Kovalchuk scores 2, Brodeur and Devils top Coyotes (AP)
Devils @ Senators LIVECAP!
10:19 PM: That’s gonna be it for me tonight gang, thanks for hanging out. See you at the Rock on Saturday!
10:14 PM: Devils win the Atlantic Division and are locked into the number three seed – both of these determined before the game was even over. The win tonight gives the team 50 wins on the year, a franchise record. Montreal earned a point in Boston by sending the game to overtime, and now all eight playoff spots in the east are secured, it’s just a matter of seeding now. Your elite eight of the east: Boston, Washington, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Carolina, Pittsburgh, New York, Montreal.
10:13 PM: Spezza denied by Brodeur and the Devils win the shootout 2-1 and the game 3-2!
10:13 PM: Langs stopped glove side by Auld. Still 2-1, Spezza up for Ottawa.
10:13 PM: Fisher misses to the left, remains 2-1 and if Langs scores we win.
10:12 PM: Shanahan roofs it over Auld’s glove, 2-1!
10:12 PM: Alfredsson snaps it past Marty’s glove. 1-1.
10:11 PM: Zach Parise just completely undressed Alex Auld and it’s 1-0 Devils. Remember the goal earlier this year against Washington? It was like that.
10:10 PM: I predict Parise, Elias, and John Madden’s stick as shootout contestants. Also, I think I just heard the TV change to NHL Network at Scott Mackie’s house.
10:09 PM: Seriously though, I can’t remember the last time we played in a shootout, let alone the last time I LiveCapped a shootout. Interesting.
10:08 PM: Game over, 2-2. Wait, what’s this? Shoot-out? What is this…shoot…out you speak of? Surely you jest!
10:06 PM: Zach’s never gonna score again (with deference to the -Ookies once again). Can’t tip Oduya’s shot, nor can he pull home the rebound. A minute to go in OT.
10:05 PM: Capitals beat Tampa, and now the Devils are officially locked into the number three seed for the playoffs.
10:03 PM: Ooooooh man Marty with one of those magician-like glove saves – entirely too flashy with that previously-injured arm, but it shut up the Sens fans for a second there.
10:01 PM: Man, I’m tired, I just wanted to go to bed. Stupid Senators. Overtime on.
9:59 PM: Going to overtime now. Life isn’t fair.
9:57 PM: DAMMIT! Sens fire one off the post that looks like it’s in, White with a good defensive play to prevent a goal, then Dany Heatley manages to pound it home. God-friggin-dammit. Tie game, 30 seconds left.
9:55 PM: Alex Auld on the bench for the Sens now, timeout Ottawa…A minute and a half to go and it’s still 2-1 Devils. Meep.
9:54 PM: Two minutes to go.
9:53 PM: Lots of pressure on the Sens goal…really nice shift there. Zach Parise must be the hardest luck 45 goal scorer in history. Okay, probably not, but still. Boy can’t buy a goal lately.
9:48 PM: All penalties are up now. Six minutes left in the game.
9:43 PM: …and now the power play’s totally done. Andy Greene takes a tripping penalty and it’ll be four-on-four for a minute, then Sens on the PP.
9:42 PM: First minor is done, two minutes to go on the PP.
9:41 PM: Gio got smooshed again. Gio’s too easily smooshable.
9:39 PM: Ooooh, Daniel Alfredsson got pissy with a ref over a penalty and now is serving two minutes for interference (I assume) and another two for unsportsmanlike conduct. Four minute power play for the Devils!
9:36 PM: Welp, Rangers win so they’re in the playoffs. Sigh. BUT, it does mean that the Devils are officially 2008-09 Atlantic Division champions!
9:35 PM: Jebus. Marty can’t hold onto the puck and gets creamed by about 20 Devils and 14 Senators. …I may be exaggerating a little.
9:32 PM: Ruutu takes a hook and we’re back to the PP.
9:25 PM: To borrow a line from the -Ookies of Interchangeable Parts, ZACH’S NEVER GONNA SCORE AGAIN! Hits the post on the power play. Shortly afterward, Martin with a drive, breaks his stick, and then breaks up an ensuing Sens breakaway WITHOUT A STICK. Paul Martin is a defensive machine!
9:23 PM: Devils have a full two minutes of PP time to start the period. Fresh ice, fresh legs, full length power play…surely we have to score, right? Surely…?
