In Lou We Trust

How do I still feel about what just happened? Well, like this: (source)

The official stance of ILWT for the rest of the playoffs: Anybody But New York. Should Montreal do what they're supposed to do tonight, expect Pittsburgh to really pounce on the Rangers. The Penguins will definitely pick up on Lundqvist's lack of rebound control and they have the speed and dynamic offense that can eat a trap up for breakfast.

In any case, tomorrow expect April in Review & Devil of the Month. Later in the week will bring tidings of Devil of the Season and a look ahead at what to expect in the next few weeks. Likely some World Championship coverage, playoff thoughts about non-Devils teams, and maybe some more stats. Though I made hold off on the latter until after June.

I'd like to thank the New Jersey Devils organization for the new arena in Newark and putting on one really interesting season. The playoffs were miserable, we can agree on that; but the team also did a lot better in some ways than I and many fans were thinking back in October. Next year will be better and I can almost guarantee an prediction - one originally provided by Jay last night - that there will be a meeting between Lou, Brent, and Jeff Vanderbeek. They will sit down, face the brutal truth that the Devils just decisively lost to Our Hated Rivals in the playoffs, and start planning to improve the team to make sure that nothing of the sort will happen any time in the near future.

I'd like to thank all of you for reading this site be it for the first time or for the hundredth. I'd also like to thank the people around me in Section 1 for putting up with me and hearing me yell and rant and rave and generally being the loud supporter in the area - thanks Jay, Herb, Aaron, Mark, Marylin, Barbara, Chris, Matt, and anyone else I'm sorry I forgot your name. I'd like to thank the other people in the Devilogosphere (I'm sorry I just typed that): 2 Man Advantage, IPB, Fire & Ice, Devils Daily, Battle of NY, the NHL Arena Program, Beast of the East, Snowman on Fire, and even the older ones like Trendon Lynch and Tom Lycan (Devils Due). Also thanks to those in the larger media like Rob Kowal at NY Hockey Talk and Jeff Klein at the NY Times for giving me more than I ever expected to get out of this blog. Thank you all.

The Devils lost Game 5 to the Rangers, 3-5. The Devils got the first goal, controlled the puck well for the first period, and left Brodeur high and dry for three goals. Then the Rangers put up another tally in the second period. The Devils finally - finally - woke up, thanks to the softest goal given up in the entire series. A prayer from Bryce Salvador from behind the blue line and a fortunate bounce off the post gave the Devils hope. Patrik Elias putting home a rebound on a power play made the Devils faithful believe. But despite the hard work in the third period, despite all the efforts to try and beat the Rangers' 1-4 zone, despite how they responded, despite being better on face offs, despite out-hitting the Rangers by a ratio of just under 2 to 1, despite all this. It ultimately was too little too late. The deficit was too big for the Devils to come back from and the Rangers defended the lead as anyone could.

I hate saying this, but the Rangers were the better team in the series. I have to admit this. Anyone watching the series has to admit this. They got the bounces, they worked hard to get those bounces, and they did well when they had the lead. I hate this. I hate the fact that the Devils didn't win at home. I hate the fact that the Devils need to be losing before they can play better. I hate seeing the first goal become a non-factor so quickly. I hate the fact that it's the offseason now. I hate the fact that I can't go to Newark until October. I hate the fact that I can't watch Devils hockey until the fall. I hate seeing the Devils losing to the Rangers. I especially hate that the Rangers won the series by playing the transitional, counter-attacking style and the 1-2-2 that the Devils were famous for back in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

I have nothing left to say for now. IPB may something to say. 2 Man Advantage basically sums up the 2008 Playoff Run. I'm sure Tom Gulitti will have plenty to report on. But me? Nothing else. I'm sorry, but what can I say?

On the contrary, in Game 4, it seemed like he and Patrik Elias were the only ones who wanted to win the game right from the start. (EDIT: The team wanted to hit, most notably shown by Dainius Zubrus having his stick fail him and then blew up Ryan Callahan at center ice was sweet. Had to mention it. OK, back to the rant.) From moment one, Elias was hustling. Elias was looking for open shots. Elias got 4 on Henrik Lundqvist and powered 2 past him. Both after the Rangers scored, becoming equalizers to keep the Devils in the game. The rest of the team showed up more in the third period, particularly the first half, due to the strength of Mike Mottau's beautiful move to the net. Mottau's shot beat Lundqvist and the Devils were looking good. But somehow, I can't figure out how, the Rangers started applying much more offensive pressure in the later half of the third period. Maybe it has to do with Jaromir Jagr - he was a beast with 10 shots on net and playing like he wanted to win everything ever. Fortunately, he only picked up an assist; but it ultimately doesn't matter. The Rangers were pressing. And a giveaway led to the shot that beat the screened Brodeur for a loss that feels like, well, an axe to the junk.

