Battle Of Hudson

If people (including me) wanted to put a slight asterisk on the Devils’ home win against the Rangers last week, saying it didn’t come against Henrik Lundqvist, you can’t say that about the Devils’ 1-0 win last night. Lundqvist showed up and was brilliant, allowing only a first-period power play goal to David Clarkson…but for one of the few times in this rivalry Marty was indeed better. Martin Brodeur turned back the clock and was at his best last night, making thirty saves including fifteen in a frantic third period, all while dealing with a sprained ankle after a collision with Ryan Callahan. That moment may have been key to what happened in the final five seconds – but more on that later.

Unfortunately, I had to go out after the first period and though I listened to much of the second period on the radio I missed the third entirely. Actually I only turned it on at 7:10, two seconds after the puck drop. Turned out not one, but two fights were already underway – Eric Boulton vs. Brandon Prust and Cam Janssen vs. Mike Rupp (a rematch of a fight several weeks ago). While the Devils won both bouts, everyone watching and in the stands understood this was going to be a man’s game. Every inch and puck would be contested, and so it was…despite a dubious count of fifty-two Ranger hits compared to twenty-four for the Devils that even Janssen scoffed at in the postgame.

With both goalies looking in form early and often, it was going to take something special to move the scoreboard. And after Clarkson drew a penalty on Stu Bickel, he cashed in his twenty-first goal of the season after some quick passing by Patrik Elias and Zach Parise – who found a wide open Clarkson in the slot for a quick wrister that got the Devils the all-important first goal. As good as both goalies looked early though, I never dreamed that would be the only goal of the match, especially since for the first time in his career Marty was still barren of a shutout going into February and his record against rival Lundqvist was poor.

Lundqvist made the saves early as the Devils outshot the Rangers in the first two periods, but Brodeur was needed late as the Devils’ familiar third-period problems seemed to crop up again. While I didn’t see or hear the third, and by most accounts a lot of the shots were from the outside, the fact is the Rangers outshot the Devils 15-1. Just days after the Flyers outshot us 24-1 in the third. For once however, there was no soft goal, no fatal mistake although there very nearly was one in the final, frantic ten seconds.

Ironically, it was Parise of all people who could have ended the game with a simple dump-in but he chose to shoot at the empty net, and the puck was blocked and went the other way with rapid speed. Callahan seemingly took advantage by scoring with just seconds remaining but the goal was quickly and decisively waved off after Marian Gaborik plowed into Brodeur. When I first heard the call of this play on the radio and what had happened (I already knew the score from checking my phone) I was bemused, but didn’t realize that play was actually in the final seconds until reading about it online after I got home. I was like whoa, I really have to see this play now.

To me it was a no-brainer that it was the right call. Gaborik was going full speed and already in the crease when he made contact. Saying he tried to stop is like saying I tried to stop going fifty miles per hour with a yellow light already up for a couple of seconds. It just isn’t going to happen, you’re running the red light. Defenseman Anton Volchenkov did not throw Gaborik into Brodeur, as the Rangers contended. If anything, he tried to push him away from Marty after he was already well on his way to contact and was battling him with his stick, which should have slowed him down if anything.

Of course, the Rangers went nuts with Lundqvist complaining about getting hit earlier and told he was diving, while accusing Marty of the same thing at the other end. Take a number, buddy…you guys have been running Marty for five years and finally paid for it, though we might wind up paying a price too as Brodeur was still noticeably limping on his sprained ankle after the game. Did Callahan sliding into Marty earlier in the period and injuring him influence the later call on Gaborik? Probably, I still haven’t seen that one though.

Either way, the win was still the Devils’ fifth in a row after the All-Star break and was another step towards proving they could play with the top teams in the league. Not to mention another step towards solidifying a playoff berth.

At home the previous two games, the Devils fell behind and kept having to fight back to win. This afternoon in Philly, the Devils put up a huge lead by scoring three goals in the first, three goals in the second and yet the game was still in doubt after the Flyers put up four in response during a wild third period. Finally time ran out however, and despite being outshot 24-1 and being cheap-shotted all over the place (some called, some not), the Devils outlasted the Flyers 6-4 despite missing a handful of regulars from the lineup.

Sometimes teams fall asleep in afternoon games and come out flat. One could say the Flyers did that today, but I myself was trying to take a nap and almost completely forgot about the game. Ironically enough it was when I was logging on and saw a score update that the Devils were up 3-0 that I was like…really? Then I turned it on just in time to see the Devils put up two more early in the second, finally chasing Sergei Bobrovsky after a sixth later in the period.

