SB Nation User Blog: John Fischer

Game 16 Preview: New Jersey Devils vs. Anaheim Ducks - 11/11/2009

John Fischer — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:45:13 -0000

Pascal Leclaire gave up this goal, the game winner from the not-pictured Andy Greene. It came through a screen. Are you prepared for shots through screens, Jonas Hiller? If not, are you prepared to look like Leclaire here? (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Adrian Wyld)

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The Time: 7 PM EST

The Broadcasting Info: MSG+ for the TV; 1130 AM WBBR for the radio

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (11-4-0) vs. the Anaheim Ducks (6-7-2)

The Last Devils Game: The Devils came from behind to win in Ottawa, 3-2. Most impressive about this comeback was that all three goals came from the power play. Really. Here's my recap of that game.

The Last Ducks Game: The Ducks were in control though Phoenix made it interesting with 3 goals in 8 minutes of the third period. Anaheim won their second consecutive game over the Phoenix Coyotes, 4-3. Daniel of Anaheim Calling has an open recap thread with videos related to the game.

The Goal: Continue doing what they have been doing. The Devils have played nothing but close games as of late, but they keep winning those games - which is really the important part. It's important that the Devils not only not lose sight of that reality, but also don't get terribly comfortable with it either The Ducks, on paper and perhaps in practice, will be the easiest opponent this week with the Penguins on Thursday and the Capitals on Saturday. Yet, a great way to end the winning streak is to assume it'll be an easy game. According this discussion Arthur and Daniel at Anaheim Calling, the Devils are the first opponent in an important road trip for the Ducks. How can it not be? They're on the wrong end of the Pacific Division right now, their record is poor, and they have every reason to make a statement on the road, starting at the Rock. Therefore, I think the Devils can succeed if they just continue to do what has been done recently. They've won these games by not looking past the opponent, not looking down on the opponent, and not getting down if (well, when) the opponent strikes first. If the Devils do that, they can stay hot.

Read on for further thoughts about the game, a guess at the Devils lineup, and some insight into the Ducks courtesy of Arthur of Anaheim Calling.

Now, the Devils are getting healthier per this Tuesday post by Tom Gulitti. While he only played a part of the Ottawa game, Bryce Salvador will be good for Wednesday's game. Which is, well, good; the same six defenders will suit up for the Ducks game. Meaning four of them will get big minutes yet again. Johnny Oduya may have re-aggrevated his injury on Monday during practice, so he remains out an on IR as is Rob Niedermayer who is still hurt. Brian Rolson is listed as "available," so I assume he'll play despite not practicing. Patrik Elias will play, which is good as he'll get to more of his groove back. That all said, there are two larger questions with respect to the Devils' lineup for Wednesday.

First, who will be centering the fourth line? In Tuesday's practice, Rod Pelley and Tim Sestito split time per Gulitti's report. I felt Sestito had a fine game with limited minutes in Ottawa. Honestly, I wouldn't mind if he got the Anaheim game as another audition to show off what he could do. After all, the fourth line won't be getting more than 10 minutes of ice time so it's not as if Sestito has to take a pile of minutes. Moreover, if he falters, the line remains limited, Rod Pelley keeps his spot, and Sestito will go back to spot duty until Dean McAmmond is healthy and ready to go.

Second, who will be starting this game? Martin Brodeur may have been the starter in practice; but Yann Danis is starting to get into the picture. Lemaire started Danis in games where the Devils have a back-to-back set: first at Boston after a Buffalo game and then second in New Jersey against the Islanders before the Ottawa game. In general, I have no issue with Brodeur starting both games in a back-to-back set; especially now that he's coming off three days of rest. Though, with a road game against Pittsburgh - a superior team to Anaheim - it shouldn't surprise anyone if Lemaire starts Danis ahead of Brodeur tonight.

As usual, both decisions will likely be made sometime during the day on Wednesday so this preview can't be too sure.

Zach Parise - Travis Zajac - Jamie Langenbrunner
Brian Rolston - Patrik Elias - Nicklas Bergfors
Matt Halischuk - Dainius Zubrus - David Clarkson
Andrew Peters - Rod Pelley - Ilkka Pikkarainen

Andy Greene - Bryce Salvador
Colin White - Mike Mottau
Mark Fraser - Cory Murphy

Yann Danis
Martin Brodeur

I'm going to guess that Danis does start ahead of Brodeur and I'm guessing Pelley may keep his spot, as Sestito was really only called up as a spare forward. I could be wrong though. As usual per Jacques Lemaire's in-game moves, don't sweat the exact positions of the forward lines; they'll change at some point during the game.

One area of interest will be to the Devils' power play. The power play has been clutch in the Devils' last three wins. The units scored 6 of the Devils' 8 goals over those three games, converting 6 out of 16 chances. Historically, the Devils have succeeded in spite of the power play. To see them winning because of it is certainly praise-worthy. They could stand to be more consistent in actually setting up their power play in the opposition's zone. Not just to get clean shots on net, but just to pin the opposition penalty killers back and to wear them down.

With Anaheim coming into the Rock with the league's third worst penalty killing percentage at 74%, the Devils can use the game to get more confidence out of the PP units and perhaps convert a few chances. Those units will be boosted by Patrik Elias, who will certainly get some time to utilize his excellent passing skills to move the puck in their zone.

Now, tonight's game is the only time the Devils will play the Ducks. So I felt it was important to ask Arthur of Anaheim Calling some questions about the opposition to get some insight to how the team has performed.

Question #1. The Anaheim Ducks will kick off a four game road trip in New Jersey on Wednesday night with two straight wins under their belt, how do you think the Ducks will approach their first game on the road against New Jersey? Continue doing what they're doing, or will they make some changes to their overall gameplan?

AC: It's always tough to predict gameplan with the Ducks; [Ducks head coach Randy] Carlyle certainly has a plan for every opponent, but he likes to stick with what works. I'd be surprised to see the sort of changes he's used in-between losses this year.

