Monthly Archives: March 2012
Devils Generals Take a Trip to Albany
A few Devils Army Generals took a trip up to Albany on Saturday, March 3rd to watch the Albany Devils take on the Adirondack Phantoms. We got a chance to meet with the PR and Marketing department of the Albany Devils at the Times Union Center to get a glance at life as an Albany Devils employee and how they use social media. At five o’clock it was game time! We made sure to pick up the giveaway that night, a Devil Dawg piggy bank (Seth already has coins in it), and bought a couple mystery pucks that were signed by current Albany and New Jersey Devils players. Seth got lucky with a Zach Parise autographed puck and Kevin got a Travis Zajac autograph. Albany unfortunately lost to the Phantoms but Kevin won a pretty nice prize pack from playing Devils Trivia – and that’s all that matters, right?
New York! The Empire State! ... Where's Time Square?!
Um, snow?
Taking in the sites of Albany
Times Union Center
Got lucky with this Mystery Puck!
Hey, we know him.
Keith Kinkaid
Albany Devils starting line up during anthem
Kevin answering Devils Trivia
Oh, tough one!
Awesome Albany Devils prize pack!
Just hanging out with Eric Gelinas after the game
Successful road trip!
This post was a group effort with contributions from Seth Plotnick, Allyson Wilcox and Kevin Lankey.
New Jersey Devils Honor Special Olympics Winners
The Devils had guests on St Patrick’s Day. No, not the Penguins or their fans, those were “visitors”. These were guests. In honor of the Ocean Knights victory at the Special Olympics Floor Hockey State Tournament, the team, their coach, and their families were invited to come to the Prudential Center and take in the festivities. Prior to the game, these young hockey players got to tour The Rock, visit the ice, and even spend a few minutes sitting in the sin bin (my sources assure me no one was hurt to warrant such penalization, and that the Shanaban won’t be a factor).
New Jersey Devils Want Your Blood!
The Devils have partnered with the American Red Cross to bring up the 5th Annual New Devils American Red Cross Blood Drive! Coming to The Prudential Center on Saturday, March 31st, the blood drive is your chance to contribute to an on-going effort to prevent a possible blood shortage. From 6 AM to 1 PM, the American Red Cross will be at The Rock to accept blood donations.
As a “Thank You” to all that donate, everyone who registers will receive a Devils hat and an exclusive Devils t-shirt. In addition to that, donors will be selected at random for autographed prizes, including jerseys, sticks, and pucks.
As another added perk, all who register will be able to park, for free, in the VIP Parking Deck behind The Rock.
Personally, I wish to encourage everyone to register and donate. It’s a great opportunity to help out someone in need. Registering only takes a few minutes.
For more details, and to register, follow this link: http://www.redcrossblood.org/devils
Game 74 Recap: Moose-egg with a side of Koval-sauce
(headline by @YesJamesIsAsian)
Three stars of the game:
3rd star: Ilya Kovalchuk (Game-winning goal)
2nd star: Ben Bishop (Senators – 33 saves)
1st star: Johan Hedberg (34-save shutout)
The Devils entered Tuesday night with a 10-4 record in the second night of back-to-back games this season. Last night, they suffered a tough 4-2 loss at the hands of their biggest rivals, the New York Rangers, so bouncing back in Ottawa was quite a feat. Ottawa entered Tuesday just three points behind the Devils in the standings, so it was a big game for more than one reason for both teams. The Devils didn’t get off to the best of starts, but battled their way to a 1-0 victory. Here’s what happened.
Game 74 Preview: New Jersey Devils vs. Ottawa Senators
New Jersey Devils (41-26-5, 87 points) vs. Ottawa Senators (37-26-10, 84 points)
7:30 PM E.T.
TV: MSG+
Radio: WFAN 660 AM
Matchup:
There’s no rest for the weary as the Devils are back in action again tonight against the Ottawa Senators. This is the third of four meetings between these two clubs. The previous two games have resulted in wins for each team, with both going into overtime.
Under Pressure:
Do-do-do-do-do-do-do…Okay, now that you’re all singing that song, let’s talk about our Devils. New Jersey has lost three of their last four games, being outscored 12-4 (or 5 if you really want to count the shootout goal against Colorado) in the process. Zach Parise, Ilya Kovalchuk and David Clarkson have been snake-bitten. Kovalchuk has only scored one goal since his hat-trick on March 8th against the Islanders. Parise’s hat-trick on March 2nd seems so long ago, and he has also only scored one goal since then. Clarkson hasn’t had a hat-trick yet, but it has been five games since he put the biscuit in the basket. In order for the Devils to move forward, these 3 need to start scoring again.
