At Least They Weren't Shutout: New Jersey Devils Trashed by Philadelphia Flyers, 5-1
by John Fischer on Mar 28, 2010 10:36 PM EDT
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PrintBefore tonight, the New Jersey Devils came off a win in Montreal and the Philadelphia Flyers came off a loss to Pittsburgh. Their fates would be flipped tonight. Right from the get-go, the Philadelphia Flyers scored, made better passes, took advantage of some giveaways and poor defensive play, seemingly got more bounces, and never looked back. I don't think it was an issue of whether the New Jersey Devils "showed up" or not, but the Devils' intensity level was not where it needed to be to start and they struggled throughout the game.
One could attribute the performances of each team to their respective positions in the NHL. The Devils are already in the playoffs and are battling with Pittsburgh for the Atlantic Division lead, which means a #2 or #3 seed in the East. The Flyers have been free-falling as of late, finding themselves in eighth place with ninth and tenth not too far behind in terms of points. Basically, from a playoff standpoint, the Flyers needed to win this game much more than the Devils. And it certainly seemed that way on the ice.
Simply put, tonight was a bad game from the New Jersey Devils. A sign of things to come? Given the last two weeks, probably not. Is it another reason why we should hope the Devils don't face the Flyers in the first round? I think so. A disappointment? You bet - finishing the month at 2-4-1 on the road is nothing but disappointing.
NHL.com has the official recap up complete with all of the stats from tonight's game. For a Philadelphia perspective, please check out Broad Street Hockey later on. If you'd like to read my additional thoughts on tonight's game, then please continue after the jump.
With a game as bad as this for the Devils, I think it's helpful to itemize all of the issues. Let's go.
- The first 10 minutes. The Flyers literally went ahead right from the get-go. Matt Carle was found wide open as the trailing player, took it in the high-slot, scored a goal early that I'm sure Martin Brodeur would like to have another shot at, and that kicked things off. By halfway through the first period, the Flyers were not only out-shooting the Devils 8-2 but Ville Leino tacked on a second goal when he was open at the crease as the Devils defense were just chasing the Flyers. Not that Brodeur had an awful night, but the Flyers got some seriously good chances early. The Devils just couldn't respond with any good passing of their own, much less any shots. The Flyers looked confident and were rolling, whereas the Devils looked like they were just stuck in first gear.
- The shooting was largely pedestrian. Is Brian Boucher a great goalie? No. Was he tested tonight? Not really. The Devils ended up outshooting the Flyers 33-25, but were they mostly quality shots on net? No. Tonight was a clear example of quality over quantity. Besides, when you're down for most of the game, you're going to take more chances to just throw pucks on net. At least Ilya Kovalchuk scored to ensure it wasn't an easy shutout for Mr. Boucher. (Even so, he took 5 shots on net, but missed twice and got blocked 4 times - his decisions to shoot could have gone better.)
- The power went out on special teams. The Devils went 2-for-2 on the power play against Montreal, a big key in their 4-2 win on Saturday. Tonight, the Devils went 0-for-5 on the power play against the Flyers. Even when it was only 2-0 or even 3-0 Flyers, even one successful power play could have changed the nature of the game in for New Jersey. A lifeline, if you will. Instead, the Flyers PK units and Boucher stood tall in light of taking some really dumb calls. Despite the opportunities - four in the second period! - the Devils never took advantage.
- White and Mottau haters have saved this game as evidence. After playing very well for most of March - after playing very well last night - they were both pretty poor tonight. Their positioning, specifically where they weren't, played a big role on three of the five Flyers goals scored. The Devils' defense as a whole didn't have a good night (especially in the slot), even Paul Martin didn't look sure-handed as he normally did; but White and Mottau stuck out like sore thumbs on the blueline.
