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Food Around the Pru
Garlic fries with a tequila & tonic in the Goal Bar
It’s only May, but I already miss being at The Prudential Center with my friends, watching my favorite team take the ice. Silly as it sounds, thinking of hockey got me thinking of my game day rituals, which got me thinking about my favorite food and treats inside the Prudential Center. It also reminded me of some of the great places that surround The Rock that my friends and I would meet prior to or after games and hang out.
On game days, it’s hard for me to resist the BBQ pulled pork sandwich, which comes with fresh, home made chips, cole slaw and a pickle. It’s my absolute favorite thing to treat myself to at Prudential Center. As for places to hang out, I’ve occasionally met friends at the Edison Ale House, located just behind Championship Plaza. The last time I was there, I enjoyed a plate of their Chili Cheese Fries, which I definitely recommend sharing with a friend! The portion was gigantic (and delicious).
To spice things up and show the great variety surrounding our home arena, I asked my fellow Generals to share their favorite treats and meeting places, too. I’ve learned about a few new places from them that I think I have to go visit. This is what they had to say:
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Prudential Center Club Seats – The Art of the Buffet
I’ve had my fair share of seats around the Prudential Center; Section 106, Section 2 and I was fortunate enough to spend last season’s Playoff and Final games in a luxury box, but I have yet to sit in a club seat, until now. This was going to be a new experience and I was thrilled; excited to see the game from this vantage point, have access to the Fire Lounge and last but not least, check-out the buffet. To make the most of my ticket price, I got there right when the doors open and staked claim to a seat right at the bar.
Game 23: New Jersey Devils vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Game Time: 7:00 PM
TV: MSG+
Radio: 660 WFAN AM, 101.9 FM
Match-Up
For the second time this season, the New Jersey Devils (10-7-5) will face-off against the Tampa Bay Lightning (9-12-1) at the Prudential Center, their first meeting being a 4-2 win for Jersey’s Team, with goals coming from Henrique, Kovalchuk, Greene, and Elias. Both teams will be playing their second game in as many nights, with the Devils coming off of a 4-2 loss in Toronto, and Tampa Bay coming off a 4-3 loss against the Penguins. The last time these teams met, the Devils were in the middle of their 5-game winning streak, while the Lightning were in the middle of what would be a 6-game losing streak.
Taking My Time – Edison Ale House
“I’m late / I’m late / For a very important date. / No time to say “Hello, Goodbye”. / I’m late, I’m late, I’m late.” Lately, I cannot seem to get the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland out of my head. Every day I rush; to get here-to get there. Well, that was the case until I had in my hands two lower level tickets to the first Devils vs Rangers game since the infamous call of, “Henrique!!! It’s Over.”
I made it a priority to arrive at the Prudential Center early and arrived around 4:00 p.m., yep, even got there before the Devil Dancers. To my surprise the parking lot was already half-full, and the party seemed to have already started without me. In a parked car were Ranger fans relishing in libations of the hoppy kind (little did they know they would be drowning their sorrows later). First, on my pre-game itinerary was to hit the Devils Den and enjoy shopping without the crowds. I was able to check out each section of the store at my own pace and happily paid for my items without wait.
Game 14 Recap – Rivalry Renewed as Devils Beat Flyers in Second Meeting of the Season
It was an old school rivalry that was anything but ordinary. The New Jersey Devils hosted the Philadelphia Flyers in their second meeting of the year on home ice, and they didn’t disappoint. Although the Devils were outplayed in the first period, they came back to play some serious Devil-style hockey and scored 4 unanswered goals to win with a commanding 5-3 lead. The team now leads the Eastern Conference with 21 points.
The game started with the Devils scoring a goal within the first 40 seconds of the game with a beautiful shot from Travis Zajac. Unfortunately, the lead was short lived and the team soon found themselves with a 3-1 deficit as the result of goals from Simmonds, Knuble and Read.
Not to be deterred, the Devils started the second period with an aggressive offensive strategy that included long passes from Brodeur to keep the Flyers out of our defensive zone. The efforts paid off with Ponikarovsky’s first goal in his first game back as a Devil while netting yet another assist for Ilya Kovalchuk and Martin Brodeur. A goal from Patrik Elias tied the game and the teams left the ice with a 3-3 tie.
The Devils continued the momentum into the third period with some really smart plays and crisp passing, resulting in a beautiful tip in front of the net, not to mention a game winning goal, from David Clarkson. The icing on the cake? An empty netter from Bernier, of course.
Stars of the game
1. Ilya Kovalchuk
2. David Clarkson
3. Patrik Elias
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 13: New Jersey Devils vs. Carolina Hurricanes
Start Time: 7:00 PM
TV: MSG+
Radio: WFAN 660 AM, 101.9 FM
Matchup:
Your New Jersey Devils (8-1-3) will face-off against the Carolina Hurricanes (6-4-1) Tuesday evening for the first of three times this season, and is the only time Carolina will visit The Rock this season. The Devils are coming off of a massively successful weekend, sweeping a home-and-home series with the Pittsburgh Penguins, winning both games 3-1. The Hurricanes are coming off of a 6-4 victory against the New York Islanders Monday evening and are looking to put some more distance between them and the struggling Tampa Bay Lightning for the Southeast Division lead.
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.
Hard At Work Behind The Scenes
Before I became involved with the organization as a Devil’s Army General, I really didn’t think much about the behind the scenes aspects of running a hockey club. You see the players and coaches on the bench, you can watch the Zamboni crew between periods, you hear about general manager’s making roster changes, and maybe even the owner or president will pop in and out of TV broadcasts and press releases. The truth is there is an unbelievable amount of people behind the scenes, often doing the work of even more people that I never even imagined as a fan.
