A quick update before the puck drops. The Devils will be facing the Flyers several more times this season, but tonight is the first meeting of 2013 — of course, to the Devils and the Flyers, that’s all old hat. After the Devils knocked them out of the playoff race last season, and now that they’re two games down and behind, the Flyers will be out for blood at the Rock tonight.

Offensive lines remain the same, according to Fire and Ice:

Zubrus-Zajac-Kovalchuk
Tedenby-Elias-Clarkson
Carter-Gionta-Bernier
Matteau-Josefson-Janssen

Barch is a healthy scratch, with Darche still skating with the team as both camps contemplate a contract. Defensive lines weren’t confirmed this morning, but Larsson is a healthy scratch yet again. The young defenseman says he “doesn’t mind, as long as the team wins.” Henrique seems to be about 7-10 days away from returning from his thumb injury.

Home opener at the Rock means the raising of the Eastern Conference Championship banner. Looks like it’s already up, though, and the Devils will have an exultant but quick ceremony of playoff dominance before the puck drops.

Have some stats courtesy of Tom Gulitti: In 76 career games versus Philadelphia, Patrik Elias has 33 goals and 75 points. Ilya Kovalchuk has 22 goals and 43 points in 45 career games. We’re in for a fun time.

Get ready to watch on NBCSN, and bundle up if you’re heading to the game!

Devils Captain Bryce Salvador.

We’re about 30 minutes away from the Devils season opening game against the Islanders. (I know, I know, boo hiss.) This post will serve to combine a few quick updates before we’re ready to start the 2013 season.

* Defenseman Bryce Salvador has been announced as the new Captain of the New Jersey Devils! Congratulations, Captain Sal! Elias and Kovalchuk retain the As.

* In case you haven’t noticed, we’ve locked up a very important roster piece for a long time. Travis Zajac has re-signed with the Devils on a $46 million, 8-year deal.

* Stefan ‘Squirrel-cheeks’ Matteau, the Devils’ 1st round pick in the 2012 Entry Draft, is getting his chance to shine. He’s made the opening roster after a training camp that pleased Pete DeBoer and will play in front of his family (that’s including his father, former Ranger Stephane Matteau) tonight. A goal in his immediate future, perhaps? If he impresses, we’ll see him for more than five games.

* Oh, yeah. Kovalchuk is back too.

* Keep an eye out for Scott Stevens on the bench.

* Martin Brodeur will be starting in his 18th season opener for the Devils. That’s insane. Nabokov is in goal for the Islanders.

The lines for today:

F:

Zubrus-Zajac-Kovalchuk
Tedenby-Elias-Clarkson
Carter-Gionta-Bernier
Matteau-Josefson-Janssen

D:

Salvador-Zidlicky
Greene-Fayne
Tallinder-Volchenkov

Tune in at 7PM EST on MSGPlus/MSGPlus 2!

Ilya Kovalchuk, the man of ‘enigmatic Russian mystery.’

The lockout is over! Let us all rejoice. Of course, because nothing is simple in the treacherous landscape of the NHL, there are all kinds of problems associated with ratifying the new CBA, making new schedules, opening training camps, and dragging Russians back to their teams.

Wait. What?

Yes, this is actually a point of contention. Why does it pertain to us, my fellow Devils fans? Because our very-likely candidate for next captain Ilya Kovalchuk is still overseas and not heading back home on a plane immediately. Because Kovalchuk is still playing games for his KHL team, CKA St. Petersburg. Because Kovalchuk is showing reservation until the new deal is set in stone and freshly signed with ink.

And I don’t blame him.

There’s still almost a week before training camps open on Sunday. If he can play in one more game and stay in top form, all the better for us. If he needs to read the details of the new CBA, fine. Most players will be doing that in the few upcoming days in which they have to electronically vote to approve it. Nothing makes Kovalchuk’s decision to not immediately head to New Jersey different to anybody else’s. The only difference, of course, is the media attention and boundless rumors being floated around by said media.

In any case, Lou Lamoriello and the Devils have said that they have no reason to believe that Ilya Kovalchuk will not be showing up to camp on Sunday. We’ll go with that.

***

Elliotte Friedman’s 30 thoughts column is always an interesting read. In the most recent edition, Friedman floated an interesting idea: that Lou Lamoriello’s blunt labeling of the lockout as ‘embarrassing’ served as encouragement for others to do the same.

Friedman writes, “Don’t want to do a ton of lockout stuff, but thought it was telling to see how much the word “embarrassing” or “embarrassed” was seen after Lou Lamoriello used it in describing the shutdown to The Newark Star-Ledger. Heard it from both Eric Staal and Andy McDonald. Almost as if others felt more free to be honest after someone of Lamoriello’s stature did it.”

No surprise.

» Continue reading “Oh Kovalchuk, Kovalchuk; Lamoriello’s Honesty; Anthony Brodeur Soaring For Success”

Ironic indeed. (Credit to Twitter/ckraks.)

For those desperately missing hockey and seeing Ilya Kovalchuk tear up the ice, fear not. MSG Network will be airing the KHL SKA St. Petersburg vs. Dinamo Riga game today at 1PM / 8PM EST. Be sure to tune in.

Here’s a full list of the KHL on MSG.

EDIT: The MSG will not be airing the KHL game today. A statement they released on Twitter states, “We’re sorry fans, due to outages caused by the storm, we’re unable to broadcast #KHLonMSG today. We are working diligently to restore games.”

