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John Hynes Gets First NHL Win in OT Defeat of Rangers

The Devils finally got in the win column for the 2015-16 season by defeating their archrivals at Madison Square Garden. It was John Hynes’ first NHL coaching victory and the Devils’ first overtime victory in three-on-three play.

Things looked bleak for New Jersey early on when the team came out flat. The Rangers capitalized on their lackluster play when Derek Stepan put New York ahead at 3:12 of the first. Sensing that the team was not totally up for this rivalry game, Kyle Palmieri, after having some words with the Rangers’ Kevin Klein, dropped the mitts with him in an attempt to get the Devils fired up.

It worked. In an interview with MSG’s Deb Placey during the first intermission, John Moore said that the team was proud of Palmieri’s efforts against the much-larger Klein. When the two teams came out for the second, it only took Adam Henrique 1:52 to wrist one past Henrik Lundqvist (assists to Mike Cammalleri and Damon Severson). Henrique was playing center for the game after being moved from left wing (his natural position) last game. MSG analyst Ken Daneyko mentioned that he likes him better on the wing, but conceded that Henrique has been showing that he can be an effective center for the team.

The Devils looked like they might be able to break through when New York’s Jarret Stoll was called for tripping at 19:54 of the second. This would give the Devils 1:55 or so of power play time on a fresh sheet of ice in the third. Things looked even better when Klein drew a delay of game penalty for shooting the puck over the glass 19 seconds into the third. The Devils, however, were not able to convert on the 5-on-3 and would, in fact, get into penalty trouble themselves late in the period. Jordin Tootoo took a high-sticking penalty at 10:58 of the period and the Devils’ penalty killers had little time to catch their breath after taking care of that when Lee Stempniak was whistled for interference at 13:38. Both the Devils and Rangers PK units were perfect on the afternoon.

The game was a tight defensive battle all the way and neither team was giving an inch of ice. It was also an illustration of what coach Hynes was talking about when he said that the game was now one of puck possession.

When the final buzzer sounded on the third period, the Devils had earned their second point in two games and were headed for three-on-three again and they would have a little help along the way. The Rangers’ Ryan McDonagh looked to have finished things early in the extra session when he beat Cory Schneider (who was again solid in this game) only to see defenseman Andy Greene clear the puck from the crease, sweeping it clear of the goal line just in the nick of time.

The Devils victory came when the Rangers dinged a shot off the post and Greene recovered, sending the puck up to a breaking Henrique, who quickly settled it and passed to Stempniak, who fired a one timer behind Lundqvist and into the net for the Devils’ first victory.

Overtime was again exciting three-on-three and more satisfying this time with a Devils victory. Andy Greene was the Devils’ star in the extra session. The captain was able to not only to keep the puck out of the Devils’ cage, but also helped spring Henrique to set up the game winner.

Although Stempniak was named the game’s first star and the goaltenders were the other two (Schneider earned second star while Lundqvist was the third), Greene and Henrique could have easily been on there. Both played well and were instrumental in the Devils’ win.

All-in-all, though, it was a good win for a team that needed one. For John Hynes to get his first NHL win in his first taste of the “Hudson River Rivalry” has to be gratifying for him and the team. Now that the first win is out of the way and all of the early season jitters are gone, it is time for the Devils to build on this. The Devils now get off the winless list, as only Columbus and Anaheim have yet to taste victory in 2015-16. Hopefully, they can continue the upward trend as the Arizona Coyotes come to Prudential Center on Tuesday.

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Devils Name Greene Captain, Fall in Season Opener

The Devils were in need of a captain after the retirement of former team leader Bryce Salvador. General Manager Ray Shero and head coach John Hynes played things close to the vest, but in the end the expected (and many believe, the correct) choice was made.

