Category Archives: Win
Flying High Again – Devils Beat the “Bullies” 5-2
Three Stars of the Game:
3rd Star: Andrei Loktionov (1 G, 1 A)
2nd Star: Johan Hedberg (2 GA, 23 Saves)
1st Star: Adam Henrique (2 G, 1 A)
The Devils (13-9-5) picked up their 30th and 31st points of the season against an old rival, the Philadelphia Flyers (12-15-1), in the first half of a home-and-home series. The win gives the Devils their first consecutive wins since ending their 5-game winning streak in mid-February, and is the first time the Devils scored more than 3 goals since they last played the Flyers on February 15.
Capital Punishment: 3rd Period Penalties Almost Upend Devils, Still Manage 3-2 OT Win
Three Stars of the Game
3rd Star: Jacob Josefson (NJD) (1 assist)
2nd Star: Mike Green (WAS) (1 goal, 1 assist)
1st Star: Ilya Kovalchuk (NJD) (GWG goal)
The Devils seemed to be lacking a certain pep in their step to start the 1st period of Friday night’s game. Their offense seemed uncoordinated, and they were unable to put a lot of pressure on the Capitals to start the game. Washington, however, was dominant through the first half of the period. Brodeur was called upon to weather an early storm by a desperate opponent, and as he did for the first two games, Marty was up to the task. As the period went on, and more fans began to make their way through the snowstorm outside, the momentum began to shift the Devils way. The Devils were given their first power play of the night, as Jay Beagle was called for holding, but with just 7 seconds left on the power play, Kovalchuk was called for hooking. The Devils penalty kill looked strong, as usual, and in the closing seconds, Josefson broke free from the zone with Gionta trailing. As Tomas Kundratek swatted the puck away from Josefson in front of Neuvirth, his clearing attempt landed directly on Gionta’s stick, resulting in the first goal of the game as Gionta hammered home a golden opportunity at 13:55 of the first period.
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
Niedermayer Night at The Rock
Last Friday, the Devils retired former captain Scott Niedermayer’s #27 into the rafters of the Prudential Center for “Niedermayer Night” as fans gathered to see the Devils take on the Dallas Stars. There was initially a little bit of controversy amongst fans and critics over whether or not Niedermayer was deserving of the honor, but anybody who watched the ceremony and highlights of his career as a Devil and knows his impressive resume can have little doubt that this was more than well deserved. And what a night it was!
For those of you that did not get to see the ceremony, you can view it here: http://bit.ly/uHJnUl
From a fan’s perspective, the whole evening was fun, exciting, and memorable. The entire place was decked out. Number 27 was everywhere, from the banners outside of the Rock to the boards at center ice inside the arena. Interviews and highlights of Niedermayer’s career were displayed on the jumbotron throughout the evening. Some of his stats were displayed in the rafters of the main concourse. Fans entering the building received a mini replica banner, and fans exiting the building received a numbered 8×10 collector’s card.
The energy inside the arena during the ceremony was intense. Fans were cheering, screaming, standing, whistling, chanting, and applauding when the banner was raised to the rafters. The sellout crowd was a big part of the excitement of the night, as everybody was respectful and gave Niedermayer his due credit. Even the staff at the Prudential Center seemed more friendly and happy than they usually are. There was just an air of excitement throughout the arena that everyone seemed to share.
The Devils went on to win 6-3 against the Stars, with a goal and 3 assists by captain Zach Parise. It was a perfect ending to a perfect night, and everybody went home with a giant smile on their face. It was one of my most fun-filled nights as a Devils fan, and the win helped seal it as one of my proudest memories as a Devils fan.
During his short but humble speech, Niedermayer reflected upon his time as a Devil and said, “These memories, I will cherish the rest of my life.” Likewise, Scotty. What was your favorite part about Niedermayer Night?
Player of the Week: 11/14-11/20
This past week was a busy one for the Devils. Playing back-to-back games against two top Eastern Conference opponents in the Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres, and then rounding it out with a Saturday night match-up against the Tampa Bay Lightning, it was a good test for Jersey’s team. And they didn’t disappoint winning 2 of those 3 games!
This week’s “Player of the Week” is a tough one as there were contributions from multiple players, making for some great hockey…but we won’t complain! We narrowed it down to three choices below. If you think someone else deserves it, tell us who and why by voting Other.
Vote for your “Player of the Week” and tell us why you picked that player. Stay tuned for the results!
Opening Night is Here!
It was June 23rd, the NHL Schedule for 2011-2012 had just come out and you immediately circled the date on your calendar… October 8, 2011. You’ve been anticipating this day all summer, knowing exactly what you’re going to do that day, what jersey you’re going to wear and now after 5 long months… IT’S FINALLY HERE!
