Blog Archives
Game 40: Boston Bruins at New Jersey Devils
Game Time: 7:30 PM
TV: NBCSN
Radio: 970 AM
Match-Up
The New Jersey Devils (15-14-10) will play host to the Boston Bruins (25-9-4) tonight for third and final meeting of the season. This is the second game between these teams in the last week. Last Thursday, the Devils shipped up to Boston in a game that saw the Devils throw everything but the kitchen sink at Tuukka Rask, but he stopped all 40 shots. Jaromir Jagr would score in his debut as a Bruin, and the Devils would fall 1-0. These are two teams headed in different directions, as Boston is fighting to win the Northeast Division, and New Jersey is fighting to keep its playoffs hopes alive.
Game 37: New Jersey Devils at Boston Bruins
Game Time: 7:00 PM
TV: MSG, NHLN-US
Radio: WFAN 660 AM, 101.9 FM
Match-Up
The New Jersey Devils (15-12-9) will travel to Boston to face-off against the Bruins (23-8-4) on Thursday night for the second time this season, with the teams set to meet once more next Wednesday at the Prudential Center. The first meeting between the teams came when the Devils were 3-0-1 and the Bruins were 4-0-1, and resulted in a 2-1 shootout loss for the Devils. The Devils will be looking to get out of a recent slump that has plagued their play lately, while the Bruins will look to catch up to Montreal for first place in the Northeast Division.
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 5: New Jersey Devils at Boston Bruins
Game Time: 7:00 PM
TV: MSG+
Radio: WFAN 660 AM, 101.9 FM
Match-Up
The New Jersey Devils (3-0-1) will face-off against the Boston Bruins (4-0-1) at TD Bank Garden in Boston. Last season’s performance against the Bruins is one the Devils and their fans would like to forget. The Devils went 0-3-1 against Boston, and were outscored 18-8. The Devils specifically struggled in the third period against the Bruins, being outscored 11-2 in the final frame across four games. The Devils are coming off their first loss of the season in Montreal and will look to get back on the winning track.
Game 63 Recap: Krejci’s trick makes it 4 straight losses
It was just about a week ago that the Devils had the second highest point total in the Eastern Conference and looked as if they were going to make a legitimate run at the New York Rangers for the top spot in the conference. A lot has changed in the week since, and the Devils are now trying to hold on to 7th place in the conference, with their latest setback being a 4-3 overtime loss to David Krejci and the big bad Bruins. Boston has had their way with the New Jersey Devils this season, as they complete the sweep of the season series. Dating back to last season, they’ve won 7 out of 8 meetings between the teams, with Tim Thomas going 7-0-0 against the Devils during that span.
The Devils got off to a sluggish start, as the Bruins scored 1:13 into the game. David Krejci began what would be a huge night for him. The frustrating part for the Devils is that the Bruins came occured directly after the Devils nearly buried one of their own. After a lengthy fight between #22s, Eric Boulton and Shawn Thornton, it was the Bruins who continued to press for the 2-0 goal. Martin Brodeur made a pair of huge saves, first on Tyler Seguin’s point blank one-timer on an odd man rush and another on Gregory Campbell. Just minutes later, though, Seguin would beat Brodeur on a feed from down low. The Devils warmed to the task after Peter DeBoer’s timeout, especially after Brodeur stopped Krejci on a shorthanded breakaway, but couldn’t beat Tim Thomas.
The second period was dramatically better for the Devils. They scored their first goal as Ilya Kovalchuk took the puck away from a Bruin at the right point, then fed Zach Parise on a 2-on-1. Parise buried his 24th of the season to cut the deficit to 2-1. They scored again as Anton Volchenkov’s point shot apparently deflected off Petr Sykora and a Bruins defenseman, before Patrik Elias backhanded the puck into an empty net, which made him the fourth Devil to reach 20 goals. The Devils are the only team with four 20 goal scorers. At the end of the period, Jacob Josefson sent David Clarkson behind the net, and Clarkson wrapped it around and through Thomas to give the Devils a 3-2 lead heading into the second intermission.