Question #2. Corey Perry and Teemu Selanne lead the way for the Ducks in goal scoring, whereas Ryan Getzlaf and Scott Niedermayer lead the way in terms of assists. Those four are the most productive Ducks on offense so far this season, can the Devils just focus on shutting those four down, or is there anyone else they should focus their attention on?

AC: It would be tough for me to say that you don't have to worry about Bobby Ryan or that you CAN shut down Teemu Selanne when more than half of his goals are power play goals.

But ultimately, I would note that the Ducks have had contributions from the bottom 6 in their last four wins, and game-winning goals from the fourth line in three of them. If the Ducks are really rolling, all four lines will attack. And I think they'll emphasize that facing New Jersey's defense.

Question #3. Let's talk goalies. Jonas Hiller looks to be the team's #1 as he has all the team's wins, he's started more games than Jean-Sebastian Giguere, and he's had better numbers so far. What do you think are his strengths and his weaknesses in the net?

AC: Hiller's a quick, athletic goaltender, and that pretty much defines his strengths and his weaknesses. He likes to offer that glove side or the down low and then take them away. You saw that in the Sharks series as HIller guessed high on an entire team that was shooting high. But you also saw his weaknesses on the goals he allowed in that series. [Devin] Setoguchi (apparently the only Shark who can read a scouting report) was patient in the corner while HIller was hugging the post with his blocker; he just waited for the blocker to come away from the pipe, and he put the puck past him. It seems like Hiller can't sit in set positions for very long, and he doesn't like to be down early. So out-waiting him or shooting a quick (or even offspeed) shot into the wickets can usually get you a goal. Oh, and with this Ducks defense, screening him is always an option.

Question #4. The defense for Anaheim, in a word, looks awful on paper. The team has the second worst shots against per game average in the league with 34.9; the third worst penalty killing percentage in the league (74%); and the fifth highest goals against average in the league with 3.20. Is it really as bad as the team stats make it out to be? I'm honestly curious to know, what is wrong with the Anaheim defense?

AC: Daniel and I had a discussion about this recently [I believe this is it - JF], and we agreed that there were some severe miscalculations on Bob Murray's part. First, he reportedly thought [Francois] Beauchemin was too good to keep, and he failed to make him an offer during the season or offseason. Then he thought he had [Chris] Pronger's successor in [Ryan] Whitney, but the BU alum is a teddy bear in front of the net and the coaching staff is still trying to convince him to unleash his shot from the point.

When Murray finally does trade Pronger, he gets [Luca] Sbisa in the deal and is absolutely convinced that the kid will play in the NHL and nowhere else. But then he sends him back to Lethbridge, so suddenly we didn't get an 09-10 defenseman in the Pronger trade. Murray then signs [Nick] Boynton, assuming GP equals responsible veteran, but we find out both that Boynton doesn't like coming off the scratch list and cannot stay sharp when doing so. Oh, and don't forget [James] Wisniewski, whom Murray signed to a 2.75M deal before arbitration. His offense and his checking have showed up, but so have his ridiculous mental mistakes and his penchant for limping off the ice when he isn't getting seriously injured or suspended. As Daniel said recently, he's a roadblock made of glass.

This team was definitely built for offense, so some decrease in defense is to be expected, but the only place we even attempted to replace Pronger and Beauchemin was in Bob Murray's mind.

Question #5. Lastly, do you have a prediction for tonight's game?

AC: We stay away from predictions at Anaheim Calling. Bad magumbo.

Big thanks to Arthur for his responses - even with the last one. But seriously, the big responses to read here are on Hiller and the defense.

Goaltending is a bit of an issue in Anaheim, as Jean-Sebastian Giguere isn't at all happy being a backup per this story from TSN. I'm sure management isn't at all happy with Giguere as a $6 million/year backup. Presuming that Jonas Hiller starts in New Jersey - and I am, as I'm inferring from this post by Curtis Zupke of the OC Register - the Devils should plan to either load the slot with traffic and/or be patient with Hiller. Given that some of those 6 power play goals scored in the last three games were bombs from the point that got through traffic, the Devils should at least do a good job setting up screens.

And with the defense, well, look at those stats. The Devils' attack should be able to find ways to break through and assert themselves on offense unless Randy Carlyle stacks all 5 of his skaters in the slot (which would create mad screens for Hiller, so nevermind) or does something similar that is ultra-defensive in terms of tactics.

Again, I feel that the best approach for the Devils is to play like they have been in recent games. Sure, I'd like to see them not give up the first goal of the game; but their work ethic, commitment to defense, and ability to get a clutch goal is certainly worth imitating. The Devils should be able to win their sixth straight game and finally get their home record up to .500 if they do that.

Big thanks to Arthur for answering my questions and to you for reading this. Please feel free to leave your thoughts about tonight's game in advance of Steve's GameThread, which will be up prior to game time. Go Devils!

Lou Lamoriello's Acceptance Speech: Video & Text

John Fischer — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:19:52 -0000

If you prefer the text of Lou's acceptance speech into the Hockey Hall of Fame, Tom Gulitti has the whole thing transcripted. If you prefer video, NHL.com has Lou's speech (and speeches of all the inductees) up, embedded after the jump:

Lou went over the 4 minute mark for his speech; and that should surprise no one. When you surround yourself with strong people and have achieved as much as Lou has done, then it's going to take a while to thank everyone which is perfectly fine.

What was surprising was that some current Devils showed up to the ceremony, some leaving right after practice and after telling the media that no one would go. That Lou knew they arrived and called them out in his speech, well, should surprise no one, really. It got a bit of a laugh, even.

All the same, Lou Lamoriello officially got the credit he deserved tonight. Thank you, Lou.

"As long as I have the passion, the health and the drive. When I stop worrying whether the buns are...

John Fischer — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:33:31 -0000

"As long as I have the passion, the health and the drive. When I stop worrying whether the buns are warm on the plane and the little things don’t affect me any more, that’s when it’s time to stop. Right now I feel good. But sometimes other people determine how long you do things."

Lou tells Rich Chere how much longer he will remain as GM of the New Jersey Devils.

Chere is all over the Hockey Hall of Fame proceedings tonight with all kinds of stories. Just keep click on today's stories from him. You can watch the Induction ceremonies on the NHL Network or TSN; or follow Dan Rosen's liveblog at NHL.com.