The Devils could have won this and I really don't know what else I can say other than that they blew it. They made the mistakes that cost them the game. Colin White had a horrific game and instead of reeling him in, Sutter kept giving him shifts - a total of 28. The defense didn't look too good as a whole; Mottau fouled up the two-on-one by failing to block the passing lane, Paul Martin and Johnny Oduya didn't slow down the Rangers all that much, and while Bryce Salvador and Vitaly Vishnevski combined for 11 hits - they were part of the unit that allowed the Rangers to tee up 39 shots on Brodeur.

I'm nearly (?) ranting at this point; but this is ridiculous. Could Jamie Langenbrunner, Travis Zajac, and Brian Gionta play much better. Yes. But even if the Devils go out and sign that big scorer that they so desperately need, would it even help all that much? Look at the Rangers. They broke the bank for Chris Drury and Scott Gomez and ended the season...with only 7 more goals than the Devils. Yeah, they are outscoring the Devils - but that's due to their constant pouncing on New Jersey's errors. It's not a matter of being totally outclassed. I look at this game and think, "If the Devils didn't make those crucial defensive errors, they could have won this one. If the Devils played harder in the first two periods, they could have won this one. If I had a million dollars, I'd be rich," &c. But that's all what I'm left with: what-ifs.

Honestly, I can't say this team is terrible. They are clearly better than 14 teams in this league; and I'd argue they are better than Ottawa (who is the first to be eliminated), Boston (who is just about dead like NJ), and Washington among others. They just aren't...great? Maybe that's the term? And the main proof of this is that they are down 3-1 in a series to a team that plays like the Devils once did and is honestly on the same level as the Devils. I don't know now, I didn't know then, and only time will figure it out. Regardless there is tomorrow. Tomorrow I will be there screaming my head off and be loaded with the nearly-intoxicating feeling of total optimism (and write more pretentious sentences like this one). Could the Devils come back? The odds don't favor them. Bizarrely, the team is calm and understands the importance of this according to Gulitti. I'd love to agree, but they've said the upcoming game is important and they need to better than they did the night before again, again, and again. And yet I don't think we have not seen a full 60 minute effort or even a 45 minute effort that would prove their words. I know, I know, easier said than done and all that, but that's rather telling, don't you think?

At this point, all I ask is that they win Game 5 and give the Rangers one hell of a fight. That sounds reasonable enough, right? Right? In any case: Go Devils.

The Devils could have won this one but:

They gave the game away. They gave the game away. They gave the game away. They gave the game away.

And then they sealed their fate with an own goal.

What Devils fans dread is now becoming a reality. The question now is when? Friday? Sunday? Next Wednesday? Or will the near-impossible occur? I don't know and right now I'm too angry to talk about this one. Doesn't anyone on this team outside of Brodeur want to win this?

One of the biggest stories coming out of last night's 4-3 win was Sean Avery's 7-year old-like "I'm not touching you, I'm not touching you, I'm not touching you" screen during a two man advantage for New York. When someone normally sets up a screen, their back is to the goaltender and they move about a bit to still be involved in the play. Avery stood still and waved his stick like he had the power of Greyskull or somesuch. Nothing came of that within the game, other than a lot of "I've never seen that in hockey" and "If that is legal, expect the league to change that this offseason." Avery scored later by being left open in front of the net for an easy one-timer. Still, it was big. Gulitti has some quotes. But what is most telling is that one of the headlines on NHL.com today is an explanation on Rule 75 - goaltender interference - related to this event. Needless to say, don't expect to see others do it in the future.

The biggest and more relevant story within this game was the Devils' performance. They took the puck to the net more and finally broke through Henrik Lundqvist with varying attacks. They scored on the power play. Twice. A rarity for the Devils in general! They even had...the lead. Yes, the lead. Emphasis is on the had; as the Rangers did equalize twice in this contest. Most notable of all, the Devils got the bounces with two unfortunate own goals by the Rangers. The first, Sergei Brylin was in the right place to draw the sticks of two Rangers. A careening puck from Aaron Asham did not hit Brylin's leg; but the shaft of Blair Betts to give NJ the early lead. The overtime winner was the result of a big faceoff win by John Madden, Jay Pandolfo closing off Michael Rozsival, Madden throwing it into the slot and bouncing right off Marc Staal's skate and in. Ugly? Yes. Wonderful? You bet. They worked their tails off throughout overtime, outplayed the Rangers in those 6 minutes and 1 second, and got the deserved result. I was happy, Kevin Smith was happy, Steve Stirling is pleased, and even IPB is continuing their Ric Flair impersonation.