- Martin Brodeur wasn't amazing, not by a long shot. The goal against Carle went off the bottom of his glove and in. He missed blocking Danny Briere's pass across the crease, so Leino got the puck for his shot in front. He was partially screened by Scott Hartnell on the PPG by Kimmo Timonen; and I'm pretty sure he was fully screened on the fourth goal, a shot from the point by Lukas Krajicek. It's not that Brodeur didn't make some tough saves he did; but it wasn't one of his good nights either. Not anything like he did on Saturday. Jacques Lemaire must have thought so as well, as Yann Danis came in the third period. Truth be told, given all of the other problems the Devils had, I don't think Danis starting the game would have changed the final result. I'm sure some will argue otherwise, but whatever.
- The puck movement was shifting in and out of focus. On some shifts, the Devils moved the puck up ice just fine until they got into the Flyers' zone and made some questionable decisions such as forcing passes through defenders and not dumping it into a good position. On others, the Devils couldn't get into the Flyers' zone with some issue, like a botched pass or poor breakout. Even early in the game, the defensemen and backchecking forwards would almost hand the puck right to a Flyer, continuing their attack.
- Intensity for fighting? Check. Intensity for scoring goals? Er... The game became quite chippy and led to more than just a few fighting majors and roughing minors between both teams. Perhaps that's expected as it was a rivalry game. But by the end, I got a sense that the Devils only became more energetic than the Flyers was during fights and scrums. I really don't care who really "won" the fights because the scoreboard clearly stats who truly won tonight. I do wish the Devils used some of that energy in the first period or on their power plays in the second instead of wasting it on scraps in the third period.
- Let's not get it twisted, the Flyers played very well. In contrast to all that I just listed, the Flyers played a very good game of hockey. They passed the puck very well. They started off the game looking to control it and they did just that. They got two early goals but didn't sit on the lead, choosing to pick their spots to score - and succeeded. The Flyers defensemen contributed three goals whilst combining to block 26 shots. Simon Gagne took advantage of wide open space to score in the third to truly ensure the win. Despite taking so many penalties, their PK looked strong. Like I said at the beginning of this recap, the Flyers wanted this game more - and they got it. Let's not forget to credit them for it, as much as it sucks to lose to a rival for the fifth time out of six games.
When the shooting is poor, the puck movement isn't good enough, the defense has struggles (including one pairing in particular), the goaltender isn't playing out of his mind, the power play wastes chance after chance, the start of the game went awry, and the opposition plays well, then what other result can you possibly expect? The Devils played a bad game, the result is deserved, and no fan should be disappointed. If you'd like to see the highlights to tonight's game, then here they are from NHL.com:
The big question now is whether this was just a bad game, or a grim sign of things to come. We won't know the answer until Tuesday.
Thanks to Steve for making the GameThread, those who commented and read that, and all of you who read this. Thanks to Chris at The Program (along with Rick and Mike) for inviting and having me on during the game. If you're that interested in hearing how I sound for about an hour or so, then check out the archives of the show at their main page here. Please leave all your thoughts, feelings, concerns, complaints, corrections, and compliments (I doubt there will be any of these) in the comments.
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Why is it that when the Devils win, it isn’t posted on the main NHL.com page, but when they lose, it is put on a pedestal like the greatest win ever?
Haven't been able to watch the Devils on TV since 2008
by Josh Weinstein on Mar 28, 2010 10:48 PM EDT reply actions
Because they hate us?
The 2010 New York Mets: Maybe it's the Phillies' turn to have 95% of its roster on the DL
The 2009 New England Patriots: At least we got our division title back
The 2009-10 New Jersey Devils: Allergic to second periods
I don’t think that’s true? I don’t even know how you would go about proving this? Yeah, the Flyers win gets a feature picture on the front page because this game was important to them and has playoff implications in the East. Had the Devils won 5-1, it probably would get something like it.
Devils in my heart! Devils in my mind! Devils in my eyes! Devils until I die!
In Lou We Trust - The New Jersey Devils SBN Blog
by John Fischer on Mar 28, 2010 11:26 PM EDT up reply actions
I’ll give you that, but it just seems the NHL isn’t too fond of the devils. Then again, they love anyone with the name Crosby.
