Lundqvist stands tall in win over Devils

Ruslan Fedotenko battles Tim Sestito on the opening faceoff during last night's Ranger 4-1 win over Hudson rival New Jersey.

They're separated by the Hudson River. Just a Path ride away, the Rangers and Devils renewed allegiances during the first Battle Of Hudson three months in the making. It was the Manhattan side that came out victorious over the Turnpike with headliner Henrik Lundqvist backstopping his team to a 4-1 win at a packed Prudential Center last night. 

In front of a makeshift defense that included emergency recall Tim Erixon, Lundqvist stood tall finishing with a game high 30 saves en route to his 23rd career victory over his favorite opponent. The Rangers needed every single one to get out of Newark with its second consecutive win in direct response to a two-game skid. That's been the story all year for John Tortorella's resilient club who never makes excuses. Even with the blueline battered minus Marc Staal, Mike Sauer and Steve Eminger, they fought back to steal two points thanks to Lundqvist. The scoreboard may have said otherwise but anyone who saw it knows the Devils controlled much of the action only to be denied by King Henrik.

“I enjoy playing against this team,” Lundqvist pointed out after diminishing his career GAA to 1.85 versus the Devils. “It’s always a great challenge to play them. There’s a lot of action. We all knew that this was going to be a tough one.”

Martin Brodeur brings out the best in Lundqvist, who was outstanding in keeping his team afloat despite a strong attack from New Jersey led by the ever dangerous top line of Adam Henrique, Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk. Minus top scorer Patrik Elias (flu), the Devs entered having won four straight and seemed on their way to five when Travis Zajac got to the only bad rebound Lundqvist allowed to put the hosts in front 1-0 15:51 into the first period. In his third game, Zajac won a draw back to Petr Sykora, whose low shot leaked out. A mad scramble ensued with Ryan McDonagh unable to clear it before Zajac deposited his first. Dainius Zubrus helped set it up by crashing the net.

It easily could've been two or three without Lundqvist, who watched his teammates struggle to mount anything the first half. Part of it had to do with how the game began with pushing and shoving between fourth lines. When Cam Janssen asked former teammate Mike Rupp to go, he obliged the smaller foe who showed a lot of guts taking some hard lefts early before coming on late. Only his second game back, Rupp looked weary at the end and asked refs Tim Peel and Justin St.Pierre to step in. Somewhat astonishingly, the officiating was good. Other than Ryan Callahan and instigator Eric Boulton getting misconducts in a heated first, they did a good job letting the teams play.

The rough stuff wasn't done when Brandon Dubinsky and David Clarkson stopped talking and dropped 'em. Dubinsky managed a good left that buckled Clarkson, who fell which was enough for Dubi to stop. Clarkson was involved later when a hit on Erixon prompted a strong reaction from partner Stu Bickel. Bickel acquitted himself well in front of family, who while being interviewed by John Giannone saw Zajac score. I hate when that happens cause it takes away from the game.

The Devils certainly had their chances in a more even second that saw at least four goal posts struck. Derek Stepan had Brodeur beat from 45 feet out when his shot deflected off a Devil and drew iron. Brodeur really didn't see much rubber due to his quicker team having the puck. The Rangers did plenty of chasing, especially when the Parise line was buzzing. Lundqvist robbed Henrique twice, including a nice kick out off a nifty Parise set up. The defense was on its heels. Kovalchuk certainly looked good on the right side, meshing with his cohesive unit. He got off a strong shot that Lundqvist made a head save on. The man can certainly shoot it.

If there was an area which decided it, it was special teams with the Devils unable to cash in on three power plays. Part of it was due to the Ranger penalty kill, which did a solid job getting in the path of shots and making key clears. The Devs still had decent looks but just couldn't get the second on Lundqvist. They also missed the net quite a bit in the second with Clarkson blowing some huge opportunities where he was set up alone but fired high and wide. For a guy having a bounce back season (11 goals vs 12 all last year), he disappointed the home side.

“We kept on scrapping and fought through it,” Tortorella said. “We started to take over in the second period and then kept on coming in the third. Hank made some key saves at key times and we just tried to stay with it. Eventually, we found a way to score some goals.”

Given a chance to get back in it, the Rangers responded with some strong work from elevated Carl Hagelin, who was bumped up by Tortorella with Brad Richards and Ryan Callahan. Hagelin helped generate chances, including a close call when a Richards shot pass was deflected by Callahan off the right post. Finally moving their legs, the Blueshirts turned the tide thanks to a brilliant rush by Derek Stepan. The second-year forward took a Marian Gaborik feed that saw our top finisher drilled, and then skated around a Devil before firing the puck into the slot off Kurt Foster for Artem Anisimov, who buried his seventh to knot it with 2:32 left in the second.

Suddenly with momentum, they nearly went ahead when Anisimov set up Stepan, who was denied by Brodeur on the short side. With it even, it was anyone's game. The first few shifts of the final stanza showed that as each side came close. A couple of more key stops from Lundqvist paid dividends when an unusual play allowed them to go ahead. Stepan started it by backing up the Devil D and then got the puck to Anisimov who methodically skated around to the right before flipping a tricky backhand that trickled off Brodeur right to Gaborik, who deposited his team best 18th at 4:45.