Early in the third period, after failing on an early power play, the Devils looked as if they would be able to contain the Bruins in the third, but that changed 5:30 into the period. Krejci scored again on a broken play for his second of the game, and it was tied at 3. The Bruins failed on a power play immediately after their third goal, but almost scored on the Devils’ next power play, after Zdeno Chara high-sticked Adam Henrique. Chris Kelly hit the crossbar shorthanded. The Devils didn’t threaten on the power play, and it was cut short due to a high-sticking penalty on Ilya Kovalchuk.
The Devils managed to get a point, despite a late push by the Bruins. Tim Thomas made a pair of saves in overtime, but the Bruins developed a strange cycle shift where Zdeno Chara came down from the left point. He appeared to catch the puck and hand-pass it to Krejci, and Krejci beat Brodeur up high, and there was no review for a hand pass. The Devils fell in overtime.
Although they took a lead into the third period (again) against the Bruins, the Devils could not find a way to beat the defending Cup champs. The Bruins were just too much for the Devils to handle. It’s not panic time yet for Devils fans, because they’re still in a playoff spot, but the Devils upcoming schedule is very difficult. March is a heavy month for the Devils. They’ll need both of their goaltenders to play well if they want any chance at moving back into the top-4 in the Eastern Conference.
Elias, by the way, joins David Clarkson, Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk, as the Devils’ four 20 goal scorers this season. Here’s an interesting fact: in games that feature Ilya Kovalchuk taking a minor penalty (other than coincidental roughing penalties), the Devils have won a grand total of one game during Kovy’s tenure as a Devil. That was a 1-0 win over the Rangers last February. So, tomorrow in Washington, here’s to hoping Kovy stays out of the box!
Game 63 Preview: Your New Jersey Devils at Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins (37-21-3, 77 points) vs. New Jersey Devils (35-23-4, 74 points)
7:00 PM E.T.
TV: MSG Plus, Radio: WFAN 660 AM
Matchup:
The Bruins and Devils have faced each other three times this season. This will be the final meeting of the regular season between the two teams. Boston has had their way with the Devils this season, winning all three matchups in regulation. They beat New Jersey, 4-3 on November 15h, 6-1 on January 4th and 4-1 on January 19th. The Devils will look to beat Boston for the first time since the final regular season game of last season, when the Devils beat backup goaltender Tuukka Rask and the Bruins, 3-2, before the Bruins would eventually win the Stanley Cup in seven games. Right now, if the playoffs started today, these two teams would meet in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, which is not good news for the Devils on paper. Tim Thomas is 6-0-0 in his last six starts against the Devils.
Cooling off:
The Devils got off to a phenomenal start after the All-Star break, as we seem to mention every game. They were 9-1-1 in their first 11 games out of the break, before the most recent three-game losing streak, which featured regulation losses to Vancouver, Tampa Bay and the rival New York Rangers this past Monday. Still, the Devils are 9-4-1 since the break and 12-3-1 in their 16 road games.
Although the Devils lost to Vancouver last Friday, they didn’t play poorly in that game, but they looked tired and lazy in their Sunday loss to Tampa Bay. Monday’s game at Madison Square Garden was a bit bizarre, as both teams expressed their displeasure for each other with their fists, but not in the back of the net. In fact, the Devils and Rangers combined for 28 shots on goal (including the empty net goal by New York), which combines for the fewest shots on goal in a New Jersey Devils game since they moved from Colorado to New Jersey in 1982.
Searching for offense:
One thing remains true about the Devils: they have been playing well defensively of late. They held the Rangers to 15 shots on goal on Monday. In fact, the four goals allowed to Tampa Bay were the most goals they allowed in a loss since January 21st, when the Flyers beat the Devils, 4-1 in New Jersey. But Peter DeBoer wants the Devils’ offense to be more productive, as he changed the second, third and fourth lines in practice in an effort to spark the team’s goal scoring. You can view the entire lineup for both teams below.
Speaking of offense, how good has Alexei Ponikarovsky been since being traded to the Devils? In 49 games with Carolina prior to the trade, Ponikarovsky had registered just 15 points and was a minus-12. In 16 games with the Devils, he’s put up 5 goals and 6 assists, and has a plus-5 +/- rating. His shooting percentage is a ridiculously-high 21.7 right now, but the Devils are certainly enjoying his offensive production and his play on the third line since the trade.
