Martin Brodeur stands tall. (Photo by rubyswoon/Flickr)

Ah, the sting of defeat. Wait, no. The sting of not doing enough. More accurate.

The Devils fell to the Kings at the 8:13 mark of the overtime, thanks to a spectacular defensive breakdown and Anze Kopitar’s ensuing breakaway. Martin Brodeur was unable to stem off Kopitar, resulting in a 2-1 overtime loss.

(I called it on Kopitar, by the way. Henrique was my guess for the Devils, and his line came close. Damn, I’m good.)

What to say? The Devils were disappointing in the first and at times terrible in the second. What was that powerplay, anyway? However, they surged towards the end of the second and throughout much of the third to force overtime. That’s more like it, I thought.

It’s constantly frustrating to see this team oscillate wildly from not even moving their skates to looking dominant. In my opinion, the only thing that saved the Devils from an embarrassing many-goal loss early in the second was Brodeur.

Therefore, Martin Brodeur is my star of the night.

» Continue reading “Devils Fall in a 2-1 Overtime Loss to Kings in Game 1″

The CBGB line addressing media at the Stanley Cup Final Media Day. (via @DevilsGenerals/Twitter)

The Stanley Cup Final Media Day saw the members of the Devils talking to media and occasionally getting attacked by microphones. Today was truly the calm before the storm. On Wednesday a best-of-seven series beginning between the New Jersey Devils and the Los Angeles Kings will probably culminate, over time, in a few fights and doubtlessly some hostility.

For today, at least, the Devils were full of smiles.

» Continue reading “Calm Before The Storm: Devils At Media Day”

Screencap from the New Jersey Devils 2012 Playoffs Intro (via DemonOinker@youtube)

With the New Jersey Devils facing the Los Angeles Kings in the Stanley Cup Final beginning next Wednesday, the questions seem pretty standard. Who’s going to win? How many games will they win it in? Which player is going to be the one to come up big and step up for his team? In this upcoming battle between Martin Brodeur and Jonathan Quick, which goaltender will be able to put up a wall?

And another question: who are the New Jersey Devils?

Under Lou Lamoriello’s watchful eye, the Devils have always been an organization priding itself both on player privacy and discipline. Devils’ players are not allowed to maintain social media accounts such as Twitter. Videos shot in the locker room remain secretive, and team traditions are kept entirely in-house. They aren’t allowed to maintain beardly glory during the regular season (but as we can see according to Ilya Kovalchuk’s holy neckbeard, all bets are off in the post season). Along with the average age of the team roster being higher than the rest of the NHL, all these factors combine to one simple fact: it’s difficult to find evidence of the Devils being silly and personable.

But trust me, they are. This team is ridiculous. I have video proof. Hopefully, if you’ve been on the fence about liking the Devils, this post will give you some incentive to learn more about them. Sit back, relax, and watch these classic videos until Wednesday.

» Continue reading “Getting To Know The Devils: Video Post Edition”

Jesus Christ, again? (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

This will not be your typical recap, because this was not your typical game. Well, actually.

By all rhyme and reason, this was your average New Jersey game. They obtained a two-goal lead by absolutely dominating the first, then blew it by allowing the Rangers to gather momentum after a rush on the power play. The second and third periods belonged to the Rangers, but it wasn’t enough to get the puck past Brodeur.

The game went to overtime. Devils fans clutched at their hearts and poked needles into their voodoo dolls of the year 1994.

The game went to overtime, but our rookie won it for us this time. 1:03 into the extra period. Adam Henrique, doing it again. The final score: 3-2.

» Continue reading “Devils Advance to the Stanley Cup Finals, Defeat Rangers in the ECF 4-2″

Stephen Gionta (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The New Jersey Devils beat the New York Rangers with a 5-3 win tonight in a topsy-turvy Game 5. As a Devils fan, I can say one thing: this was a game of survival. And defense, and some luck, and what-the-hell-just-happened-there. They stole this one.

Three things:

1. The Devils need to be far better on their face-offs. Halfway through the second period the Rangers had won 20 of 33, which did much to disable the Devils’ forecheck.
2. Devils’ power play remains a problem. They were 0 for 2 this game and it doesn’t seem like the coaching staff has done much to address the problem. Overpassing, carrying the puck too far, allowing giveaways… watching the Devils on the power play can be a nail-biting experience.
3. This team is much better with a Gionta on it. Obviously.