To be fair, the Devils did have some troubles. They slowed down in the later part of the first period and Martin Brodeur let up a soft one from Brandon Dubinsky. In the first half of the second period, the Rangers capitalized on a two-man advantage and dictated much of the pace of the game then. The Devils also got caught again shorthanded with Dubinsky scoring on a one-timer in the slot early in the third period. The penalty killing last night left a lot to be desired. The two-man disadvantage, I understand. You can't just key in on one player when there's only three on the ice. But the second one, someone really should have tied up Dubinsky.

Yet, the Devils have a lot to be proud of. They were threatening on their eight power plays and potted in two in the second period after the Avery goal. The Devils were mad, they got physical, and Mike Rupp had some choice words for Paul Mara that got picked up by Versus' microphones that you may or may not find on YouTube. And they were rewarded. How? Taking it to the net created the opportunities for goals. Patrik Elias had a laser coming in late into the slot; and Zach Parise slapped a puck that trickled in after some chaos up front.

Most of all, they held tough in a physical game and got the win when both teams shot evenly. An exciting hockey game, filled with passion, energy, emotion, and lots and lots of concern and cursing by all involved. Devils out hit the Rangers 49-47 (leading hitters: Colin White, Jamie Langenbrunner - seriously); Devils outshot the Rangers 33-30; and the Devils got the bounces to win the game.

Of course, should NJ drop Wednesday's game, then this would all be for naught. This game was excellent as it breathes life into New Jersey; but Game 4 will determine whether or not the Devils have it in them to make a serious comeback. I certainly hope so. Gulitti has more quotes from the team that shows that they know they got to win. But it's still up to them.

The New Jersey Devils are right back in it in the series with a big overtime win tonight, by a score of 4-3. Two power play goals by the Devils; two power play goals conceded by the Devils; and two goals inadvertently scored by the Rangers for the Devils. I have quite a bit to say about the game; but that can wait until tomorrow. Right now, it's all about a fist pump from John Madden (original source), the overtime hero of tonight's game.

Alright. Last night. Colin White bumps Martin Brodeur for the first goal against; the Devils were caught in shock for the Rangers to go up 2 goals; the Devils get one late on a John Madden deflection from Patrik Elias; and a wild end with some garbage officiating at the end. It was garbage. Jamie Langenbrunner thought as such. John Madden said as such. Brent Sutter threw a stick and proclaimed as such. Fans like me were hurling all kinds of 7 and 8 letter words that rhyme with "Schucking Hull Bit" (which sounds like what St. Louis did to Hull as his contract ended). Lou Lamoriello nearly pulled a Schoenfeld according to Tom Gulitti. Other, similar opinions were offered at 2 Man Advantage and IPB.

But to be honest, I am the most upset and frustrated by how the Devils played last night. Despite the horrific refereeing at the end, I can't excuse the Devils' effort. They lost Game 1 at the Rock and they came out...like nothing happened. Oh, the teams were physical and there was all kinds of passion expressed with scrums, shoves, and lots of yelling. But not in the Devils' attack. For the most part, their idea of taking the puck in had two options:

1) Dump the puck in at the blue line into the corner/behind the net. Fight along the boards for possession.

2) Pass the puck off the boards and attempt to get at the puck by blowing by the defender, but fail and fight along the boards.

This has plagued the power play, which was a massive waste of opportunity. A power play early in the game. A power play at the end of the first that carries over into the second. A four minute double minor for Christian Backman cross-checking Parise into his teeth. A power play late in the second period that carries over into the third period. All power plays when both teams weren't doing much offensively. All opportunities to score, or at least, apply pressure on the Rangers. All 10 minutes of it absolutely wasted. The stats tell me the Devils got 4 shots on net. They weren't very good shots, I can tell you that much. The penalty killers were great; but the other half of special teams were miserable. It's bad when you don't even threaten with 4 minutes of a man advantage. How did this happen? The Devils approached it the same way they do regularly. A dump into the boards. Fighting for possession. Trying to set up a long shot. All that failed.