Newcomer Marek Zidlicky is also expected to help the Devils score more goals. He hasn’t put up a point in two games as a Devil, but he has had a chance to practice with his new team, so it is the hope of DeBoer and the Devils that he’ll start to fit in and produce offensively, as well as help run the power play.
Another test in the face-off circle:
By now, you probably want to smack me for talking about face-offs again, as I’ve beaten the subject to death between previews, recaps and my own site, but here’s why it’s a crucial part of tonight’s game: the Boston Bruins are the best face-off team in the NHL, and they’re led by one of hockey’s elite centers: Patrice Bergeron. The Bruins dominated the Devils in the face-off circle during the prior three meetings between these two teams. The Bruins are too deep and too talented to give them such an advantage and chase the play, so the Devils will need to find an answer in that regard.
Martin Brodeur started every game but one in February (the Devils’ 6-4 win in Philadelphia on February 4th), and he’ll get the first start in March. DeBoer has already confirmed that Johan Hedberg will start Friday in Washington, but for now, Brodeur gets the start. The Devils have been playing well in front of him for the most part, at least statistically. Brodeur has faced just 46 shots in the last three games (16 against Vancouver, 16 against Tampa Bay and 14 against the Rangers). Ironically, the Devils lost all three of those games, so perhaps the Devils should allow more shots and less high-quality scoring chances.
Latest from the defending champs:
Things haven’t been smooth-sailing for the Boston Bruins recently. They just finishes a disappointing February, as they went 9-9-2 during the calendar’s shortest month. They were recently shut out 1-0 by the Ottawa Senators, which marked the second time in the last 5 games in which Boston failed to score a goal. The Devils were also shut out in their last game, but that was the only game since opening night where the Devils failed to score at least one goal. The Bruins only won five games in February that did not feature a shootout. Tim Thomas’ play has dipped significantly since his infamous comments and boycott of the team’s trip to the White House. The Devils did manage to score three goals in Thomas in their last trip to Boston.
Devils’ projected lineup:
Parise – Henrique – Kovalchuk
Sykora – Elias – Zubrus
Ponikarovsky – Josefson – Clarkson
Boulton – Carter – Bernier
Greene – Fayne
Salvador – Larsson
Volchenkov – Zidlicky
Brodeur
Hedberg
Bruins’ projected lineup:
Lucic – Kelly – Krejci
Marchand – Bergeron – Seguin
Paille – Campbell – Thornton
Pouliot – Rolston – Caron
Chara – Ference
Seidenberg – Corvo
McQuaid – Zanon
Thomas
Rask
*We hope you’ll join us for our second viewing party of the week, as the Generals host our very first Bergen County viewing party at the Orange Lantern in Paramus. Details are on the event’s Facebook page.
Game 46 Recap: Bruins wake from hibernation in 3rd, rout Devils
(headline submitted by @krwetzel)
The Devils seemed determined to forget about their 6-1 loss to the Stanley Cup Champions on Jauary 4th tonight. Through two periods in the rematch, it looked as if the Devils were set up to do so. Unfortunately for the Devils tonight, there is a third period in hockey, and that proved to be the Devils’ downfall tonight. It was a frustrating loss, to say the least, and mirrored the Devils’ 4-1 loss to the New York Rangers in December in many ways. The Devils got the 1-0 lead they needed, as they have in each of their three meetings with Boston this season, but their inability to push a second goal past Tim Thomas proved costly, as the Bruins had a tremendous third period in their comeback win. For the Bruins, it snaps what is a massive slump for them: just one win in their previous three weeks
It was a pretty slow start for both teams in this game. The Devils got the better of the scoring chances in the first period, but Tim Thomas, as he always does, made the big saves. The recently re-called Brad Mills also dominated Boston’s Gregory Campbell in a competitive fight in the period. With about 90 seconds remaining the opening period, Dainius Zubrus found Petr Sykora in front of the net, and he cashed in for his 12th of the season to give the Devils the lead. As mentioned, though, leading the Bruins 1-0 hasn’t worked so far this season. They lost 4-3 in Boston on November 15th and 6-1 at home after scoring first against the Bruins this season. Still, the late goal must have been a confidence boost for the Devils, who were coming off one of their stronger offensive games, a 5-1 win over Winnipeg.