New Jersey scored an incredible four special teams goals, including two on extended five-on-threes by Kurtis Foster, yes the same Foster that was more or less exiled two nights ago but got a reprieve after rookie Adam Larsson had to miss this afternoon’s contest. Again the Devils dressed seven defensemen, calling up the immortal Peter Harrold to be the seventh D/twelfth forward. Foster opened the scoring at 3:05 after back-to-back Flyer penalties gave the Devils their first two-man advantage, and incensed the Flyer fans and no doubt coach Peter ‘The Whiner from Uniondale’ Laviolette.

Philly would actually have a reason to be upset later in the period, when they were on their own power play but Ilya Kovalchuk got a breakaway, in part due to an uncalled hook on Danius Zubrus, and Kovy scored shorthanded with just fifty-seven seconds left in the period. Stunned after the late goal, the Flyers let up and with less than half a second remaining, Zubrus managed to beat Bobrovsky and the clock to put the Devils up a three-spot. Incensed after the turn of events, the Flyers committed about fifteen penalties before the Zubrus goal that weren’t called, and Scott Hartnell lost his head after it, giving the Devils a power play to begin the second period by throwing around his usual quota of cheap shots after the play was over.

Hartnell’s idiocy led to another quick goal, scored by Zach Parise just thirty-eight seconds into the second period. It would not be the last time a Flyer cheap shot affected the scoreboard this afternoon. Continuing their meltdown they allowed yet another goal to Alexei Ponikarovsky fifty-nine seconds later to go down five. Back-to-back roughing and cross-checking penalties by Tom Sestito and Braydon Coburn gave the Devils yet another two-man advantage, and once again big Foster had enough time and space to get his shot through, completing his surprising two-goal, three-point night (the first of the defenseman’s career).

Now up an incredible six goals, and after outshooting the Flyers 30-17 in the first two periods it looked for all the world like the only concern in the third would be if the Flyers decided to cheapshot one of our better players, and how much we’d be able to rest our top players with a game in less then twenty-four hours. To their credit, the Flyers came to play in the third period and first spoiled the shutout attempt of Johan Hedberg with some brilliant hand-eye coordination by Wayne Simmonds giving the big forward a goal at 3:59. Even that goal looked like more of an annoyance, but we were still fine for a while, despite having to kill a penalty by Parise. Jaromir Jagr scored at 9:23 to make it 6-2, and at this point we were still okay, but now you knew another goal would make this game more of a headache than it needed to be – and there were still more than ten minutes left.

As it turned out, it was a cheapshot by Philly’s Zac Rinaldo, slewfooting Parise that wound up unjustly turning the game. While Rinaldo did get sent to the box, so did Kovalchuk, Bryce Salvador and Anton Volchenkov – the former after he tried to challenge Rinaldo to a fight to stick up for his teammate, then wound up having to square off with (and drop quickly) teenage Braydon Schenn after Rinaldo backed off the fight. That’s as lame as anything I’ve ever seen Sean Avery do, and it’s not the first time Rinaldo’s been on our radar either. After cheap-shotting Zach in the preseason, Brad Mills made the team in part because he stuck up for his captain and fought Rinaldo then.

Despite a deliberate attempt to injure, the penalties all wound up canceling out and Ponikarovsky’s tripping penalty fourteen seconds later incredibly put the Flyers on the power play – with our top forward and two defensive penalty killers in the box. So, of course Claude Giroux broke out of a slump by scoring at 12:40 to bring the Flyers back to within three. And with Volchenkov and Salvador still in the box, they kept applying pressure and took advantage of our already injury-riddled defense by scoring yet again at 13:37, this time Jacob Voracek got the goal sending what remained of the crowd into a frenzy.

While clearly the Devils did not come to play in the third period (as evidenced by what would be an incredible shot total of 24-1 in favor of the Flyers in the final twenty minutes), and even more troubling played scared after it got to 6-4…it’s still a shame that a missed slewfoot and cheap play wound up resulting in two goals. Even mild-mannered coach Pete DeBoer after the game said there was no place for that and hoped discipline czar Brendan Shanahan would take a look at that, as well as a Rinaldo cheapshot on Jacob Josefson earlier in the game.

Despite the Flyers’ continuing onslaught after it got to 6-4 and a penalty by Andy Greene in the final thirty seconds, it got no closer thanks to some outstanding Hedberg saves – in his first start in nearly a month. Although the Devils’ frightening goal difference in the third period this season wasn’t helped by today, you still have to look at the fact that they gained two points and the Flyers none in a game where we were missing our top three centers, two of our top defensemen and our offense is kicking it into gear with thirteen goals since the All-Star break. Not to mention the Devils’ win put them ten games over .500 for the first time this season, and with every game meaning so much at this point with the standings bunched together, you can’t dismiss the importance of any win.