That’s right everyone, tonight at 7pm, your New Jersey Devils will be hosting the Philadelphia Flyers.
The off-season began with excitement as the Devils drafted Adam Larsson 4th overall and hired Peter DeBoer as their new Head Coach. It continued with the disappointing news that Travis Zajac would be out for a few months with an achilles injury. Then into training camp where Petr Sykora, a familiar face was trying to make the team and did! But tonight, we put all that aside and start fresh as our team begins their quest for the Holy Grail!
I don’t know about all of you, but ever since the clock hit 0:00 on April 10th against the Bruins, I’ve been looking for redemption from the season we had last year. I’ve been waiting for the Devils to come out fighting tooth and nail like the Devils of old, with a sense of passion, heart and determination. I’ve been waiting to see Parise bounce back from his injury, for Kovalchuk to rip shots into the back of the net and for the great Martin Brodeur to just amaze me in net like he always does.
I’m very superstitious when it comes to the Devils, so I will continue my traditions as I usually do for opening night. I will lay out my outfit – jeans, white long sleeve shirt, Devils sweatshirt, black & red Saucony sneakers and of course my WHITE Devils jersey. I’ll then be heading to my traditional pre-game spot, Hell’s Kitchen in Newark for some burgers, wings and beer and then off to my home away from home, Section 225 of The Prudential Center!
Tonight is OUR night. The night our team begins the long journey. One that hopefully concludes with that jubilant on-ice celebration come mid-June, and the raising of Lord Stanley’s Cup. But until then, the 82 game grind awaits us. So get your jersey on, do whatever pre-game rituals you have, and most importantly… LET’S GO DEVILS!!!
Leave a comment and let us know your opening day plans and rituals.
All Aboard the Bandwagon to D.C. … Literally!
What’s a Devils fan to do when this year’s playoffs don’t include them? Jump on another team’s bandwagon of course! Every hockey fan does it. They pick two teams they’re going to pull for during the playoffs, one from each conference, and then see if they’re right. If not, they just continue to jump from bandwagon to bandwagon. I’v
e made my stance about who I’m rooting for in the East this year, some know who, others do not. But for one night I’m choosing to jump on the Washington Capitals bandwagon.
You see, my husband is a die-hard Rangers fan. So, any opportunity I can get to root against our Blue Shirt rivals, I jump at the opportunity. We decided earlier in the week that this would be a great experience for both of us, and one that we would both enjoy. After all, I did bring him to Chicago for a Devils/Blackhawks game last season, and he donned a Hawks jersey. So, it’s only fitting that I go to Washington and rock my Ovechkin t-shirt. Therefore , tomorrow morning we’ll head down to the D.C. area to do some sight-seeing, and get ready for Game 2 of the Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers series.
Having watched a lot of the Rangers/Caps games all season, this is still anyone’s series for the taking. The Rangers outscored the Caps 17-6 and took the season series 3-1. They also held Alexander Ovechkin to no goals and two assists. Last night however, Alexander Ovechkin got on the board and tied the game late in the 3rd period. The game headed to overtime and the Caps came out with the victory.
The Capitals lead the 7 game series 1-0. Game 2 is tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. and I can’t wait to enjoy some playoff hockey. I’ll be rocking my red one way or another, even if it is for a different team.
Go Caps Go!
Nordiques Nation invades The Rock!
Nordiques Nation
The Nordiques Nation was in attendance for the Devils last game of the season on Sunday against Boston, all 2,000 of them with their blue shirts, face paint, and resident sasquatch. They took up a few sections in the upper level and were scattered through each section of Prudential, chanting and cheering on the Devils… and The Nordiques Nation, of course.
Their goal is to bring it to the attention of the NHL that they want a team back in Quebec. It’s been 16 years without a team after the Quebec Nordiques moved and became the Colorado Avalanche in 1995. Each period, the Nordiques would start a countdown to the 16 minute mark and make noise for the next 30 seconds of play to mark the importance of 16. They were loud the entire game, started a pretty successful wave throughout the arena and were very organized! Chico made a few comments about the Nordiques not just being a haphazard group, “they have leaders!” (I know this because I watched the replay of the game later that night.. it’s hard to say goodbye!)
In the last few minutes of the game, the Nordiques Nation left their upper level seats to invade the lower half. Lines of blue filled the aisles of the lower level of the Prudential Center and the rest of the arena in red gave the Devils a standing ovation for the last minute of play as they won 3-2. It was a great game to finish the season. Everyone was happy, light-hearted and there to celebrate the team and its amazing run.
After the post game interview, I lingered in my seat for a few more minutes and got a little sentimental! It’s hard to think I wouldn’t be sitting in seat 10 for another few months – September can’t come fast enough.
Nordiques Nation
Devils Army Rises Up