In Lou We Honor: Lou Lamoriello Inducted as a Builder in the Hockey Hall of Fame Tomorrow

John Fischer — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:06:56 -0000

More photos » by NATHAN DENETTE - AP

The Class of 2009: NHL Hall of Fame inductees Brian Leetch, Brett Hull, Steve Yzerman, Luc Robitaille and Lou Lamoriello (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette)

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Team captain. Assistant head coach. Head coach. Athletic director. Commissioner. President. CEO. General Manager. Legend. And now Builder.

These are many of the titles you can ascribe to Lou Lamoriello. Tomorrow, he joins players Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille, and Brian Leetch to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

There's plenty out there to learn why Lou is being honored even as he continues to be the President, CEO, and General Manager of the New Jersey Devils. Legends of Hockey, the official Hockey Hall of Fame site, has this biography of Lou as well as pictoral evidence that he had smiled in the past. NHL.com has two articles by Shawn P. Roarks: this one focusing on his building of the 1996 USA team that won the World Cup of Hockey; and this one highlighting why this induction is long deserved.

Rich Chere's article about Lou and his "visonary" ways in today's Star Ledger is a must-read - if only for the in-depth details on how he negotiated Slava Fetisov to come to North America and play for the Devils.

There could be entire books written about Lou's impacts on the game - he's been involved in so many ways. And he may not even be done yet.

He rose up the ranks at Providence College, eventually becoming A.D. and helped found the Hockey East conference. The championship is named after Lou in honor of his work and more details are found at the Hockey East website. He negotiated and when he brought over Slava Fetisov and Sergei Starikov, opening up the league to Russian players. Lou was given faith and confidence by then Devils owner, the late Dr. John McMullen, and over time, he built up a mediocre team then happy to make it to the playoffs into highly successful team from season to season - capped off with three Stanley Cups in the last 15 years. In fact, the Devils have been the second most successful team in the NHL in the last 15 years; with the only one major constant across all those seasons with direct control over the team's fortunes - Lou.

It's a long deserved induction. Of course, with the induction coming, the big question is how? What makes Lou so successful as a manager of teams? A question asked both in a media conference call for his induction (compiled here by Chris Botta at NHL Fanhouse) and again on the NHL Hour in this past Thursday (go to Download Central at NHL Network Online for the show) . In both cases, Lou gave about the same answer and it's particularly insightful:

"You have to have a philosophy that you believe in yourself and practice on a daily basis. Competence, loyalty and work ethic are vital. Find the people who believe in what you believe and have those characteristics. Get strong people. Don't let the media and fans distract you from the information you have. You just hope that you don't make more mistakes than things you get right. Stay the course."

It may seem like a lot of hogwash, boilerplate stuff; but it really sums up Lou to a T. Lou does not care what the trends say is necessary; he will always look for players who don't just have talent but also have the right character. A player who doesn't think he is above backchecking or going into traffic for the puck. A player who respects his teammates and has the same drive for success. A player who won't look for the easy way, but is prepared to give a constant effort every night. Otherwise, Lou has no use for you and you won't last long in New Jersey anyway.

If you have what Lou wants, then it doesn't matter if you're an American player who came from the NCAA, a player who didn't develop until after a few pro years in Europe, a former draft pick that wasn't signed, a Canadian who have went through juniors, a Russian player, or a player from anywhere else that came out of any system in the world. It doesn't matter if you're 5'7" or 5'11" or 6'4" or 6'5" - as long as you play big, play with heart, and play with a purpose. Lou will have a use for you in New Jersey and you will find success in New Jersey.

In a results-oriented business, Lou has been exemplary and they speak for themselves. And the loyalty in return is incredible. Here's some examples: David Conte, the long-time Devils director of scouting, has remained with the organization when he could have easily (and still could) been a GM elsewhere. Pat Burns remains with the organization even while surviving cancer on special assignment. Larry Robinson, once fired and once left the head coaching position due to illness, remains on staff as a special assignment coach. Jacques Lemaire came back to New Jersey largely because of Lou. It even works with some Devils players - Brian Rolston turned down many offers to come back to New Jersey a few years back. Bobby Holik left the Devils on bad terms after an arbitration - and had no issues coming back before retiring. John MacLean played for the Sharks, Rangers and the Stars prior to ending his playing career, and yet where did he go afterewards? New Jersey, of course, as now he is a coach (possibly) rising up in the ranks in the organization.

Lou got and continue to has strong people. He is confident in his own path and knows when to make the tough decisions and moves on even if they don't turn out so well. You can't really argue with the results or expect much better than what Lou has done. And the most amazing part is that he's not done yet - he continues to do this to this very day. Even on the NHL Hour, when Gary Bettman asked how he felt about the induction - Lou immediately responded that he'd feel better if his team won on the weekend (which they did). Again, it all goes back to results - completely in line with his philosophies.

It's not boilerplate, Lou lives that quote in his job.

Lou was a big factor in the growth of college hockey in this country. Lou made an impact in bringing over Russian players at a time when it simply wasn't done for one reason or another. Lou has built winners in New Jersey and at the international level with the 1996 USA World Cup team. Lou has made an impact on the game itself as a member of the NHL Board of Governors, overseeing changes to the game as well as the settlement in the 2005-06 lockout leading to the hard salary cap that now governs the NHL.

And he's not done yet. Who knows what he'll have a role in next that has a major impact on the game? Even tomorrow maybe before or after Monday's ceremonies, it should surprise no one if Lou finds a way to get some work done or make a decision. After all, he's got a team to run, there are injuries, there's a game on Wednesday, and so forth. But he'll appreciate the moment just as we all appreciate his contributions. He deserves the honor, as we continue to trust in Lou.

NJ Devils & Atlantic Division Weekly Snapshot - 11/8 - 11/14

John Fischer — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:53:22 -0000

The Atlantic Division has all five of it's teams in the top 8 of the Eastern Conference as of writing this post. It also boasts the second hottest team in the league in the Philadelphia Flyers who have won their last 4, and the hottest team in the league in the New Jersey Devils who have won their last 5 and are still undefeated on the road. Thanks to the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Rangers stumbling in the last week, as well as the New York Islanders continuing to pick up points, the division race is tight already in early November.

