Author Archives:
Devils Generals Visit Children’s Specialized Hospital
Tonight, the Devils Generals will get to spend the evening at PSE&G Children’s Specialized Hospital cheering up children and families. The Generals and the Devils organization have been asked to help decorate “shadow boxes” in one of the hallways to help brighten up the lives of those who spend a lot of time inside the confines of a hospital.
I recently spoke with Beth Anne Dobosh, Director of Community Engagement, to get some background on the hospital. Here is what she shared with me:
Game 18 – New Jersey Devils at Washington Capitals
Game Time: 12:00 PM
TV: NHLN-US, MSG+
Radio: WFAN 660 AM, 101.9 FM
Match-Up
In an odd occurrence, the Devils will be facing the Capitals again in Washington this afternoon. This will be the third and final meeting between these two teams and the Devils have won both games so far. Each game ended 3-2 and Ilya Kovalchuk was the man to finish off each game. On Thursday, the Devils struggled early with penalties and it lead to both Washington goals, but the Capitals struggled late in the 3rd period and had a continuous party in the penalty box which eventually led to the game winning goal by Kovalchuk. Look for both teams to be a little more disciplined in this afternoon’s game.
Game 4: New Jersey Devils at Montreal Canadiens
Match-Up
The Devils are entering tonight’s contest 3-0-0, despite needing overtime to beat the Washington Capitals. The Montreal Canadiens are entering this game 2-1-0 and we all know this is going to be another exciting game to watch, as most are when we head to Montreal. Last season the Devils won the season series 3-1, and Martin Brodeur shined as always when he visits his hometown. This season the Devils will only play the Canadiens three times, and this is the only time up in Montreal.
Game 1: New Jersey Devils vs. New York Islanders – #HockeyIsBack
Game Time: 7:00 PM
TV: MSG +2
Radio: WFAN 660 AM, 101.9 FM
Well, it’s been a long time since we’ve seen hockey, 221 days to be exact, but tonight is the first night of our quest for our fourth Stanley Cup! Last season was a season none of us will forget for a long time. A seven game series versus Florida in which we saw multiple overtimes and heroes emerge, to domination of the Philadelphia Flyers and finally getting that monkey off our backs against our rival New York Rangers with an overtime goal by Adam Henrique, to a run at the Stanley Cup versus the Los Angeles Kings. Yes folks, it’s something you’ll never forget. You will always remember where you were when Henrique scored that overtime winner…but enough about last season. We have a new season to talk about here and tonight, Game 1 versus the New York Islanders!
Tonight’s match-up will be the first of five games. Last season the Devils won four of the six games so hopefully they can continue that trend this season. When the Devils take the ice tonight, it’ll be the first time without Zach Parise on the roster. While many have written him off, it’ll be hard to replace his 31 goals, but it’s one in which the Devils will need to when they step out onto the ice tonight. The Devils have already moved on naming Bryce Salvador as the 10th captain in Devils history.
New Jersey Devils
Offense:
The Devils offense begins and ends with Ilya Kovalchuk. He finished 5th in the NHL in scoring last year with 37 goals and 46 assists. However he cannot do it all alone, therefore he will have to count on contributions from veterans like Patrik Elias and the newly re-signed Travis Zajac to pick up the slack. Zajac missed almost all of last season when he tore his Achilles tendon over the summer, but returned just prior to the start of the playoffs. He scored 7 goals and 7 assists during the second season, including the overtime winner against the Panthers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarter Finals. With his new 8 year contract, the pressure will be on Travis to live up to it. At 36 years old, Elias is showing no signs of slowing down, with 26 goals and 52 assists last year and 5 more goals in the playoffs. They are the men to carry the Devils offense right now. No one can expect David Clarkson to score 30 goals again, however he could probably chip in with about 15. Adam Henrique will have to wait to build on his impressive rookie season as he starts the season on injured reserve after surgery to repair a torn ligament in his thumb. He should be ready to go by early February.
Defense:
The no name defense, something you never thought you’d hear about the Devils, is actually once again strength for this team. While there are no flashy names like Stevens or Daneyko or Niedermayer, new Captain, Bryce Salvador, Andy Greene and Anton Volchenkov are as solid as they come. 2nd year Defenseman, Adam Larsson will hopefully take a huge step in development after finishing 5th in scoring amongst rookie defenseman. Rounding out the D is Marek Zidlicky, acquired at the trade deadline, Mark Fayne and Henrik Tallinder, who can hopefully stay healthy after missing half of last season with a blood clot.
Goalies:
Our goalie tandem may be aging, but they show no signs of slowing down whatsoever. Future hall of famer, Martin Brodeur will be back in goal for his 18th straight start with the same team, extending another NHL Record. Brodeur finished the regular season with a 31-21-4 record, 3 shutouts and a 2.41 GAA. Not one of Marty’s better seasons, but he was good enough to get us to the Stanley Cup Finals. Brodeur’s back-up, Johan Hedberg is no slouch though. When called upon, he stepped up and did what he needed to do. With a 17-7-2 record, 4 shutouts and a 2.23 GAA, Hedberg was one of the better back-ups we’ve had in a while and in a shortened season, hopefully this aging goalie tandem can keep up the strong play of last season.