And so the Devils really blew this game with their tepid and tired attack. I am pleading to the Devils organization to mix it up on offense. Take the puck inside. Drive it to the net more often. Take some "OK" shots instead of waiting for the "great (if no one was in front of me)" shot. Go low (it worked last night) on Lundqvist sometimes. The Devils had at least two periods and advantages to take control of the game. The Rangers were playing patient, 1-2-2, opportunistic hockey; they played like the Devils played a few years ago. And instead of pinning the backcheckers back and going with a more aggressive, inside-style offense, they only really felt the urgency to score late in the third period after the Rangers realized that attacking the net is a good idea (and they succeeded, hint, hint, Mr. Sutter) and scrambled for offense then. They got one, but it was too little too late. All in a crucial Game 2 - killing off the home ice advantage and half-digging their own grave. Knowing full well the Rangers have never blown a 2-0 playoff series lead and the Devils only came back from one of those once.

I'm unhappy. I'm angry. I'm frustrated. And now NJ has to do it all on the road. All I want now is just one win.

The Devils got out-Deviled by the Rangers and despite a late attempt, they lost Game 2 by a score of 2-1.

It's bad when you go down 2-0 in a playoff series where you had home ice.

It's worse when you go down 2-0 in a playoff series against Your Hated Rivals.

It's worst when you go down 2-0 in a playoff series against Your Hated Rivals with Your Hated Rivals succeeding by playing the same style of hockey you've made famous.

I'll go into more detail tomorrow. Right now, this is just how I'm feeling about tonight's effort:

Our Hated Rivals came into the Rock and came out winners by the tune of 4-1. Don't let the score fool you, it was a close game up until the third period. I suppose the story will be all about Scott Gomez and how he is awesome and how the Devils miss him and so on and so forth. That would also not give you the whole story.

See, this game is a frustrating loss not just because the Devils lost to Our Hated Rivals in a crucial playoff game but because they didn't really play all that poorly. The Devils had the better run of play in the first period, in spite of the shot counts being even. The team was skating hard, out hitting Our Hated Rivals 18 to 11, performed a great penalty kill, and getting a some scoring chances (e.g. Sergei Brylin shorthanded on a breakaway). The second period resulted in a goal against, but the Devils finally broke through with a power play goal by Paul Martin. Patrik Elias just dished it across to Martin, who lined up his shot and put it home. The game was equalized. The period ended 1-1; optimism would still be valid.

And then the third period came where it all went wrong. Well, not all wrong; but the Devils had two very bad breaks. One at the end of a power play, where the Devils broke down and the Rangers responded with an odd-man rush. That in of itself is unacceptable. Then the initial shot was saved; but no one picked up on the rebound or the trailing skater. The puck trickled wide, Martin Brodeur stretched out, then stood up, and then made a last attempt to poke it away. It wasn't enough as Ryan Callahan had an easy put-back. A series of errors by New Jersey and that ultimately doomed the Devils. While the Devils pushed on and had numerous opportunities - including three straight power plays in the game as well as a number of scoring chances with 13 shots in the third period - they could not get it through. Either being robbed by Henrik Lundqvist, getting the shot blocked (16 blocks against) or missing the net (15 missed shots).

Instead of calling a time-out to sort things out, the Devils kept pushing on. Then a horrific bad break late in the third. Gomez fired the shot off Brodeur's right, whilst Brodeur was sliding. There was a rebound that Sergei Brylin was about to get. Only it hit his skate, leaving it wide open. Sean Avery had the whole open net and scored the easiest goal possible. It was so easy that anyone could have scored there. Me. You. Avery's ladyfriends. My dead grandmother. Etc. The Rangers faithful - and there were an embarrassing large number of them at The Rock - were pleased as they could be. Devils fans like myself were all of angry, unhappy, and besides themselves.

The Devils need to win. They need to score on those chances; they need to put them away; and they need to avoid those costly breakdowns in game. I'm still optimistic - being a fan and all. But even I have trouble in thinking the Devils will win this series by being down 2 games when going across the river. Game 2 is now a must-win game. Let's go Devils. Please.

Today, the Devils earned both home ice in the first round and a win over Our Hated Rivals in the shootout. IPB and 2MA live-blogged the game. Gulitti has the word on when the playoffs will begin. Normally, this is where I discuss and go at length about what I saw, what I liked, what I didn't like, &c. about the game. But today, all I have to say is this:

Just in time for the playoffs, we have proof that the Devils can beat Our Hated Rivals. That's all I need to say now.

The New Jersey Devils had a chance to strengthen their hold over fourth place in the conference against the Flyers last night. However, the Flyers were the only team interested in winning the game and so they did by a score of 3-0. The loss is the Devils' eleventh shutout loss this season and it has Brent Sutter quite unhappy about the team's performance, according to Rich Chere's article in today's Star Ledger. It's not just that he's unhappy. 2 Man Advantage's Steve Stirling wasn't happy about the game, IPB wasn't happy about the game, I'm definitely not happy about the game, and even Chico wasn't happy as the game winded down.

