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Game 15: New Jersey Devils at New York Islanders
Start Time: 7:00 PM
TV: MSG (Devils broadcast), MSG+ (Islanders Broadcast)
Radio: WFAN 660 AM, 101.9 FM
Match-Up:
Your New Jersey Devils (9-2-3) will be facing off against the New York Islanders (5-7-1) for the fourth time this season on Saturday, February 16. The Devils are 2-0-1 against the Isles this season, with both of those wins coming at the Nassau Coliseum. This meeting will be the last one between the two teams at Long Island this season, barring a meeting during the post season, and they won’t see each other again until Monday, April 1 at the Prudential Center for their final match-up of the 2013 regular season. The Devils and Islanders find themselves on opposite sides of the hockey spectrum today, with the Devils looking to extend their lead on the Eastern Conference, and the Islanders struggling to build off of their powerful season start.
BERN, BABY BERN! Bernier Scores Twice Late, Moose Shutouts the Isles 3-0
Three Stars of the Game
3rd Star: Evgeni Nabokov (23 Saves, 2 GA, 0.923 Sv%)
2nd Star: Johan Hedberg (22 Saves, 0 GA, 1.000 Sv%, SO)
1st Star: Steve Bernier (2 G, 3 Shots, GWG)
After getting blown out by the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-1 on Saturday afternoon, the Devils entered Super Bowl Sunday needing a win against the Islanders to stop their 4-game skid and to get some momentum back into their season. The Devils did not help themselves out early on, taking 8 PIM in the first period, including a double-minor by Dainius Zubrus. Luckily for the Devils, Matt Moulson took a 2-minute penalty for tripping 42 seconds after the double-minor, leading to a full two minutes of 4-on-4 hockey between the teams. The Devils were able to leave the first period unscathed, thanks mostly to some superb goaltending by Johan Hedberg, but were also unable to crack through Evgeni Nabokov. The Devils were outshot 10-7 in the first period.
Game 8 Preview: New Jersey Devils at New York Islanders
Sunday, February 3rd – 3:00 PM
TV: MSG
Radio: Bloomberg 1130 AM
Match-up
This Sunday matinee, in what is definitely the most anticipated sporting event of the day, will feature the visiting New Jersey Devils (3-1-3, 9 points) and the host New York Islanders (4-2-1, 9 points). The Islanders will be playing their second straight game against the Devils and the Devils will be playing their second straight game against the Islanders. Wait, what? Penguins? When did the Devils play the Penguins yesterday??
The Devils defeated the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum on Opening Night, 2-1, but the Isles returned the favor in overtime at the Prudential Center just a few nights ago, 5-4.
Devils:
There are two ways of looking at what has gone on recently: the Devils had their 12-game regular season unbeaten streak (in regulation) snapped yesterday by the Penguins or the Devils lost their fourth straight game, 5-1, in a game that wasn’t really competitive. Of course, both perspectives are accurate, but it seems many fans have chosen the latter. Before you start panicking too much, or if you already have perhaps calm down a bit, remember that this team has barely been together for three weeks. They have had limited practice, no pre-season and most Devils were not playing in the AHL or overseas during the lockout. And while most NHL teams were on the golf course last May and June, the Devils were busy playing in some pretty important games. So maybe it isn’t time to panic just yet.
Good teams find ways to overcome adversity and bounce back from a bad game. Any way you look at it, yesterday was a bad game for the Devils. The 5-1 final score was a fair indicator of play throughout the game. The Devils didn’t do much of anything offensively and they were quite messy defensively. It doesn’t take a highly paid expert analyst or rocket scientist to realize that not scoring and not preventing your opponent from scoring is not going to lead to much success.
But let’s forget the past. Somehow, the Devils need to find a way to get off to a better start. Poor first periods have hampered the team all season, even when they were winning the first three games. The stellar goaltending of Martin Brodeur and Johan Hedberg covered some of the team’s flaws early on, but the law of averages seemed to catch to them yesterday. Perhaps the law of averages will catch up to the Devils, and they’ll put some pucks in the Islanders’ net today.
There’s a very good chance that by the time this preview gets posted, Pete DeBoer will have confirmed whether or not Bobby Butler will play today. Assuming he will, it will be his Devils’ debut, as the AHL All-Star was re-called from Albany last night. Perhaps adding Butler to the lineup can spark the team offensively a bit.
Islanders:
The Islanders haven’t played since beating the Devils on Thursday night in New Jersey. They beat the Penguins before, so this is a high-scoring team that is on a roll right now. With the Islanders scoring and winning like this, it’s like the 1980s all over again…minus the four straight championships. For now, at least…
The key to the Islanders’ success this season has been their remarkable play on special teams, similar to how the Devils found success last season. Thursday’s game was a perfect case and point: they scored three power play goals on four chances, including the bizarre overtime winner and killed all of the Devils’ power plays.
Leading the team offensively is young star John Tavares, which should be no surprise. He scored two goals and added a helper on Thursday, and will figure to be a huge factor in today’s contest as well. Despite Tavares’ team-leading 11 points, offense has come from multiple sources this season on Long Island. Five Islanders have three or more goals already this season.
Keys to victory:
Many of the keys to victory have already been highlighted above, including getting off to a good start and special teams. In three of the Devils’ four losses this season, not only have they allowed the first goal of the game, they’ve actually trailed 2-0 in all three of them. Scoring first would be a good idea for the Devils today. Scoring first could relax the whole team, and they might score again second, third, fourth, fifth and so on!
