as neither of us has ever had a bad burger or sandwich at Hell’s Kitchen. In fact, I think that each is better than the previous. I know your mouth is now watering and you’re trying to figure out just how fast you can get down there!
Hell’s Kitchen offers beer towers and as well as a variety of bottled beer and beer on tap. They also have other alcoholic beverages available, as well as non-alcoholic beverages. Don’t forget their specialty drinks either, my two personal favorites being “Lucifer’s Lemonade” and “Angels and Demons”. Please just remember to drink responsibly!
Hell’s Kitchen has an eclectic atmosphere and 1950’s era style where Las Vegas meets the traditional pub. On game nights they open up their doors to a couple hundred hockey fans of all ages, but on non-game nights they’re a little more adventurous. Check out their website for more details!
Where: 150 Lafayette Street
Distance from The Rock: .3 miles (6 min – walking)
Distance from Newark Penn Station: .3 miles
Recommendation: Make Reservations on Game Nights, Check their schedule for fun on Devils’ off-nights.
Don’t forget to tell us about YOUR favorite spot: @DevilsGenerals, @CowbellSteve, @cj225devs
Game Preview – Game 7: Your New Jersey Devils @ Southland Monarchs
New Jersey Devils (3-2-1) @ Los Angeles Kings (5-1-1)
10:30 PM EDT
TV: MSG Plus
Radio: WFAN 660 AM
Matchup:
Tonight marks the second and final matchup between the Kings and the Devils this season. The two clubs met at Prudential Center on October 13, which resulted in the Devils winning 2-1 in a shootout.
Devils News:
After dropping a second straight game Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the New Jersey Devils look to get back on the winning side.
Fans are worried about the team’s performance due to injuries to Jacob Josefson (broken clavicle), Travis Zajac (torn achilles) and Martin Brodeur (sore shoulder). They’re even going as far as to compare this season to last season already. With the Devils record being 3-2-1 through six games, they already have a better record then they did at this point last year. The Devils did not win it’s third game until their 11th game last season on October 29, and did not win their fourth game until game 14 on November 3. Last season, on October 25, the Devils were 2-7-1.
With the absence of two key centers, Devils Coach Peter DeBoer made a drastic change during the team’s practice yesterday. In Saturday’s game, you saw Parise, Elias, and Sykora playing together as well as Kovalchuk, Zubrus, Palmieri. DeBoer switched things up by swapping Parise and Zubrus. I know you’re thinking, “Wait, there’s three wingers on one line now.” You’re right. Zach Parise will be playing at center tonight in between Kovalchuk and Palmieri. Parise was drafted as a center, and had played center under Brent Sutter a couple seasons back. Parise said the change came as a bit of a surprise and was a little nerve-wracking as he hasn’t played center in years.
Breaking News:
Petr Sykora has the flu and may not be able to play tonight, the team says. If he is unable to play, you will see Mark Fraser skating at Left Wing tonight, expect major lineup changes.
Against the Kings:
All-time the Devils are 25-25-4-1 against the Kings, but only 9-14-3-1 when playing IN Los Angeles.
Patrik Elias has the most points against the Kings as a Devil, four goals and seven assists in 14 games played.
Dainius Zubrus has the most career points against the Kings with 15, five goals and ten assists in 17 games played.
Johan Hedberg is 1-6-0 against the Kings in his career, sporting a 4.09 GAA.
Projected Devils Lineup:
Kovalchuk – Parise – Palmieri
Sykora/Fraser - Elias - Zubrus
Tedenby - Henrique - Clarkson
Pelley - Mills - Janssen
Greene – Larsson
Tallinder - Fayne
Volchenkov – Salvador
Hedberg
Kinkaid
——————–
Kings News:
The main story for the Kings, without a doubt, is the hot play of young goaltender Jonathan Quick. In his third, fourth, and fifth starts of the season, Quick became the franchise record holder for the longest shutout streak. His 1-0 victory of Dallas on Saturday has now gone 188:10 without allowing a single goal. Luckily for the Devils, he will not be playing tonight. Jonathan Bernier is expected to get the start in goal.