I'm glad the players agree with Sutter's proclamation that the Devils were terrible and, what's more, they displayed a lack of professionalism. It certainly isn't professional or wise to pretty much take the entire game off - Martin Brodeur excluded - in a big game at the end of the season. Philadelphia coming out strong was to be expected. They are on the bubble for the playoffs, the Wachovia Center was filled with fans and thundersticks, and they have every reason to go out there and get two points. The chairman of the Flyers was pleased, according to the NHL recap - as he should be. It was a crucial game where the Philadelphia Flyers actually outplayed their opponent and won. A rarity for the Flyers. You would think the Devils would at least play a competitive game of hockey, but they didn't even do that. They were walked on like a cheap rug. That's unacceptable at any time of the season, and it's not a good sign with the playoff so close.

However, just leaving it at "the Devils played like dog fecal matter" isn't enough. I feel I need to spell out why the Devils were so awful. The only Devil who showed up to play was Martin Brodeur, who singlehandedly kept the score at 1-0 Philadelphia when the Flyers were dominating on offense. He was pulled after the second straight one-timer goal by Phialdelphia, and I don't blame him for going out. If I put on a great performance with 33 saves and only being beaten by being hung out to dry by the Devils skaters (and once by Mike Mottau's re-direction), I wouldn't want to continue being let down either. The defense in last night's game was nothing more than a paper tiger being burned - most notably by Joffrey Lupul and R.J. Umberger who both put up 6 shots on net. In fact, the only Flyers who didn't put rubber on Brodeur or Weekes were denoted goons Riley Cote and Steve Downie and defenseman Lasse Kukkonen. The Devils on the defensive side of the puck were constantly a step behind, in poor position, they did far too much puck-watching, and they failed to clear the puck at least 15 times. It's not good when Chico Resch brings up that stat - I didn't know it was a counted stat - midway through the second. Andy Greene needs to sit, he is not ready to become a regular defenseman again. Paul Martin had an uncharacterisitcally bad game, most notably by being out of position and behind the goal scorers Scott Upshall and Lupul in the third period.

However, what I feel really doomed the Devils is the distribution of the puck. I'm not a hockey player or an expert. I admit this. However, you can not win hockey games if you can't distribute the puck properly. This means failing to make clearances out of your own zone when the other team is pushing - which is what the Flyers did for much of the game. This means failing to make passes in the neutral zone and on the attack. So many passes either missed the receiver entirely, hits a skate instead of the stick, or it's easily taken away by the Flyers. It's the chief reason why the Devils struggled to generate many attacks or complete any counter attacks. The Flyers' defenders played aggressively and it resulted in many more possessions for Philadelphia in conjunction with the inaccurate dishes. Why Sutter didn't think to change the approaches on offense to compensate for the bad passing and this (e.g. allowing a player to carry it in themselves) is beyond me. Shots? Goodness gracious, the Devils seemed to been confused by the black worn by Flyers that night. They hit the Flyers' skaters just as much as they hit Martin Biron with the puck. 22 shots on net and 22 shots blocked. 22! Blocked! Shots! That's amazing in it's horribleness! The only real bright spot on offense was John Oduya carrying the puck deep into the zone, getting tripped up rounding the net, still getting a pass off - only for it to be duffed by Aaron Asham. The resulting power play? Negated by a stupid decision by Travis Zajac abouta minute in.

Outside of goaltending - Brodeur and Weekes didn't lose this game - it was a terrible game all around. Now, the Devils have a must-win game at home to Our Hated Rivals. Oh boy.

The Devils have clinched at least a decent playoff spot with a shootout win over the Boston Bruins last night. The win is the Devils' third straight; just what the team could use after an extended winless streak. The Devils were very fortunate to get the win because I don't think the Devils were the better team on the ice for most of the game. Tom Gulitti has some thoughts on the game at Fire & Ice, proclaiming the David Clarkson-Mike Rupp-Dainius Zubrus line to be the best. Those three did play well and got both goals in regulation for NJ.

Sure, the Devils started real well. They didn't look tired, having played the Islanders the night before, and they scored the first goal. Dainius Zubrus was the trailing skater and bombed a rebound home for the goal. All was good. But as the first period went on, the Devils were slow to react to the Bruins' speed. Marco Sturm, in particular, burned more than his fair share of defensemen that night. Therefore, the Devils were caught puck-watching more than a few times and had to rely on Brodeur to bail them out plenty of times. The Bruins were able to take more control with two late penalties, and started really taking control of the game.