9:22 PM: I love the Chuck the Duck season recap. Almost more than the actual season recap.
9:05 PM: That’ll be the end of a much better second period. Penalty on the Senators as time expires and it’ll be the Devils on a full two minutes of PP time when the third starts. Yay!
9:01 PM: I wonder if John Madden’s hockey stick is also an unrestricted free agent this year, and how much it’ll cost to lock it up for three years.
8:59 PM: BRILLIANT! The pass bounces off of John Madden’s stick – which Madden was not holding – and out of the zone. LOVE IT!
8:58 PM: And now John Madden has no stick. Crap.
8:58 PM: Yep, Whitey’s in the box…again…
8:57 PM: Colin White (I think) takes a hooking penalty. Even if it wasn’t him, I’m gonna blame Colin White anyway. Just for the hell of it. Someone, because of Colin White, takes a hooking penalty. So the Sens head to a PP.
8:52 PM: Leblond with a Cam Janssen-like heat-seeking missle type hit. Awww.
8:51 PM: Nearly a two-on-one for the Devils but Zajac is a step slow and Langenbrunner misses the net on the shot. Two-on-one the other way and Marty stones ‘em. Phew.
8:45 PM: White and Chris Neil get pissy with one another and start bitchslapping each other – Colin won’t drop ‘em ’cause of the eye injury, and Neil won’t drop him ’cause he’s Chris Neil. Two minutes each for roughing.
8:42 PM: Alex Auld plays another puck behind the net. He didn’t just give it to one of the Devils this time, though. Drats.
8:39 PM: That was Gionta’s 20th goal of the season. Kind of sad when we’re looking at that as a milestone for Brian Gionta.
8:34 PM: WHOO! Auld with an awful giveaway to Clarkson, who attempts the world-reknowned Clarkaround – misses terribly, but the puck slides straight out to Brian Rolston and it’s 2-1 Devils! Also, Gionta’s goal did not come at the tail end of the power play, it came just after it ended.
8:33 PM: GIONTA! Gio tips-in Shanahan’s shot at the very end of the power play and we’re tied!
8:32 PM: Ugh. Terrible giveaway by Andy Greene. On the plus side, at least he recovered and was able to play some decent Greene-fense to prevent a shot on goal.
8:30 PM: Senators take a very stupid too many men on the ice penalty while in the offensive zone, after a nice save on a very impressive drop-pass-and-shot from…a pair of Senators. God I’m not very good at LiveCapping tonight.
8:29 PM: We be back yo.
8:12 PM: And that’s that. 1-0 Senators after one. Sigh. See ya in seventeen.
8:11 PM: The time remaining in the period and the power play are exactly the same. Funky.
8:10 PM: …not a very GOOD power play, mind you, but a power play nonetheless.
8:09 PM: On a long delayed penalty, Gionta gets the puck to Zubbie, who drives, protects the puck, cuts for the goal…and falls and collides heavily with the boards. Oh well, at least we’re on a power play now.
8:04 PM: Paul Martin was a puck-handling, puck-possession machine! Killed the last 10 seconds on the Senators PP all by his lonesome, forcing his will on the puck carrier and qoinking it away.
8:02 PM: How did Ottawa get two Irish guys on their team? Shannon and Kelly…I assume they’re Irish, don’t get much more Irish than that. Also, a Devil took a penalty. I think Colin White, but I wasn’t paying much attention. Sorry.
8:00 PM: ‘nother odd-man rush, this time for the Sens, and Marty’s like “NUH-UH!” ‘least he decided to pay attention tonight. Much better save there than anything in the Toronto game.
7:58 PM: 2-on-1 with Zajac and Langenbrunner. No goal. No surprise.
7:55 PM: PLcubed vs. Winchester (who?). Lots of grappling, not so much on the punching side. “How’s your wife and my kids?” kind of affair.
7:51 PM: Elias gets sprung on a mini-breakaway but can’t do anything with it. Why did you get those days off again Patty?
7:50 PM: All kinds of bad things are happening elsewhere tonight: Rangers are winning, Panthers are losing…I was hoping we could get a win this evening to guarantee the division, then watch the Flyers sweep the Rangers out of the playoffs and helping Florida in. Oh well.