Stud defenseman Drew Doughty has missed three straight games after suffering an upper-body injury against the Philadelphia Flyers on October 15. He was placed on Injured Reserve on October 16 and is eligible to come off for tonight’s game; however he’s not expected to return for another 7-10 days.
The Kings are also a hot team at the moment winning four straight games, and collecting points in five straight games. This dates back to the game at Prudential Center on October 13 in which the Devils beat the Kings 2-1 in a Shootout.
Kings Leaders:
Anze Kopitar leads the team in Points (10), Goals (4) and Assists (6).
Jonathan Quick leads the Kings in Wins (5) GAA (0.81), Save % (.972) and Shutouts (3)
Projected Kings Lineup:
Gagne-Kopitar-Williams
Penner-Richards-Brown
Richardson-Stoll-Moreau
Clifford-Lewis-Hunter
Scuderi-Johnson
Mitchell-Voynov
Martinez-Greene
Bernier
Quick
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Best to Wear – #14
If you’re wondering where “Best to Wear – #13″ is, well there isn’t one. No one has ever worn the #13 for the New Jersey Devils, ever. Superstitious, much?
This week, you will be voting on the Best to Wear #14 in New Jersey Devils history. I think the choice is pretty clear.
You will have until Thursday, October 27 at 11:59 PM EDT to cast your vote.
Game Preview – Game 6: Your New Jersey Devils @ Pittsburgh Birds That Can’t Fly (7PM, MSG+, WFAN 660 AM)
So, last night was heart-breaking.
The energy Prudential Center had after David Clarkson scored the go-ahead goal with minutes left in the third period was unbelievable, but you can’t expect to win a game when you get outshot 41-19. The Sharks kept firing hard and seemed to want that win a little more than we did. I hope last night’s performance doesn’t affect tonight’s game.
Tonight, the New Jersey Devils (3-1-1) will take on the Pittsburgh Penguins(5-2-2) for the first of six meetings between the Atlantic Division rivals this season.
After stopping 38 of 41 last night, Johan Hedberg is expected to make the start between the pipes again for the Devils tonight. This worries me a little bit as I bet Hedberg is exhausted after last night’s game, but with the way he kept us in the game last night, I’m more than excited to have him play. Hedberg has been the reason the Devils are where they are so far this season. Losing Martin Brodeur to a shoulder injury was a blow, but the Moose stepped up and showed he has what it takes to be a number one goaltender in the NHL.
Speaking of injuries, the already thin Center depth chart got even thinner, as Jacob Josefson is expected to miss three-to-four months after having surgery to repair his broken clavicle. This is not the first time Josefson has missed time due to injury. Just last season, Josefson missed 30 games due to repairing a torn ligament in his right thumb. General Manager Lou Lamiorello told the media this morning that he would look into acquiring a veteran center, but as of now, Adam Henrique has been recalled from Albany.
Injury news from the Penguins could make any Devils fan happy. There will be no Evegeni Malkin (knee) and Sidney Crosby (concussion) playing in tonight’s game. While this is viewed as an advantage for the Devils, the Penguins have been on fire without their top superstars. Think of it this way, former coach Jacques Lemaire said that the defense likes when Brodeur doesn’t play because they know they have to up their game. The same goes for the Penguins offense without their top two point scorers, Malkin and Crosby.
Here are the projected lineups for tonight’s game:
Devils:
Parise-Elias-Sykora
Kovalchuk-Zubrus-Palmieri
Tedenby-Henrique-Clarkson
Pelley-Mills-Janssen
Greene-Larsson
Tallinder-Fayne
Salvador-Volchenkov
Hedberg
Kinkaid
————
Penguins
Kunitz-Staal-Dupuis
Sullivan-Park-Neal
Cooke-Vitale-Asham
MacIntyre-Jeffrey-Adams
Orpik-Letang
Michalek-Martin
Niskanen-Engelland
Fleury
Johnson
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Game Preview – Game 5: The No Way, Jose Land Sharks @ Your New Jersey Devils
In their only matchup of the season, tonight the San Jose Sharks will take on the New Jersey Devils.