The Devils had a solid first period, but they had an even better second period. They outshot the Bruins, 13-6 in the second period, including Steve Zalewski’s bid for his first NHL goal and he also made an incredible glove save on David Clarkson on a rebound of Kurtis Foster’s point shot. The two teams each hit goal posts in the second period, but both goaltenders kept the score the same after two periods as it was after one. The Devils continued to hold onto their one-goal lead heading into the third period, despite outshooting the Bruins, 23-12 through two periods. The Devils had blown some third period leads this season. They would have to avoid sitting back too much, however, against the Bruins’ potent lineup.
Just over a minute into the final period, Mark Fayne’s point shot found its way through traffic in front of the net and rang off the goal post. Less than two minutes later, the Bruins finally took advantage of the Devils not being able to score a second goal. Kurtis Foster accidentally screened his own goaltender as Andrew Ference’s slapshot from the left point beat Brodeur to tie the game at one. From there, the Bruins warmed to the task and simply took the game over. At 7:10 of the third period, Nathan Horton deflected David Krejci’s shot on the power play to give Boston a 2-1 lead. 35 seconds later, Gregory Campbell tapped a rebound home to make it 3-1 Bruins.
Peter DeBoer seemed reluctant to use his timeout after the second and third Bruins goals, but his team simply couldn’t find a way to beat Boston’s defense once the Bruins got going in the third period. After Campbell’s goal, the Devils became sloppy with their passing and couldn’t generate much offense, and when they did, Thomas made the necessary saves. By the time DeBoer finally did use his timeout with a minute remaining in the third period, it was too little, too late. Chris Kelly iced the game seconds later, and the Bruins rolled on to a 4-1 win in New Jersey. The Devils certainly battled more than they did in the last meeting between these two teams, but once Boston took the lead, as in the last game on January 4th, the Bruins absolutely dominated play. The Devils will need to bounce back against another Atlantic Division team that also lost 4-1 at home tonight: the Philadelphia Flyers, on Saturday afternoon.
Game notes: Patrik Elias assisted on Sykora’s goal, giving him 45 points in 45 games for the Devils this season. The Devils’ penalty kill unit, the NHL’s most successful such unit, has now allowed power plays goals in 7 of their last 11 games after not allowing a power play goal in four of the prior five games. Bruins goalie Tim Thomas has now beaten the Devils in six straight starts, after losing four of his previous five to the Devils. The Devils’ only win over the Bruins last season was a 3-2 win against Tuukka Rask on the final day of the regular season. Boston (mostly Zdeno Chara) found a way to shut down the red-hot Ilya Kovalchuk tonight. Kovy was limited to just one shot on goal, which is the first time he recorded less than three shots since he took two on December 17th in Montreal and the fewest he’s had since not taking a shot on November 23rd against Columbus. Adam Henrique returned to the Devils lineup after battling a minor groin strain and had a minus-two +/- rating with no shots on goal.
*It is also worth noting that the Devils learned today that Henrik Tallinder has a blood clot in his leg and will miss the next 6-8 weeks. Tallinder has averaged over 21 minutes of ice time per game, so the Devils will need to call someone up from Albany to play big minutes.
Game Preview – Game 46: Your New Jersey Devils vs Boston Bruins
New Jersey Devils (26-17-2, 54 points) vs Boston Bruins (29-13-1, 59 points)
7:00 PM EST
TV: MSG+
Radio: WFAN 660 AM
Matchup:
Tonight the Devils will face the Boston Bruins in their third meeting of the season. In the previous two match-ups, the Bruins outscored the Devils 10-4. New Jersey is coming into this game with a record of 7-2-1 in their last 10 games, including an outstanding 60 minute performance Tuesday night, defeating the Jets 5-1, at The Rock. The Bruins have cooled down a little bit, with a 6-4 record in their last 10 games, losing Tuesday, 5-3 to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Consistency is the Key:
While playing a complete game on Tuesday, the Devils need to continue to strive for consistency. Wins and losses are going to happen in the course of an 82 game season, but a solid 60 minute game doesn’t occur as often as you’d like for this team. Over the last 10 games however, the Devils seem to be getting into a groove, and playing more as a team.