“That’s how we score,” Gaborik explained after also netting an empty netter in the closing seconds on a special night that saw the Slovak record his 600th career point. “We get a lot of rebound, second-chance goals. I just try to stay in front and be there to lay it in.”

The Devils didn't give up, coming back with a couple of strong shifts that eventually landed them a third man-advantage when McDonagh closed his hand on a puck. For whatever reason, they rank dead last at home despite oodles of talent. Even without Elias, the addition of Foster has added another shooter to a top heavy unit which features Kovalchuk, Parise, Henrique and Clarkson. Pete DeBoer can also roll out reemerging Petr Sykora, Zubrus and Zajac on the second one with improving rookie Adam Larsson, who played well defensively. During the PP, Lundqvist made back-to-back stops, including one he deemed 'lucky' on Henrique, whose shot went through the wickets but wide. Perhaps luck was on the Rangers' side with Gabby's odd goal earlier and Step's pass off Foster to Anisimov.

The PK bent but never broke with two big clears, including a yeoman effort from Dubinsky, who played his best game of the season. However, it was a strong clear by Bickel that led to the Coup de grace. Unable to corral the puck at the left point, Kovalchuk fell leading to a two-on-one. The league's most potent shorthanded team is also the worst at permitting shorthanded goals. Here came Hagelin flying down the wing with Brian Boyle as the decoy. The brilliant Swede whipped a shot past Brodeur's glove for his second shorty before an odd celebration saw him fall down and laugh. It's amazing how poised he is. But remember, he spent four years at Michigan and isn't afraid.  

“We had a lot of opportunities, but their guy didn’t allow us to get the second goal,” DeBoer said. “If we got the second goal, we could have taken charge of the game. I thought it was one of our better games, maybe our best 60-minute effort this year.

“We didn’t come out on the right end, but I liked the way we played. Tip the cap to their guy. We have to find a way to solve him because we play them five more times.”


BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Marian Gaborik, NYR (2 goals-19 incl. GW for 600th NHL point, assist, +3)
2nd Star-Stepan/Anisimov, NYR (5 Pts: 1-4-5, 7 SOG, +5)
1st Star-Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (30 saves for 23rd career win vs NJD)


Notes: Henrik Tallinder sat out for the third consecutive game due to back spasms. ... Elias still is up in the air for Friday versus Washington. ... Larsson will fly home to Sweden for his grandmother's funeral. He'll miss the Devs next two games including next Monday at Carolina. The top line of Parise-Henrique-Kovalchuk combined for a dozen of the club's 31 shots. Each were held off the score sheet due to Lundqvist and the D tandem of Dan Girardi and McDonagh. ... Sean Avery sat out a fourth straight game. ... Brodeur turned aside 17 of 20 in his second consecutive start, falling below .500 (8-9-0). ... Rangers host Islanders tomorrow and Flyers Friday.

A Mixed Bag: Drury, Islanders, Zajac, Rick Rypien

With less than 10 days left in August, hockey's around the corner with Traverse City getting underway in the second week of September, just as the U.S. Open finishes. Yes, I'm a huge tennis fan who follows the grand slams and can't wait for it to kick off next week. Once the first ball is served, you know our sport's finally on deck. By show of hands, who can't wait? The #IsItOctober trend on Twitter's been increasing by the minute. For yours truly, it's all about September with the big prospect tournament that MSG airs along with training camps and preseason.

With the NFL also two weeks away with the first Sunday set on the Tenth Anniversary of 9/11, it's going to have extra significance for everyone. There's so much going on that Opening Night will be here before you know it. Personally, this is my favorite time of year with summer fading away while leaves change colors and school restarts. That might not be so thrilling for some of you. But I'm becoming a substitute teacher and am looking forward to a new challenge just as our hockey teams prepare for their own.

A lot's happened lately. So, let's try to cover it:

1.Chris Drury Retires- For most observers, it isn't a surprise that one of America's finest hockey players called it a career due to a chronic knee issues. Of course, it came after the Rangers bought our former captain out, clearing room. Whatever happened to Dru the past two years, it's easy to forget that he was one of our best performers in Years 1-2, averaging a shade over 23 goals with nearly half the production on the power play while also averaging over 56 points. Sure. It wasn't the 37 markers or 69 points the former Little League World Series Trumbull, Connecticut hero put up in his final season in Buffalo- haunting us with a tying goal in Game Five. However, what gets lost is that was his best statistical year, coming on a much more talented squad that advanced to its second consecutive Conference Final. Drury was never about stats but rather intangibles like winning faceoffs, outhustling opponents on the PK and making the right play. Don't forget he had a knack for scoring big goals as a good chunk (47 of 255 goals) backs up. The Avalanche don't win a second Cup without Captain Clutch. A hardworking, well respected player loved by teammates and peers, who poured overwhelming support last week. Over 12 seasons, he handled himself like a true professional. The 615 points (255-360-615) in 892 games are a good measuring stick for any third round pick, originally drafted by Quebec in '94 (72nd overall). I think everyone will agree that if Brandon Dubinsky or Ryan Callahan come close to those figures, the Rangers just might not wait another 37 years for Cup No.5. Congrats to Chris Drury on an outstanding career!

