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Devils Come Up Short: Devils 2 – Rangers 3
The Devils have been playing better as of late, but the one issue they are having that has not left them is the inability to finish scoring opportunities. That was very evident as the Devils fell to the Ranger 3-2 Tuesday night at The Rock.
A pretty wide open first period saw the score land at 2-2 at the end of it. The Rangers opened the scoring as Michael Del Zotto bunted a puck out of mid-air after Johan Hedberg (making his 13th straight start) fumbled the puck halfway up the boards. This was not the main reason for the goal but it put the Devils in a sort of panic and wound up leaving two Rangers right in front of Hedberg for the first goal. This is the 12th time in the last 14 games the Devils have given up the first goal. Giving up the first goal has been a big reason for the struggles the past month, you do not want to be chasing all of the time.
Game 13 Recap – Blown Away – Devils 2 – Hurricanes 4
The Devils had their 5 game winning streak snapped tonight as the Carolina Hurricanes came into Newark and thoroughly outplayed the Devils in a 4-2 victory. Not much can be said about the Devils’ effort that the final score doesn’t reflect. They did get a goal with 4 minutes left in the 1st as a blast by Ilya Kovalchuk snuck under the crossbar and his the back bar before rocketing out of the net. It was so hard and so fast that it needed to be reviewed. Problem was there was no whistle for another 3 and a half minutes. So everyone was treated to a rare 24 minute first period. The goal was reviewed and counted and the time elapsed was then put back on the scoreboard as the two teams finished the period.
Game 11 Recap – MATTEAU! MATTEAU!! MATTEAU!!! – Devils 3 – Penguins 1
Ed. Note: I’m sorry for the headline but it’s the kid’s first goal and it’s kind of significant. I shall not be using this headline anymore…unless he scores a wraparound goal to knock out the Rangers in overtime in the East Final, but by then the universe will have imploded on itself and we won’t have to subject ourselves to the best case of irony ever…
Stefan Matteau wasn’t sure if he was going to be around after the 5th game of the season. I bet he’s glad he was able to stick around. Matteau grabbed his first NHL goal near the end of the 2nd period that helped propel the Devils to a win of 3-1 against the red hot Pittsburgh Penguins.
Game 10 Recap – IT’S ELECTRIC! Devils 4 – Lightning 2
One of the biggest questions coming into this season was “How were the Devils going to replace the scoring production when that guy from Minnesota went back home?” 10 games in, it sounds like David Clarkson and Patrik Elias are trying their best to answer that question. Elias had a goal and 2 assists and Clarkson added an assist to keep his amazing start to the season alive.
After a scoreless 1st period the Devils opened up the scoring as Adam Henrique poked home a rebound for his 3rd goal in 5 games since coming back from thumb surgery. The play of Henrique on the same line with Elias and Clarkson has given the Devils their most productive line given the small sample size of 3 games. I expect this line to stay together for most of the season.
Game 5 Recap – Grrrrrrrrr! Devils 1 – Bruins 2 (F/SO)
Well the Devils went into Boston tonight looking to rebound from the overtime loss to Montreal on Sunday and came up short again, losing in a shootout by a score of 2-1. However, in a shortened season, the Devils still collected 2 points from a possible 4 on this mini road trip which is not too shabby.
Game 4 Recap – Breaking the Winning Hab-it: Devils 3 – Montreal 4 (OT)
The Devils suffered their first loss of the 2013 campaign as they fell to the Canadiens by a score of 4-3. The Devils were bit badly by their 4th straight sub-par 1st period as the Habs jumped out to an early 1-0 lead. Ryan White cashed in on a rebound after a strong start by Montreal for most of the first 3 minutes. The Devils were able to settle the game down, however defenseman Andy Greene made a bad turnover and star rookie Alex Galchenyuk fired a laser pass over to fellow rookie Brendan Gallagher who rifled the puck past Brodeur to give the home side a 2-0 lead. The Devils tried getting back into the game but were snake bitten by their own undisciplined play.
A Guy’s Guide to Watching the Devils
In light of the popular article published recently by another franchise, I felt that in the spirit of fair and balanced journalism there should be a Guy’s Guide to watching hockey. Because let’s face it, you’re not a real man if you’re not watching some sports, RIGHT FELLAS?? Plus with football ending next week (total bummer dudes) you’ll need a sport to keep yourselves occupied. So may I present to you: The Guy’s Guide to Watching The Devils.
Questions for 2013
With the 2013 season starting in just a few hours, there are still many surprising questions remaining for a team that was 2 wins away from a Stanley Championship. The loss of THE PLAYER WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED hurts for sure but that’s not the only question.
Game 1: A View From Above
This is the first post of potentially 4 depicting what I had seen and heard from my seats at the 2012 Stanley Cup Final. Hope you all enjoy it.
I’m lucky enough where this is my 2nd Stanley Cup Final I’m able to be a part of as a season ticket holder. Talking it over with my friend Steve, we both said how this time around we are able to enjoy and appreciate it a lot more. We were STH rookies in 2003 so we just enjoyed the ride. Also being a part of the 3 finals in 4 years teams, it was almost expected. We knew nothing different. We were also 20 at the time. Now 9 years later and 9 years of heartache in April, we were able to soak it all in Wednesday night.
Just Say No To Orange!
Our boys play the Flyers on Thursday and Sunday of next week at The Rock. There is no doubt that these games will be sold out. There is also no doubt that there will be a fair share of Flyers fans at these games. Being only 90 miles apart, it’s a short trip up the turnpike to see some road hockey and Flyers fans have been known to travel well. But there’s one thing they need to get in…tickets. This is where you guys come in. There’s 2 objectives you all have:
1. If you haven’t already purchased tickets to the games next week, what are you waiting for? Seriously. Here….click this! And if you have them already, can’t wait to see you guys there.
2. THIS IS THE IMPORTANT ONE!!! If by some chance, you cannot make a game and you need to resell or give away your tickets, make sure they go to a Devils fan!! These games will sell out quick and maybe someone you know who was shut out of getting tickets and would love to go! Do NOT sell them if they plan on wearing orange to the game. Their team only plays 90 miles away. If they want to see them, they can make the hour and a half ride down in their building. There is even a Facebook group where Devils fans buy and sell tickets to each other at face value. They immediately delete any posts that ask for more than face value of the ticket. Check that place out too.
The Rock is OUR HOUSE!! Those that were fortunate to have been there for all 3 games know how loud our arena got. It was the loudest I personally have heard it since Game 2 against the same Flyers in 2010. We brought it BIG TIME last round. Now let’s bring it even more this round. We are ALL incredibly passionate and we love our team just as much as Flyers fans do. Will they be in our house more than Panthers fans were? Yes. We cannot stop that completely. And they will be boisterous as well. But you can do your part to “Say No To Orange”. Plus you’re helping out a fellow Devils fan. And you’ll feel better about that inside.