And with the Penguins coming to town tomorrow, you also can’t dwell on what happened in the third period either. Just keep winning.

As if Tuesday’s wild match with the Rangers wasn’t enough for high drama and emotion, Thursday’s game with the Canadiens put everyone through the ringer yet again, as the Devils came out flat and fell behind 2-0 in the first ten minutes before roaring back and breaking a 3-3 tie late in the third with Zach Parise‘s second goal of the night en route to a hard-fought 5-3 win. Typically, as the Devils were celebrating a win they lost another player due to injury as defenseman Adam Larsson got laid out by counterpart P.K. Subban late in the third period and is expected to miss at least one and probably both of this weekend’s games against the Flyers and Penguins. More on that later though.

It was another interesting night at the Rock, for season ticket holders got the opportunity to request two free seats for the game. I sold my regular seats and used the freebees, not realizing I would actually be upgrading in the process since I wound up with section 10 when I looked at the ticket, a good view almost parallel to the net where we defend twice. Even better, I have friends who have seasons in section 11 so I was able to talk to them more than usual tonight. Paid attendance was just over 13,000 and approximately 1200 or so of the free tickets were used, helping to fill the normally sparse lower bowl and give us fans a little extra bonus.

Fully enjoying my second free night down in the lower bowl this season (after my club seat game in November), I got zeppoles at the nearby Boardwalk stand and hardly cared I got powder all over myself, especially since my jerseys were in the wash and I was just wearing a t-shirt anyway. Unfortunately my mood turned from mellow to sour in a matter of minutes as the Devils came out like they were still hung over from the wild win on Tuesday, letting Montreal run all over them the first ten minutes – outshooting New Jersey 9-2 and outscoring them 2-0. First, David Deshairnais scored a rebound goal at 4:11 to give the Habs the lead. Then, Andrei Kostitsyn scored after a series of breakdowns to make it 2-0 at 9:23. I only said one word at this point…timeout! And Pete DeBoer agreed with my request, using the timeout at that point with the team’s heads clearly somewhere else.

Maybe it was the timeout that turned things around – or maybe it was Parise’s soft goal on Carey Price that somehow snuck through shortside at 10:36 that got the Devils back in the game. Ilya Kovalchuk and Danius Zubrus each got assists on the goal, and it wouldn’t be the last time any of those three would be involved in the scoring. Kovy could well have tied it early in the second period when his shot squirted through Price, who didn’t cover it. Unfortunately for the Devils the puck remained on the goalline and despite an attempt by Alexei Ponikarovsky to whack it in, the refs on the ice and a subsequent video review didn’t see the puck cross the line so it was ruled a no-goal. By this time, the lack of calls on obvious Canadien penalties were irking me and the crowd more and more, with the culmination of our displeasure the disallowed goal.

Ironically enough, it was a penalty that was finally called on Montreal that nearly ended the game for the Devils as they gave up…yes another shorthanded goal. The culprit was a familiar one – Kurtis ‘The Statue’ Foster. Heck, I’d rather have the dopey bronze statue that is an eyesore outside the Prudential Center play defense than Foster, especially after his clinic on how not to play the point on the power play. First he lost the puck at the point, then let Tomas Plekanec get behind him and finally failed to pick up trailer Matthieu Darche, who swatted in a rebound after Martin Brodeur had made the initial stop on Plekanec’s breakaway. Finally after that wonderful display of defense, Foster wound up on the bench for the rest of the night. Somewhat fortuitiously, the Devils had dressed an extra defenseman anyway due to the uncertain status of Bryce Salvador (playing through a leg injury). Did Foster’s benching come too late though?

Lo and behold, the Devils’ next power play was infinitely more successful without Foster to gum up the works, although David Clarkson‘s goal at 13:43 was somewhat fortuitous, as a Kovalchuk shot bounced off a Canadiens defender, then Clarkson’s leg before going in after yet another review incensed the crowd and caused me to say only half-kiddingly I was walking out if this was disallowed. Thankfully, I wouldn’t have to follow through as it was a good goal – which I saw pretty well from my vantage point anyway. Despite being outshot in every period, the Devils’ play continued to get better even with a series of bad calls, missed calls and no calls that somehow escaped Habs coach Randy Cunneyworth when he was complaining that the whistled favored us after the game. Truth be told, we did wind up with more power plays in the game though some of the ones that were missed were even more egregious than the ones that got called. I guess the Habs are used to getting three times as many power plays as the other team the way they usually get at the Bell Center.