Big stories are stemming from the game tonight, including Colin White’s return to New Jersey. As you may remember, White was bought out by the Devils during the off-season to free up salary cap space. The question is, when White steps onto the ice, will he be booed or applauded for his time here in NJ?
On the injury front, Martin Brodeur has been sidelined due to his injured shoulder. Brodeur has said that it is getting better, and he hopes to travel with the team in the upcoming road trip. Due to this injury, Johan Hedberg will make his third start of the season. Currently, Hedberg has been standing on his head…berg, while in goal. He has a 3-0 record with a 1.41 GAA. Dressing as the backup tonight will be rookie Keith Kinkaid. Coach Pete DeBoer stated he hates having players on the bench that he doesn’t use. With back-to-back games tonight and tomorrow, at Pittsburgh, it IS possible that Keith Kinkaid could start tomorrow night. Only time will tell.
Meanwhile, the Devils have not played a single game since last Saturday in Nashville. After the great comeback victory, the Devils had five long days off in between that game and tonight’s game. Can the Devils still ride the momentum of their three game winning streak? Or will these days off come back to hurt them? Ilya Kovalchuk hopes to keep leading the way for the Devils. He has been averaging just over 27 minutes per game, which put him fourth in the NHL. While it’s fourth in the NHL overall, it’s first among forwards. He currently leads the team in points (4) and is tied with Zach Parise for the team lead in goals (2).
Coach DeBoer will be making one lineup change tonight compared to the last game at Nashville. Despite his fight having sparked the comeback, Cam Janssen will be the healthy scratch on offense, and Mark Fraser will be the healthy scratch on defense. Lines were altered during the Nashville game, and they remained the same way during practice the past couple of days.
Here are tonight’s projected starting lineups:
Devils:
Parise-Elias-Zubrus
Kovalchuk-Josefson-Palmieri
Tedenby-Sykora-Clarkson
Boulton-Pelley-Mills
Larsson-Greene
Salvador-Volchenkov
Tallinder-Fayne
Hedberg
Kinkaid
———-
Sharks:
Pavelski-Thornton-Marleau
Havlat-Couture-Clowe
Ferriero-Handzus-Mitchell
Winchester-Murray-McGinn
Murray-Boyle
Vlasic-Burns
White-Demers
Niemi
Greiss
Tonight is Hockey Fights Cancer night at Prudential Center. For more information on what will be going on throughout the arena tonight, check out this post.
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Hockey Fights Cancer Night at The Rock
Tonight at the Prudential Center, as the Devils host the San Jose Sharks, and in several other NHL arenas across the United States, hockey fans worldwide can unite in a fight that goes beyond fists and gloves. I’m sure by now most of us have seen or heard the public service announcements and print flyers featuring several NHL stars urging us to “join the fight” against cancer by supporting the Hockey Fights Cancer initiative.
To promote the month-long initiative, each of the 30 NHL teams has dedicated one night in October as “Hockey Fights Cancer” Awareness Night. Ours is tonight! There will be several things happening tonight at the Prudential Center to benefit Hockey Fights Cancer and to encourage those who have been affected firsthand by the disease. The National Anthem will be sung by Samantha Dango, a cancer survivor’s daughter. Young patients and other children affected by the disease from the Devils’ and Prudential Center’s local hospital partners (the Barnabas Health System, Atlantic Health System, St. Joseph’s Healthcare System and Holy Name Medical Center) have been invited to attend tonight, some of whom will be participating in Zamboni rides during intermission.
The Devils will once again hold a Mystery Puck sale to benefit Hockey Fights Cancer. Each signed puck will be gift-bagged so that you don’t know whose signature you have received until after you buy it. The pucks will go on sale in the main concourse when the doors open. Be sure and arrive early to reserve your place in line for this fun and worthwhile opportunity.
