Posted on

Devils Hang On in Motown for Big Road Win

The New Jersey Devils had not earned two points in a hockey game in exactly one week, since the game in Buffalo. Going into Joe Louis Arena to face the powerful Detroit Red Wings just before the NHL Christmas break seemed like a daunting task. In the end, though, the Devils hung on to defeat the Wings powered by a quick offensive explosion in the first period.

In roster news for the Devils, Patrik Elias was out for the second straight game, this time, though, it was due to injury. He injured the same knee that kept him out at the start of the season (though they are claiming this is a new injury) as it was tweaked at practice yesterday.

Goaltending-wise, the Devils started Cory Schneider, who faced 28 shots and got 25 of them. Detroit threw out Jimmy Howard for the start. He would be replaced early on in the first period by Petr Mrazek after yielding three goals on six shots. Mrazek faced eleven shots and made ten saves.

The Devils had given up the first goal of the game in many of their recent games and they acknowledged that that was something they wanted to work on.

When Michigan-native Andy Greene took a delay of game penalty at 10:00 into the first, things looked to be much the same as they had been. However, Henrik Zetterberg of the Wings was called for holding against Adam Larsson just 37 seconds into the Detroit power play, which would eventually give the Devils some time on the power play once the Greene penalty was up or Detroit scored.

Detroit did not score and at 12:05, Kyle Palmieri took a pass from Jon Merrill and shot off the backboards, grabbing his own rebound and putting the puck behind Jimmy Howard. It was 1-0 Devils with the power play goal.

The goal was very similar to Scott Niedermayer’s end-to-end goal from the 1995 Stanley Cup Finals, game 2. MSG+ showed the goals back-to-back and Ken Daneyko commented on the similarity.

Less than 40 seconds later, former-Red Wing Jordin Tootoo tipped in a Greene slap shot, making it 2-0 Devils.

The third goal in a little more than two minutes (and the one that chased Howard) came when Palmieri skated the puck along the near boards, spun to beat his man and gave the puck to David Schlemko, who fired and buried the puck behind Howard. It was now 3-0 Devils.

Late in the first period, Detroit would begin to climb back into the game when Damon Severson went to the box for tripping at 18:02. Red Wings super-rookie Dylan Larkin would capitalize on the power play, beating Cory off assists from Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall.

The Devils were going into the second now on their heels, despite the three goal early-period outburst. And sure enough, at 12:02, when Stephen Gionta was called for tripping Gustav Nyquist, the Wings would make good on the ensuing power play. Mike Green made it 3-2, Devils after he scored from Brad Richards and Pavel Datsyuk.

The second period was also really chippy. There were ten penalties called in the period, including the Gionta penalty. There were only six penalties in the other two periods combined.

Detroit’s power play was also key for them, scoring two power play goals on the night. Though the Devils were able to contain them for the most part, you do not want to give a team like the Red Wings too many chances. Their power play kept them in the game.

In the third period, the Devils would retake a two goal lead when Sergey Kalinin scooped up a Jacob Josefson rebound and shot it past Mrazek just 2:44 into the frame.

But the resilient Red Wings were not done yet. Midway through the third, at 14:23, Riley Sheahan scored from Tomas Jurco to make it 4-3.

As New Jersey play-by-play man Steve Cangialosi put it, “hold on to your hats.”

The Wings would pull Mrazek late in the third, but a Kronwall interference penalty would negate the extra man for Detroit. With the goalie pulled, at five-on-five, the Red Wings were unable to beat Schneider and time ran out, giving the Devils two points at The Joe, which has been a house of horrors for the Devils for almost two decades.

The Devils’ win keeps them solidly in the wildcard playoff race going into the Christmas break. The team will come back with a home-and-home against the Carolina Hurricanes, facing them down in Raleigh first on Saturday, December 26 and then on the following Tuesday, December 29 at home in Newark.