What is going on with these guys? Is the pressure too much for them right now?
Don’t Stop Believin’:
HOLD ON TO THAT FEEL-LEY-YEN! STREET LIGHTS! PEOPLE-OH-OH-OHHHH!!!” Oh yeah I’m just full of 80’s hits this morning! It’s okay to sing this song! Well, “Don’t Stop Believin’” has been a Devils fans motto since last season, so folks…don’t stop now! With nine games remaining and still a lot of hockey to play, anything can happen in these remaining games, so we all need to try and stay positive. Do the Devils have some work to do? Absolutely, but what team doesn’t right now? Just hang on, strap yourselves in and get ready for this ride into the playoffs folks…cause it’s gonna be a fun ride!
Devils’ projected lineup:
Parise – Henrique – Kovalchuk
Sykora – Elias – Zubrus
Ponikarovsky – Josefson – Clarkson
Boulton – Carter – Janssen
Greene – Fayne
Volchenkov – Zidlicky
Salvador – Larsson
Hedberg
Brodeur
The Ottawa Senators:
The Senators were at the top of their division just a week ago, but for a short amount of time. Still, there’s no reason they can’t get it back. The Bruins are only three points ahead of them and that’s not a lot for things to change. With Jason Spezza and Erik Karlsson in the Top 10 for scoring right now, the Senators are no slouch of a team.
Senators projected lineup:
Greening – Spezza – Michalek
Klinkhammer – Turris – Alfredsson
Foligno – Obrien – Neil
Daugavins – Smith – Condra
Kuba – Karlsson
Cowen – Gonchar
Phillips – Gilroy
Bishop
Auld
Game 73 Recap: Devils Turnover a Win to the Rangers
(headline by @radametz)
Three stars of the game:
3rd star: Mats Zuccarello (Rangers – 1 goal)
2nd star: Brandon Dubinsky (Rangers – 1 goal, 1 assist)
1st star: Ryan Callahan (Rangers – 2 assists)
Playing the Rangers has brought out the best of the Devils (the three wins, 4-3, 1-0 and 4-1) and the worst of the Devils this season (third period collapse in the 4-1 loss, 2-0 shutout loss). Still, only the Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins had beaten the Rangers three times this season entering Monday’s game at Madison Square Garden, and the Devils had a chance to clinch the season series, four games to two. They had a chance to put the Rangers’ lead in their division in jeopardy and continue their slump, as well as propel themselves up and inch closer to Philadelphia. They didn’t do any of that, and now, fans are becoming increasingly frustrated with the Devils. We know they can play better and smarter, but they’re not right now. The Devils are in quite a significant slump, and it got worse on Monday.
Game 73 Preview: Devils-Rangers Round 6
New York Rangers (44-20-7, 95 points) vs. New Jersey Devils (41-26-5, 87 points)
7:30 PM E.T.
TV: NBC Sports Network (formerly Versus), Radio: WFAN 660 AM
Matchup:
This is, as the headline suggests, the sixth and final regular season between between the Devils and Rangers this season. The Rangers won the first meeting, but the Devils have won three of the last four meetings between the teams, all since the All-Star Break. The Devils have played well defensively against the Rangers this season, allowing eight goals in five games (not including a pair of empty net goals). Martin Brodeur has also elevated his game against the Hudson River Rivals this season, as his save percentage against them is .931 in the five games. The Rangers come in having lost five of their last seven games, and are only 2-7-0 in their last nine games against teams currently in the playoffs. The Devils have lost two of their last three, but have only scored two goals during that stretch, so both teams look to get on the right track today.
Bouncing back:
The Devils celebrated retro day this past Saturday for St. Patrick’s Day, but most of the celebrating in-game went to the opponent, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Pittsburgh won its 11th straight game at the time (they lost in overtime on Sunday to Philadelphia), as the Devils fell, 5-2. The troubling part of that game was the Devils’ inability to generate anything offensively. The Penguins’ defense and forwards’ backchecking completely neutralized anything the Devils tried. They managed just 14 shots on goal, as opposed to 44 by the Penguins. They also managed less than 20 shots in their loss in Philadelphia last Tuesday (17). Knowing the opposing goaltender tonight, Henrik Lundqvist, it will take more shots, and quality scoring chances, to beat the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
Staying positive:
Despite the loss on Saturday, the Devils are still among the Eastern Conference’s best teams. They’re fourth in their own division, but also have the fourth-highest point total in the conference. They’re sixth in the Eastern Conference standings, and 11 points up on 9th place with 10 games to go. Playing the Rangers has brought out the best in the Devils this season. The Devils played a very strong game in their last meeting of the season, a 4-1 win at Prudential Center. Brodeur also recorded his first shutout of the season earlier at Madison Square Garden and in their first win over their top rivals, they managed to come back from three deficits, including the game-tying goal with under a minute remaining to force overtime, before they won in a shootout.