» Continue reading “Devils lead the Rangers in the Eastern Conference Finals, 3-2″

Look at this dashing individual. (Michael Karas via NorthJersey.com)

Any knowledgeable hockey fan is aware of Zach Parise’s impending unrestricted free agency. After all, Parise is a hot commodity. He’s a talented player, among the cream of the crop, and one of a select few who can include the job title ‘Captain of a National Hockey League team’ on their resume. He’s currently trailing only RW Ilya Kovalchuk on the roster with 12 post season points and was third on the team during the regular season, after Kovalchuk and LW Patrik Elias, with 69.

In addition to his skill on the ice, Parise is typically so gracious with the media that his decision not to speak with reporters following a Game 3 loss on Saturday was enough to fuel the news cycle. Other than that, he’s been largely free of controversy. This clean-shaven (why Zach, why?) Captain America is legit.

Parise would be an asset to any team, and rightly so.

» Continue reading “Why mocking Devils fans about Zach Parise is not cool”

(Photo: Matthew D. Britt/Flickr)

The New Jersey Devils dominated the New York Rangers in Game 4 to tie up the Hudson River series at 2-2.

The number 4 seems to be a lucky one for the Devils. They are the first team to score 4 goals against the Rangers in this year’s playoffs. Martin Brodeur set the new NHL record for most assists recorded by a goaltender in the playoffs with 4.

Captain Zach Parise and defenseman Bryce Salvador stood out with strong performances tonight, with the captain leading by example with 2 goals, 1 assist. Salvador, held without a goal in 82 regular season games, started off the scoring for the Devils with a shot from the left point that went through the five-hole of Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist at 8:10 of the 1st period. It was his third goal of the playoffs.

Peter DeBoer, head coach of the Devils, shook up the lines after a startling Game 3 3-0 loss to the Rangers last Saturday. The new first line of Parise-Zajac-Zubrus proved effective with Travis Zajac scoring his 6th goal of the playoffs at 11:59 of the 1st with assists from Parise and Dainius Zubrus. Jacob Josefson, replacing Petr Sykora in the lineup and returning from a broken wrist, recorded no points but was a strong presence and recorded an ice time of 12:58.

The Devils maintained strong net presence and puck possession throughout the 1st and killed off a 2-minute minor tripping penalty going into the 2nd. The Devils’ Ilya Kovalchuk and the Rangers’ Ryan Callahan got 2 minute minors for slashing and roughing respectively, but the resulting 4-on-4 went scoreless.

The Rangers lost discipline in the 3rd period, resulting in a Devils’ power play goal. Parise followed a Kovalchuk shot on net from the face-off and snapped the rebound through the five-hole of Lundqvist for his second of the night.

An altercation began with Mike Rupp shoving Devils goalie Martin Brodeur at 6:18 of the 3rd after a whistle and ended with head coaches DeBoer and the Rangers’ John Tortorella shouting at each other over the head of the hapless Pierre McGuire, who has been in this situation before.

Unfortunately, McGuire had muted his microphone before the disagreement began. Both DeBoer and Tortorella declined to comment on the incident in their post-game pressers.

The Devils were unable to capitalize on the following 4 minute power play, which became a 5-on-3 with Carl Hagelin of the Rangers taking a slashing penalty at 8:58. The Devils overpassed the puck in front of Lundqvist, and the score remained 3-0 Devils.

Ruslan Fedotenko scored his first of the playoffs to put the Rangers on the board at 14:55 of the 3rd with assists from Brad Richards (8) and Michael Del Zotto (8). Shortly after, the Devils’ captain Zach Parise scored an empty netter from Salvador and Brodeur to result in a final score of 4-1, Devils.

While the Devils recorded a goal on the power play, work remains to be done on special teams. They were unable to take advantage of a 4 minute opportunity, of which 1:20 was a 5-on-3 advantage. Still, strong puck possession and winning battles along the boards allowed the Devils to control the pace throughout much of the game.

Mystery remains as to what DeBoer and Tortorella cordially chatted about. What are your guesses?

The series moves back to Madison Square Garden with Game 5 on Wednesday.