The Devils returned home to Prudential Center on Saturday, October 18 to take on the San Jose Sharks in their 2014-15 home opener. Although things did not go off as planned on the ice (the Devils lost a tough one, 4-2), things went off pretty much without a hitch in the unveiling of the “new” Prudential Center.
From the time fans stepped into FanFest (held outside in Championship Plaza pre-game), they could tell that things were a little different from “business as usual.” From the live music to the season ticket holder area where fans could pick up their jersey with a badge advertising how many years they have been season ticket holders. There were also food vendors, giving just a little taste of what was waiting inside for fans, a season ticket holder lounge, tables set up by WFAN (the Devils’ radio broadcast rights holders) and others for contests, and mini street hockey rinks where kids could enjoy a little pre-game hockey of their own. The bars and restaurants outside of “The Rock” were bustling all afternoon and showed just how much of an impact the Prudential Center has made in this part of downtown Newark in such a little bit of time.
At approximately 6:45 PM after the Devils and Sharks had left the ice for warm ups and the Zambonis had resurfaced the rink, the crown jewel of the Devils new “fan experience” at Prudential Center was unveiled: a roughly 5 minute presentation on ice that featured 3D graphics and highlights from throughout Devils history including: the founding of the team in 1982 by Dr. John McMullen, the team’s first win in New Jersey, John MacLean’s 1988 goal that propelled the team into the playoffs for the first time, the three Stanley Cups in 1995, 2000 and 2003, Martin Brodeur breaking the all-time wins record for a goaltender, and (the highlight that got the biggest reaction from fans) Adam Henrique’s 2012 game winner in overtime of game six of the Eastern Conference Final against the Rangers. The pomp and circumstance continued with the traditional player introductions for opening night.
But the new food and merchandise options in the arena, on ice 3D graphics presentation and FanFest were merely ways for the team to get fans primed for the on-ice action. The fans were pumped up, chanting “Let’s Go Devils!” without prompting or cues from the scoreboard. Unfortunately, while the Devils put up a valiant effort late, they were unable to overcome a strong Sharks team that scored early and were more disciplined than the Devils.
Things started off with a bang, as Jordin Tootoo and Andrew Desjardins squared off, each getting a five minute fighting major, however, Tootoo was assessed an extra two minutes for interference and the Sharks went on the power play at 5:07. The Devils were unable to convert on their first power play on a Justin Braun hooking call at 10:57. Later, the Sharks took a 1-0 lead at 17:53 of the first period on a power play goal by Joe Pavelski (assists from Logan Couture and Brent Burns). This came after a Jon Merrill interference call gave the Sharks the man advantage.
The second period saw the Devils start off with a power play advantage as Joe Thronton went to the box for hooking at 0:33 into the middle period. With the Devils now 0 for 2 on the power play, Jaromir Jagr got called for interference at 3:29, but San Jose did not convert. At 9:49, Scott Hannan went to the sin bin for hooking; putting the Devils up a man, but again, New Jersey was unable to score. The Sharks would then go up 2 to 0 when Mike Cammalleri was called for slashing at 17:34. Logan Couture would score on the ensuing power play on assists from Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski.
Referees Kelly Sutherland and Justin St. Pierre put their whistles away for the third period and let the teams play. The Sharks made the game 3-0 when Patrick Marleau got his second point of the night at 1:36, a goal, with assists from Logan Couture (his third point of the game) and Justin Braun. The Devils finally broke through and unveiled their new goal song (which was produced by the team with help from fans, who contributed to the audio) when Mike Cammalleri scored his fifth point in as many games, a goal with assists from Jagr and Andy Greene at 8:00. The Devils then sustained the pressure for most of the period, until Adam Henrique scored at 12:10 with assists from Michael Ryder and Jon Merrill. The Devils would then pull goaltender Cory Schneider with about 18 minutes left in regulation, but Joe Thornton would finish things with an empty net goal at 18:46 with an assist from Joe Pavelski.
The three stars of the night were: third star Cammalleri with a goal, seven shots, 2 PIMs, a +1 rating and 18:18 of total on-ice time; second star Marleau with a goal, an assist, 2 shots, a +1 rating and 18:04 of ice time; and first star Couture with a goal, two assists, four shots, a +1 rating and 18:19 of ice time.
Team stat-wise, the Devils outshot San Jose 37 to 32, the Devils also had more hits (10 to 6), giveaways (9-2) and penalty minutes (13-11). San Jose was better on the power play (2-for-4 against 0-for-3), faceoff wins (38 versus 33), and takeaways (9 to 1). The teams were even in blocked shots (8-8).
So, if this game showed anything about the Devils so far this season, it’s that they need to stay out of the penalty box and be more productive in faceoffs in crucial spots. But this is just one game of an 82 game schedule and the Devils will, hopefully, right the ship soon enough. They built up some equity with the three games won to start the season, dropping the home opener, while a downer for fans in attendance and watching at home, is not the end of the world. The schedule does get a little tougher coming up with the Rangers (who always play the Devils tough no matter the team’s respective records), Dallas (which will be “Chico” Resch Night at The Rock), Ottawa (who have gotten off to a great start this year) and the Penguins (you can never overlook despite getting off to a slow start). The Stars and Senators games will constitute the Devils’ first back-to-back games of this season.
While the Devils have played well, there is a lot of room for improvement, but the team seems to be improving every game, and that is really all you can ask for. And, like the team, there was a lot of improvement shown in the Prudential Center which should really help upgrade the fans overall experience at the rink.