Who to watch for:
Patrik Elias has always been a thorn in the Rangers’ side. In 73 regular season games against them, Elias has 19 goals and 65 points. In 42 games against New York, Zach Parise has 14 goals and 34 points. Ilya Kovalchuk also has 21 goals and 39 points in 43 games against the Rangers, which includes 7 goals in 14 games as a New Jersey Devil. Of course, you always have to keep an eye on Martin Brodeur, who has been one of the top goaltenders in the league since the All-Star Break, and he’ll be gunning for his 47th regular season win against the Rangers tonight.
The view from the other side of the Hudson:
As mentioned earlier, the Rangers enter Monday having dropped five of seven games overall, and seven of their last nine games against playoff teams. In a season that hasn’t featured that much adversity thus far, the Rangers are now starting to deal with some. They’ve had some injuries lately, as Ryan Callahan, Artem Anisimov and even a flu bug to Henrik Lundqvist have left their lineup shorthanded, and scoring goals has been a problem for the Rangers, as it has been for the Devils. Don’t expect either team to break out of their scoring slumps too dramatically tonight, either. The Rangers are in the middle of a season-long seven game homestand. They’ll try to use it to hold off the hard-charging Penguins, who are just one point behind them entering Monday for top spot in the Eastern Conference. They lost 3-1 to Colorado on Saturday night, which was their second straight defeat. Before that, like the Devils, they fell to Pittsburgh by a 5-2 score.
Devils’ projected lineup:
Parise – Henrique – Kovalchuk
Sykora – Elias – Zubrus
Ponikarovsky – Josefson – Clarkson
Boulton – Carter – Janssen
Greene – Fayne
Volchenkov – Zidlicky
Salvador – Larsson
Brodeur
Hedberg
Rangers’ projected lineup:
Hagelin – Richards – Gaborik
Dubinsky – Stepan – Callahan
Mitchell – Boyle – Zuccarello
Fedotenko – Rupp – Prust
McDonagh – Girardi
Staal – Del Zotto
Erixon – Bickel
Lundqvist
Biron
Game 72 Recap: The St. Patrick’s Day Massacre
(headline by @Bcallow_74)
3 stars of the game:
3rd star – Matt Cooke (Penguins: 2 goals)
2nd star – Evgeni Malkin (Penguins: 1 goal, 1 assist)
1st star – Sidney Crosby (Penguins: 3 assists)
First of all, before getting to anything related to the game itself, I wanted to take the opportunity to give a huge shoutout to the Devils organization for a phenomenal job with Retro Day 2012. It started with the retro cap giveaway entering the arena today, then we were treated to Bob Arsena’s voice (and the voice of the Devils during the Brendan Byrne Arena/Continental Airlines Arena days) for the second straight year. The Devils also used their goal horn from the pre-lockout days as well (I’m not sure if they would have used it last year, as they were shut out last year), and even returned to their old introduction video and music on the Jumbotron. So, to the Devils, today was a job well done.
As we sat in a sold out Prudential Center today, we were optimistic that perhaps the Devils would be the team to snap the Pittsburgh Penguins’ seemingly never-ending winning streak. After all, the Devils had won the last three games against Pittsburgh, and the last time Sidney Crosby and the Penguins were healthy, in 2009-10, the Devils swept the season series, so there was reason for optimism. It didn’t take very long for the optimism to wear off, though. The Penguins did something that actual penguins can’t do: they were flying from the opening face-off to the final horn. They absolutely dominated the Devils on Saturday afternoon in a game where the Devils were never really in it at all.
Just 1:55 into the game, Marek Zidlicky got beat by Chris Kunitz, and Zidlicky resorted to taking him down on a partial breakaway. Some would argue that Zidlicky knocked the puck off Kunitz’s stick before he took Kunitz down, but regardless, the officials awarded Kunitz a penalty shot. Martin Brodeur stopped him, and kept the Devils in it for most of the afternoon, because if Brodeur hadn’t been as strong as he was, the game would have been much more lopsided. Despite Brodeur’s strong play, the Penguins scored two face-offs and four seconds after the penalty shot. Evgeni Malkin won the face-off cleanly, and James Neal fired his 32nd of the season past Brodeur.