2.Islanders- No matter what they're involved in, chaos is the buzz word when it comes to the Islanders. So, Charles Wang's referendum failed. For now, the Isles were supposed to concern themselves with the upcoming '11-12 season, commemorating the franchise's Forty Year Anniversary. One which is filled with promise thanks to a young nucleus led by John Tavares. Instead, the Isles found themselves mixed up in another controversy involving one of their Top 10 games last season. This past Friday, they were expected to hold a Viewing Party to air the club's 9-3 melee-induced 2/11 win over the Penguins. However, due to opposition from a Pens blog and even the league, the organization decided against showing the bloodshed. Instead, they substituted one of their most exciting wins over the Sabres that occurred two days later- a 7-6 treat that featured a hat trick from Calder runner-up Michael Grabner, who finished third behind Jeff Skinner and Logan Couture. It's understandable why there was some resentment to showing such a game. While it was quite entertaining with Jack Capuano's club exacting revenge on the Pens for their cheap antics in a prior match that included laughing from the Pittsburgh bench after Rick DiPietro was concussed by Brent Johnson, the general consensus is that they went overboard- turning the third period into a circus. Given the sensivity to violence, the Islanders made the right decision here. Besides, the combined 13 goals in what was a seesaw battle between two Battle rivals, was a better game.

3.Travis Zajac Injury- The Devils were dealt a significant blow when it was learned that top center Travis Zajac tore his achilles during a training session. He's expected to miss at least the first month and possibly half of November. Considering the club's recent history with injuries, figure the Devs to use caution, which could mean Zajac doesn't return until December. How that impacts them under new coach Pete DeBoer remains to be seen. Considering that they subtracted Brian Rolston to save cap space, New Jersey is pretty thin up the middle with Patrik Elias probably shifting to center the top line. Elias has had success there and could find chemistry with a healthy Zach Parise, who's in his final year before potentially testing the market. The question is how will DeBoer handle the loss. Last year, Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk couldn't co-exist. It probably makes sense to split them up, balancing out the lines. If say you keep complement Nick Palmeiri with Kovalchuk and substitute Dainius Zubrus, it would allow Elias and Kovalchuk to perhaps team with David Clarkson, who could provide the meat and potatoes while Swede connection Jacob Josefson and Mattias Tedenby remain on the third line. That assumes Clarkson reestablishes himself. Keep an eye on prospect Adam Henrique, who should get an extended look with Zajac out.

4.The NHL is mourning the loss of Rick Rypien, who was found dead at his Alberta home last Monday. The popular tough guy, who took on all comers despite his smallish 5-11, 190 pound frame, had battled demons off the ice. He took a leave of absence nine months ago to address personal issues. At age 27, another extended member of our family is gone too soon with many questions left as to why. That it came three months after Ranger enforcer Derek Boogaard passed away due to a mix of alcohol and the painkiller oxycodone, has raised concerns about player mental health. Rypien had dealt with depression. It's unfair to compare the untimely deaths of Boogaard and Rypien even though they were basically the same age with the Boogey Man passing away at 28. The former Canuck was excited to be returning to Manitoba where he starred for the Moose under current Winnipeg Jets Assistant GM Craig Heisinger. Like Boogaard, his death was a shock to the hockey community. To hear Vancouver GM Mike Gillis tell it, it sounded like Rypien was improving.

"Over the course of the last three seasons, we participated in a variety of different initiatives with him and we were all really close with him," Gillis expressed last Tuesday in Toronto. "We had an understanding of what we thought was going on and had a number of outside agencies involved in assisting us, and we felt we were on course.

We felt he was making progress in a lot of different areas. When he signed with Winnipeg, we were all really happy for him."

It's extremely difficult to think that two players we watched and cheered for are gone. The NHL definitely must put more emphasis on finding out why these tragedies happened. It's not good for the league and sports as a whole. Anxiety and Depression are serious issues that we are seeing more and more of with players taking time off to try to address these matters. Whether it's Substance Abuse or Mental, we tend to forget that these are people just like us with everyday problems. The more we learn, the better each league will be at helping treat their employees. Preventing future tragedies should be priority. Here's hoping things improve to the point where we don't have to eulogize another stunning death. Life's too short.

Devils best not enough in latest Hudson clash

They skated. They forechecked. They took shots. They finished checks. They got big saves. These are all traits that made the Devils one of the best teams in the game spanning two decades. Despite all that, it still didn't matter in their latest defeat- a tough 3-1 loss to the Hudson rival Rangers last night in Newark.

Maybe Jacques Lemaire finally got his team's attention because they were a different club in the latest installment of the Hudson. Even if the affable vet coach declared it wasn't a rivalry until his team started winning. Despite outshooting the Rangers by a healthy margin (44-25), they dropped their sixth straight in the traditional carnival atmosphere at The Rock.

“There were a lot of positives,” a frustrated Jason Arnott expressed after narrowly missing a potential tying tally with over two minutes left. “We played hard. It just didn’t go our way. We started doing more things that Jacques has been telling us and it paid off. If we play like that, we are going to win hockey games.”

It's been that kind of year for the Devils, whose anemic offense contributed to getting John MacLean fired. Despite a plethora of chances, they could only muster one goal on Henrik Lundqvist, who kept his teammates afloat finishing with a season high 43 saves. That included 20 stops in a busy second that saw the Devs at one point lead in shots 32-12 before the Rangers picked it up.