Here's the current division standings as of this morning:

Atlantic Standings

	GP	W	L	OTL	PT
Pittsburgh	17	12	5	0	24
New Jersey	15	11	4	0	22
New York Rangers	18	10	7	1	21
Philadelphia	14	9	4	1	19
New York Islanders	17	6	6	5	17

(updated 11.8.2009 at 7:37 AM EST)

And here's how the next week bears out in terms of potential points along with last week's results and current conference position:

Team	Potential Pts	Last Week	Conf. Pos
PIT	6	1-2-0	1st
NJD	6	3-0-0	4th
NYR	4	2-2-0	5th
PHI	4	3-0-0	6th
NYI	6	2-2-0	8th

The Devils are in a fantastic position. They've been hot in nothing but close wins as of late, and they have the benefit of games in hand over Pittsburgh and the Rangers. If the Devils can top Pittsburgh (and Washington), then the Devils could very well lead the conference by the end of this week. They may not even need help from the Penguins and the Capitals to do that; the Devils play both teams in this coming week. A sweep of this week will give them first place at least by way of a tie - broken by fewer number of games played.

Here's a table of all the games in this coming week for the Atlantic Division. You get to rest tonight and Monday and if you're not a Penguins fan, then even Tuesday as well. Link in the team name goes to the appropriate SBN blog.

	11/8	11/9	11/10	11/11	11/12	11/13	11/14
PIT			@BOS		vs. NJD		vs. BOS
NJD				vs. ANA	@PIT		vs. WSH
NYR					vs. ATL		@OTT
PHI					vs. OTT		vs. BUF
NYI				@WSH		@CAR	@FLA

Notice that all of these games are all Eastern Conference opponents except for the Devils' game against Anaheim. The Rangers and Flyers both get the short end of the stick in terms of number of games - something that will continue Philadelphia's pile of games in hand on the rest of the division. If you need to feel bad for someone, feel bad for the Islanders. After grinding their way to a winning streak recently and having that broken but still splitting the last week, they start a seven game road trip. If they can get points this week, the good times should certainly be looking to roll; but don't be surprised if they fall below eighth by next week's snapshot.

If the Devils can continue to be on fire - no easy feat given games against Pittsburgh and Washington, two teams who would love to put them in their place - then despite all the injuries, the Devils could be on top real soon.

The New Jersey Devils' Power Play Makes the Comeback in Ottawa, Devils beat Senators 3-2

John Fischer — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 02:51:27 -0000

by Adrian Wyld - AP

Zach Parise scores the first of three Devils' power play goals. This one was the most important in that ultimately turned around the game, starting the comeback by New Jersey in the second period (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Adrian Wyld)

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The New Jersey Devils kept both their general winning streak and the road winning streak alive with a very surprising comeback win in Ottawa tonight. After going down 2-0 in the first half of the game, the New Jersey Devils scored on their next three power plays to turn the score 3-2 and held off the Ottawa Senators with aplomb to win. The NHL.com recap along with the full box score and additional starts are up and live.

I swear I'm not making this up. The New Jersey Devils that we all know and love scored three power play goals. Against one of the best penalty killing teams in the league in the Ottawa Senators. On the road. After doing absolutely miserable on the the first three power plays the Senators allowed. Until Peter Regin's hooking call in the second period, you could argue the Senators could stop the Devils dead just by forcing them to take power plays. They weren't setting anything up, any shots taken were missed, passes were ill-advised, and the aggressive Ottawa penalty killers jumped at every chance to go forward if only to kill more clock and put on more pressure.

And then the Devils finally not only set themselves up in Ottawa's zone, they got shots on net. They made passes around the zone. They got pucks on Pascal Leclaire and got rebounds and then Zach Parise finally gave the Devils a jolt with a goal on one of those rebounds past a stickless-Leclaire. I highlight this here because it was the true turning point of the game.

Up until then, the game was not at all pretty. Yet, from then on, the Devils went from strength to strength as Ottawa's discipline inexplicably kept taking calls in the third period. And the Devils power play, of all units, actually burned a team. Read on for what lessons should be learned from the game, as well as some video from NHL.com. Read Silver Seven later on to see what a Senators-based perspective of tonight's game would look like. I can't imagine it'll be positive.

The first big lesson is that one should never count out of the Devils on the road. For the first 35 minutes of the game, while the Devils may have outshot Ottawa, it was clear that the Senators were the better team. All four of their lines loved to forecheck, loved to hustle, and gave the Devils problems. In the first period, the best chance the Devils had was an early play off the rush where Dainius Zubrus hit the post. Yet, Ottawa kept swarming and eventually, they caught the Devils' skaters a step behind near the 14 minute mark in the first. Martin Brodeur was brave on the first three shots, but a screen and a lost stick was all Milan Michalek needed to open up the scoring. While the Devils didn't give up another that period, the Senators looked poised and great at winning back possession. On the other hand, the Devils looked like a team that loved not getting clean shots (19 blocked shots and 10 missed shots in total) on Pascal Leclaire.

And while the Senators conceded two near-consecutive power plays in the second period, the Senators penalty killers prevented the Devils from doing anything and so the Devils started to look out of sorts. Not much from the power play, not much on even strength, and even Martin Brodeur let in a heart breaker in the second. Brian Lee just threw a glancing shot from long range that Brodeur's left pad got. Only the shot was hard enough and spun the right way to slide underneath and get over the goal line before Marty's glove could throw it out. A bad goal given up and the Devils had very little to show in response. I was starting to feel gloomy about the game's prospects and why not? Pascal Leclaire was solid, the Senators' defense was as stingy as I learned from Peter R of Silver Seven, and the Senators just kept forechecking and pushing up as much as possible. Nothing wrong with 7-1-0 on the road, right?

