* nhl record 16th straight game with 0-goals allowed;
* Devils tons of jump, 8-3 shot adavantage, 1-0 in goals; several grade A chances
* Clarkson replaces Zharkov on "Kid Line" (is it still a "kid line"?)
* 12 minutes into frame Josefson HAMMERED in def zone. Came off early but returned for next shift.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Riding ol' Reliable
The Devils have chosen to start Martin Brodeur on back to back nights, a night after working overtime and then traveling back from Atlanta. Brodeur is 6 weeks shy of his 39th birthday and tonight will be settle once and for all whether he is fatigued as the season winds down. The Islanders are a swashbuckling offensive team playing with house money and would love nothing more than to steal the New York hockey limelight away from the Devils. Brodeur is a proud player who couldn't have enjoyed sitting on the bench for 4 games when Hedberg was on his streak, and said as much. There is no way he's giving up the starting spot without a fight, and Lemaire won his only Cup as a coach with Marty, albeit 16 years ago, and will defer to the wishes of the veteran. Whether or not that is prudent will be determined over the next couple of hours...There is no room for error as the Devils try to reach faux .500 for the second time this season since game 2 in October.
still breathing
It was a game they had every reason to lose. Failed defensive assignments resulting in two different deficits. For a team that needs overtime to score two goals, that alone was enough to sink the Devils, and put them 3 games under "Faux .500 with 15 left to play. Another loss, and season over. The goal that put them behind in the third period saw Marty Brodeur underneath the 6'10 Nik Andropov and mighty Dustin Byfuglien blasting a puck through the tangled sweaty mess for his 20th goal. The Devils got screwed, the join was jumpin, no one would blame this club if they pouted and went home. But they didn't.
It started with a valiant play by Mattias Tedenby, a guy liberally listed at 5'10" 175 pounds sprinting down the left wing like some Scandinavian Keith Tkachuk, engaging Tobias Enstrom and cutting in on net, forcing the Thrashers alternate captain to hook him down 6:24 into the third. That paved the way for Atlanta's prodigal son Ilya Kovalchuk to torment his former faithful and redeem his recent sins of lethargy with his 25th goal of the year. Three trips back to Atlanta for their former superstar, three goals against. He's the logical guy to boo against, and probably sells a lot of tickets for a franchise that appears to be dying. It's good theater, good for the league, and on this night, his goal was vital for the Devils playoff life. His celebrating consisted of keeping his back to his delirious teammates as he embraced the glass with both arms raised, inches from his tormented former fans. Great theater, real emotions, huge stakes.
All the big name Devils made their critical contributions in Atlanta: Kovalchuk, Patrik Elias and Travis Zajak resurrecting a dormant power play, without which their season would be over; Marty Brodeur, an aging star still playing the position in his unique athletic style that would be challenging physically for goalies 10 year younger, a symbol of the franchise and their Stanley Cups from 16 years ago, a man fighting off a challenge from a goalie who was carrying the club on its improbable comeback, yet here was Marty battling every step of the way, the best penalty killer in overtime with the season on the line. Despite never lighting the lamp himself, Elias was brilliant and his playmaking was probably the number one reason the Devils season lives on for at least another night.
Yet for all the contributions by aging stars, there is hope that younger legs will be able to carry this team if and when the 30-somethings sputter and stall down the stretch. 21 year old Tedenby, 20 year old Jacob Josefson and 23 year old Vladimir Zharkov comprise of a kid line that doubles as an energy line. Lemaire has been giving them plenty of ice time in the past two games, even double shifting them against Ottawa, and they have shown to be relentless forecheckers and explosive skaters in neutral ice. There is a sign in the Montreal Canadiens locker room that was a mantra during their two dynasties: "From failing hands we pass this torch..." Lemaire lived under those words for two years; Brodeur absorbed them on his father's knee in Montreal. If the Devils are to remain significant for the next three weeks of the NHL season, it is this youth that will get them through the horse latitudes that are bound to plague the veterans.
No time for these Devils to reflect. The Islanders, fresh off a stunning come-from-behind victory over league power Boston, lay in wait, playing with house money tonight in Neward. The next chapter awaits..
