Almost As Bad As Matteau

by Tyler Bleszinski on Apr 28, 2009 10:56 PM EDT

If you're a Devils fan, you know exactly what that means. This had to be one of the most painful losses as a sports fan I have ever experienced. This is up there with Game 7 of the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals. Game 6 and Game 7 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals. It's not as bad because this was only the first round, but a team with so much potential to go deep this year came up way, way too short.

The Devils were honestly the better team in nearly every game in this series except Game 6. And because Marty let in two bad goals tonight, including the game winner, I have no more Devils hockey to watch again until October 09.

I'm left a bit speechless after the game tonight. What can you say when your team suffers a crushing defeat like that? You can look back on things that didn't go the Devils way in the series, the infamous Game 4 non-call, a holding call on Staal that probably should've been made that started the whole sequence that led to the tying goal, Madden hitting Ward in the Canes logo over and over in this game, but ultimately it comes down to the Devils best player not being at his best tonight.

And there's nothing you can really do about that but say, there's always next year.

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Late goals

The Devils have had a lot of problems with late goals over the past few playoff seasons and this series was no exception. I blame myself for thinking about some of those other late goals as the Devils carried a one-goal lead into the waning seconds of this game.

Even the Rangers losing doesn’t make this feel any better.

by Eric Simon on Apr 28, 2009 11:11 PM EDT reply actions

game 4 replay..

the whole 3rd period I had a bad feeling about this game. Even with 2 minutes left I felt Brodeur was going to blow this game. After that devastating loss in game 4 after coming back from 3 down to see him choke with .02 left I felt the game was not safe. When he gave up the game tying goal I thought we might not make it to overtime and I was right. I love Marty Brodeur but lets face reality he is not the goaltender that he used to be anymore.

Donald Vasquez

by don_vas on Apr 28, 2009 11:34 PM EDT reply actions

It was a team loss

to be sure, but for this one I blame Sutter.

We could go back and forth all day about should have been penalties, should have been off-sides calls, should have cleared the puck in one of the seventeen chances they had, should have put the game away with the double minor at the end of the 2nd, should have scored at least one on all the Madden breakaways… but the truth of it is, they had the game in hand until they fell back into that prevent defense that has not worked very well for them all year, and not at all for them in this series.

If they’d just have continued to play like they’d played for 55 minutes previously, we wouldn’t be sitting here with a gnawing hole in our gut and a general numbness of having witnessed a magical season go horribly, horribly wrong.

by elesias on Apr 29, 2009 9:10 AM EDT reply actions

response....

come on – yes utlimately marty “let the puck” in the net – but where was the DEFENSE!? marty is the last person to get the puck by…..aren’t the other players on the DEVs responsible for anything? marty cannot do it all by himself -

by njd1771 on Apr 29, 2009 10:50 AM EDT reply actions

This wasn't almost as bad as Matteau

I’m still bothered a little bit by that lost and I was 11 then!

Devils in my heart! Devils in my mind! Devils in my eyes! Devils until I die!
In Lou We Trust - The Devils SBN Blog

by John Fischer on Apr 29, 2009 6:31 PM EDT reply actions

I signed up under false pretenses, because I was a Flyers fan for many years, until we moved to Carolina (the same year the Hurricanes first skated in Greensboro). I have never (and I suspect will never) support the Devils. And I feel no guilt whatsoever. I saw Lou’s comment that the Devils were the better team, and by implication, deserved to win. HORSEFEATHERS! At worst the Devils and the Hurricanes were evenly matched. The difference is that as the series progressed, the Hurricanes got stronger, and the Devils wilted. Yes, Marty is a great goaltender. But we had his measure, and as the series progressed we showed that he is not invincible. (Hint: he commits himself too early, and thus is a sucker for a deflection.) I respect you as opponents. You fought hard and you fought well, but in the end you didn’t have what it took to advance. Learn to live with it.

by GordonKeehn on Apr 29, 2009 11:25 PM EDT reply actions