The equalized and went ahead in the second period. Bizarrely, looking at the numbers, they don't seem to indicate the Bruins' controlling the pace of the game. The Bruins only managed to place 21 shots in regulation. However, they were clearly outskating the Devils and enjoyed many chances. The Bruins held the Devils in check and the game was fairly tight until overtime. The second period did have a big what-if moment. What if the referee - one of the two out there - was in the right position behind the net? What if Zubrus wrapped the puck around to definitively put it in? What if Tim Thomas fumbled the puck while pulling it out and kicking it to the corner before the ref arrived? What if the ref made a decision as to whether it was a goal? What if the people in Toronto had anything resembling common sense and ruled it a goal? Well, the momentum surely would have turned, Zubrus would have had a brace, and we're talking about a different game. But instead, evidence was supposedly not conclusive enough and so they didn't allow it. (The team's reaction is mixed according to Gulitti.)

In summary, the Devils were robbed and Milan Lucic burned Andy Greene for a goal.

The Devils did tie it up with nearly the same play that got them the first goal. Except replace Zubrus with David Clarkson, and he's your equalizer. The overtime period was much more open with both teams getting some real chances. However, the shootout proved many things. The first is that Martin Brodeur's blocker is true to it's name. The second is that Elias is no longer perfect at these. The third is that Zach Parise had a beautiful backhand I wish he tried to use during the game. So the Devils pull a win out of a game where they weren't necessarily the better team. Which is good, though I wish the Devils took more control of the game. But with a day of rest and an opponent they've been doing very well against on Friday, I wouldn't worry.

In a surprise twist of fate, the Devils pummeled the Islanders with shots and came out with a 2-1 win in overtime. Thanks to Zach Parise's deflection after regulation, the Devils secure their eleventh straight playoff berth. IPB has their own thoughts on the game here.

Should this game turn into another loss, I was prepared to just type this exact same post word for word. Well, prepared is the key word; it wasn't exactly the same game. There were many similarities. The Islanders started a non-regular goaltender, Jimmy MacDonald. When he was announced as the starter, there was much profanity from my mouth. The Devils were constantly on the attack and pounded Joey MacDonald with shot after shot. But like last time, the finishing was hard to come by. 46 shots in regulation and the only one that beat him was a laser by Patrik Elias in the second period. When you consider that the Devils had 18 of their shots blocked and 10 miss the net, you begin to appreciate how the Devils rolled the Islanders after the first ten minutes of the game.

In comparison, the Islanders were only allowed 22 shots at Martin Brodeur and the only one they got through was caused by Andy Greene not picking up a loose puck. Well, not quite. But for someone who has been given a chance to get back his spot in the line up, Greene didn't have a great game (he even fell down once in his own zone untouched). I can't imagine Sutter having much patience for Greene to earn that spot, and Greene didn't do it with how he did last night. Anyway, back to the one goal allowed. Josef Vasicek just powered through and past Sheldon Brookbank - no major task should you have some pace - and powered that puck into the net.

Regardless, the Devils did improve the last game against the Islanders. They only conceded two penalties; and only the too many men on the ice penalty was just stupid. Once they got going, the Devils didn't let up in the game save for a few shifts in the third period. New Jersey continued attacking and shooting from nearly everywhere; but they just couldn't crack the MacDonald code. Fortunately, in overtime, the Devils figured they would try a deflection and, lo and behold, it worked. (Aside: Congratulations to Parise for a new career high in goals with 32!) I would have liked to have seen much better finishing; but there's not a lot to complain here. The Devils certainly earned their victory, they didn't choke in a tied game like their last game, and they have to feel good about how they went about it in the second and third periods. Sutter certainly does, according to Tom Gulitti.

They can't think too much about it, as they host the Boston Bruins tonight at the Rock. Hopefully, they'll have a better time turning more of those shots into goals. Vitaly Vishnevski will be back in the line up tonight according to Gulitti. Colin White is questionable and it may be Brookbank will sit, so maybe Greene will have another opportunity to become a regular again. Regardless, I wish the Devils the best of luck tonight.

The New Jersey Devils broke their winless streak and their drop in offense with a 5-4 shootout win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Four goals were scored in regulation, and the shootout sealed 2 points for the Devils who really needed them after the last week or so. This has been delayed because I was at this game. Let me tell you, I felt this was definitely an up-and-down game. The recap at NHL.com states that the Devils "bent, but did not break." Overall, yes, they did not break. However, the team - specifically the defense - was broken many times in the run of play.