Haven't been able to watch the Devils on TV since 2008
by Josh Weinstein on Mar 28, 2010 11:29 PM EDT up reply actions
Why? Why does it seem that way?
And they don’t love anyone with the name Crosby. Just Sidney Crosby. Because he’s one of the top 2 hockey players in the entire world and therefore commands and deserves the attention he gets.
Devils in my heart! Devils in my mind! Devils in my eyes! Devils until I die!
In Lou We Trust - The New Jersey Devils SBN Blog
by John Fischer on Mar 28, 2010 11:31 PM EDT up reply actions
NHL isn’t too fond of the Devils? Come over to BSH and we can talk about day about who the NHL dislikes more, the Devils or the Flyers.
Truthfully though I think what John said is accurate, from a standings perspective this game meant more to the Flyers than the Devils.
I also think the Devils are in a situation where they are winners, proven winners and have been winning for a while, it’s almost like the NHL is complacent with that. They aren’t the Pen’s who is the NHL’s darlings, or the Caps who the NHL also seems to by hyping up. It’s like, oh the Devils win again, big shocker and then they move on. Just let the Devils go about their business and win the East like I think they will.
It’s like, oh the Devils win again, big shocker and then they move on
Shouldn’t the NHL use this to their advantage? Now, I don’t think there is any conspiracy that a few guys above imply, but the NHL absolutely takes them for granted. Every year before the season starts, the media count the Devils out, “Marty’s older, no name defense, not an offensive powerhouse etc, etc…” I think the NHL is little guilty of playing follow the leader due to the stigma the Devils had a looong time ago. They should embrace the fact that year in and year out, the organization puts a quality group of players on the ice with the same goal, Winning.
If Kovie signs with the Devils, which more and more I think he will after seeing his play with the team, then the NHL should use him, Parise, and Marty for marketing. The NHL has 3 superstars on one team they can market other than Crosby and Ovechkin, which is really all I hear (top 3 stories at this time on NHL.com are “Pens win SO”, “Caps win East”, “Caps tested”). Devlis are in a big market, and could not only improve the Devils fanbase, but the NHL’s as well.
It just seems that every time the NHL takes a big step in something, they take that step, then cement themselves in it. I already hear rumors that the Penguins are getting their 2nd Winter Classic already when there are 6 Canadian teams and the New York City area markets waiting patiently for an outdoor game. The new head shots rule shocked me actually..OK I’m rambling.
by Matthew Ventolo on Mar 29, 2010 9:39 AM EDT up reply actions
I agree with you completely. The problem is the NHL seems to be fine with the blatant love fest for the Pens and Caps. The Devils in my opinion, and speaking as a Flyers fan, but the Devils are a model NHL franchise. It seems like every year they are counted out, written off and then every year there they are. They are like the Spurs in the NBA or the Twins in MLB. They just don’t go away. But I think from a media perspective and even from a fan perspective, unless you are a Devils fan, a team other than your own constantly winning get’s boring. The NHL has to ride the new kids on the block so to speak. Even if it disgusts everyone who is not a Pens and Caps fan.
Don’t forget Ovechkin as well
Cheers, Complaints, homerism and bashing of mediocre pop musicians in 140 Characters
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by Kevin Sellathamby on Mar 29, 2010 7:45 AM EDT up reply actions
Re: Headline
My…thoughts…exactly!
The 2010 New York Mets: Maybe it's the Phillies' turn to have 95% of its roster on the DL
The 2009 New England Patriots: At least we got our division title back
The 2009-10 New Jersey Devils: Allergic to second periods
I was given sarcasm when I expressed doubt about Broduer playing all 4 this week
but I didn’t think the whole team would decide to be tired too . . .