It started with a valiant play by Mattias Tedenby, a guy liberally listed at 5'10" 175 pounds sprinting down the left wing like some Scandinavian Keith Tkachuk, engaging Tobias Enstrom and cutting in on net, forcing the Thrashers alternate captain to hook him down 6:24 into the third. That paved the way for Atlanta's prodigal son Ilya Kovalchuk to torment his former faithful and redeem his recent sins of lethargy with his 25th goal of the year. Three trips back to Atlanta for their former superstar, three goals against. He's the logical guy to boo against, and probably sells a lot of tickets for a franchise that appears to be dying. It's good theater, good for the league, and on this night, his goal was vital for the Devils playoff life. His celebrating consisted of keeping his back to his delirious teammates as he embraced the glass with both arms raised, inches from his tormented former fans. Great theater, real emotions, huge stakes.
All the big name Devils made their critical contributions in Atlanta: Kovalchuk, Patrik Elias and Travis Zajak resurrecting a dormant power play, without which their season would be over; Marty Brodeur, an aging star still playing the position in his unique athletic style that would be challenging physically for goalies 10 year younger, a symbol of the franchise and their Stanley Cups from 16 years ago, a man fighting off a challenge from a goalie who was carrying the club on its improbable comeback, yet here was Marty battling every step of the way, the best penalty killer in overtime with the season on the line. Despite never lighting the lamp himself, Elias was brilliant and his playmaking was probably the number one reason the Devils season lives on for at least another night.
Yet for all the contributions by aging stars, there is hope that younger legs will be able to carry this team if and when the 30-somethings sputter and stall down the stretch. 21 year old Tedenby, 20 year old Jacob Josefson and 23 year old Vladimir Zharkov comprise of a kid line that doubles as an energy line. Lemaire has been giving them plenty of ice time in the past two games, even double shifting them against Ottawa, and they have shown to be relentless forecheckers and explosive skaters in neutral ice. There is a sign in the Montreal Canadiens locker room that was a mantra during their two dynasties: "From failing hands we pass this torch..." Lemaire lived under those words for two years; Brodeur absorbed them on his father's knee in Montreal. If the Devils are to remain significant for the next three weeks of the NHL season, it is this youth that will get them through the horse latitudes that are bound to plague the veterans.
No time for these Devils to reflect. The Islanders, fresh off a stunning come-from-behind victory over league power Boston, lay in wait, playing with house money tonight in Neward. The next chapter awaits..
Thursday, March 10, 2011
the day after...
Kovy comes clean, concedes he "didn't get the jump...was unacceptable" in Tom Gulitti of The Record). If the Devils are going to achieve the miraculous, Kovy must come to the front of the line and lead. Two of the next three games are vs the Thrashers, and the Devils need two wins, preferably in regulation to get Atlanta in the rear view mirror for good. In case you missed it, Atlanta took out rival Carolina, in Raleigh in OT, to boost their hopes. They swarmed onto the ice in a huge emotional outburst after Tim Stapleton converted a brilliant pass from Ron Hainsey.
A week ago the Thrashers were the perfect opponent to play: dropping like a rock in the standings; star goalie Pavelec on the shelf; emotionally dead. Now they have come back to life, they just beat the team ahead of them in the standings in dramatic fashion, and are playing a Friday night home game against the team who signed their franchise player. The Devils cannot expect to win with a superficial effort. Succeed and they get to face another test, fail and the dream dies. Period.
Another Game 7, in a final month with nothing but Game 7's. The Devils remain significant for at least another day. Every shift by Kovalchuk on Friday is worth paying attention to...
A week ago the Thrashers were the perfect opponent to play: dropping like a rock in the standings; star goalie Pavelec on the shelf; emotionally dead. Now they have come back to life, they just beat the team ahead of them in the standings in dramatic fashion, and are playing a Friday night home game against the team who signed their franchise player. The Devils cannot expect to win with a superficial effort. Succeed and they get to face another test, fail and the dream dies. Period.
Another Game 7, in a final month with nothing but Game 7's. The Devils remain significant for at least another day. Every shift by Kovalchuk on Friday is worth paying attention to...
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
hangin by a thread...