7:47 PM: Elias is back too. Only half as important as PLcubed’s return. Rupp and Holik take a seat in the press box, much to the maniacal laughter of Jay Pandolfo. Still no Havelid, which means there’s still a certain level of Greene-fense this evening as well.
7:46 PM: Apparently we recalled Pierre-Luc Letournau-Leblond! OH JOYOUS HYPHEN-LOVING DAY!
7:44 PM: I rushed a post up for this? Sigh. 1-0 Senators as Rutuu jams home a rebound. Maybe we were better off without a LiveCap tonight…?
7:43 PM: Late start for me tonight, terribly sorry. Game’s already underway, no score, sixteen minutes left to play in the first. Let’s get this thing going.
Since we all need a reason to enjoy a Devils game now…
No this ain’t gonna be some rah-rah cheer you up inspire the masses kinda post… that ain’t my way…..
No this isn’t going to be some massive OH MY GOD THE WORLD IS ENDING…. PEOPLE LIE ABOUT THEIR AGES ON THE INTERNET… FIRE BRODEUR AND PLAY CLEMMENSEN TILL HE’S 70 kinda post either :p
So why the hell am I sitting here wasting your time??
(hell be honest the reason you come here IS to waste time)
But I had mentioned it elsewhere and we’re building some momentum and people are actually gonna show for this one and it’s a Saturday Night so you have NO excuse…. We wanted to have a little Devils Fan Gathering at my favorite little bar down the street… and why not make it into a massive cluster fuck right???
Here’s the Deal… show up at 6:30… we pile into some tables… we eat we drink we converse… we watch Devils hockey, and we see the girls go goofy over the bartender who looks like David Clarkson and marvel at the other two ladies as well 
Sounds good right? Shit you’re convinced this team has driven you to drink right? BACK IT UP!!!!
Date: Saturday, April 4, 2009
Time: 6:30pm – 10:00pm (or later once the NHL Network gets put on and it will get put on!)
Location: Sun Tavern
Street: 600 W Westfield Ave
City/Town: Roselle Park, NJ
Phone: 9082410190
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=600+W+Westfield+Ave%2C+Roselle+Park%2C+NJ
(really just take the parkway to 137 and go left, it’s right past the Welcome to Roselle park signs)
Come …. enjoy… heckle!!!!!
Devils… Panthers (11/20/2008)… Thoughts from Section 209
(God I can’t believe November is almost done, the NFL is in Week 12… and my birthday is coming… good God the older you get.. the FASTER it goes… really….)
It was nice to actually SEE THIS TEAM WIN A GAME (and hockey played as God, or whatever being you crawl into the corner and beg for more goals from, intended it played)… and actually play kinda well…..
This one had all the feelings and makings of an “aw shit they’re gonna lay an egg here” moment… but it never happened… that first period was pure comatose… neither team wanted to be there… the team was blah, because the place seemed lifeless… the place was lifeless because the quality on ice was bad and it was an ugly cycle!
But it’s kinda funny how things woke up in the second period… two moments of fluke shots (and well me just randomly screaming at Hassan to get the Farooq outta my seat during the intermission… I let them move me out of my seat for the opener and I HATED IT)…but anyway… that only set the pace for one of those great moments in section 209 history!!
We have a habit of booing the late showers (well some of them) just to give them grief and to be punctual! So anyway… I wanted to step it up for the 2nd period… so here he is walking up the steps… 2 beers in hand all ready for some Devils hockey… I curl up a napkin and all I am thinking is… oh god.. .hit the chest… be Jamie Langenbrunner…. right into the logo…the chest, not the beer… hit the logo…. so OF COURSE… I throw the napkin and the damn shot is SO PERFECT it doesn’t even hit the plastic cup part of the beer and just splashes in perfect like a Michael Jordan shot on the Knicks
(and just to bring it back to the Devils… they took one shot in the second too and it counted just as much!! :p)
At least it was a nice, solid pounding on a crappy, well BAD, Panthers team (though making Scott Clemmensen look like Mary Brodeur was usually what WE do to backup goalies… was nice to see that and going 1 for 1 on shots in the second period happen!)… the Third Period was pretty decent too!