“It feels better than playing well and losing,” said Lundqvist after his team improved to a league best 13-6-0 on the road. “As the game went on, I felt better and felt I had a chance to get to everything. I knew that in no way it was going to be an easy game. They’re not a bad team, despite their record.”

A couple of days removed from dominating the Islanders with a season best 52 shots, the Blueshirts saw the tables turned with a hungrier Devil club getting an early Travis Zajac goal while taking seven of the first eight shots. Zajac got to a loose Mattias Tedenby rebound scoring his second in three games. The No.1 center has had a rough season since losing linemate Zach Parise but has points in four of his last five- playing a strong game yesterday. But before they blinked, Brian Boyle responded with his 14th caroming off Martin Brodeur's glove to tie it 47 seconds later.

After outshooting the Rangers 16-5 in the first, the rejuvenated Devils continued to pour it on. However, Lundqvist was equal to the task stopping them in their tracks. Eventually, his strong play allowed teammates to settle in. Once they did, it became a really intense game with both netminders called upon to make strong saves. As fate would have it, it was an innocent looking shot that doomed New Jersey. Off a faceoff win by rookie Derek Stepan, Brandon Dubinsky came around the net and dished for a cutting Michal Rozsival, whose one-timer deflected off Devil defenseman Andy Greene and in. It was heading wide but the unfortunate bounce was the latest sequence to beDevil their close rival.

“That’s par for the course for this year,” Brodeur said after the harmless shot went off Greene's arm for the bitter decider. “Just another bad goal, a bad bounce to bad us.”

The third was a battle from start to finish with each team going after each other like a couple of boxers. Speaking of which, it was prior to Rozsival's tally that Boyle fought Dainius Zubrus following a scrum. That was the turning point for the Blueshirts, who still drew praise from John Tortorella about how this team finds a way even when things aren't going well. In the final 20, nobody had to tell them what to do with the penalty kill coming up big three different times. Lundqvist finally got help with Boyle and do everything linemate Brandon Prust making life miserable for Ilya Kovalchuk. Marc Staal was strong, clearing numerous pucks out.

The Rangers had a big opportunity to put it away when Arnott took an extra for unsportsmanlike following a hold. To the Devils' credit, they did a good job killing it off with much more aggressive play than we've seen. On one shift, Henrik Tallinder had more positives than the entire season. Brodeur still had to make a couple of critical stops during the second half and also caught a break when Matt Gilroy's laser rang off the crossbar. Speaking of Gilroy, he had another strong game- looking particularly dangerous after Tortorella stuck him out for power play shifts.

Still nursing a 2-1 lead, the Rangers protected it well with strong play in the neutral zone. It was on the cycle that Chris Drury got nabbed for holding, giving the Devils one last chance to tie it. It was the Ranger PK which got the job done, albeit with a little help from the post after Lundqvist sprawled out to deny a pointblank chance- leaving Arnott looking to the heavens.

Tortorella used a timeout with over a minute left to stick Boyle, Prust and Ruslan Fedotenko out along with Staal and Dan Girardi. The sound strategy paid off with the Devils unable to get a sniff. Artem Anisimov and Dubinsky were out for the final shift, breaking up plays and forcing the Devs to go offside. Finally, Dubinsky salted it away off an Anisimov draw at center ice, sending his team best 16th into the open net with six seconds to spare.

"We knew that they had their struggles this year, but they’re still capable of turning it on,” said Dubinsky. “We didn’t want it to be against us. We expected them to come out hard. We can’t play our best every night, but with Hank back there, we found a way to steal this one.”


BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Brian Boyle, NYR (career high 14th goal, game best 6 SOG, fight)
2nd Star-Martin Brodeur, NJD (23 saves incl.11/12 in 2nd)
1st Star-Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (season best 43 saves incl.20/20 in 2nd)

Devils waive Rolston

The Devils finally made a move today, waiving veteran forward Brian Rolston. The 37 year-old Rolston who returned to New Jersey three years ago, has two years, $5.062 million remaining on his contract. In 15 games this season which was hampered by a sports hernia, the '95 Cup winner has two goals and two assists for four points.

Regardless if he clears waivers or retires, Rolston's salary will count against the Devils cap because he's over 35. TSN's Bob McKenzie who broke the story on Twitter, also notes that he can be put on re-entry waivers which might give a better chance of someone claiming him. They'd be on the hook for half the salary/cap hit.

For Rolston, this could be the end of the line for a gritty Team USA star who played in two Olympics ('02, '06) including the memorable silver at Salt Lake, falling to familiar face Martin Brodeur and Team Canada. In his second stint with the Devils, Rolston totaled 37 goals and 36 helpers for 73 points over 159 games. That included 16 power play goals and six game-winners. Unfortunately, he was a disappointment after huge success with Minnesota. But as so happens with many aging vets, their play levels off, which is why the deal never made any sense to begin with.