Still behind 3-2 despite the shenanigans, the Devils finally tied the game early in the third, when a beautiful deflection by Zubrus off a Ponikarovsky shot beat Price to tie the game at 6:11 and gave Zubie his thirteenth goal of the year. The game muddled on with the Devils killing another penalty after a contreversial interference call on Clarkson. Even more consternation followed when Subban laid out Larsson (who’d earlier been shaken up by another hard check), and the teen sensation had to be helped off the ice with an apparent back injury. Although the check was clean, there still had to be some form of retribution and Patrik Elias provided it, giving Subban an honest knock on the next shift. To his credit Subban showed genuine concern for his counterpart when he was laid on the ice, but I didn’t see any of this at the time. I wasn’t sure whether the check was clean or dirty.

Finally, at 17:16 the Devils’ top players struck a more meaningful blow – on the scoreboard, when a Kovalchuk shot rebounded to Parise at the right side of the net, and he would beat Price with a quick wrister in the vacated area of the goalcrease for his second of the night and eighteenth of the season tying him with…Clarkson for second in scoring just behind Kovy. With the net empty it seemed like the Devils tried to force it to Zach since he could have gotten a hat trick, but finally Clarkson took care of business himself flinging it into an empty net for his nineteenth goal of the season. Clarkson’s two goals and an assist weren’t even enough to earn a star, as Parise got first star with his two goals including the game-winner, Kovy got second star for his three assists and Brodeur got third star ironically, after being rooked out of it during a couple of home games where he only allowed one goal. Don’t get me wrong, Marty did deserve it with a bunch of fine saves that kept the Devils in it while they were still trying to find their equilibrium. New man Ponikarovsky also deserved some recognition for his two assists and +2 on the night, in addition to the almost-goal that wasn’t.

Thankfully, the Devils managed to take advantage of playing a weaker team at home although things quickly toughen up again with a trip to Philly Saturday, a Super Bowl Sunday matinee back at the Rock against the Penguins (no, I won’t be going for three wins in a week) and then a Tuesday showdown with the Rangers at the Garden. Early word is that Johan Hedberg will finally be getting a start in Philly tomorrow, with Brodeur back in net Sunday. Hedberg’s last start was in Edmonton, more than three weeks ago but he certainly should be kept in the mix, even though Marty’s largely stepped up his game recently.

Despite the two emotional wins, things are just getting started. Being nine games over .500 and in position to make the playoffs doesn’t mean much if you have a bad week, and the Devils have some brutal games coming up. Larsson and Henrik Tallinder being out with Salvador playing through injury and Andy Greene just coming back from a long absence himself compromises our defensive core. The continued absence of top centers Adam Henrique and Travis Zajac has shuffled our forward lines. And yet this team and organization knows they can’t afford to miss the playoffs again, for a variety of reasons that I’ve already gone into before and won’t do now.

If this team’s talent gives me pause when I think on whether we can make the playoffs, their sheer determination may be their biggest asset in the chase for the postseason. Determination that they’ve shown in the last two games, which could easily have both been losses and given us a disasterous five-game losing streak, all at home.

Generally as fans you tend to get more emotional with each save, each goal (and goal against) and each hit when your team is facing its biggest rival. All the more so when you have to deal with busloads of their fans in your building. With that in mind, I guess it’s understandable tonight was the most emotional I’ve been at a game all year. To do this game justice by a cold recap is impossible, you had to be there to experience all the twists and turns of a great novel.

Truth be told, I wasn’t too confident in this game…until I heard that Henrik Lundqvist was sitting this one out. It’s not so much that Martin Biron is terrible, although we’ve always done well against him – it’s that our team and our Marty (Martin Brodeur) seems to shrink in the presence of Lundqvist. Still, this game was always going to be a tough one with the Rangers coming in completely healthy and the Devils still missing two of their top centerman and one of their top defensemen in Henrik Tallinder, but at least the lineup would be helped by the return of Andy Greene from his own injury issues, and the signing of Steve Bernier to an NHL contract to further shore up our back two lines.

Walking around before the game, I saw the usual infestation of blue including a Ranger shirt on one of my good friends who recently got engaged and was with her fiance (of course a Rangers fan) at her first hockey game. If nothing else it certainly would prove to be a memorable night for all involved. I was less enthused to see all the blue in my section 120, including many seats in my row. I mean really, it’s not good enough that we get $22 season seats, but you guys also have to flip the Ranger games for profit? Come on now, few of these people including one I know personally in my row need the money that bad…that’s one reason why I will not sell Ranger tickets on the secondary market to make a profit, because more often than not they go to Ranger fans who are all too happy to pay prices that are still below or comparable to MSG level gouging.