The Good:
– Elias-Zubrus-Gionta….. this line is producing and big time!!! (nice to see Patrik getting going too)
– the MOVE Paul Martin put on for his goal… HOLY SHIT (it’s funny how guys who’s jerseys I wear seem to do amazing when I wear them to games… quick someone get me a White Langenbrunner!)
– I’m not big on cheerleaders… but DAMN these dancing girls we have now… yum!!!
– Scott Clemmensen did play well (I am not taking anything away from him but I am still annoyed at the bullshit way Weekes has been tossed under the bus) and I can’t imagine why I like my Section Chanting my name!
– JAMIE LANGENBRUNNER DOWN TO REASONABLE MINUTES… hooray!
– the 5 year old kid on his birthday leading the 209 chant in the last minute (and I tell you EVERYONE got into this one!)
the Bad:
– getting dominated in play by this crappy Panthers team… that’s just bad!!
– you could say the attendance and the flat crowd, but the crowd energy was siphoned from the lack of play on the ice (and I really don’t give a shit about attendance numbers i find it BETTER to have a small crowd… you know I can like.. um… DO STUFF in the arena like harass the crazies and stuff)… and you gotta figure… beat up team… AHL jobber as your goalie… and the Florida Panthers… yeah that’s as hot a ticket as Rutgers Football :p
So anyway not really a LOT to say here… so might as well save it for tomorrow… after all IT’S FRIDAY NIGHT (and what the hell ELSE do I have to do right??)
That wasn’t a game, that was a statement.
And thus ends the saga of Brodeur V. Avery, at least for the time being. A 5-0 thrashing by the Devils, with every single player wearing the NJ crest looking spectacular. Check out Scott’s analysis below – even he couldn’t come up with someone to chew out!
As Scott mentioned, Andy Greene looked stellar, putting up two assists and bringing us back to the Andy halcyon days of the 2007 playoffs. Dainus Zubrus clearly is as upset as we are that the Zubbie Counter remains in the cob-webbed cellar of 2MA and is working to change that. Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond had a wicked hit late in the game to go with his first career NHL point. Zach Parise continued his stellar start, adding another goal and assist to his growing point totals. And of course, John Madden finally scored on a fast break-like situation!
Perhaps most importantly though, is that – save for a bad penalty by Clarkson in the first period – the Devils FINALLY figured out how to keep Sean Avery from getting under their collective skin. In fact, I submit that the Devils/Clarkson/Brodeur gave Avery a small dose of his own medicine. Even ESPN took notice of the little shoves and the clearing attempt by Brodeur that whizzed by Avery’s head. The Devils frustrated Avery and made him a non-factor. My only question is why they needed a thirteen-game study session last year to figure it out.
So now, with a 5-1-0 record, we move on to a home-and-home with our dear dear friends, the (still winless) Philadelphia Flyers. This could be fun.
Game 1? Awesome
Before I begin, I’d like to apologize for the lack of pictures in this post. I have them up and ready to go, but I seem to be having a problem with getting them posted. I’ll try to have this problem rectified as soon as possible. – Josh
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So it’s in the books, the Devils open the 2008-09 season with a 2-1 victory over the Islanders. It wasn’t all pretty, but it wasn’t all bad either. So, I present to you, loyal 2MA reader…THE AWESOME, THE NOT-SO-AWESOME, AND THE DOWNRIGHT RIDICULOUS of the Devils’ season opener as I saw from my perch in 114:
THE AWESOME – No more Zombie Nation!
I’m not going to lie – I’m conflicted with this awesomeness. After Gary Glitter’s arrest and persecution, I was perfectly fine with the Devils’ choice to stop using Rock And Roll Pt 2 as their goal song. When they used Ole! by Bouncing Souls two years ago, even better – awesome band, awesome song. But last year’s song, Kernkraft 440 by Zombie Nation, just sucked.
So, I guess the annoyance with last year’s song trumps the distaste of the performer of the new/old song. And in the end, Glitter’s paid his debt to society, so maybe it is alright after all to be using his song again.
It’s still better than Zombie Nation.
THE NOT-SO-AWESOME – HE’S NOT WEARING A MASK!
I was in the middle of a conversation with a friend about hockey rules when Marty was run into by Paul Martin and lost his mask. I know hockey’s a fast sport, and sometimes things happen faster on the ice than we notice them on television or in the stands, but can someone please explain to me why someone was allowed to fire a shot even in the general direction of a mask-less goalie before a whistle was blown? Pucks have been frozen by overzealous referees in less time than it took for play to be blown dead after Marty lost his mask.