In what's become a trying season with New Jersey sitting 29th with just eight wins and 18 points in 29 games trailing eighth by 18, the finger has to be pointed at President/GM Lou Lamoriello, who for all his success erred in handing out too many contracts like Rolston's with many including no-movement clauses. Something which has been a theme in Hasan's posts. Henrik Tallinder has been an epic fail thus far, posting a minus-16 rating. But he's far from alone with megastar Ilya Kovalchuk stuck on five goals and 14 points with a minus-18. Leading scorer Patrik Elias has only lit the lamp six times and top center Travis Zajac (3-10-13) hasn't been the same since Zach Parise went down.

There haven't been many bright spots. Swedish rookie Mattias Tedenby has shown flashes but has cooled off. Anton Volchenkov has been steady since returning from a broken nose. Jason Arnott leads the club with nine goals but is hardly the same player who scored the most memorable goal in franchise history 10 years ago. Dainius Zubrus (4-8-12) tries but the harsh reality is that his salary ($3.4 M) is hardly a bargain. Captain Jamie Langenbrunner's struggles are well documented. What can Lamoriello do? Surely, he couldn't have predicted Andy Greene stuck on a club worst minus-19 or Kovalchuk firing blanks.

What does it mean for Parise, who turns restricted this summer a year away from potentially leaving the only place he's known? It remains to be seen if such a poor season will impact what Zach Attack does. He's their most important player. The Devils can't afford to lose him.

Waiving Rolston starts the process for a prideful GM who never gives up. Most definitely, the Devils are better off getting younger moving forward. The playoffs seem like a pipe dream. Uncommon around these parts since '95-96. For now, all the Devs can do is continue to play hard under first-year coach John MacLean. Their next chance to snap a five-game skid is tomorrow at home versus the Coyotes. The Preds visit Friday and then New Jersey goes to Atlanta to face one of those teams they're chasing. It's like chasing a dream.

Devils and Sabres in unfamiliar territory

I shouldn't be up but somehow am because my schedule has been wacky lately. Well, maybe not as out of whack as the Devils right now but yeah. They're not the only Battle club struggling as the Sabres are stuck on three wins in 10 games (3-6-1) just a couple of points clear of last New Jersey (2-7-1). With October about to close, two of the East's top three clubs just last Spring are in the basement trying to get going.

Even the biggest doomsday scenario couldn't have predicted this for half the Battle clubs. Especially when they boast two of the game's elite goalies. I'm not about to write off Martin Brodeur yet. He's gotten off to slow starts before. It's just that now his defense is AHL caliber without Anton Volchenkov and Bryce Salvador, who remains on LTIR with a concussion. Hell. As our resident NJD blogger Hasan alluded to, even Mark Fraser is missed. Between a matador D reminding us of some of those dreadful Ranger teams and lackluster starts from Travis Zajac, Patrik Elias, Jason Arnott and Jamie Langenbrunner, it's no wonder the Devs are where they are. First-year coach John MacLean must think he became one of Freddy's nightmares. Benching Ilya Kovalchuk legitimately due to tardiness for a team meeting and unable to find the right combos. Even Zach Parise only has three goals, which sadly is good for a tie for first on the club with Arnott. Can it get any worse? They'll look to get back in the win column tonight at Anaheim.

As for the Sabres, they haven't looked much better. Not even with rating Vezina winner Ryan Miller doing his part. In a 6-3 road loss to old rival Philly, their lack of attention to detail was disturbing. Sloppy turnovers led directly to odd-man rushes which the Flyers were only too happy to take advantage of. Even if Lindy Ruff's club made it interesting late, they know they must be more consistent to get out of this funk. Since defeating Ottawa in the season opener, they've dropped seven of nine. In particular, Tyler Myers is going through a rough patch in his second year, posting a team worst minus-nine rating. When Steve Montador is your most effective blueliner, that's a problem. Thomas Vanek has just begun lighting the lamp after another MIA stint. Let's be honest. He hasn't been the same since he signed that huge Oiler offersheet which Darcy Regier matched. One of the game's top talents should be putting up between 40-50 goals every season. Not going through funks which have Western New York scratching their heads. Only Derek Roy, rookie Tyler Ennis and Drew Stafford have performed. More is needed from Tim Connolly, Jochen Hecht and even Patrick Kaleta, who's been far too quiet. They're still missing Jason Pominville, whose status is uncertain due to a concussion.

On a day in which both teams play with the latter visiting the house of horrors Atlanta, can they dig out of this early hole? For sure. But, it would be wise to get untracked soon before it morphs into Carolina last year, who despite a furious rally, couldn't recover from a horrid start. Over the next couple of weeks, we'll see what each is made of.

Devils and Sabres facing obstacles

This year's first round has been unlike any other. Well, at least in recent memory. When's the last time so many higher seeds faced such tough opposition just to reach the second round? Of course, if you're our resident Devil blogger, you've seen this act before. If only it were that simple. Just ask San Jose's Dan Boyle and Vancouver's Roberto Luongo.

Tonight, the Devils face a must win in hostile territory against the dreaded Flyers. Unless you really believe lightning can strike twice a decade apart, it's highly unlikely that they can rally from 3-1 down. Even if it's Brian Boucher. Thus far, it's the Flyers winning the little battles and burying their opportunities. Though it took sudden death and an odd hero in pugilist Daniel Carcillo, anyone can attest to it getting that far thanks to splendid goaltending from future Hall Of Famer Martin Brodeur, who did everything possible to steal Game Three. If only his teammates had been as willing. Following a much improved Game Two that drew them even, New Jersey relapsed. Instead of attacking at every turn, they overpassed- wasting precious opportunities on the power play.