But for now, the Devils go into the break feeling good about themselves and their situation.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Posted on

The Force is With Kyle Palmieri as Devils Top Red Wings in OT

On Star Wars Night at the Prudential Center, the Devils were able to make a comeback for the ages, overcoming a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Detroit Red Wings in overtime.

The major news coming out of the Devils camp was that Travis Zajac was put on injured reserve, leaving an open roster space that would be filled by rookie center Joseph Blandisi. Blandisi wore number 64 and played a decent game, with three shots on goal. He got the “Max Domi treatment” when the entire team stood back and let him take the ice by himself for pregame warmups. A little bit of hazing for the rookie. Blandisi took it in stride, though, and the team had a good laugh at it.

Jiri Tlusty also made his return to the lineup. Adam Henrique was scratched, still recovering from his injury for the Toronto game. Stefan Matteau and Jon Merrill were healthy scratches.

Cory Schneider started in net for New Jersey, making 27 saves on 29 shots in the win. Jimmy Howard started for Detroit, corralling 35 of 38 shots. He was named the game’s third star at the end of the night.

The first period passed by with no scoring events. The only item of any real note was that Henrik Zetterberg went off for a face-off violation, giving the Devils a power play at 19:51. This would give them the bulk of the power play in the second period with clean ice.

However, the Wings would kill that off and, in fact, net two power play goals of their own in the second stanza. The first goal came when Brian O’Neill went off for slashing at 8:40 to give Detroit a power play. They would take the 1-0 lead at 8:51 when Gustav Nyquist (with Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall netting the assists) beat Cory. Tomas Tatar converted when Patrik Elias was nabbed for interference against Dylan Larkin at 14:19. Tatar would score at 16:08 from Brad Richards and Mike Green. The Red Wings had a 2-0 lead after two. Things were looking pretty dire for the Devils, in danger of losing their third in four games.

However, the Devils would embark on their comeback in the third. It began at 2:40 when Stephen Gionta dug the puck out of the corner, giving it to Jordin Tootoo, who sent it to Damon Severson at the point. Severson unleashed a slap shot which beat Howard clean for the defenseman’s first of the year. The Devils had cut the lead in half, 2-1.

At 12:59, Zetterberg took the only period of the third when he went off for hooking Jacob Josefson. The Devils were going on the power play with plenty of time on the clock. On the ensuing man advantage, Sergey Kalinin and Jacob Josefson played catch with the puck down low. Josefson gave to Tootoo in the high slot, he saw nothing and worked it back to Kyle Palmieri at the point, who fired and Kalinin tipped it past Howard to tie the game. The secondary assist to Tootoo was his second assist of the game.

Detroit challenged the goal, saying Kalinin played the puck with a high stick. Upon further review, the call on the ice stood and the game was tied up at two. It was clear on the replay that Kalinin played the puck with his stick under the crossbar, but Wings coach Jeff Blashill gave it a try anyway.

Once regulation expired The Devils were headed to overtime for the second straight game. This time, though, the outcome would be drastically different.

As is typical with the new 3-on-3 format, things went back and forth and it all hinged on puck possession. The winner came at 4:20 into the OT period when Palmieri was sprung when Lee Stempniak banked the puck off the boards to him. Palmieri used his footspeed to beat Tatar. He was one on one with Howard and went to his backhand, beating him stick side. The Devils had completed the comeback on a very memorable night at the Rock.

Overall, the night was a success. Star Wars Night drew a great crowd who was into the game all night, even when things looked bleakest for the Devils. This was a good promotion that is the kind of thing the new regime is really trying to implement. A little fun at a hockey game never hurt anyone and this showed it. From the Star Wars characters on hand for kids (and adults) to get their pictures with on the concourse to mascot NJ Devil dressed up in Star Wars garb, everyone had fun and the finish to the game only made things better.

Next up for the 15-10-4 Devils, a 5 PM matinee against the Islanders in Brooklyn on Sunday, another big test for the Devils, as New York has been played well of late. The Devils skated with the Wings, though, and showed that they belong with the big clubs in the NHL.