Andy Greene was named the 11th captain in Devils history on Friday prior to the season opener against Winnipeg at the Prudential Center. For many who follow the team on a day-to-day basis, this was the obvious choice. Team legend and current television color analyst Ken Daneyko had been championing Greene as a future team captain for quite a while, saying that he had the leadership skills to wear the “C”. He cited Greene’s role in the development of young defensemen like Adam Larsson, John Merrill and Damon Severson as a main reason. Greene is a soothing presence on the blueline for the team and for the youngsters on the backend.

Daneyko is, of course, a great evaluator of leadership and of defensemen, having patrolled the blueline during the Devils’ Stanley Cup years along with one of the game’s all-time best leaders: Scott Stevens. But others were taking notice of Greene’s leadership abilities within the Devils organization. Coaches, teammates and the GM all know what Greene brings to the team and felt that he was the choice.

The Devils went through most of last season (when Salvador got injured) and the preseason without a captain and there were a lot of outsiders speculating on who would be named to the post. During the Flyers-Devils preseason game in Philly which was simulcast on MSG Network via Comcast Sports Net Philadelphia, the Flyers announcers all but put the “C” back on Patrik Elias’s chest. But Elias has been there and did not want the responsibility again, he has stated. They also speculated that the captaincy might go to someone like Travis Zajac or Adam Henrique. While those two players are fantastic leaders in their own right, and while the Devils’ staff was being coy in whom they were going to name, in the end, there was little doubt that Andy Greene would become the next Devils captain.

While the former Miami of Ohio star (he also captained his team in college his junior and senior years) will wear the “C”, the Devils also named alternate captains. Patrik Elias (when he returns from his knee injury), Travis Zajac, Mike Cammalleri and Adam Henrique will wear an “A” on their jerseys “on a rotating basis based on home and away games” according to the press release sent out on Greene.

After the business of naming a captain was taken care of, the Devils had something else to take care of. The opening of the 2015-16 season at home against the Winnipeg Jets at Prudential Center would be a tall order for the Devils. The Jets had just come off of a 6-2 drubbing of the Bruins in Boston (their first win in Beantown since their days as the Atlanta Thrashers) and were looking good.

The Jets are a big, physical team who can also put the puck in the net and the Devils needed to match that physicality and skill.

After a scoreless first, New Jersey fell behind early in the second on a Mark Scheifele goal. Blake Wheeler gave Winnipeg a 2-0 lead about three minutes later. The Devils got on the board with their first of the season at 12:53 of the second when Jiri Tlusty scored his first goal as a Devil. The former Jet got assists on his power play goal from Cammalleri and another former Jet, Lee Stempniak. Andrew Ladd put a bow on the game with a power play goal for Winnipeg at 16:21 of the second, giving the Jets a 3-1 victory.

The game was closely called, with both teams going on the man advantage four times, but the Devils had a tough time with Jets goalie Michael Hutchinson. The Devils outshot Winnipeg 30-21 (Jordin Tootoo and Damon Severson led the team with three shots on goal each) but were only able to notch one goal (which was tipped into the net by a Winnipeg player). They were also 34 for 60 (56.7%) in the faceoff circle, which is a good sign. Sergey Kalinin, a Devils signing from the KHL, was 5 for 8 on faceoffs (62.5%) for the night.

Cory Schneider made 27 saves in the loss, including a huge save on a Winnipeg breakaway in the third that kept the Devils from going down further and in the game at the time. Cory was his usual dependable self and there is no reason to worry about him, barring injury or fatigue. If the Devils can get him goal support, then h will take care of things in his end.

Coach Hynes has been preaching puck possession throughout the preseason and into the opener, which is something the Devils will have to continue to heed in order to win. Winning comes from keeping control of the puck, especially on the power play. If the other team does not have it, they cannot score, right? When they have the puck in the offensive zone, though, they have to have good shot selection and take those shots from high-percentage scoring areas.

New Jersey will have a quick turnaround as they play again tonight (Saturday, October 10) against the high-octane offense of the Washington Capitals down in DC. If the Devils can keep Alex Ovechkin and some of his new supporting cast in check, they should have a better chance to come away with the “W” down in Washington and finish the opening weekend with a split.