New York Islanders
Now to the Islanders…the most exciting news for them after the end of their season was that they would be moving to the Barclay’s Center by the 2015-2016 season. The Islanders haven’t made the postseason since 2007 and have finished last in the Atlantic Division ever since. While John Tavares continues to shine, the Islanders have made some changes to their roster for this season. They signed Brad Boyes, a former 40 goal scorer, but lost PA Parenteau who had 18 goals and 49 assists. They also added defensemen Joe Finley and Thomas Hickey and forward Keith Aucoin on waivers.
Kyle Okposo has not lived up to his first round draft status since being drafted in 2007, but the Islanders are hoping that with him joining Tavares and Matt Moulson, he’ll be able to kick start his season. Okposo had a career best 24 goals last season, but in order for the Islanders to start off right, they’ll need him to keep up with this pace again this season.
As far as the Islanders goalie situation goes, it’s always anyone’s guess how long Rick DiPietro will last! DiPietro hasn’t played more than 8 games since the 2007-2008season and certainly hasn’t lived up to his massive contract he received in 2006 when the Islanders signed him for 15 years at $67.5 million. With the NHL offering amnesty buyouts, everyone has been wondering if he might be on the top of the list, but so far, the Islanders are sticking with him at least for right now. Tonight DiPietro will actually be backing up veteran Evgeni Nabokov. At 37 years old, Nabokov put up a respectable season last year, going 19-18-3 with a 2.55 GAA. He will provide the only stability in net on a team that has FIVE goalies on the roster!
Well, at 7pm tonight the New Jersey Devils are back. We all know what happened last time there was a 48 game season, and hopefully this season ends with the same outcome! LET’S DROP THE PUCK ALREADY!!
LET’S GO DEVILS!!!
Season Ticket Holder “Greet n’ Eat” Tonight!
I’m not sure about all of you, but I know that life without hockey is rough. The New Jersey Devils have been doing their best for their season ticket holders with weekly fan giveaways, a chance to get your pictures taken at the Rock for the Holidays and tonight, the first ever “Greet n’ Eat” get together.
Starting at 7pm tonight, the season ticket holders get the opportunity to enjoy free food, raffles prizes, autographs and more. Rumor has it the Devils have added a new alumni to the list and you’ll be able to meet him tonight! The event kicks off at the PNC Tower and then you have the opportunity to visit some of the local restaurants that Newark has to offer. You can stay at one location, or you can “crawl” from place to place. Participating restaurants include: Edison Ale House, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Loft 47, and Brick City Bar and Grill.
It’s been awhile since I’ve seen everyone (almost 6 months), and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone and wishing everyone Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!!
Summing Up The Season – Finally!
How do you sum up a season in which you had very little expectations? When you consider that the Devils missed the playoffs last year, had the 4th pick in the draft and found out early in the season that they would be without Travis Zajac for quite some time, there was indeed not a lot to be optimistic about for the 2011-12 season. I went into it expecting very little, and the Devils far exceeded anything that I could have ever hoped for as a season full of doubts turned into one that amazed me and left me full of pride by the time the smoke cleared!
Stanley Cup Final Game 6 Preview: One Step Away From History – Why Not Us?
Stanley Cup Final – Game 6
Game Time: 8:00 PM
TV: NBCSN, CBC, RDS
Radio: WFAN 660AM
We’re still alive!! That’s right, the Devils have fought their way back and tonight they have the opportunity to tie the series and bring it back to New Jersey for a Game 7. I don’t want to get ahead of ourselves though. The team needs to focus on tonight’s game.
A hero has emerged in the last 2 games, one in Adam Henrique and the other, Captain Clutch, Zach Parise! Parise got the Devils on the board in Game 5 when Jonathan Quick came out to play the puck and Zach was in the right position at the right time and put it past him. After the Kings tied up the game, the Devils continued to play their game and Bryce Salvador got the Devils on the board again when he shot the puck from the point and it went in off of Slava Voynov.
Stanley Cup Final Game 5 Preview: Devils Look to Continue Quest for History
Stanley Cup Final – Game 5
Game Time: 8:00 PM
TV: NBCSN, CBC, RDS
Radio: Bloomberg 1130 AM
It has only happened 4 times in the history of professional sports. The most famous being in 2004 when the Boston Red Sox came back from a 3-0 deficit to defeat the New York Yankees in a best of 7 series. The most recent was in 2010 as the Philadelphia Flyers came back from 3-0 down to defeat the Boston Bruins and advance to the Stanley Cup finals. That was the 3rd time it had happened in the NHL. The other previous 2 times were the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942 against the Detroit Red Wings to win the Stanley Cup, and in 1975 when the Islanders came back to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2nd round. So, while the odds are stacked against the Devils as they take the ice at the Rock for Game 5 tonight against the Kings, 3 of the 4 times it has happened has been in the NHL. That’s gotta count for something, right?