Brodeur is on track to shatter records left and right. This should be a huge deal for the NHL. A slow whistle by the referee could have easily ended any chance Brodeur has at taking his place in the record book – and ultimately raising the NHL’s profile on non-hockey friendly outlets such as ESPN. There are some things that are just too dangerous to mess around with, and a mask-less goalie is one of them. Any time a goalie loses his mask, play needs to be whistled dead immediately. Period.
THE DOWNRIGHT RIDICULOUS – Green men and dancing guy strippers…wait, I’m at a Devils game?
Look, I know the Devils get a bad rap over their marketing and fan relations and in-game entertainment. Usually I’m one of the ones complaining the most. But if this is what’s in store for this year, I recant all of my prior complaints. Just don’t make me watch these people anymore.
First is the guy with the multiple shirts. He does some kind of strange dancing stripping routine that was funny at first – especially when he stopped a guy who clearly didn’t want to have anything to do with him. But the next five or six times? Not so much. The enthusiasm is nice. The shirt-removing routine grows old really fast.
The green guy was less obnoxious, but far more difficult to understand. My friend tells me it’s a reference to It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, which is probably more correct than my guess – an overzealous fan of Andy Greene. Whatever it is, I’m reasonably certain green guy was not wearing underwear beneath his frighteningly form-fitting costume. And I really didn’t need to see that.
Bold predictions and excited rants: Season preview the first
You know what? I think Rangers fans are scared.
A mere two days away from the puck hitting the ice stateside for the first time this season and those Rag loving Wall Street types are torpedoing our economy into oblivion with the hope that maybe, just maybe, the entire country will dissolve in time to put off the hockey season, and as a result their inevitable demise. It’s gotta be that. Or the Russians.. Hmm.
Well I will not be deterred! It’s Devils season preview time baby!
Three days to go before the New (Old) and Improved New Jersey Devils hit the ice against the New York Islanders at the Rock. If you’re like me, you’ve read the 645 other season previews out there who are writing off the Devils as an aging group running an outdated system.
I say eff that.
Marty
Yes Brodeur is a year older. Of course we’ll need to address this in the coming years but I for one am not gonna even pay a passing thought to this considering he won the Vezina for oh, the 4th time in 6 years. Next topic.
The new old guys
I’m actually extremely excited to see what this offense can do this year. On paper I see it as a solid blend of experience and youth, speed and size. I think that in the second year of Sutter’s reign, the boys will come out with a lot more confidence and gusto working in his system that will produce a noticeable increase in goals with the addition of Rolston and Holik.
The retooled front lines could also fall completely flat, but after several lean offensive years and two years of epic collapses from my beloved Mets, I’m prepared to handle everything short of the top three lines tearing up their contracts on the ice and signing with the Rangers, Flyers and Islanders, respectively.
Oduya’s army
Oh the defense.. You know, I’ve got no idea on this one. They were so befuddling last year I’m not going to even try. Maybe someone taught Johnny Oduya to skate backwards. Maybe Paul Martin will step up and show the offensive prowess we saw glimpses off last year. Maybe Annsi Salmela will become the next Scott Niedermayer and alleviate the need for me to start calling him salmonella by mid-November.
Anything’s possible, I suppose. If I were a betting man though, I’d be placing my chips on the guy in net and the offense carrying this team forward.
The Tykes
Speaking of Salmela, the potential youth influx certainly bears watching. I think Lou and Brent made the right choices on Vrana and Salmela for opening night, but I’d also like to see what Matt Halischuk and Niklas Bergfors can do at some point in the season. Who knows, maybe if they take Matt Corrente off suicide watch after his miserable pre-season performance he could even make an appearance. Definitely a wait-and-see approach with the new guys though.
All-in-all, I’m optimistic. If the D steps it up I think we’re a cup contender. If not, we could at least make up for a terrible showing last year by beating up on the Rangers and Islanders in the season series. Friday night’s a great time to start. Go Devils!
P.S. Church claps all around to the Rags fans who will undoubtedly point out that they scraped by with a pair of victories against a Tampa Bay Lightning team that had played together for all of 35 minutes before the first game. Kudos.
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