And then that power play happened in the second period and the Devils got a much-needed spark. The game became a game again. Devils' spirits were lifted. Confidence grew into the team. Brodeur made saves like the Lee goal never happened. The defense started asserting itself more often. And Ottawa kept feeding the Devils' spark more and more electricity in the third.

After an incredibly dumb elbow thrown by Brad Winchester into Colin White's chest; the Devils were able to equalize in the third thanks to David Clarkson throwing a low shot at a sharp angle that could have threaded needles. The Devils began to skate with more energy from then on and then Ottawa gave another gift when Chris Campoli threw the puck over the glass in his own zone. The response? How about a wrister from Andy Greene? It was pretty and it was too bad Leclaire never saw it, though that's how it really became a goal. Great release by Greene, who has worked so hard in his own end (27:27 tonight) in the past week or so; he has earned a game winning goal to go along with his game preserving defense.

The Devils have seemingly always found a way to win on the road whenever they get behind early and tonight, it was the Devils' power play units actually answered the call. After being so awful for the first three man advantages, the second three were meaningful and important. I just can't get over that the Devils scored three power play goals in one game and that ultimately decided the game. Ottawa played with fire, and the Devils actually burnt them for it. Amazing. Here's the game's highlights from NHL.com so you can see it all for yourselves:

The second big lesson from tonight's game is that constantly giving power plays to any one is never a good strategy. The Senators learned this the hard way. Where was their discipline? These weren't ticky-tack calls; the hook by Regin was obvious, Winchester's elbow couldn't have been more obvious, and Campoli made a bad mistake. The icing on the Senators' failure-of-discipline cake was the Senators also taking two game misconducts in all of this. Jarkko Ruutu earned one as Winchester went to the box for thugging it out with Andrew Peters; and Chris Neil got one after the Campoli gaffe by intentionally knocking over David Clarkson after the whistle. So all that did was drive Ottawa to shorten the bench - something I'm sure Cory Clouston was happy to do after those calls.

Still, if the Senators' played smarter (and maybe did better on their power play, too - theirs was, well, not good) perhaps they come out of this with at least a point or even the win. They let it slip away.

The third lesson is that the Devils can hold their own in a one-goal game when the opposition turns it on regardless of circumstance. Tonight was a physical game, a game right after a close 2-1 win over the Islanders, and the Senators started getting desperate with 10 minutes left. Yet, they managed a whopping 4 shots on net in their more aggressive attacks on net. The defense was well positioned from them making killer pases and taking good shots; and from what few they had, Brodeur was in the right place to stop them stone dead. I would have like to have seen the Devils hit the Senators back on a counter attack; but too often the Senators at least forced enough play late in New Jersey's end to warrant a quick dump-and-change by the Devils. Not that it meant much because the Senators either had the puck in places where the Devils have no problem with them having the puck instead of getting the puck to places where they weren't.

Overall, both teams were quite defensive as the Devils only out shot the Senators 25-21; but it's real surprising that the Senators pulled their goalie for an extra skater and it added absolutely nothing to their attack. Well done Devils defense.

The fourth lesson is that a player can contribute even with limited minutes. Zach Parise had a much better night with a goal, an assist, and 4 shots on net in 22:36 of ice time. Jamie Langenbrunner had 3 shots and 2 assists, good work from the captain. But some of the "lesser" names stood out. Mark Fraser played 15:16 of fairly solid hockey, perhaps he's earning his minutes now. David Clarkson only got 11:52 of even strength time, but he got 6:22 on the power play, three shots, a goal, and 4 hits while looking good along side Matt Halischuk (12:36, 2 shots) and call-up Tim Sestito.

Speaking of, let me just focus on Sestito for a moment. He may have only played 8:53, but he looked real good in that 8:53 he played. He threw three hits, he got two take aways, he set up some of Clarkson's and Halischuk's shots, and he didn't waver at all throughout the game.

Maybe they weren't the best players, but they did something despite limited action.

The fifth lesson is that a team can always do better even if they are 8-0-0 on the road and won their last 5 games. The Devils need to stop giving up the first goal in some of these games. They would do well to set the tempo early and not have to dig deep every time for an equalizer. I'd also like to see the Devils' power play be more consistent. The units have earned goals in each of their last 3 games and perhaps that's a sign that it's getting there. Confidence on the PP should be higher; but the Devils really need to work on their breakouts and setting up on offense more often. Even if they don't score, the Devils will benefit from putting significant offensive pressure more often on the man advantage. And lastly, of course, I'd like the Devils' offense to be more productive so the Devils can take leads and add to them, as opposed to defending a one-goal lead late from a desperate opposition.

That said, the Devils' showed guts in pulling off another comeback win. The Devils will get 3 days off before hosting Anaheim on Wednesday. In terms of injuries, Bryce Salvador nearly was added to the list. He only played 10:26 tonight off of 16 shifts. Per Gulitti, it was an ankle injury - but Salvador said he'll be OK for Wednesday. Which is great because as the Devils get healthier, they can address these issues further and become an even better team. Something that should frighten opponents across the league, if you think about it.

At least I think you would if you did. I'm still trying to process what I just saw: the New Jersey Devils scored three power play goals to come from behind and win the game.

Game #15: New Jersey Devils @ Ottawa Senators

John Fischer — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:11:59 -0000

First Meeting of the Season

TV: MSG Plus 2

Radio: WBBR 1130 AM

Previews: Mine is below, though you can just click here for it. Peter R of Silver Seven has an Ottawa-based preview up as well.

Song to Get You Pumped Up ~~But Also Make You Think Deeply About Tonight's Matchup~~ and Ready to THRASH: If you expected Bruce Springsteen tonight, then you're forgetting that I'm not Steve. The Boss is not the Boss of me. Besides, hockey is an aggressive sport and as such we need aggressive music. Tonight it is "The Marshall Arts" by Razor. It's a thrashing instrumental that opens with an excellent scream, so bang your heads.

Join me in the comments. As always: Keep the comments clean, you keep them on-topic (tangents OK, talking about the Devils/Senators is OK, but I don't want to turn this into a Canadian thrash metal thread and/or a Dean McAmmond love-fest just in case Peter R is reading this), and support theNew Jersey Devils.