Tuesday was for exhaling. Every Devils story in print was about them having gotten to .500 (even the cheapened NHL version of .500). The Devils had clawed, scratched and fought (feel free to substitute any other cliche verb) to within a game of .500, and had the worst club in the NHL coming to the Rock with their best player and captain (Daniel Alfredsson) out indefinitely. There it was, your basic foregone conclusion. Although it was a minority position, especially amongst the regularly published journalists, the word "trap game" was being whispered in the press room.
In terms of media management, the Devils were all guilty of commenting on having reached .500, prior to getting there, including wily coach Jacques Lemaire "You have to get to .500 before you think about making the playoffs...we thought it wasn't possible." So, just a mere formality to step over the NHL doormats and then smell the clean air of .500. A mere step. Last I checked, the Ottawa Senators is a club comprised of National Hockey League players. On Tuesday, an undersized preppy kid from New Canaan, Connecticut skated circles around these legendary Czechs, Russians and Swedes. Yes, a trap game in every sense of the word.
Brian Rolston, the embodiment of a "stand up guy," greeted the entire post-game media throng in nothing but a towel and actually waived everyone into his circle of speak. "Everyone's doing (what we do)..." said the broad shouldered winger. "Trappin the middle, collapsin down low. It's tough." And that's really it, trappin and collapsin. Struggling teams that want to win, and make no mistake about it, Shannon and company want to win, play like the Devils. And when the Devils don't get top effort, teams acting like them can beat them. Rolston was at his best last night, leading the team in shots, throwing his body at every white jersey he could find and delivering a brilliant assist for Patrick Elias. He was Bunyon-esque in the post game media scrum, defeated but undaunted.
More on the lack of top effort of others in a moment. First an assessment of the damage. By failing to get to Faux .500, it will now take the Devils 2 more games to get there, two more successful games. 2 games with 16 remaining, that's over 12% of their season just to get to where the press and team spokespeople including Lemaire had them already. Almost a hope-killer. the good news...Buffalo and Toronto lost, so no ground given up, for now. But a vital click, 6.5 percent of their season, ticked away.
Several major story lines emerged from the Tuesday let-down, the most prominent was the Devils inability to score on their two 5 on 3 advantages, "Two?" aksed Jacques rhetorically, "that's frustrating." The other was a debated high stick call on Jacob Josefson that negated a goal by Elias. And a rare NJ defensive lapse was pointed out on the Versus cable nightly NHL recap show. Ottawa's first goal was enabled by 3 Devils chasing Shannon into the corner, allowing Erik Condra to slip into the scoring zone untouched. Midwestern analyst Bill Jaffe pointed out the Condra is a Notre Dame grad, a rookie who doubled his career NHL goal total to 4 in his 10th game in The Show, but I digress. The one story that did not emerge was the $100M disappearing act.
Ilya Kovalchuk did not show up on the stat sheet, did not show up on the ice, and did not answer the post-game media bell. Someone forgot the mention the super-heroes code: "With great salary comes great responsiblity."
"There was a lack of energy in our best players tonight," conceded Lemaire. "I can't explain it. It's frustrating." That's the closest Jacques could come to calling out his mercurial sniper. I lied, Kovalchuk did show up on the score sheet--one shot on net 51 minutes into the game, and -1 on plus minus. One reporter used Lemaire's quote about lack of energy, Rich Chere of the Newark Star Ledger, but he did not finger Kovalchuk.
There are no justifications or explanations from the 230 pound Russian bear; his locker stall was empty. He was last quoted in Tuesday's New York Post by Mark Everson saying all the right things. "We believe." "We control our own destiny." "Would it be a big deal if we make it? Yes? Than we'd better." Lemaire spent more time at his press conference about his stars' lack of energy. "We haven't been playing consecutive games...our last practice was only 30 minutes..." He can't for the life of him understand why his stud showed up with no fuel in the tank. At such a vital stage of the season. Jeremy Roenick on Versus said having three Devils chase a puck into the corner was going to cause Lemaire "To lose more hair tonight!" But it wasn't the technical breakdown that's disturbing Jacques, it was an inexplicable lack of effort. His high-priced bear was in hibernation last night at the worst possible time.