Speaking of being consistent, Ilya Kovalchuk has been just that for the Devils, scoring 7 times in his last 6 games, including two short-handed and two game winners. He has now taken over the team lead with 19 goals, and needs to continue his recent trend to keep the team rolling.
Devils Stat Leaders:
Points – Patrik Elias, 44
Goals – Ilya Kovalchuk, 19
Assists – Patrik Elias, 27
Projected Devils Lineup:
Parise (C) – Henrique – Kovalchuk (A)
Sykora – Elias (A) – Zubrus
Josefson – Carter – Clarkson
Janssen – Mills – Zalewski
Salvador – Larsson
Volchenkov – Foster
Tallinder – Fayne
Brodeur
Hedberg
*Scratches – Boulton, Taormina, Tedenby
The Latest on the Boston Bruins:
Despite a few recent set backs, the Bruins remain one of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference. They could get even hotter tonight, as Brad Marchand returns to the line-up after a 5 game suspension, to take his familiar spot beside Tyler Seguin and Patrice Bergeron. This is a team the Devils need to be prepared for, because when the Bruins are rolling, they can dominate a game from start to finish.
Bruins Stats Leaders:
Points – Tyler Seguin, 40
Goals – Tyler Seguin, 17
Assists – Patrice Bergeron, 25
Projected Bruins Lineup:
Lucic – Krejci – Horton
Marchand – Bergeron – Seguin
Pouliot – Kelly – Peverley
Paille – Campbell – Thornton
Chara – Boychuk
Seidenberg – Corvo
Ference – McQuaid
Thomas
Rask
Follow the Devils Army Generals on Facebook and on Twitter for more in-depth coverage of Jersey’s Team.
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!
Viewing Party: Tuesday, Nov 15th @ North Brunswick Pub – Devils vs. Bruins
What could be more fun than hanging out with a group of fellow hockey fans, enjoying delicious discounted food and drinks, meeting NJ Devils alumni, playing exciting games, taking home fabulous prizes, and watching your NJ Devils take on the reigning Stanley Cup champs on a giant 80 inch HD projector?
Why don’t you come find out for yourself? Next Tuesday, November 15, the Devils Army Generals will be hosting our second viewing party of the season as the NJ Devils travel to Beantown to take on the Boston Bruins. As we continue our quest to bring the Devils Army to all corners of New Jersey and beyond, we’re venturing into the heart of the Garden State, to the North Brunswick Pub on Route 1 in North Brunswick, NJ.
The North Brunswick Pub is known for its tasty pub grub, reasonable prices, and friendly, casual atmosphere. With multiple large flat-screen TVs, two 80 inch HD projectors, and more, it’s the perfect place to recreate that “at the game” feeling. This location was actually suggested to us by a member of the Devils Army on Twitter, and is a favorite among many of my own family and friends.
As always, there will be contests and giveaways, raffles, a silent auction, and an appearance by a member of the Devils alumni – 2003 Stanley Cup Champion Grant Marshall.
If wings are your thing, you’re in luck—Tuesday nights at the Pub are “35 Cent Boneless Wing Nights” from 6pm until close! Be sure to check out some of their mouthwatering new sauces, including Mediterranean Feta, Creamy Pesto, Red Pepper Basil, and Garlic Parmesan! There will also be discount pitchers of domestic beer and other food and drink specials to be announced.
The fun starts at 7pm. Come join us at the North Brunswick Pub, located at 1864 Route 1 (on the northbound side) in North Brunswick, NJ. For directions, click here (I have provided directions from the Prudential Center—please make sure to change the starting address to your own).
For more information, please check out and RSVP to our Official Facebook Event. Bring a friend, Get Your Jersey On and we’ll see you there!
Have an idea for a possible viewing party location? Leave your comment below!