The Penguins absolutely dominated play for most of the first period. They controlled the puck and forced the Devils’ defensemen into mistakes, yet still allowed no room for the Devils to set up offensively. At one point, the Penguins had 11 of 12 shots on goal overall. Pittsburgh finished the period up 14-6 in the shots department. Six shots would be the most they allowed in any period in this game. However, with 3:03 to go in the first period, Ilya Kovalchuk led a 3-on-2 rush, dropped the puck to the trailer, Andy Greene, and Greene wristed the puck just under the crossbar to tie the game, 1-1, which held through the first intermission. It was Greene’s first goal of the season.
The Devils had no answer to the Pens’ first period dominance in the second period. For the first ten minutes of the period, Brodeur’s at-times brilliant play kept the Devils and Penguins tied, but ten seconds past the halfway point of regulation and the second period, Pittsburgh struck again. Jordan Staal dropped the puck to Pascal Dupuis down the left side, and Dupuis slapped the puck into the net to make it 2-1 Penguins. 1:34 after Dupuis’ goal, Sidney Crosby threw the puck across the crease and Matt Cooke knocked it in off his skate. Like Greene’s goal, the play was reviewed, but the goal counted, and the Penguins led 3-1. 58 seconds after Cooke’s goal, the Penguins, now on a power play after a questionable penalty call on David Clarkson for roughing, struck yet again. Crosby threw another puck across down low and Evgeni Malkin slapped it home. That was how the second period went, and 4-1 was the score after two periods.
In the third period, the Devils got off to a decent start. They had three of the first four shots in the period, but they only had one shot after that point. At 2:26, Petr Sykora scored on a rebound to cut the Devils’ deficit to 4-2, and they could have made a comeback attempt at that point, but they didn’t. Pittsburgh ended up dominating the third period, outshooting the Devils, 18-4 in the final period. Matt Cooke added another goal (which gave Crosby his third assist of the game) 3:30 after Sykora’s goal to make it 5-2 Pittsburgh, which held up as the final score.
Game notes: The Devils, who struggled early in the season at home, hadn’t lost at Prudential Center since February 26th before Saturday’s 5-2 loss to the Penguins. It was also the first time Pittsburgh won in New Jersey since October 11th, 2010, when the Penguins won, 3-1. Ilya Kovalchuk and Petr Sykora didn’t necessarily play particularly well on Saturday, but both found the score sheet. Kovalchuk now has 10 points in 5 games against the Penguins this season. Andy Greene’s goal was his first goal since March 30th, 2011, when the Devils beat the Islanders, 3-2 on Greene’s game-winner late in the third period. David Clarkson added 16 penalty minutes, to bring his team-leading total to 134 in Saturday’s game. Despite allowing five goals, Martin Brodeur made 39 saves in the game.
Game 72 Preview: Pittsburgh Penguins at New Jersey Devils (Retro edition)
New Jersey Devils (41-25-5, 87 points) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (43-21-5, 91 points)
1:00 PM E.T.
TV: MSG Plus, Radio: WFAN 660 AM
Tale of the tape:
This is the fifth of six meetings between two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. The Devils dropped the first meeting of the season in Pittsburgh on October 22nd, but since then, it’s been all Devils. The Devils beat the Penguins 3-1 on New Year’s Eve, 3-1 in Pittsburgh on January 7th and 5-2 on February 5th. This St. Patrick’s Day special will mark the second time in three years that the Penguins will be in New Jersey as the Devils celebrate retro day. The Devils are just four points behind Pittsburgh in the standings.
This matchup also features a pair of players who might be in the running for the Hart Trophy this season (league MVP). Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin (85 points) and the Devils’ Ilya Kovalchuk (71 points) have both been tremendous for their respective teams this season. Who knows where either team would be without the offensive production of the two Russian superstar forwards.
Retro:
From 1982 to 1992, the Devils’ colors were red, white and green. From 1992 to present, the Devils did away with the green and changed to black. While they’ve never worn an alternate, third or black jersey regularly, this will be the third straight season that the Devils will bring the old red, white and green back for one day only. Also on this date in 2009, Martin Brodeur set the all-time NHL record for regular season wins by a goaltender, with his 552nd career win, passing Patrick Roy for the honor. Three years later, Brodeur has picked up 99 more wins. Also on March 17th, 2009, Patrik Elias recorded his 702nd career regular season point, which eclipsed John MacLean for most points in Devils’ history. March 17th is a festive day for more reasons than just the official holiday in New Jersey.