Consistency is a tough chore for brilliantly talented superstars. But for a team on a mission and also on a tightrope, the superstar must carry his club if they are to reach their goal. Think Danny Manning of the Kansas Jayhawks in 1988, Carl Yastrzemski of the Red Sox in 1967. Yes, it's a rare feat, but it's a rare opportunity. Kovalchuk must return to form, immediately, or the miracle hockey dream du jour of the region will be the Islanders. They have crept within two points of the Devils and are looking for a payback this Saturday. Devils without Kovalchuk roaring around at top speed are just another trappin, collapsin bunch of Senators.
Hangin by a thread.
In terms of media management, the Devils were all guilty of commenting on having reached .500, prior to getting there, including wily coach Jacques Lemaire "You have to get to .500 before you think about making the playoffs...we thought it wasn't possible." So, just a mere formality to step over the NHL doormats and then smell the clean air of .500. A mere step. Last I checked, the Ottawa Senators is a club comprised of National Hockey League players. On Tuesday, an undersized preppy kid from New Canaan, Connecticut skated circles around these legendary Czechs, Russians and Swedes. Yes, a trap game in every sense of the word.
Brian Rolston, the embodiment of a "stand up guy," greeted the entire post-game media throng in nothing but a towel and actually waived everyone into his circle of speak. "Everyone's doing (what we do)..." said the broad shouldered winger. "Trappin the middle, collapsin down low. It's tough." And that's really it, trappin and collapsin. Struggling teams that want to win, and make no mistake about it, Shannon and company want to win, play like the Devils. And when the Devils don't get top effort, teams acting like them can beat them. Rolston was at his best last night, leading the team in shots, throwing his body at every white jersey he could find and delivering a brilliant assist for Patrick Elias. He was Bunyon-esque in the post game media scrum, defeated but undaunted.
More on the lack of top effort of others in a moment. First an assessment of the damage. By failing to get to Faux .500, it will now take the Devils 2 more games to get there, two more successful games. 2 games with 16 remaining, that's over 12% of their season just to get to where the press and team spokespeople including Lemaire had them already. Almost a hope-killer. the good news...Buffalo and Toronto lost, so no ground given up, for now. But a vital click, 6.5 percent of their season, ticked away.
Several major story lines emerged from the Tuesday let-down, the most prominent was the Devils inability to score on their two 5 on 3 advantages, "Two?" aksed Jacques rhetorically, "that's frustrating." The other was a debated high stick call on Jacob Josefson that negated a goal by Elias. And a rare NJ defensive lapse was pointed out on the Versus cable nightly NHL recap show. Ottawa's first goal was enabled by 3 Devils chasing Shannon into the corner, allowing Erik Condra to slip into the scoring zone untouched. Midwestern analyst Bill Jaffe pointed out the Condra is a Notre Dame grad, a rookie who doubled his career NHL goal total to 4 in his 10th game in The Show, but I digress. The one story that did not emerge was the $100M disappearing act.
Ilya Kovalchuk did not show up on the stat sheet, did not show up on the ice, and did not answer the post-game media bell. Someone forgot the mention the super-heroes code: "With great salary comes great responsiblity."
"There was a lack of energy in our best players tonight," conceded Lemaire. "I can't explain it. It's frustrating." That's the closest Jacques could come to calling out his mercurial sniper. I lied, Kovalchuk did show up on the score sheet--one shot on net 51 minutes into the game, and -1 on plus minus. One reporter used Lemaire's quote about lack of energy, Rich Chere of the Newark Star Ledger, but he did not finger Kovalchuk.
There are no justifications or explanations from the 230 pound Russian bear; his locker stall was empty. He was last quoted in Tuesday's New York Post by Mark Everson saying all the right things. "We believe." "We control our own destiny." "Would it be a big deal if we make it? Yes? Than we'd better." Lemaire spent more time at his press conference about his stars' lack of energy. "We haven't been playing consecutive games...our last practice was only 30 minutes..." He can't for the life of him understand why his stud showed up with no fuel in the tank. At such a vital stage of the season. Jeremy Roenick on Versus said having three Devils chase a puck into the corner was going to cause Lemaire "To lose more hair tonight!" But it wasn't the technical breakdown that's disturbing Jacques, it was an inexplicable lack of effort. His high-priced bear was in hibernation last night at the worst possible time.