 ***

Travis Zajac will be participating in a charity game on Saturday, November 17th. The Goals for Dreams Hockey Challenge, born out of a partnership between the Winnipeg Police Service Patrolmen Hockey Club and the NHLPA, will raise money for the Dreams Factory and Children’s Hospital Foundation.

Team rosters will be split between Team (Andrew) Ladd and Team (Mark) Stuart. The Jets’ captain Ladd, defenseman Stuart, and New Jersey Devils’ Zajac will be joined by participating NHL players Blake Wheeler, Dustin Byfuglien, Olli Jokinen and Jonathan Toews among others.

Extended details can be found here.

***

» Continue reading “MSG Airs KHL, Travis Zajac Plays For Charity, More Kovalchuk And An Injured Brodeur”

Ilya Kovalchuk in SKA St. Petersburg vs Lokomotiv Yaroslavl.

KHL Calamity: While playing in the KHL keeps locked out players game-shape ready, injuries can also be inevitable. Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov has sustained a broken bone in the ankle and is expected to be out 3-4 weeks. A start to the NHL season on November 2nd now seems extremely unlikely. However, were the season to start expediently, the Devils would have enough healthy defensemen on the bench while Volchenkov heals.

Russia seems to bring something out in people. Following in the footsteps of fellow star and Capitals’ captain Alexander Ovechkin, Devils’ forward Ilya Kovalchuk has also stated that he wouldn’t mind remaining in Russia in the case of his NHL contract not being paid out in full, per a possible new CBA. Guys, this is posturing.

The NHL has an agreement with the KHL that any NHL players currently playing in Russia are contractually obligated to return to the NHL once the 2012-2013 season begins, or their professional hockey careers would become very difficult indeed. It’s hard to imagine Ovechkin and Kovalchuk willingly putting their participation in such international events as the Olympics into jeopardy. But who knows? Are these threats real? In my opinion, they don’t make much of a PR move.

***

» Continue reading “Lockout Update: KHL Madness; Clarkson’s Signing, Barch’s Ranting, and Matteau’s… Sitting?”

Ilya Kovalchuk and Alexander Ovechkin face off in the KHL.

Welcome back to Swarm it Up regular programming! Unfortunately, with the lockout now upon us and the loss of regular season games imminently looming on the horizon, relevant Devils news bits are few and far between.

However, I will take the chance to update on those players who have been sent down to the AHL or chosen to play in European or Russian leagues until a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is reached. Whenever, of course, that may be. Let’s hope for an agreement before our regular season opener.

Today’s update: Ilya Kovalchuk.

» Continue reading “Lockout Player Update: Ilya Kovalchuk”

Devils GM Lou Lamoriello.

A week or so after ex-Devil Zach Parise signed with the Wild, we’ve now also lost assistant coach Larry Robinson to the San Jose Sharks. Let us not forget that even before that, Adam Oates left the Devils to became head coach of the Washington Capitals. In a way, Pete DeBoer said it best: seeing other organizations turn to the Devils is flattering. Both Oates and Robinson were integral parts of DeBoer’s coaching staff who were commended often by the players, and the Devils fanbase can only wish them both luck.

But where does this leave us? What is Lou Lamoriello’s Plan B?

Inside: Scott Stevens and Mike Haviland: possible assistant coaches?; the shrinking UFA market: Semin, Ryan, and Doan; assorted videos for your offseason needs.

» Continue reading “Plan B?”

Cam Janssen.

With the Devils, no news is — well, to be expected, for one thing — but also news in its own way. There has been nothing new released on the status of Zach Parise’s contract, which seems to imply that he is deep in talks with the Devils. If he were to be beginning negotiations with a different club, there would likely be more than radio silence from the hockey world. The July 1 deadline is now two weeks away.

Ilya Kovalchuk, who played injured throughout the majority of the post season, is currently undergoing MRI testing. His back injury has been confirmed. Lamoriello recently said that Kovalchuk was not the only player to be given special attention during the usual after-season evaluations. Other players had been playing through injuries as well, though there has been no reports yet on who those players may be.

Inside: the NY Post’s ‘insider’ gaffe regarding the Devils’ ownership; a belated birthday tribute to Zubrus; defending Elias against puck-stealing accusations.

» Continue reading “Offseason News Round-up”

The power of the mustache.

Despite being down 3-1 to the Los Angeles Kings in the Stanley Cup Final, the Devils remained in good spirits for their Friday June 8th practice. They spoke candidly to the press regarding the situation they are in. Head Coach Pete DeBoer said it best: “You know it’s going to happen again, so why not us?”

He was referring, of course, to the odds of a team coming back from a 3-1 series deficit. It hasn’t been done since the Maple Leafs did it in 1942. The odds are stacked against the Devils, but the belief is there.

Inside: Devils’ practice lines, injuries, and commentary; the power of the Devilish mustache; big brothers, sons, and all about them.

» Continue reading “Devils Remain Loose For Practice”

Adam Henrique. It is known.

This game was do-or-die, and the Devils came through for their own survival. In my opinion, this was a great hockey game. The Devils took it according to plan: one shift, one period at a time. Their efforts resulted in a 3-1 victory in Game 4, sending the series back to New Jersey for a Game 5 Saturday night.

Adam Henrique. How clutch can one rookie be? I guess the power of mustache as advocated by one Ryan Carter came through. “What can I say?” Carter said following the game. “It got him going.” His 12 playoff points are a new Devils rookie record, just in case you were looking for an excuse to be more impressed than you already are.

» Continue reading “Devils Stay Alive With a 3-1 Game 4 Victory”