In addition, collections will be taking place for donations at entrance points throughout The Rock. Hockey Fights Cancer merchandise will be on sale tonight at the Devils Den. Devils’ coaching staff and broadcasters will be wearing ties, hats, jackets, and other official apparel. The Hockey Fights Cancer PSAs will be aired throughout the evening, some featuring Devils players. Devils and Prudential Center staff will be wearing Hockey Fights Cancer pins and lavender ribbons to show their support. The Devils homepage and social media pages will all keep with the Hockey Fights Cancer theme. All proceeds from tonight’s events will be donated back to the Devils’ and Prudential Center’s local hospital partners.
Hockey Fights Cancer was founded in December 1998 by the NHL and NHL Players’ Association as a way to raise money and awareness in cancer research, prevention, and care. The initiative has raised over $12 million so far. Hockey Fights Cancer is a part of the NHL’s “Biggest Assist Happens off the Ice” campaign, which consists of several initiatives designed to address and improve social issues affecting people worldwide.
I’m sure we all know or know of somebody who has been affected by cancer. As we work and progress towards finding a cure for this disease, let’s all remember that we are ALL on the same team. Devils Army, let’s unite and fight against a common enemy. Tonight will definitely be a memorable, fun, and touching evening. I hope to see some of you there!
Best to Wear #12 – Bill Guerin
NUMBER: 12
HEIGHT: 6′ 2″
WEIGHT: 220
POSITION: Right wing
SHOOTS: Right
BORN: November 9, 1970
BIRTHPLACE: Wilbraham, MA, USA
In one of the more exciting Best to Wear, the Devils Army voted Bill Guerin as the Best to Wear #12 in Devils history.
While I was growing up, Guerin, who was drafted fifth overall in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft, was one of my favorite players. Guerin offered speed, size, offense and defense; he was an all-around player. He played with the Devils from the 91-92 season until the 97-98 season. He was traded, along with Valeri Zelepukin, to Edmonton. Who did the Devils get in return? Jason Arnott.
Guerin, a two time Stanley Cup champion, was always called a leader on every team that he played for in his storied career. He was only captain of one team, the New York Islanders.
Guerin announced his retirement on December 6, 2010 after 17 seasons in the NHL. When he retired, Guerin ranked seventh all-time in goals scored by an American with 429 goals.
| Career Stats with the New Jersey Devils | ||||||||||
| GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PP | SH | GW | S | S% |
| 380 | 108 | 106 | 214 | 40 | 469 | 22 | 0 | 25 | 863 | 12.5% |
Here is one of my favorite Bill Guerin moments:
I apologize to some of you who were upset that I did not include Nick Palmieri in Best to Wear #12. Since I started the polls before the season started, I missed Larsson at #5, so I figured I wouldn’t include players if it’s their first year wearing the number. Palmieri will be listed for #32.
Jersey’s Team Supporting Jersey Youth Hockey
Months after the New Jersey Devils did a first in the National Hockey League by launching Mission Control, they’re at it again.
The Devils will be teaming up with the State’s Interscholastic Athletic Association and New Jersey Youth Hockey League and will be the first team in the National Hockey League to host youth and high school hockey entirely on its website.
The website will offer scores, stats, and standings for more than 300 hockey clubs and more than 6,000 players will be featured on the website.
Rosters will be added to the New Jersey Youth Hockey Central webpage at the start of the season and will be available to be accessed throughout the year. Teams or league representatives will be entering statistics into the scoring system.
This is a continuation of the Devils supporting hockey throughout the state. Currently in Prudential Center, hockey jerseys from many of the state’s high schools hang throughout the main concourse.
And now for what I believe is the most exciting part. The Devils Army Generals will be assisting with the initiative. On the team’s social media platforms, we will be providing coverage on all of the teams participating in New Jersey Youth Hockey Central. We will also be selecting a correspondent each month from each county in the state, and that honoree will be given a pair of tickets to an upcoming New Jersey Devils game.
This is a great initiative not only for the Devils, but for the entire state of New Jersey. Currently Prudential Center hosts the state’s high school hockey championships. Reaching out and further assisting youth hockey programs really shows that the Devils are Jersey’s Team.
The New Jersey Youth Hockey Central is presented by AmeriHealth New Jersey.