Consistency is a tough chore for brilliantly talented superstars. But for a team on a mission and also on a tightrope, the superstar must carry his club if they are to reach their goal. Think Danny Manning of the Kansas Jayhawks in 1988, Carl Yastrzemski of the Red Sox in 1967. Yes, it's a rare feat, but it's a rare opportunity. Kovalchuk must return to form, immediately, or the miracle hockey dream du jour of the region will be the Islanders. They have crept within two points of the Devils and are looking for a payback this Saturday. Devils without Kovalchuk roaring around at top speed are just another trappin, collapsin bunch of Senators.
Hangin by a thread.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Devils stats from NYTimes blog
The Devils’ Streak, By the Numbers (thank you NYTimes)
After a pair of victories — 2-1 over Pittsburgh in overtime on Friday and 3-2 over the Islanders in a shootout on Sunday — New Jersey is 20-2-2 in its last 24 games. The Devils are eight points behind eighth-place Buffalo with 17 games remaining for both teams. Jacques Lemaire’s team may run out of time in its hunt for a playoff berth, but consider these numbers during this 24-game streak — as compiled by MSG Network statistician Eric Hornick:
The Devils are 20-2-2 in their last 24 after opening the season 10-29-2. With their win Sunday, they are within one game of NHL .500 for the first time since they were 1-2-1 in the season’s first 4 games.
In the 24-game streak, they are 16-2 in games decided in regulation (losing 3-1 to Detroit on Jan. 26 and 2-1 in Tampa on Feb. 25) and 4-0-2 in overtime/shootout. The win over the Islanders featured the first shootout the Devils have participated in since Nov. 27.
New Jersey is 10-0-1 during the streak at home. An overtime loss to Florida is the only blemish, and the only time the Devils have allowed four goals or more during the streak.
They have not allowed a first period goal in 14 straight games, setting a modern N.H.L. record. The previous record was 13, which was done three times.
Ilya Kovalchuk has six game-winning goals in the last 13 games. Kovalchuk is 10-9-19 in his last 16 games and is plus-12 during the 24-game stretch. Prior to the winning streak, he was minus-29 on the season.
Martin Brodeur is 12-1-1 in his last 14 appearances. He hasn’t given up more than three goals in a game since Dec. 23. He is now 17-19-2, resurrecting the chance of finishing the season with a winning record — as he has every year in his N.H.L. career.
The Devils had 23 points in February (11-1-1) after only earning 22 points combined in October, November and December.
Devils are 17-7-4 in one-goal games this season, including 12-1-2 during the streak.
After a pair of victories — 2-1 over Pittsburgh in overtime on Friday and 3-2 over the Islanders in a shootout on Sunday — New Jersey is 20-2-2 in its last 24 games. The Devils are eight points behind eighth-place Buffalo with 17 games remaining for both teams. Jacques Lemaire’s team may run out of time in its hunt for a playoff berth, but consider these numbers during this 24-game streak — as compiled by MSG Network statistician Eric Hornick:
The Devils are 20-2-2 in their last 24 after opening the season 10-29-2. With their win Sunday, they are within one game of NHL .500 for the first time since they were 1-2-1 in the season’s first 4 games.
In the 24-game streak, they are 16-2 in games decided in regulation (losing 3-1 to Detroit on Jan. 26 and 2-1 in Tampa on Feb. 25) and 4-0-2 in overtime/shootout. The win over the Islanders featured the first shootout the Devils have participated in since Nov. 27.
New Jersey is 10-0-1 during the streak at home. An overtime loss to Florida is the only blemish, and the only time the Devils have allowed four goals or more during the streak.
They have not allowed a first period goal in 14 straight games, setting a modern N.H.L. record. The previous record was 13, which was done three times.
Ilya Kovalchuk has six game-winning goals in the last 13 games. Kovalchuk is 10-9-19 in his last 16 games and is plus-12 during the 24-game stretch. Prior to the winning streak, he was minus-29 on the season.