Sure. The Devs cashed in twice thanks to the Ilya Kovalchuk-Brian Rolston combo with their best player Dainius Zubrus in front. No shots from Kovalchuk and two from Zach Parise just won't cut it. Neither will poor efforts from Patrik Elias, Travis Zajac and invisible captain Jamie Langenbrunner. Those are the best players who should be making a difference in this series. Instead, it's Zubrus and Rolston carrying the load. Against a skilled team that features Mike Richards, Simon Gagne, Claude Giroux, Chris Pronger, Kimmo Timonen along with Daniel Briere and Jeff Carter, that just won't cut it. It's time for the big guns along with Paul Martin to step up and give Brodeur some help. It would also be nice if Jacques Lemaire remembered what worked. Changing D pairs and not going back to say ZZ Popp or Zubrus-Zajac-Parise is having an adverse affect. He needs to wake up as does his team.

While the Devs certainly have their work cut out for them, the Sabres need to find the back of the net. It hasn't come easy against bright freshman Tuukka Rask, who stymied them making 32 saves en route to a 2-1 Game Three win that steered the Bruins in front. After a hard fought one-goal win in Game One and a 2-0 lead early in Game Two, Lindy Ruff's crew looked to be in good shape. But then Thomas Vanek went down and everything changed. Over the last five periods, Buffalo's been outscored 7-2 and now face a critical Game Four tomorrow in Beantown. Are they up to the challenge?

For most of what's been a nice bounce back season that's seen the guys represent Western New York by making its first postseason since a Conference Final appearance three years ago, they've been a feisty, resilient bunch. We've seen them comeback to win games they looked dead in. Facing a bitter rival is always tough. Especially given how air tight Claude Julien's club plays minus offensive leader Marc Savard, who's getting close to returning. Without Vanek, the Sabres have struggled to finish. They're also minus Jochen Hecht, who certainly can help. Derek Roy has had a disappointing series and Tim Connolly has done zilch since returning. If they don't get more from their top two pivots, it'll be a very bitter end to such a promising year.

No Sabre has more than a goal including Jason Pominville, who finished strong. If Vanek isn't available tomorrow, he must light the lamp. Deadline pickup Raffi Torres has yet to score since coming over from Columbus. But he does lead the team with two assists- the same amount Henrik Tallinder has. Vanek also had two points- a goal and helper before going down. All year, Ruff's crew were a T-E-A-M who didn't rely on one player to score. How else did they score 231 goals when their offensive leader Vanek had 28? They'll need more from rookie Tyler Myers along with rugged forwards Patrick Kaleta, Paul Gaustad and Matt Ellis, who can't be getting outmuscled by 42 year-old Mark Recchi like on last night's Patrice Bergeron winner. That simply won't cut it.

Drew Stafford and rook Tyler Ennis are also being looked upon for offense. They'll need to be more involved and aid Ryan Miller, who's been the heart and soul all season long. It goes without saying that Miller will do his part. Can his teammates come to the rescue against Zdeno Chara, Rask and Julien? It's time to dig deep.

Devs chase Fleury again

There's no stopping the Devils. Luck of the Irish not required to hand a beat down of what's looking more and more like defending chumps. Patrik Elias made it 3-1 when he stole a Jordan Leopold blind backhand pass and then beat Marc-Andre Fleury for a shorthanded goal. Another Pens' turnover that may as well have been from a bakery. Funny but moments earlier Fleury flat out robbed Travis Zajac with a sprawling glove save that even Chico Resch had to admit was great. Oh wait. He thinks every save is great. :P

The Elias shorty seemed to unnerve the Pens, who looked rattled. Turnover after turnover proceeded until Zach Parise netted team-leading No.33 by being allowed to swat in a rebound while Mark Eaton stood and watched. Not shockingly, it chased a furious Fleury, who MSG-Plus' cameras caught breaking slamming his goal stick against the wall.

Since when did Pittsburgh morph into the Rangers? Apparently, the sight of the Devils turns them into pumpkins. If this were a prize fight, it would've been stopped in Round Two. The play of the Penguins in this one is flat out embarrassing. It's like they've never played the game before. Pretty sad for a Sidney Crosby led team that's got an impressive resume, including two consecutive trips to the Finals, winning the franchise's third championship (first since '92) by dethroning Detroit.

Much of the credit goes to the Devils, who just look very focused with Paul Martin back on the blueline. He really has looked great and that bodes extremely well for Jacques Lemaire's club. The Devs are clicking on all cylinders, playing air tight D while pouncing on Pittsburgh mistakes. The score could very well be 8-1 after two periods. That's how dominant they've been. Brent Johnson came in and had to make two great stops from in tight, including a sparkling glove on Ilya Kovalchuk to keep the deficit at three. The Devs' fourth line continues to play well with Rod Pelley doing solid work. Remember when NJ fans were all over Rob Niedermayer? He's looked real good since key ingredient David Clarkson returned.