Another key would certainly be the special teams battle. The Islanders definitely dominated on special teams Thursday. Their power play completely schooled the Devils all night and the Devils were unable to respond on their power play chances. The Devils have been shaky on both ends of special teams this season, despite their strong special teams last season.
The final key is to outscore the opposition, but that’s obvious and you knew that already. The Devils must score goals at all costs short of throwing hot dogs at the opposing goalie (if you don’t get that reference, please Google it!).
Projected line combinations (subject to change up until puck drop, and after that too):
Devils:
Zubrus – Henrique – Kovalchuk
Elias – Zajac – Clarkson
Carter – Gionta – Bernier
Barch – Josefson – Butler*
Tallinder – Zidlicky
Salvador – Volchenkov
Greene – Larsson
Hedberg
Brodeur
Islanders:
Moulson – Tavares – Okposo
Grabner – Nielsen – Boyes
Ullstrom – Aucoin – (unknown player)
Martin – Reasoner – Boulton
Strait – Streit
McDonald – Hamonic
Finley – Carkner
Nabokov
DiPietro
Isles’ Power Play Takes Win in OT: Devils Still Undefeated in Regulation
Devils played the roller coaster type of game that they didn’t want. The team was consistently trying to catch up rather than staying ahead. Tallinder was interviewed after being down 1-0 at the end of 1 and stated that they needed to return to their style of hockey. Tallinder was also able to tally a goal to help even the game up in the second at 3.
New Jersey spent a lot of time in the penalty box. Justified or not, the Devils have already given up 29 power play opportunities to opposing teams this season. That is the biggest reason they lost, as the Islanders were able to score 3 power play goals; 1 of those goals being the game winner in OT. 5 on 5 play, the Devils jumped out on the Islanders early getting the first 8 of 9 shots on goal. New Jersey just wasn’t able to put one past Nabokov early. Their momentum shifted and the game turned into the run and gun style after they surrendered the first PP goal to the Islanders. It happened to be Tavares 1st goal of the season, which ended his 15 game scoreless streak.
Game 6: New York Islanders at New Jersey Devils
Game Time: 7:00 PM
TV: MSG+
Radio: WFAN 660 AM, 101.9 FM
Match-Up
The Devils (3-0-2) come back home after losses in overtime and a shootout on the road to take on the New York Islanders (3-2-1) for the second of five meetings this season. The last time these two teams squared off, the Devils pulled out a 2-1 win in Nassau Coliseum with goals from David Clarkson and Travis Zajac. The Devils haven’t been too considerate of their fan’s blood pressure early this season, with their last 3 games going well into overtime. The Islanders are only one point behind the Devils in the Atlantic Division, and will look to exact revenge and move into division lead.
Solid Start to the Season: New Jersey Devils Beat the New York Islanders
Many questions are looming for this season, however today’s win can hopefully ease the worry. With a shortened season New Jersey has to come out of the gate strong and today was a solid start. Brodeur’s age didn’t seem to matter as he looked sharp stopping 18 of 19 shots. He was quick and looked focused. As usual, Marty was positioning himself well and challenging the Islanders shooters.
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!!!
Game 80 Recap: Islanders get Moosed (again)
(headline by @tomheaney1)
Three stars of the game:
3rd star: Zach Parise (2 assists)
2nd star: Patrik Elias (1 goal, 1 assist)
1st star: Travis Zajac (Game winning goal)
Johan Hedberg entered Tuesday night’s game against the Islanders having allowed just one goal in two games against the Isles this season, so it seemed like a good decision by coach Pete DeBoer to start Hedberg on Tuesday. “Moose” responded by stopping 19 of 20 shots he faced, and picked up his 17th win of the season. The Devils didn’t play their best game by any stretch of the imagination, but it was enough to move up to 98 points, and actually close to within three points of fifth place Philadelphia with two games remaining. Here’s how it all unfolded.
Game 80 Preview: New York Islanders at New Jersey Devils
New York Islanders (33-35-11, 77 points) vs. New Jersey Devils (45-28-6, 96 points)
7:00 PM E.T.
TV: MSG Plus
Radio: WFAN 660 A.M.
Matchup:
Tonight the Devils take on the Islanders for their 6th and final meeting of the season. The Devils are leading the series 3-2, with the last win coming on March 10th, when the Devils rallied with just under 2 minutes remaining in regulation for a 2-1 victory at Nassau Coliseum. The Islanders were eliminated from playoff contention over the weekend and have nothing to play for at this point except pride, so expect a tough, hard-fought game tonight.
Game 68 Preview: Devils/Islanders, round 3 of the week
New York Islanders (28-30-9, 65 points) vs. New Jersey Devils (38-24-5, 81 points)
7:00 PM E.T.
TV: MSG (Devils’ feed), MSG+ (Islanders’ feed)
Radio: WFAN 660 AM
Matchup:
You know the drill by now. Last Sunday was the third meeting of the season between these two Atlantic Division rivals, Thursday was the fourth meeting and Saturday is the fifth of six meetings this season between the teams. The Devils won the first game at Nassau Coliseum, 1-0 on a Petr Sykora goal, the Islanders won the next game at Prudential Center, despite late controversy on a possible game-tying goal by Zach Parise, the Islanders won the next game on Long Island, 1-0 and the Devils responded Thursday with an impressive 5-1 win. After this game on Long Island, the Islanders will visit the Rock on April 3rd, which, barring a dramatic comeback by the Islanders to give them a shocking playoff berth, will be the final time these two teams meet this season.