Game 15 Preview: New Jersey Devils at Ottawa Senators - 11/7/2009

John Fischer — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:21:27 -0000

More photos » by FRED CHARTRAND - AP

In lieu of an appropriate Devils-Senators picture, I am using this one as an example that pulling a jersey over Chris Neil's head isn't necessarily going to lead to victory. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Fred Chartrand)

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The Time: 7 PM EST

The Broadcasting Info: MSG+2 for your TV; WBBR 1130 AM for your radio

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (10-4-0) @ the Ottawa Senators (7-4-2)

The Last Devils Game: Last night saw the debut of Patrik Elias and two slap shots from point to Martin Biron's left that beat him. That was all the Devils needed as they defeated the Islanders 2-1 and extend their winning streak to four games.

The Last Senators Game: The Senators held Tampa Bay from getting much on net; alas, the teams ended at regulation 2-2. Star Senator Jason Spezza was the hero in overtime, scoring his first goal of the season to get the win for Ottawa. Peter of Silver Seven recapped the game and lamented how the Senators actually scored five times only for two of those to be called back.

The Goal: Goal support. The Devils have won their last four games and they've done it with solid defending largely coming from the same four defenders, solid goaltending, and very timely scoring. That was the case last night; but unlike previous wins, they did it despite forwards like Zach Parise and Travis Zajac not having the best of games. The Senators are a more balanced team than some may realize and they have a good of chance as any of breaking the Devils' road winning streak tonight. To keep the streak alive, the Devils will, of course, have to continue doing what they're doing. But I think the team will need better performances from Parise, Zajac, Langenbrunner, and such on offense. While the Devils have been very good dealing with one goal leads, the more the offense can get on the board will ease a lot of pressure on what could be a very tired defense - especially at the end of the game. Sometimes the best defense really is a good offense.

Read on for further thoughts about the game, a guess at lines, and some insight into the Senators thanks to Peter R of Silver Seven, the Ottawa Senators blog on SBN.

Confidence can a very funny thing. The Devils certainly have shown some of that at home en route to two straight home wins. One of their top forwards in Devils history came back from injury to play last night and looked decent enough - that should inspire some confidence. The power play even scored three goals in the last two home games. Yet, I feel the offense seems to be short on confidence. What else can explain their difficulty scoring more than two goals in a game or to win by only one goal?

Again, last night the Islanders' defense made a point to not concede the slot to the Devils and perhaps that is why I may be down on the Devils' attack. Yet, the Devils have scored a whopping 36 goals this season - an average of 2.36 goals per game, the 24th highest average in the league. Only in one game did they score 4 non-empty net goals this season; and that was the only game where the Devils won by more than one non-empty net goal. That's an issue that really needs to be addressed.

Lemaire has been changing his lines constantly from game to game because he's not seeing lines play well on a consistent basis. Lemaire said as such to Gulitti last night. An understandable rationale, but that speaks to a larger problem of consistency. Sure, Patrik Elias has been hurt and Nicklas Bergfors is a rookie and injuries have forced some forwards to shift around. I get that. But ZZ Pops, a unit that worked incredibly well last season, has remained broken up because they haven't played well this season. Brian Rolston, Dainius Zubrus, and David Clarkson all work hard but they lead to different results from game to game (though I wonder if Rolston is about to catch fire? That would be, well, nice.)

It's great that the Devils can defend a one-goal lead, don't get me wrong. And as long as someone is scoring the necessary goals, fine. But the Devils would be far better off if they can get a consistent offensive leader. Parise was that guy last season and perhaps he will be this season. Zajac was the guy for a few games. Maybe Elias will be the catalyst that makes it work. What I do know is that with a power play that can convert on one chance, get 9 shots on net in total, and look terrible in all other chances; and with outshooting the other team but not necessarily getting great chances on net, the opportunities that exist aren't being fully realized despite the Devils having the talent on paper to take advantage. I openly question whether the issue is just with confidence because I'm running out of ideas and Lemaire's running out of line combinations to identify a real solution here.

The Ottawa Senators are a balanced team of scorers. The team averages over 31 shots per game, yet no one has more than 40 shots on the team. Your top goal scorers include one player you'd expect to lead the way and two others that you may not.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Daniel Alfredsson	13	6	11	17	1	2	1	1	2	0	36	16.7

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Mike Fisher	13	6	7	13	3	9	4	0	2	0	38	15.8

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Milan Michalek	13	6	3	9	-2	6	1	2	1	0	38	15.8

Only 3 forwards on this team doesn't have a goal this season, and only one of them (Ryan Shannon) hasn't earned a point this season. Yes, even a goon like Jarkko Ruutu has 4 goals. While they don't get much done on the power play, they've been better than the Devils at even strength (25 goals to 20) and they are frighteningly good on the penalty kill with a 85.2% success rate (5th best in NHL) and 4 shorthanded goals to lead the league.

The Devils are coming off a close game last night and the same four defenders will likely log big minutes yet again. With the Senators being able to get goals from either of their lines; they really can't ease back against anyone. That's why I feel goal support will be important - if the Devils' offense can finally get a comfortable lead, then the defense won't have to feel the same pressure that one would have with a one-goal lead and we won't be hoping Martin Brodeur stands on his head tonight.

With respect to lines, the Devils have called up Tim Sestito from Lowell per Gulitti. Elias isn't playing, the newly-signed Dean McAmmond is sick and won't be in Ottawa, and all who were out from injury last night will remain out. So my guess at the lines is the following:

Zach Parise - Travis Zajac - Jamie Langenbrunner
Brian Rolston - Dainius Zubrus - Nicklas Bergfors
Ilkka Pikkarainen - Tim Sestito - David Clarkson
Andrew Peters - Rod Pelley - Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond

Andy Greene - Bryce Salvador
Colin White - Mike Mottau
Mark Fraser - Cory Murphy

Martin Brodeur
Yann Danis

Of course, this is just a guess. I don't anticipate the defense to change and I don't anticipate the forward lines to not change. Tim Sestito will replace Elias' spot at center, who was replacing Rob Niedermayer's spot. Yes, the same one from preseason! Tim Sestito scored 7 with Lowell in 12 games, but I wouldn't expect him to make an impact on offense. If he's steady, wins a few faceoffs, and gets a few shots on the third line, in my opinion that would be fine.