The Devils backs are clearly against the wall, but they played their best game of the series Wednesday night in a 3-1 victory. But if they are to force a Game 6 back in LA, they’re going to have to break the Kings 10-0 post season road record. However Coach DeBoer seems to think the Devils can do it, stating that, “It’s going to happen again. So why not us? I think that’s the approach. You’re not going to go 200 years without someone else doing it. So it’s been long enough, it might as well be us.”
The Devils had never been down 3-0 in a playoff series before this one, and following Wednesday’s victory, have still never been swept. They are also no stranger to coming back in series. They’re biggest deficit was in 2000 when they came back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers and advance to the Stanley Cup Final. They will hope that their own history is on their side when they take the ice tonight, in what could be the last games for Devils Captain Zach Parise, and for Goaltender Martin Brodeur. A hero must also emerge. Adam Henrique came through again in a much needed win, who will be it tonight?
No matter what happens tonight Devils fans, cheer on your team from beginning to end. This has been one of the best seasons we have had in a long time and we should be extremely proud of the team we cheer for each and every night!
ONE SHIFT AT A TIME, ONE PERIOD AT A TIME, ONE GAME AT A TIME!!
LET’S GO DEVILS!!
Devils Projected Line-up:
Parise – Zajac – Kovalchuk
Sykora – Elias – Zubrus
Ponikarovsky – Henrique – Clarkson
Carter – Gionta – Bernier
Greene – Fayne
Salvador – Zidlicky
Volchenkov – Tallinder
Brodeur
Hedberg
Kings Projected Line-up:
Brown – Kopitar – Williams
Penner – Richards – Carter
King – Stoll – Lewis
Gagne – Fraser – Nolan
Scuderi – Doughty
Mitchell – Voynov
Martinez – Greene
Quick
Bernier
Stanley Cup Final Game 4 Preview: Devils Need to Give Everything They’ve Got
Stanley Cup Final – Game 4
Game Time: 8:00 PM
TV: NBCSN, CBC, RDS
Radio: Bloomberg 1130 AM
Writing this preview for Game 4 is probably the hardest thing I’ve had to do this season. Where to even begin? Well let’s start with the obvious, the Devils are down 3-0 in the series and must win at least one game in order to avoid being swept for the first time in franchise history AND for us to be able to see one more game at The Rock this season. It’s not impossible to do, but it’s definitely one of those moments where the team needs to put everything on the line and play their hearts out.
Last game, the Devils came out like a house on fire, yet still couldn’t get anything past Jonathan Quick. The turning point came on a 5-on-3 power play where Quick stopped shot after shot to keep the Devils off the board. Finally, on one fluky play that lead to the first goal of the game, LA was on the board and never looked back, rolling to a 4-0 victory. The Devils need to throw everything they’ve got at Quick tonight, even if that includes the kitchen sink!
It looks like Coach DeBoer has decided to shake up the line-up a bit, benching Jacob Josefson and putting in veteran Petr Sykora. Will Sykora be able to propel this team to the next level and bring the series back home? We’ll see if he can give the team a little bit of boost when they step out onto the ice tonight.
Someone needs to emerge as the hero tonight; I don’t care who it is. All I’m asking is that the Devils put everything they’ve got into tonight’s game. They went from 4th Overall Draft pick and not making the playoffs, to the Stanley Cup Finals in one season. No matter what happens, this has been a great season and I am proud of what this team has accomplished, but I’m not quite ready for it to end just yet. I still have hope and I’m still believin’!
ONE SHIFT AT A TIME, ONE PERIOD AT A TIME, ONE GAME AT A TIME!!
LET’S GO DEVILS!!
Devils Projected Line-up:
Parise – Zajac – Kovalchuk
Sykora – Elias – Zubrus
Ponikarovsky – Henrique – Clarkson
Carter – Gionta – Bernier
Greene – Fayne
Salvador – Zidlicky
Volchenkov – Tallinder
Brodeur
Hedberg
Kings Projected Line-up:
Brown – Kopitar – Williams
Penner – Richards – Carter
King – Stoll – Lewis
Gagne – Fraser – Nolan
Scuderi – Doughty
Mitchell – Voynov
Martinez – Greene
Quick
Bernier
Stanley Cup Finals Game 1: Devils Looking to Take Advantage of Home Ice
Stanley Cup Playoffs: Round 4
Los Angeles Kings at New Jersey Devils
8:00 P.M. ET
TV: NBC
Radio: Bloomberg 1130 AM
Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals begins tonight at 8pm and it’s our New Jersey Devils vs. the Los Angeles Kings…yes, let that sink in, re-read it again if you need to. After defeating the Florida Panthers in 7 games, the Philadelphia Flyers in 5 games and the New York Rangers in 6 games, our New Jersey Devils are playing in the Stanley Cup Finals!!
