Game 65 Recap: Pressure, A Little Too Late

The New Jersey Devils lost 1-0 to the Islanders. Martin Brodeur looked sharp, however the first goal was all the Islanders needed. The goal came quickly in the second where Okposo took an unexpected shot from the slot, scoring to the bottom-left corner of Martin Brodeur. It was a play that looked harmless, because Larsson and Volchenkov looked to have had Okposo tied up. The Devils had 24 shots on goal and had roughly another 15 shots blocked. New Jersey played much better in the third period however the pressure came a little too late.

New Jersey came out applying decent pressure in the first few minutes of the game, but then the Islanders took over for the rest of the first and second periods. It was a game where fans will most likely say, “we only played 20 minutes of hockey”. We have seen this a few too many times this season. The team didn’t play well. A lot of their passes today were in each other’s skates or behind them. New Jersey sat back allowing the pressure from the Islanders to build and eat away at their own scoring chances. The Devils showed moments of sustained pressure, but not consistent enough to wear down New York.

On a positive note, Martin Brodeur has been playing well, stopping 24 shots tonight including a breakaway by John Tavares. It’s nice to see Marty giving the team a chance. Right now the offense has been up and down but as long as the Devils goaltending continues to give the team opportunities to win, they will.

The Devils PK remained strong killing off all 5 penalties today including a 4 on 3.

Our next game is an important one as New Jersey will take on the Rangers at home, Tuesday night March 6th. Get your friends and family out to the game Tuesday night to help cheer on the Devils to a victory over the Rangers. I’d love to see the arena filled with red and I would love to see a win.