To give an overall feel of the game, the Flyers were the better team in the first 15 minutes and picked up a goal that Martin Brodeur wished he had another shot at. Then, as the period was dying down and you're thinking whether this is going to be the same old story, the Devils took control of the game. More amazingly, the Devils scored on a power play goal when Johnny Oduya's shot bounced off Zach Parise's body and got in. Most amazingly, a few minutes later, the crowd yelled for Oduya to shoot - he did, and it not only was on target, but it went in. For the first time that I can remember, the crowd actually was right in this case. Oduya with a brace, the Devils leading after the first, things are good. And they continued to be good by controlling the first 10 minutes of the second period, involving a fantastic penalty kill of a stupid penalty by Sheldon Brookbank and Jamie Langenbrunner scoring off of a rebound. Jamie's got his first goal since March 15, the Devils are up 3-1, you're feeling pretty good about this one.

Then things turn for the worse. The Devils take their foot off the pedal; the Flyers roar back with some good pressure and ex-Devil Jim Dowd potting a deflected shot. And there lies my problem with the Devils against Philly. In addition to not finishing off the Flyers when they did, the defense was far too much of the "bend, not break" variety. Coverages were missed; clearances varied between decent and poor; and they ultimately let the other team back into this one. This continued into the third period and nearly doomed New Jersey when Brookbank poorly cleared it along the boards right to one Randy Jones. Jones threw up a floater that found it's way right off the post and in - another goal Brodeur would have liked to have another crack at it. You're feeling real nervous at this point, calling for the Devils to wake up. And they do; with about 6 minutes left, Brian Gionta finally did something of value and easily finished a John Madden pass for goal #4. You're thinking - "OK. This should be it. These are the Devils. If anyone can hold onto a one-goal lead for 6 minutes, it's them. Let's see some defense."

Yet, not tonight. The fabled "hockey-killing, offense-stifiling, stop-getting" defense of the New Jersey Devils hockey club did not appear and with less than a minute, the Flyers got an equalizer. Despite the extra man, the Devils seemingly weren't covering anyone particularly tightly and that allowed Mike Richards to slide a pass to Mike Knuble for a quick one-timer. At this point, you're crushed. You're beside yourself. You're awaiting and dreading overtime. Overtime passes and it goes to a shootout. Where you witness the Devils scoring three times and the Flyers only twice. Parise, Patrik Elias, and Langenbrunner came through and got the win.

And at that point, your mind is racing. That the Devils can't possibly play like this in their last four games. That the Devils took too many stupid penalties including two delay of game calls. That the team has a way of sometimes having a strong, productive offense but only when the defense falters. That you can't fathom why Sheldon Brookbank continues getting minutes given how poor he has played in recent games. Yet, overall, you're just glad it was a win. Tom Gulitti's recap of the game reflect this and you're glad you aren't the only one.

A level headed thought about the game would say that despite the 3-2 loss, the Devils played much better than they have been in the last 4 games. Such a thought would point out a more diverse attack, the Devils looking good on the rush and getting odd-man rushes at all, the team getting many more suitable scoring chances, and how close this game really was.

This isn't going to be one of them. The Devils have now squandered their Atlantic Division standing to the point where they are tied with Our Hated Rivals, gave up a lead whilst giving up stupid as hell penalties (Aside #1: Colin White is more than deserving of this criticism), and being punchless in the third period and lost on defense (Aside #2: The Sheldon Brookbank-Vitaly Vishnevski pairing experiment must end).

And so they lost to Nigel Dawes' arm pushing a puck into the net. Thanks to the refs, Toronto, and the NHL for changing the rules of hockey where hand passes aren't allowed, but pushing the puck with the arm while sliding for a goal is absolutely OK. There's questionable calls, but that was absolute garbage. If any of you can find what rule allows that as a goal, I would love to see it. The Devils were felled by a man sliding on the ice who directed the puck in with his arm. An inadvertent deflection? Please. Dawes stretched his arm out like that for a reason; he knew what he was doing.

If tomorrow night doesn't yield a massive win against Philadelphia; I have to seriously question whether the Devils even want to make the playoffs. Because this is not a playoff ready team, this is not a team that wants to win the tough and close games, and this is not a prepared team. This falls on the players, the coaching, and management. Going winless in five games is never good; but it's absolutely horrific when it happens with less than 10 games in the season, and all against division rivals.

Once again, I say this is unacceptable and it needs to change now. Other and similar thoughts are available at IPB.

The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the New Jersey Devils 2-0, on the strength of a power play one-timer from the slot from Mr. Ryan Malone tonight.