There's not one Devil you could say anything negative about. Thus far, it's like Manny Pacquiao's performance versus Joshua Clottey. While Marty's done the job again turning aside 15 of 16 (5-5 in 2nd), Fleury's ugly line which really wasn't his fault was four allowed on 13 shots. He's permitted three-or-more in all five starts with tonight's four raising his GAA to 4.52 and a dismal .838 save percentage. Yikes. In case you're wondering, Johnson made his only start on 12/30/09 acquitting himself well by stopping 31 of 32 in a 2-0 shutout loss. He also relieved Fleury in an ugly 12/21 4-0 loss, turning aside all 14 shots. Counting the two he stopped so far, that's quite a difference.

The big question becomes if Dan Bylsma's team sees the Devils in the second or third round, would he consider going with Johnson? It seems illogical. But based on how poorly the Pens have played in front of Fleury, it actually might be something he considers.

Devils send message to defending champs

Beating the Rangers is one thing. But following it up with a sound performance against Sidney Crosby and the defending champion Pens shows that the Devils just might be a factor this Spring. Facing a team they owned earlier in the season in what amounted to a significant game if they're to comeback and win the Atlantic, the Newark hosts stood up to Pittsburgh, defeating them a fifth straight time by a score of 3-1.

Martin Brodeur bested Marc-Andre Fleury with 34 saves and the New Jersey D we saw earlier this year returned. First half hero Andy Greene was the catalyst, scoring a goal and assist while playing splendid defense on the league's leading finisher Crosby, whose 45th of the season was the only one that beat Team Canada Olympic teammate Brodeur. For a team that had struggled for over a month, this was a change back to when things were right. Jacques Lemaire's defensive strategy again foiled the high flying Pens, who now have totaled only three goals in five defeats. The Devils' second consecutive win pulled them within two of first with two in hand. The old Patrick rivals meet one more time at The Rock next Wednesday.

For the Devils, everything was gravy with big acquisition Ilya Kovalchuk delivering his best game in red and black- finishing with a goal and two helpers along with a game high seven shots. Playing a more workman like game, the electrifying Russian helped set up Greene's decider with 17:54 left in the third period. At that critical juncture, the teams were deadlocked with the home club wasting a couple of power plays, including a Craig Adams major in which they got nothing done. However, Brodeur made two vital saves late in the stanza to keep that from burning them.

Early on, the teams traded goals 42 seconds apart. Patrik Elias got it started when he cashed in on a wide Greene shot that took a favorable carom, pushing the puck past an out of position Fleury for his 12th at 1:43. Kovalchuk netted a secondary helper. Once again ahead on a team they've owned, it looked like the Devils would roll. However, Crosby was having none of it, converting his league best 45th off a break to end a run of 11 straight New Jersey goals in the season series. Taking a quick feed from Chris Kunitz, Sid The Kid waited before going five-hole on Brodeur. A Martin Skoula minor soon followed but the Devils tightened up, keeping it tied.

While there was no scoring in the second, it certainly was highly entertaining with wide open action and plenty of rough stuff. With each trying to get their point across, the penalty fest started when Adams was called for a charging major, earning the rest of the night off. Judging from Matt Loughlin and Sherry Ross' commentary, it sounded like it was excessive. However, the Devils drove their fans nuts by barely testing Fleury. Ex-Devil Mike Rupp was then nabbed for an unnecessary slash on Brodeur following a puck he covered which led to a scrum. Handed a third opportunity to surge ahead, the Devs couldn't with Fleury seeing everything as the Pen PK did a solid job in front.

While on it, Dainius Zubrus and Kris Letang exchanged pleasantries following a Fleury save. Each earning matching roughs. The shenanigans continued when instigator Matt Cooke came at Rob Niedermayer, who of course was just releasing the puck. However, the younger Nieds saw him and threw an oldschool high crosscheck that drew the baby's ire. God forbid someone is prepared for his antics. Of course, Cooke challenged him while other players joined the fracas, including Ruslan Fedotenko and Colin White, who actually paired off. With David Clarkson wanting to step in, nothing materialized as cooler heads prevailed. Evgeni Malkin was also whistled for interference while Niedermayer got an extra two for the crosscheck, forcing Rod Pelley to serve it.

Faced with a little adversity, the Devils easily killed it off with outstanding work done by Greene, who was everywhere breaking up plays. By far his best game in months. The lift eventually led to a huge play which also could've been a turning point. A soft backhand pass by Clarkson sprung Kovalchuk for a clean breakaway to which the former Thrasher was denied by a quick Fleury pad. However, Letang got him from behind. Or at least from our vantage point, the side. Be that as it may, they rewarded Kovy a penalty shot. Previously, he was 1-for-1 in his career discounting the gimmick. With a chance to put his new team up, Kovalchuk's was stoned by Fleury. He tried to go low but nothing doing with even a smattering of boos from an impatient crowd.

It set the stages for a big third. Not shockingly, right off the bat Niedermayer obliged Cooke who got the better of him, earning the KO. It wasn't that bad. With the game hanging in the balance, Bryce Salvador found an on-rushing Kovalchuk, who backed up the D before sending a wrister on Fleury, which the Pens' netminder was unable to control kicking it right to Greene, who rifled it top shelf at 2:06- sending the crowd to its feet. It was his first goal since netting two back on Dec.9 versus Carolina, spanning 37 contests. Not only was it big but it marked two in a row in which Greene had at least two points. His offense had been non-existant. Perhaps the break helped because he's got five points in five games (1-4-5).

