New York Rangers (19-10-2, 40 Pts) @ New Jersey Devils (15-8-2, 32 Pts)

Tonight’s battle at The Rock has the visiting Rangers, who are 5-5-0 in their last contests, take on the streaking Devils looking for a fourth consecutive win and the 9th in their last 10. Scott Clemmensen will make his 7th start in the last 8 games and will look to build on a surprising season so far. The Rangers come into tonight struggling to find the net only scoring 1.6 goals per game over their last 5. The Devils enter the night giving up 4 goals in their last 3 games as they continue to get healthy. While all the signs point to a Devils victory you can never count out the Rangers in this heated rivalry.

Notes:
-Rangers lead the season series 2-0
-Lundqvist is 9-0-2 in his last 11 games against New Jersey

Prediction: Physical game between bitter rivals leads to a hard-fought Devils victory 4-2 to keep their win streak intact.

I’m Back

Yes, after being convinced to continue this blog I will be returning to post more soon.

Excuse Me, What Happened?

As you may have heard by now, Martin Brodeur tore a muscle in his bicep and is out 3-4 months.  Yes that’s 3-4 months.  It’s a terrible time for him to go down personally because he is chasing the wins record but it is a much bigger blow to the Devils.  Yes, this is a nightmare for the Devils.  However, I still have faith because Rolston will be back soon from his injury which will help the offense and Kevin Weekes is a very capable backup.  He was a starter for several NHL teams and has 99 career wins.  Nobody can replace Brodeur but Weekes will do just fine.

Philadelphia (0-3-3, 3 Pts) @ New Jersey (5-1-0, 10 Pts)

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Where: Prudential Center, Newark

When: 7:00 PM

Players to Watch: Martin Brodeur, David Clarkson, John Madden, Simon Gagne, Antero Nittymaki, Martin Biron

Prediction: In a very physical game the Devils win 4-2

So here we go.  First game of a home-and-home against hated Philadelphia.  Most people in Philadelphia don’t know hockey is going on because of the return of the Phillies for games 3,4,5 of the World Series.

The Devils come in flying.  They are 5-1 having recently beat Dallas 5-0.  Brodeur is looking Jim Craig circa 1980 (or is that Martin Brodeur circa 1993-2008?).  He is 5-1 with a 1.31 GAA.  The offense is playing well as they have all season.  They are finally starting to score some goals and Devils’ fans have to be excited for what the rest of the season has in store.  After suffering a couple injuries to veterans Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik, rookies Petr Vrana and Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond have stepped up well capturing their first career NHL point in their debuts.  This is a big test to see if the Devils can raise their game and dominate a tough division rival.

The Flyers are coming into this game on the opposite side of the spectrum (no pun intended).  They are the only winless team in the NHL and are struggling to stop anything from going in their net.  Goalies Biron and Nittymaki have been awful all season and should be worried about their jobs.  The split the responsibilities of giving up 6 goals in a 7-6 shootout loss to the San Jose Sharks.  No doubt they will come into The Rock playing a physical style of hockey looking to get their first win over a division rival.

Should be a fun one to watch.

Milestone Assist

Patrik Elias‘ assist on the first goal of the Devils win against the Capitals was the 365th assist with the Devils, moving him past Scott Niedermeyer for 1st on the Devils’ all-time list.  Congratulations to Patrik and I hope he extends his lead this season.

Marty Being Marty

The question inevitably gets asked every preseason.  When will the great Martin Brodeur slow down and have difficulty being a starting goaltender in the NHL?  The answer is certainly not this year.  Brodeur has started all 5 games for the Devils so far (no shock) and has posted a 4-1 record with a 1.56 GAA to go along with his .931 save %.  Brodeur also just posted his first goose egg of the 2008-09 campaign giving him 97 for his illustrious career.  That leaves him only 6 shy of the career record.  Devils’ fans sometimes take for granted the great saves he makes throughout a game because we are so used to seeing them time and time again but we need to remember this is something special.  This is possibly the best goalie to ever play NHL hockey and he is still getting the job done at age 36.

A Loss for the Hockey World

Alexei Cherepanov, the New York Rangers’ first round draft pick (17th overall) in 2007 died earlier today after suffering a heart attack on the bench of his team’s game in the Russian KHL.  Cherepanov was the Rangers top prospect and was supposed to develop into a star in the NHL.  It is a tragedy for the hockey world regardless of what team you support.

Brodeur Named Third Star

Martin Brodeur has been named the NHL’s third star of the week after going 2-0-0 with a 0.97 GAA.  I’m sure this is the first of many for Marty but it is a good way to start the season.

New Jersey (2-0-0, 4 Pts) @ New York Rangers (4-0-0, 8 Pts)

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Where: Madison Square Garden

When: 7:00 PM

Players to Watch: Martin Brodeur, Patrik Elias, Zach Parise, Henrik Lundqvist, Scott Gomez, Wade Redden

Prediction: 3-2 Devils

A rivalry renewed.  There is nothing I look forward to more in the NHL season than a matchup between these Atlantic Division rivals.  After the Rangers dominated the regular season series and playoff series against the Devils last year, this game is about making a statement.  Both teams come into the game undefeated.  The Devils with their best start since 2002-03 and the Rangers looking for their first 5-0 start since 1983-84.  Both starting goaltenders have been terrific in their first few games.  Something has to give.  Look for a very physical game with both teams trying to assert themselves as the top team in the Atlantic Division.

New Jersey 2 – Pittsburgh 1

It was only the second game of the season but it was a big one.  The Devils, predicted by the “experts” to finish 4th in the division, matched up with the defending Eastern Conference Champs in an early season war in Pittsburgh.  The Devils came out flying on the road, during the second game of a back-to-back game stretch, in Pittsburgh.  They dominated all three periods and outshot the Pens 49-15.  Wow.  It is good to see the Devils stick to their defensive mindset and only give up one goal but come out firing on all cylinders on offense as well.  New Pens acquisition Miroslav Satan put the home team up 1-0 midway through the first with a power play goal but the Devils kept fighting.  They fought all the way to the third period when Patrik Elias took a pass on the boards at a terrible angle, turned, and fired it in front of the net.  The shot banked off of Hal Gill’s skate and deflected into the net, tying the game at 1 with 2:29 left in the third.  Was it a pretty goal? No. Was it a deserved goal? Absolutely. The Devils were getting chance after chance in the third period and finally put one in the net.  In overtime, Travis Zajac took the puck in his defensive zone, saw Zach Parise streaking down the boards and saucered him the puck right on his tape.  Parise then took a wrist shot right over Fleury’s glove and into the top corner of the net to give the Devils a much deserved 2-1 victory.  It was a great result from a great game.

Notes:

• Last time the Devils started 2-0 was the 2002-2003 season.  They won the Stanley Cup that season.
• Paul Martin (27:19) and Bryce Salvador (24:52) led the Devils in ice time and look very good together.
• With the win, Martin Brodeur is now only 11 wins behind Patrick Roy for the career record.

1st Star: Patrik Elias – 1 G, +1

2nd Star: Zach Parise – 1 G, +1

3rd Star: Colin White – 1 A, +2

2-0-0, 4 Points

Next Game: 10/13 @ New York Rangers