Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Postgame: Atlanta 4 - Devils 3 (SO)
The Atlanta Thrashers defeated the New Jersey Devils in a shootout to win last night's game 4-3. NHL.com has the official score sheet and the official super stats for the game.
A perfect penalty kill (3 for 3), a good power play (2 for 5), and Johnny Oduya's first NHL goal was all for naught as the game went into a shootout. Why?
TWO SHORTHANDED GOALS.
I know Marian Hossa is the NHL's leading goal scorer and a very, very good hockey players; but the game should have never came to this. Why?
BECAUSE HE SCORED TWO GOALS WHEN THE DEVILS HAD ONE MORE PERSON ON THE ICE THAN THE THRASHERS.
Shorthanded goals are always unacceptable. Sloppy play with a man advantage - a literal man advantage, a concept I think NJ has trouble understanding sometimes - is unacceptable.
Then there was the shootout. Martin Brodeur did not have his best outing to say the least, and the two Devils forwards who did shoot (Zach Parise and Brian Gionta) did not challenge Lehtonen enough to be a threat. So NJ lost a game they could have and should have won; but they decided Atlanta should be kept in the game by giving up offensive opportunities to the team trying to kill penalties.
I hope Julien emphasizes this in practice in preparation for the Washington game on Friday. One shorthanded goal given up is unacceptable; two in one game is even worse.
A perfect penalty kill (3 for 3), a good power play (2 for 5), and Johnny Oduya's first NHL goal was all for naught as the game went into a shootout. Why?
TWO SHORTHANDED GOALS.
I know Marian Hossa is the NHL's leading goal scorer and a very, very good hockey players; but the game should have never came to this. Why?
BECAUSE HE SCORED TWO GOALS WHEN THE DEVILS HAD ONE MORE PERSON ON THE ICE THAN THE THRASHERS.
Shorthanded goals are always unacceptable. Sloppy play with a man advantage - a literal man advantage, a concept I think NJ has trouble understanding sometimes - is unacceptable.
Then there was the shootout. Martin Brodeur did not have his best outing to say the least, and the two Devils forwards who did shoot (Zach Parise and Brian Gionta) did not challenge Lehtonen enough to be a threat. So NJ lost a game they could have and should have won; but they decided Atlanta should be kept in the game by giving up offensive opportunities to the team trying to kill penalties.
I hope Julien emphasizes this in practice in preparation for the Washington game on Friday. One shorthanded goal given up is unacceptable; two in one game is even worse.
Labels: Devils Postgame
# posted by John Fischer @ 11:18 AM 0 comments 