Now, what isn't a guess? The Ottawa Senators playing fairly well early this season. They currently sit seventh in the conference and so I've asked Senators supporter, blogger, and Dean McAmmond-lover Peter R of Silver Seven some questions about the team.

Question #1. It should surprise no one that Daniel Alfredsson is the Senators' leading scorer with 6 goals and 11 assists. What is a bit surprising is that it wasn't until Ottawa's last game where Jason Spezza scored his first of the season. Now that he finally got one, do you expect him to get hot and start scoring more - or does he need to do more before he starts scoring more regularly?

PR: A lot of people were surprised it took Jason Spezza so long to score his first goal of the season, but--unlike what you might have expected--he wasn't taking a lot of criticism for it. One of the key things for Spezza was an increased defensive awareness he's added to his game, which has impressed a lot of people who've watched his development. Even with that defensive awareness, he's still been a key part of Ottawa's offence; he has ten assists in 11 games so far, and the early-season success of Milan Michalek owes a fair bit to support from Spezza. Although he's going to have to start shooting more often if he's going to score more, Spezza's a playmaker, so I expect his assists to continue outpacing the goals he'll inevitably score.

Question #2. Similar to the first question, I also noticed that not one player on the Senators has registered over 40 shots on net this season, yet the team averages 31.2 shots per game, the tenth best average in the league. Would you say that is a strength of the team (a balanced offense perhaps?), or a sign that some players need to be more selfish when they have the puck?

PR: I think a player like Spezza can definitely stand to take a few more shots, but the Senators' are definitely benefitting from some evenly-distributed ice time. As a result, the Senators--who have more offensive depth than they've had in years--are able to get offence from a number of sources on the team. For the last three seasons, it's been largely a case of first-line dependence; now, with Mike Fisher playing as well as he ever has and contribution from supporting players, the Senators have at least five players who can provide offence on any given night (that is, if Alex Kovalev ever wakes up). It's not something Senators fans are used to seeing, but I think it's something we'll get used to pretty quickly.

Question #3. Let's talk goalies. While his stat line isn't wowing anyone, how has Pascal Leclaire been as the Senators' top goaltender so far this season? What do you like and what don't you like about his style of goaltending?

PR: It's definitely true that his stats line aren't league-leading, but there are plenty or people saying Pascal Leclaire is the best goaltender the Senators have ever had. While it's still early to prove that claim, he's certainly playing like a winner, and--most importantly--makes key saves at key times. One thing that's evident is that Leclaire's play has given the players in front of him the confidence to take chances with the puck, while goaltending questions last season meant the Senators were so busy playing defense they could barely muster anything offensively.

Question #4. So far this season, the Senators have been nothing but stingy on defense by allowing 27.5 shots against per game average, fourth best in the league. While losing Anton Volchenkov hurts, Filip Kuba has returned to the Senators blueline. Do you expect the Senators defense to stay on track with respect to shots allowed; or will they start allowing more shots against without Volchenkov (and despite Kuba returning)?

PR: Well, the Senators only allowed 20 shots on Thursday against the Lightning, so it might not look like they miss Anton Volchenkov too much. Ottawa's defensive stinginess has had as much to do with back-pressure from back-checking forwards forcing turnovers as it has had with solid defense, although a commitment to blocking shots--with Volchenkov leading that charge--doesn't hurt. Although it's not easy to replace a guy like the A-Train, call-up Brian Lee has improved steadily in his three games so far, and Alex Picard had a very strong game on Thursday. It's a good thing that Volchenkov's rehab is progressing faster than anticipated, though (he's expected back within days, rather than weeks, according to the most recent estimates), because the defense is definitely better with him in the lineup.

Question #5. Lastly, do you have a prediction for tonight's game?

PR: I make a prediction for the local broadsheet daily here in Ottawa, the Ottawa Citizen, and it was a 3-1 Ottawa Senators victory (the whole prediction panel is full of homers, though). I know that the Devils haven't lost on the road yet this season, but it's bound to happen sooner or later, and I think the Senators should match up well against New Jersey--as long as they can stay out of the penalty box.

Big thanks to Peter of Silver Seven for answering my questions especially on such short notice. The Senators have been doing quite well at all aspects in the rink and so this is going to be no more difficult of a game than it was in, say, Pittsburgh or Washington or the World's Most Overrated Arena or Boston. Of course, as usual, I disagree with his prediction and if the Devils can get that seemingly mythical goal support then the Devils' chances of winning will dramatically rise.

Read on later for Steve's GameThread. As usual, I'll jump in and recap the game later on. Thanks for reading this comprehensive preview and please leave all your thoughts and questions about the game in advance of the GameThread here. Go Devils!

With Goals by Cory Murphy and Brian Rolston, the New Jersey Devils Beat the New York Islanders, 2-1

John Fischer — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 02:26:34 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

Brian Rolston had every reason to smile as his big slapshot scored the Devils' second goal and the eventual winner over the New York Islanders tonight. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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In yet another one-goal victory, in yet another game where the scoreboard is closer than the actual run of play, and in yet another game where the Devils' power play actually came through - the New Jersey Devils defeated the New York Islanders 2-1. The NHL.com recap is up with all the links to box scores, event and game summaries, and more.

Some critics may look at 7 out of 10 one-goal victories in this season and argue that this is proof of the Devils' style of play being all trap, all defense, or somesuch. They would be foolish, but the number of one-goal games involving New Jersey is worthy of some criticism. Tonight was another example where the Devils took the lead but couldn't expand it. They wanted a third goal, maybe they deserved one, but once again, they couldn't make it a two goal lead.

All the same, as time ran out in the third, the Islanders got more aggressive with their forechecking and their general attack and they were an less than an inch away from an equalizer in the final minute - only for a jammed puck to glide across the crease instead of the goal line. The Devils, you could say, played with fire and didn't get burned thanks to some heads up plays on defense and generally preventing the Islanders from getting high quality scoring chances all game long. The criticism is that the Devils' offense could ease a defense that is already seeing big minutes at the ends of games by not having to worry about conceding an equalizer.