Martin Brodeur is 12-1-1 in his last 14 appearances. He hasn’t given up more than three goals in a game since Dec. 23. He is now 17-19-2, resurrecting the chance of finishing the season with a winning record — as he has every year in his N.H.L. career.
The Devils had 23 points in February (11-1-1) after only earning 22 points combined in October, November and December.
Devils are 17-7-4 in one-goal games this season, including 12-1-2 during the streak.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Devils, parachutes, and hockey dreams
There is an expression in sports journalism for those who arrive late to the party, it's called "parachuting." Usually it's big-time journalists who come to a scene after a team has made great strides to gain national attention, and then the Lupica's and Costas's and I don't know, Francesa's start camping out and reporting from a scene as if they know what's going on. Usually they have to tap into the knowledge base assimilated by the lesser known beat reporters to get up to speed. I certainly don't have a cape, and have never "parachuted" before, but this New Jersey devils story is so compelling that I can't help myself. I'm dropping in thanks to the help from the hockey Maven.
They are now on a 20-2-2 streak, that's 42 points out of a possible 48, that's an .875 winning percentage, even with the anomaly of those imbalanced 3 point games that inflate the numbers, it's downright outrageous, the third best streak in the NHL this year, soon to be best. What makes it more compelling, is that the Devils have to keep playing .800 ball for their final 17 games to get into the playoffs. So the high wire act must continue all the way through game 82 or the story dies.
The Devils were arguably the worst team in hockey at the midpoint of the season. I attended game 37, the Devils on 7-game home losing streak, stumbling along at a .278 winning percentage, again, those are inflated NHL stats. Tickets were going for a song, an astute ticket buyer could get into the Devils for the same price as a college game, $10. The sparse New Year's Eve afternoon crowd was largely disinterested, those that were brought home made signs that read "Koval-$uck." All they knew needed to know was that their $100 Million dollar sniper was on track to become an all-time professional sports flop.
With the Devils clinging to a 2-1 third period lead, most of the crowd was expecting the worst. An then Kovalchuk did what he does best: a power drive down the wing and a lightning wrist shot that beat the season's hottest goalie Ondrej Pavelec. And Devils fans did something extremely rare--they went home happy. My 12 year old pee wee is a fan of Kovalchuk, and enjoyed the fact that the loud mouths with the Koval$uck signs were silenced.
2010 was a miserable year for the Devils, but it was over. Jacques Lemaire was 1 week into his 3rd tour of duty with the Devils, yet they were already out of the playoff picture. He wasn't on speaking terms with his captain Jamie Langenbrunner, and his lineup was filled with minor league kids.
In mid January the Devils were heating up, and Versus cable show NHL Overtime was fielding Facebook questions. Hockey lifer and Devils production associate Chris Riley chimed in, wondering if the Devils could claw their way back into contention. Studio analyst Keith Jones refused to dignify the question with a response. "The only reason they're winning is because other clubs are looking for a night off. They're still an awful team."
2 months of .800 hockey and Jones still contends that the Devils won't make the Playoffs, but he's not calling them awful. It's a remarkable story from a franchise that had a magical playoff run in their history back in 1988. One of the key components of that team was John MacLean, for those who like a side dish of irony with their fairy tale sports stories.
Langenbrunner was traded for a song on January 7, and since then there has been but one voice. Jacques. One of the famed Montreal Canadiens "Young Lions" who led the Habs to 4 consecutive Cups and the unofficial title as greatest team ever. That club played .800 puck back then, just like this group. Only there's no collection of Hall-Of-Famers on this team, except the goalie, the coach, and maybe an overpriced Russian mercenary who has bought into his system of defense first. It's enough to raise hope and generate stories. Those low scoring three-point games are the best show in the NHL right now, and it has me parachuting into Newark. I hope it's a long ride.