The Devils beat the Penguins on the very first Retro Night in 2010, 5-2, to cap off a season sweep of Pittsburgh in 2009-10 (6-0-0).
Where’s the offense?
The Devils have been in the top half of the league in goals per game. In fact, they’ve been in the top ten offensively for much of the season, but their ability to score goals has evaporated of late. After a three-goal third period on Sunday night against Philadelphia, they were shut out in Philly by the Flyers on Tuesday and failed to score a goal in 65 minutes of play against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, despite winning 1-0 in the shootout. They played much better offensively on Thursday than they did Tuesday, but scoring droughts this time of year can be worrisome, and the Devils must score goals against Pittsburgh, because with the firepower the Penguins do have, no goals probably won’t be good enough to compete with them.
Despite the recent offensive slump, the Devils do have the lineup and talent to score goals. They have four players who have eclipsed 20 goals this season and seven players with at least 15 goals. It is that balance of scoring that has helped the Devils become one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference this season. They’ve also played strong defensively since the All-Star Break, and Martin Brodeur is 12-6-1 with a .930 save percentage since the break. That is, without a doubt, vintage Brodeur, as he approaches his 40th birthday.
Who to watch for:
The Devil who you’ll want to keep an extra-close eye on in this game is Ilya Kovalchuk. He’s been absolutely phenomenal against the Pittsburgh Penguins this season, as he has been against the Atlantic Division. Kovy has three goals and six assists in four games against Pittsburgh this season. In his career, Kovy has posted 46 points in 40 games against the Penguins. Patrik Elias has also had success against Pittsburgh this season, with a goal and four assists in the four games so far. Zach Parise has two goals and three assists in the season series with Pittsburgh so far.
What’s new with the Pens?
Things have been quiet from Pittsburgh’s camp of late.
Okay, not exactly. They had won nine straight games before their Thursday matchup with the New York Rangers at MSG, and they got two huge additions to their lineup: defenseman Kris Letang, who is generally considered to be one of the best puck-moving defenseman in the NHL as well as their “third line center,” who you may have heard of. His name is Sidney Crosby. He had only played eight games before Thursday due to concussion-like symptoms, but he’s back and at least for now, he’s healthy. He recorded an assist (it was later decided that he should get a second assist, so technically, he had two points at MSG) in Pittsburgh’s 5-2 win over the Rangers. Oh yeah, and Letang? He was a plus-5 at MSG against the Rangers.
So the Penguins have won ten straight hockey games, and they’ve proven that they just might be the best team in the league right now. Winger James Neal is having a career year, with 31 goals and 67 points for the Penguins. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is one of hockey’s best in net, so at this point, are there any teams, at least in the East, that can play with the Penguins? The Devils will try to prove that they can in this game.
Penguins’ projected lineup:
Kunitz – Malkin – Neal
Sullivan – Staal – Dupuis
Cooke – Crosby – Kennedy
Tangradi – Vitale – Adams
Martin – Letang
Orpik – Michalek
Engelland – Niskanen
Fleury
Thiessen
Devils’ projected lineup:
Parise – Henrique – Kovalchuk
Sykora – Elias – Zubrus
Ponikarovsky – Josefson – Clarkson
Boulton – Carter – Bernier
Greene – Fayne
Volchenkov – Zidlicky
Salvador – Larsson
Brodeur
Hedberg
Game 71 Recap: Devils top Avs in shootout on Return of Crosby, Pt. 2 Night
(headline by @SkooterMcGaven)
If you were a casual hockey fan, you probably had no idea that there were games other than Penguins-Rangers, “Crosby’s second return,” because of all the media hype, but there were other games. If you want a recap of Crosby’s return, well, I can’t help you there, as I’ll be recapping the Avalanche-Devils game. The Avs were coming off a dramatic comeback win against Buffalo in a shootout on Wednesday night, and the Devils were shutout in Philadelphia in a lackluster effort on Tuesday night, so the Devils were expected to come out to a strong start. In reality, they didn’t get off to such a strong start. Both teams played a very tight-checking, defensive period, which may have fallen right into what Colorado wanted to do after playing the night before. Both teams came up empty on their lone power play of the night. The Devils in particular allowed nothing to Colorado on their power play.
