Blog Archives
Q&A with Bruce Driver
In case you missed it, the Devils aired a great question and answer session on Spreecast with Bruce Driver! This was the first in a series featuring our alumni, hosted by Seth Everett.
If you’ve been wanting to learn more about our team history and interact with our alumni, then you won’t be disappointed if you can log on for one of these sessions. Read the rest of this entry
Three Questions with Pierre McGuire
Back in December of 2011, I got the chance to chat with Ken Daneyko. The interview was interesting as I didn’t ask him the usual questions he gets as a former Stanley Cup Champion. There was no hockey involved in the questions, at all. I wanted to get him to open up so that Devils Army could get to know him better.
Earlier this week, NHL on NBC Analyst, and former NHL Head Coach, Pierre McGuire was at the AmeriHealth Pavilion to take part in a photo shoot for (201) Magazine. I got the chance to ask Pierre a few questions about what his last meal on Earth would be, what’s “now playing” on his iPod, and how he relaxes after a hard day.
If you can’t see the video above, you can watch it here.
SCF Game 6 Recap: Five minutes put an end to the Devils’ comeback
This isn’t the way I was hoping to prepare my final recap of the season. I was hoping that we’d be celebrating something incredible on Wednesday night, but clearly, it was not meant to be this season. After a pair of hard-fought victories by the Devils in Games 4 and 5, their season and the NHL season came to an abrupt halt on Monday night, as the Kings won their first Stanley Cup championship in their nearly half-century of existence. Here’s how it all went down on Monday.
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 3: NJ Devils at LA Kings
Stanley Cup Playoffs – Round 4
New Jersey Devils (12-8) at Los Angeles Kings (14-2)
8:00 PM E.T.
TV: NBC Sports Network
Radio: WFAN 660 AM
The first two games of the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals haven’t gone the Devils’ way. That isn’t something that an expert analyst has to tell you. The Devils dropped Games 1 and 2 at home, both by identical 2-1 overtime finals, with Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter scoring goals in the extra period for the Kings. If you look at the 2-0 series deficit that the Devils now face and the seemingly insurmountable task of defeating the Kings four out of five times to win the Stanley Cup, especially considering the Kings’ 14-2 record in the playoffs, there’s little reason for optimism, but in fact, there is much more reason to believe than those numbers might dictate. If you’re in the mood for an optimistic view on the series, read on. If you don’t feel like being optimistic, you probably shouldn’t read on.
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!!
Eastern Conference Finals Game 6 Preview: Devils Ready to Make Their Own History
Stanley Cup Playoffs: Round 3
New York Rangers at New Jersey Devils
8:00 P.M. ET
TV: NBCSN
Radio: Bloomberg 1130 AM
If you told me last year that the New Jersey Devils would be one win away from advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals, I would have told you that you were crazy. Fast forward one year and here we are, one win away from the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 2003. To say this isn’t a big deal is an understatement. This is HUGE for this franchise!
If you remember correctly, the last two games I’ve called out Zach Parise and Patrik Elias and they both decided to show up. Parise has five points in his last two games and Elias scored a goal on Wednesday so while we’ll be looking for those two players to continue to step it up, it’s now time for Ilya Kovalchuk to come through.
ECF Game 1 Recap: Devils’ offense blanked by Lundqvist, Rangers
(The 3 stars were all Rangers, so we’ll just skip that)
This feels all too familiar. The Devils dropped Game 1 of a series against a rival. In fact, it happened quite recently. Don’t expect the Devils to steamroll over the Rangers as they did to the Flyers, though. The Rangers showed no signs of fatigue in a 3-0 win over the Devils on Monday. It was a game of missed opportunity for the Devils, as they failed to score on Henrik Lundqvist. They’ll now look to bounce back Wednesday night and bring the series back to New Jersey, tied 1-1.
Eastern Conference Finals Game 1 Preview: Devils at Rangers
Stanley Cup Playoffs: Round 3
New Jersey Devils (8-4) vs. New York Rangers (8-6)
8:00 PM E.T.
TV: NBCSN, CBC
Radio: Bloomberg 1130 AM
Matchup:
Tonight is the first game of the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals. A familiar foe stands in the way of a Stanley Cup berth for the Devils this spring: the rival Rangers. The Devils and Rangers will re-new their bitter rivalry once again. The regular season series was pretty even, as all six games featured a score within one goal at some point in the third period, and each team won three of the six matchups. Winning this series is more than bragging rights, though. The winner of this series wins the Eastern Conference and will be four wins away from a championship.