It could have ended today, Brodeur was in a duel with young Al Montoya of the Islanders, a team that gives the Devils fits. They tied the game at 2 late, and controlled long stretches of Overtime and led in the shootout. But the big Russian Bear sniped in regulation, tied the shootout with another laser, and in the 6th round of the shootout, the beleaguered 38 year old Brian Rolston, the man who cleared waivers twice, wired in the winner to extend the playoff dream of this unlikely group. They got their two points in one of those inflated NHL 3-point games, and live to play another day 8 points and 4 teams between them and a playoff spot, 17 games to play. The second to last game of the season will be a nationally televised tilt against the dreaded Rangers at Madison Square. If you don't think that game will determine a berth, well you probably stopped reading this a while ago.
Dreamers, Tuesday, Ottawa, at the Rock. Wear your parachute.
They are now on a 20-2-2 streak, that's 42 points out of a possible 48, that's an .875 winning percentage, even with the anomaly of those imbalanced 3 point games that inflate the numbers, it's downright outrageous, the third best streak in the NHL this year, soon to be best. What makes it more compelling, is that the Devils have to keep playing .800 ball for their final 17 games to get into the playoffs. So the high wire act must continue all the way through game 82 or the story dies.
The Devils were arguably the worst team in hockey at the midpoint of the season. I attended game 37, the Devils on 7-game home losing streak, stumbling along at a .278 winning percentage, again, those are inflated NHL stats. Tickets were going for a song, an astute ticket buyer could get into the Devils for the same price as a college game, $10. The sparse New Year's Eve afternoon crowd was largely disinterested, those that were brought home made signs that read "Koval-$uck." All they knew needed to know was that their $100 Million dollar sniper was on track to become an all-time professional sports flop.
With the Devils clinging to a 2-1 third period lead, most of the crowd was expecting the worst. An then Kovalchuk did what he does best: a power drive down the wing and a lightning wrist shot that beat the season's hottest goalie Ondrej Pavelec. And Devils fans did something extremely rare--they went home happy. My 12 year old pee wee is a fan of Kovalchuk, and enjoyed the fact that the loud mouths with the Koval$uck signs were silenced.
2010 was a miserable year for the Devils, but it was over. Jacques Lemaire was 1 week into his 3rd tour of duty with the Devils, yet they were already out of the playoff picture. He wasn't on speaking terms with his captain Jamie Langenbrunner, and his lineup was filled with minor league kids.
In mid January the Devils were heating up, and Versus cable show NHL Overtime was fielding Facebook questions. Hockey lifer and Devils production associate Chris Riley chimed in, wondering if the Devils could claw their way back into contention. Studio analyst Keith Jones refused to dignify the question with a response. "The only reason they're winning is because other clubs are looking for a night off. They're still an awful team."
2 months of .800 hockey and Jones still contends that the Devils won't make the Playoffs, but he's not calling them awful. It's a remarkable story from a franchise that had a magical playoff run in their history back in 1988. One of the key components of that team was John MacLean, for those who like a side dish of irony with their fairy tale sports stories.
Langenbrunner was traded for a song on January 7, and since then there has been but one voice. Jacques. One of the famed Montreal Canadiens "Young Lions" who led the Habs to 4 consecutive Cups and the unofficial title as greatest team ever. That club played .800 puck back then, just like this group. Only there's no collection of Hall-Of-Famers on this team, except the goalie, the coach, and maybe an overpriced Russian mercenary who has bought into his system of defense first. It's enough to raise hope and generate stories. Those low scoring three-point games are the best show in the NHL right now, and it has me parachuting into Newark. I hope it's a long ride.
It could have ended today, Brodeur was in a duel with young Al Montoya of the Islanders, a team that gives the Devils fits. They tied the game at 2 late, and controlled long stretches of Overtime and led in the shootout. But the big Russian Bear sniped in regulation, tied the shootout with another laser, and in the 6th round of the shootout, the beleaguered 38 year old Brian Rolston, the man who cleared waivers twice, wired in the winner to extend the playoff dream of this unlikely group. They got their two points in one of those inflated NHL 3-point games, and live to play another day 8 points and 4 teams between them and a playoff spot, 17 games to play. The second to last game of the season will be a nationally televised tilt against the dreaded Rangers at Madison Square. If you don't think that game will determine a berth, well you probably stopped reading this a while ago.
Dreamers, Tuesday, Ottawa, at the Rock. Wear your parachute.
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