Fortunately the Ranger fans in my section were only semi-annoying, and not as much so after the first period when I really felt I was either going to fling myself or someone else off the balcony…particularly after a wild last few minutes where Brodeur made several spectacular saves but finally the Devils’ defense had one too many breakdowns and Anton Stralman of all people (a Devils camp castoff) scored to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead in the final minute of the period. For the first and not the last time tonight, I just threw up my hands and said ‘I give up’. Considering my 2-10-2 record in the last five years at Devils-Rangers games, I was starting to get a little tired of the whole same script, different day nonsense.

Especially when ex-Devil Mike Rupp took a run at David Clarkson and upended him minutes earlier. Rupp’s replaced the sideshow (Sean Avery) as my most loathed Ranger, partly because of his arrogant atitude about how he was treated here – he really believes that we stunted his career and that he would have been more than a fourth-liner if we ‘gave him a chance’…all this despite the fact we saved his career after the lockout when nobody wanted him. Since leaving the Devils, he’s seemed to take out his bitterness on his ex-mates, almost obliterating Jay Pandolfo with a cheap shot when he was a Penguin and now this. Once his contract is up with the Rangers, I’m sure he’ll sign with the Flyers – both because he fits in there and because I’m sure he’ll want to play with every one of the Devils’ rivals before his career is over.

My anger at Rupp and the fact that it was Stralman of all people who scored only exacerbated my disgust over being behind and having to hear nonsense from the crowd (including one guy behind me who just could not stop chattering the entire game), especially the ‘Devils Suck’ chants during the National Anthem. There’s chanting and making noise, and then there’s nonsense you say just to be noticed. Fortunately the second period proved to be better than the first, and the Devils even managed to tie the game on a rebound goal from Zach Parise, who beat Biron shortside over the shoulder with a wrister that probably doesn’t get past Lundqvist…but whatever.

As it turned out, the first two periods were merely a prelude to the madness in the third. Moments after Biron stopped Ilya Kovalchuk on a shorthanded breakaway, Brian Boyle took advantage of a Devils’ breakdown and a fortuitous bounce of a blocked shot onto his stick to roof one over a prone Brodeur, giving the Rangers back the lead at 2:43. The game would stay at 2-1 for the longest time, as the clock ran down like sand in an hourglass, especially with the lack of stoppages in a third period with a lot of flow, but little action until late. Finally, the Devils managed to get one more power play chance. After bombing on their first two, the third time proved to be the charm, with Patrik Elias finding Kovalchuk open in the shot, and his wrister beat Biron to tie the game again at 15:25, and Kovy shared his excitement with the crowd throwing his arms into the air.

His – and our – euphoria proved short-lived however. Thirty-six seconds long, to be exact…just long enough for another breakdown, and another questionable Brodeur goal allowed to Michael Del Zotto after he’d made some brilliant saves throughout the match. One more time I was mad at the world and mad at everyone, including Brodeur who gave up the same type of back-breaking goal he usually gives up mano-a-mano with Lundqvist. That probably should have been enough to decide this one too…but with just forty-eight seconds left, a fortuitous bounce of a Greene dump in hopped right onto the stick of David Clarkson in front, and he wristed one past Biron in front to tie the game yet again.

By this time, overtime seemed like a cooldown period although both teams had their chances to win it before the shootout. Finally it went to the skills competition again, for the eleventh time in forty-nine games for the Devils…but not without some added suspense as the officials couldn’t get one of the net pegs off the ice and the Zamboni driver had to hang around for several minutes – hours it seemed to me – before finally being able to freshen up the last patch of ice around Brodeur’s net. When the shootout began, it began on a familiar note with Kovy scoring. Once, he was terrible in the skills competition but now this year he’s been money, scoring on eight of nine chances. Conversely, Parise used to be money but lately he’s been shut down and Biron stopped him again near post. Patrik Elias couldn’t do much with his chance either as the puck hopped off his stick.

Needing to hold the fort at all costs, Brodeur did – watching Derek Stepan miss the net and stopping Brad Richards, setting up match point against Marian Gaborik. In a similar spot against Jason Pominville last week, Brodeur couldn’t hold the lead but received instant redemption when he stopped Gaborik and sealed the win. After being emotional most of the game, I was just relieved by this point and did a simple two finger point to the sky – the Pedro Martinez salute (anyone who’s a baseball fan knows what I’m talking about). Ironic that our final game before the All-Star break saw a bad bounce go against us for a critical goal and Brodeur not doing the job needing one save to win a shootout, whereas this week the bad bounce went in our favor and Brodeur did make the biggest shootout save…upping our skills competition record to 9-2 and pulling the Devils to within three points of Ottawa for the sixth seed.