The Devils did poorly in the first period, were slightly less bad in the second, and yet they played very well in the third period when they had their best scoring chances.

Yet, the inconsistent effort in addition to the pathetic power play, the multitude of missed passes, the inability to get rebounds on offense, the old standby of a lack of finish, and the horrific shooting accuracy doomed the team. Seriously, 31 shots on Marc-Andre Fleury and 28 that should have hit him (14 missed the net, 14 were blocked). That's bad.

The Penguins held on to win that game and while it wasn't a fantastic win, it was an important one. Their fans should be pleased - as the many away supporters were at tonight's game - with an invaluable 4 point lead on the Atlantic. This could have been the one that would have made the Atlantic Division be decided in April. However, the Devils did not go into it with the full effort and the decision making (e.g. the terribly high number of missed and blocked shots) necessary. So instead of tying the Penguins to make the lead a race again; they're now on the outside looking in.

And the team is officially slumping, now that they are winless in their last 4 games. Hopefully, this was the nadir; because it's entirely possible that Our Hated Rivals could pass the Devils in the standings. Especially if they continue their winning ways on Thursday night. The Devils need to make whatever adjustments necessary, get in the right mindset, and do what needs to be done to get the team scoring, get the team making proper passes and shots, and do all of this quickly. The wins need to come now should New Jersey want to be the contenders that we all know and have seen a few weeks ago.

This is not the right time of the season to have a slump; and it is not the right time of the season to throw all that hard work from November onward away. Tonight's game was very telling; but it will be what happens later this week that determines the direction of this team.

Pretend you're the Devils for a moment.

You're at Pittsburgh, a place where you've won the last 3 games there this season. You have the exact same record as the Penguins, tied for first place. This is game is important in shaping who will win the division. You had a frustrating night against the Islanders. Clearly, you go out there and make the most of it. Play with fire, with energy, with passion, and with the effort to get two crucial points.

But you aren't the New Jersey Devils. Because tonight, instead of going for glory, they played like this:

On Friday, the New Jersey Devils hosted the New York Islanders with a game in hand over Montreal and Pittsburgh. They proceeded to do their best impersonation of the 1997-1998 Devils with controlling play, stifling defense, and plenty of shots on net.

Unfortunately, they also included in the impersonation an appalling lack of finishing, 2003-esque power play work, and threw in a lot of stupid penalties which ended up burning them.

They lost 3-1. And the loss was more frustrating than horrible. As I said, the Devils really had control for most of the game. But the Islanders got the few chances they needed, the Devils kept floundering on their own power plays while handing the opposition power plays of their own, and so the Devils lost. They had the chances to increase their lead, they didn't, and that ultimately doomed them.

And so, an opportunity to create some tiny yet important space in the division was lost. The next two games against Pittsburgh just became must-win games.

The Devils were so close, yet so far. The Devils lose to Our Hated Rivals in the shootout, 2-1. They manage a point out of it; but the Devils were 5 minutes from the win. The only serious defensive breakdown of the game cost the Devils - Sheldon Brookbank left the slot, Chris Drury had space, Ryan Callahan found him, and that's the tying goal.

However, we can't just focus on that. The Devils had a good first period, Dainius Zubrus capitalized on the power play to get that all-important first goal. The team after that just couldn't generate as much on offense. Mike Rupp played very well and drove to the net - his unit with Zubrus and Sergei Brylin kept doing that. The rest attempted to go high and hit the glass too many times. I can't emphasize enough that Mike Rupp had a great game. Travis Zajac and Zach Parise, not so much. So Lundqvist wasn't as challenged as he should be and that hurt the Devils. The Devils faded in the second and while they looked pretty good in the third, the Rangers kept piling up momentum with extended offensive possession and power plays. To be fair, the Devils penalty killers were great tonight; but it allowed the opposition to get going with confidence. With a one goal lead, the leading team needs to be perfect - but that is rare inofitself.

The Devils tried real hard in overtime, but they couldn't get it through. The shootout happened as it is and that's that. On the bright side, the Devils got a point. They remain in first with 9 games remaining - one more than tonight's opposition. This loss is disappointing. I agree with Steve Stirling - this is not a good way to start the stretch run. Mike Rupp, Dainius Zubrus, Paul Martin (who played with speed and fire all night long), and Martin Brodeur gave excellent efforts; but it wasn't enough. But the Devils are in no position to dwell. No position to wonder, "If only Patrik Elias was healthy," though I'd like to think the result would have been different had he been on the ice. The schedule doesn't allow it and they have a game on Friday to worry about.