It's always a great feeling to beat the Rangers. The Devils held their own on 5-on-5 play, this game was won on the power play and penalty kill. We bounced back on the power play going 2 for 2 after struggling before the allstar break, and killed off all four Ranger man advantages. It felt like the Rangers were more in control when even up, but we found a way to win behind another awesome game from Corey Schneider. And let's be clear, we do not win that game without Schneider in net.
The power play looked A LOT better.
We settled down and got more quality shots. Stempniak was in perfect position on the first power play goal and Schlemko pinched up in open space nicely for the game winner, also on the powerplay. While we clearly are missing Cammalleri on the top line to create scoring opportunities, we made due.
A guy that is creating opportunities in Joe Blandisi. As John Gruden would say on Monday Night Football, "Hey, I really like this guy." He's way faster than I even realized when he BLEW past Girardi to score his goal short side on Lundqvist. It's a shot that Lundqvuist probably should have saved, but I think Blandisi snuck up on him with a quick release.
And I LOVED the celly. Celly means celebration for you hockey noobs. (watch until the end).
Also, a great nickname in the making. According to Cory Schneider in his post-game interview, Blandisi's nickname is "Blender." I'm a fan. You can tell this guy is pumped up to be playing in the NHL.
Devils vs. Maple Leafs
Devils lose 3-2 to Toronto in a shootout on Thursday. It's another example of the Devils playing down to their competition. We step up and beat the Rangers, then can't beat the 2nd worst team in the league. I was surprised too since we've been better on the road than at home as well. Gotta win these games and get two points if we want to make a run.
On the positive, the Devils picked up right where they left off on the power play. Jacob Josefson got a goal. Wait a second. Jacob Josefson scored?! What planet am I on?
Nice to see backup Keith Kinkaid put up 37 saves. If the Devils could just score 3 goals, I think they have a chance to win any game.
Devils vs. Capitals
Whereas they may have played down with the Leafs, they certainly stepped up to the level of the Capitals. They lost again in a 3-2 shoot-out, but hung strong with the best and highest scoring team in the league.
Side note, pretty cool how they had Brodeur drop the puck with the two goalies facing off. And fitting that arguably the two top goalies in the league right now were there to do it. The Vezina Trophy will come down to these two guys, book it.
As for the game, no shots for the Devils in the first 10 minutes, only 5 in the first period. The 3rd and 4th lines actually had the most energy going. They woke up in the 2nd period and started to get some chances. The Caps broke the ice, but it wasn't a bad goal. Just a bad hockey bounce.
Early in the 3rd, the Devils got one back. The power play is on fire. And who got the goal? Blandisi, crashing the net. Blender time baby! The celly was good again too. Pounding the glass must be his move. You can tell he's jacked up and wants to have an impact on every shift he plays. Very impressed so far with this guy, says all the right things in the post-game interview too.
I have been really happy with the penalty kill as well. The Caps came into the game with the #1 power play in the league, and the Devils shut them down with 3 good kills. When you contain Ovechkin, you did your job. That makes them 11 for 11 since the Ranger game. You really can't ask much more out of our special teams play at the moment.
Six minutes later, it was nice to see the Devils get a goal even strength. Hello Adam Henrique! Haven't heard much from him lately, had a nice snipe for the go-ahead goal. Also, a sneaky pass off of the skate from Blandisi on the 2-on-1 with Stempniak. The other assist from Stempniak put him in the team lead in points with 39. Think about that. This is the same Lee Stempniak who has played for 8 different teams NHL, was continually healthy-scratched for the Rangers last year before being traded to the Jets, and didn't have a guaranteed contract in training camp with New Jersey. This is the guy leading the team in points. Awesome for him, but also a sign of the Devils offensive woes.
Could the Devils hold onto the lead in the 3rd? No. The Caps tied it up on nice tip with less than 6 minutes to go in the game. Nothing Schneider could do on that one. The Caps got a penalty with a minute left in the game, but the Devils couldn't convert in regulation or in overtime. It's not that they didn't get chances, they were BUZZING in OT. And it was fun to watch, we didn't even get to see 3-on-3 hockey until there were just 11 seconds left due to no stoppages.
In the end, we couldn't get in done in the shootout. And I'm not surprised, no matter how good Cory Schneider is. Look at the shooters for the shootout:
| SHOOTOUT | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROUND | NEW JERSEY DEVILS | WASHINGTON CAPITALS | ||
| 1 | Joseph Blandisi | T.J. Oshie | ||
| 2 | Jacob Josefson | Evgeny Kuznetsov | ||
| 3 | Reid Boucher | Alex Ovechkin | ||
T.J. Oshie is one of the best of all-time in shootouts. Evgeny Kuznetsov leads the Capitals in points this year. Alex Ovechkin? Maybe you've heard of him. Losing to the Caps in a shootout is nothing to be discouraged about. They are simply better. But, I have to point something out about their coach, Barry Trotz.
Am I the only one who thinks that he always looks like he's holding in a fart?
All things considered, the Devils matched up pretty well with the best team in the league. We beat the Rangers early in the week. We did have leads late in the third vs. both Toronto and Washington, but couldn't hold on and still pulled out a point in each game. I'll take 4 out of a possible 6 points any week. I think we are missing the Cammalleri factor and definitely still relying on our goal-tending big-time. Hopefully we'll get Cammy back for the Ranger game, but who knows what "upper-body injury" he's even dealing with. Next stop, Madison Square Garden on Monday night.
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