The game was far from over. With the Devs nursing a one-goal lead, more theatrics occurred when captain Jamie Langenbrunner got tangled up with Chris Kunitz near the Pens' bench. In fact, Kunitz pulled Langenbrunner in with him as players from both sides watched. On the sequence, somehow Pitt came out with a man-advantage as they gave Langs an extra two for high sticking. Again, the Devil PK was outstanding keeping the Pens on the perimeter. In particular, they pressured high forcing Letang to make the decisions while giving both Crosby and Malkin little space. It resulted in turnovers leading to routine clears. Brodeur also had a couple of stops, including a strong glove save on Jordan Staal. Even if the shot was heading wide, it was a smart play that allowed his team a breather following some diligent work.

The best Pens' chance came from Malkin, who all period had it going. Taking a pass in stride, he broke in and seemed to have Brodeur beat but couldn't tuck in his backhand with it instead hitting the side of the net. Probably the biggest play to that point. An even larger yet more controversial one came next. Off a solid forecheck by Zubrus and Travis Zajac, they worked the puck to Kovalchuk, who let one go from about 35 out. His harmless shot whizzed by Fleury, who vehemently protested immediately. Replays showed that an attacking Zajac waved his stick at it but wound up accidentally shoving Fleury's glove which looked in position. After much discussion, both Doc Emrick and Chico Resch agreed that maybe the Devils caught a break. Even if not intentional, it probably should've been wiped out due to incidental contact.

Instead, Kovalchuk's 35th (4th as a Devil) stood from Zubrus and Zajac, giving New Jersey a 3-1 lead with 10:01 remaining. A Mike Mottau high-sticking minor handed the Pens another power play. However, Brodeur and Co. again silenced the Pens, who despite a 15-5 edge in shots, couldn't beat their Kryptonite.

“Brodeur played as well as he can play,” a pleased Lemaire said. “He was on the top of his game and played very solid. He made some great saves in the third period.”

“There is no explanation for it,” the veteran coach added of his team's dominance of the Penguins. “You need a little luck. But when you do well against one team, it builds confidence and you think you can play at that level all the time.”

“He’s Martin Brodeur, so you can’t expect him not to play well,” Crosby added. “He gets up for games like this and gives a little something extra. Whether he considers it a challenge or not, I don’t know, but he just plays well.”

Whatever it is, one thing's certain. At least for now, the Devils have the Pens' number. Whether that changes next week or in the foreseeable future remains to be seen.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Martin Brodeur, NJD (34 saves incl.15/15 in 3rd)
2nd Star-Ilya Kovalchuk, NJD (4th as a Devil plus 2 assists, game best 7 SOG, +3 in 20:51)
1st Star-Andy Greene, NJD (GW goal-5th of season, assist, +3 in 23:34)

Light Gate Conclusion handled well in all aspects

Well, as Hasan already posted, the Lightning and Devils finally completed Friday's game earlier before 3,000 who returned to The Rock in which fans were allowed to move down for the third. Tampa Bay held off New Jersey 4-2, earning a valuable two points that put them into a 11th place tie with idle Atlanta- four points behind Ottawa and Montreal. Busing back from Philly while the host Devs flew in following last night's overtime win in Brodeur land, it wasn't too conventional. But the Bolts still took Light Gate despite getting outscored 2-1. As one Dev fan on Twitter noted, that's gotta be a first.

It was a tough situation to be sure but both teams handled the adversity well, fitting in the final 29:12 to get on with hectic schedules the rest of the way.

“It was a little weird,” super soph Steven Stamkos expressed after getting his second of the game over two days. “We prepared twice for this game. It was a half-game and a half-game. The travel wasn’t bad. We were in Philly, so it was only a bus ride away. It was something a lot of guys haven’t experienced in a while. It felt like we were back in junior, but it was worth it.”

For winning goalie Mike Smith who finished with 33 saves, he actually flashed back to a couple of years back in junior for Sudbury when their playoff game against Toronto-St. Michael's encountered a similar electrical issue.

“We were up 3-1 in the series before the lights went out and we ended up playing the game the next day and lost in overtime, and ended up losing the series,” the Tampa Bay goalie noted. “It was a little better outcome this time.”

Of a game that needed just 67 minutes to finish off, perhaps goalscorer Travis Zajac summed it up best:

“It’s a little weird when you start a faceoff in the neutral zone and then you feel like you’re getting going and the period is over. I think going into it we felt we had a chance to come back and make it interesting. We skated well, made some plays, but it just didn’t happen for us.”

It wasn't ideal either for the same two referees Steve Kozari and Tim Peel, who both returned for the conclusion while linesmen Derek Nansen and Jean Moran subbed for David Brisebois and Don Henderson. Kudos must go out to the officials and a hard working crew who readied the ice on short notice. At least everyone made the best of an odd situation.


“Everything about this situation was odd, from Friday sitting around here waiting to see what would happen, to playing a game when you’re worried about something the night before,” Devil and new Team USA Olympic captain Jamie Langenbrunner said. “Under the circumstances, we handled it well. We played well all weekend. Now we move forward.”