But again, that didn't happen tonight and so Devils fans should be pleased with the team's third win at home. Soon, they will be .500 at home and that would be good. Check out Lighthouse Hockey later on for Dom's recap from the Islanders' perspective. Read on for further thoughts about the game, why I think the offense didn't get more than two past Biron, thoughts on Patrik Elias' debut, praise for the defense(s), and some video clips from NHL.com

As you can see from the following videos from NHL.com; the goals itself were impressive on their own. Cory Murphy opened his account in New Jersey with an excellent slapshot that slipped through Martin Biron's legs. Here, see it to believe it:

Brian Rolston made the Devils' power play relevant when he unleashed a bomb from the point. You can say that this was the kind of goal you'd expect from Rolston, known for his big cannon and being paid to, well, hit the target with it. And it was on the power play, the one shot out of nine that got through. Watch it with this video, as Biron didn't really get to see it:

While both came in the second period, the Devils looked for more action in the third period, and overall outshot the Islanders 31-24, they couldn't beat Biron a third time. Even on other long shots from other players - something the Islanders' defense was more than happy to concede.

Why? Well, Biron played well enough for starters. Can't blame him on the Rolston goal as he was screened by David Clarkson and the shot from Rolston was like a laser-bullet. His only real mistake was keeping his legs open when Murphy unloaded his shot. What also stymied the Devils were the Islanders' committment on defense to clog the middle. The Devils didn't get a lot of space in the slot, they couldn't get many passes into the slot, and even off the rush, a white sweater was ever present in the middle. Rebounds? Forget about it. Biron controlled them fairly well and the Islanders were in good position to clear them out as needed. Allowing 31 shots isn't exactly an superb performance for any defense; but they should be commended for forcing the Devils to adjust where they shoot.

What also didn't help is that some players had relatively quiet games. Believe it or not, Zach Parise didn't get a single shot on net tonight - 3 misses and one attempt blocked. Travis Zajac was more productive in terms of shots with 4, but he didn't get a really great chance and many of his passes were forced. Dainius Zubrus moved a lot of people around, won 8 of 12 faceoffs, but he only managed two shots on net (and one attempted shot that knocked Brendan Witt right over at the end of the first - link goes to NHL.com video of hit). Rolston and David Clarkson had big nights with 6 shots each; but were many of them truly great shots? Not really. Not all of the Devils' best offensive players were having great offensive nights and so, the offense suffered despite putting 31 on Biron.

I will say that tonight was probably the best performance I've seen by the fourth line all season. Rod Pelley and Ilkka Pikkarainen both got assists on Murphy's goal; and they brought energy without taking a penalty (6 hits combined). If they keep this kind of play up, maybe Lemaire will give them more minutes per game. An effective fourth line, I think, benefits the other three overall. Namely because the other three lines won't have to play as many minutes and the opposition will have to worry about three more forwards to deal with.

Of course, there is Patrik Elias. For someone who hasn't played for 5 months, he looked pretty good in his debut. His first shift - on a penalty kill - saw him take the puck up ice, pull off a dazzling move to beat a defender, and then miss the resulting shot. All the same, he got three rounds of applause for that shift (coming off, that move, and going off). But after then, he started looking like more of himself. He threw some checks, he made some good passes, he had two hard shots on net, and he played 16:01 tonight. I think he'll need some more time to get back into form before he starts producing; but it wasn't a bad debut by any means.

The only real negative mark on Elias is that he was on the ice for the Islanders' lone goal against. A blocked shot by the Devils led to Jon Sim pushing it ahead and the Devils doubling back. While Nicklas Bergfors was about to take the loose puck, Sean Bergenheim took it away from him and slid it across ice through Bryce Salvador's legs. Frans Nielsen was right there to Yann Danis' flank; while Danis slid across the net, Nielsen went to his backhand and the shot was high enough to bounce off Danis go in. Elias was trailing on Nielsen, but he had no chance to catch him. the Isles forecheck really made that whole play happen.

That aside, the Devils handled the Isles' forecheck very well. There were some times in the third period where two Islanders were able to win back the puck; but they ultimately did little with what they won. And with what little they shot, Yann Danis was usually in position to make the stop. Good job by the backup in his second start of the season. That said, a lot of credit should go to the Devils' defense for forcing the Islanders to take 24 mostly-not-so-strong shots and for cleaning up whatever rebounds were there. Even late in the game, they didn't panic all that much and if the Islanders did get possession, they recovered back into position very quickly. Despite a late hit in the first period on a penalty kill that led to a minor, I felt Colin White was one of the top defensemen for the Devils with 6 hits and 22:03 of solid defending. His partner, Mike Mottau, also had a strong game with 25:36 played - he didn't concede much space either. Overall, I was pleased (again) with the performance by the Devils' blueline.

I'm glad that the Devils won. Yet, I can't help but feel the score should have been much more by New Jersey as they really dictated the game up until the very end where the Islanders got desperate and had to turn up the aggression to get an equalizer. But again, the Devils didn't get many great scoring chances despite 5 power plays, 9 shots on said power plays, and 31 shots overall. Top Devils forwards didn't have the best of nights. Moreover, the Islanders' defense did a great job preventing much happening in the slot, the prime real estate for scoring goals. Hopefully the offense will have a better night tomorrow against Ottawa and get a win by more than one non-empty net goal.

Chere: Jay Leach claimed by Montreal on waivers

John Fischer — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:44:40 -0000

Chere: Jay Leach claimed by Montreal on waivers

Jay Leach has been claimed by Montreal through re-entry waivers. The Devils' salary cap will still include half of his salary; according to CapGeek, that is $243,750.

This hurts the Devils overall depth on defense as it's one less defender to call up in case of injury. The rest of the blueliners outside of Rob Davidson aren't experienced all that much with the NHL. Is it a major loss? Not really. The cap hit is minimal and as the injuries have shown, he was ultimately 9th on the team's depth chart for defenseman.