I have respect for most sports fans with 2 exceptions: NY Ranger fans who grew up in New Jersey, and Dallas Cowboy fans who can't name the capital of Texas.
looking for another perspective...
up untill their recent slump (an even still to some extent) i have considered the devils to be a serious contender, they have every element necessary to win a cup….anyways as a flyers fan i was wondering what the opinion of one of our atlantic rivals was about the state of the flyers, contender, overrated, underpreforming, in need of a rebuild?
by flyersfangiroux on Mar 28, 2010 11:13 PM EDT reply actions
I feel they are overrated. While they do have the necessary pieces to make a run every year, it just seems they can’t live up to the hype.
Haven't been able to watch the Devils on TV since 2008
by Josh Weinstein on Mar 28, 2010 11:31 PM EDT up reply actions
I love how the first comment in response is from a Flyers fan.
Basically, I’m confused. The Flyers look fine against New Jersey. More than fine. Quite good. But the record and recent form suggest that this team is just inconsistent. Sure, you’ll be pleased with tonight’s performance but who knows if they’ll build on it. I get a sense that they have a lot of talent, but there’s always some key ingredient missing. Sure, goaltending has been a question mark for a while; but longer term, I think it’s the make-up of the team. Who are the true leaders? What is the character of the team? Who is standing up and saying, “This style of hockey has gotten us to points A, B, and C; is this where we want to be? If not, why not? What needs to change?”
I know the Flyers and some fans like the physical emphasis, but at some point the hard question has to be asked: Where has these recent approaches taken the team? And is this acceptable? Until that’s answered, I suppose expect more of the same.
That said, I don’t want a Devils-Flyers first round.
Devils in my heart! Devils in my mind! Devils in my eyes! Devils until I die!
In Lou We Trust - The New Jersey Devils SBN Blog
by John Fischer on Mar 28, 2010 11:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Ideal Flyers situation:
Devils – Pens first round.
Flyers play whoever and beat them, then play Devils in the second round.
BOOM, the Flyers avoid the Penguins and then beat the Devils. ECF here we come.
Of course, I live in a fantasy world.
I think you can be physical and not go into Broad Street Bully-style goonery and I think that is what the Flyers have been going towards. Why its not working, I have no idea. But your points illustrate a lot of what we talk about over at BSH. Who are the leaders etc. It seems like a never-ending downward spiral.
The Flyers may have won the game tonight, but the way the Devils continuosly ice a better than average team, year after year, wins out overall.
"NZFlyerfan"
Per that situation, is there a team the Flyers can beat in the Eastern Conference playoffs not named the New Jersey Devils? I think our ideal situation is we get the Devils in the first round and then ride the wave of momentum we get from that victory and hope that we get a fewlucky breaks (YEAH, RIGHT) and let that carry us into the ECF against a team likely better than us.
Proudly supporting a Flyers team with "no honor".
I don’t want a Flyers-Devils match-up either, but not because I worry about the Devils losing the series. I worry about losing players.
Philadelphia continues to be unable to shake its reputation as a bunch of dirty goons because it continues to employ guys who play to the reputation. Almost every team has one or two guys who walk the line between clean and dirty, and sometimes cross over, but that team has a laundry list of guys who seem to not even know where the line is anymore. If they’re throwing dirty hits late in a game in which their victory is assured, imagine what would happen if they go down in a series 3 games to 1…
The Devils have better individuals at nearly every position, and are the better team as a whole, and though the regular season head-to-head record doesn’t illustrate that, in a 7 game series the Flyers’ weaknesses (particularly in goal and on defense) would and should be exploited.
I’d much rather Philly go knock around Pittsburgh or the Capitals on their way to the golf course to make the Devils’ job all the easier…
Not that this even really matters...
but there was definitely a shot on the one powerplay that crossed the goal line and bounced out on the post and should have been a goal, but it wasn’t. Even the Flyers fans around me were saying “that was a goal.” With that said, this was a bad game for me to choose to go to, especially being in the same row as three drunk morons who kept screaming about how much Brodeur sucks in my ear the whole time.
by undersuspicion426 on Mar 29, 2010 1:28 AM EDT reply actions
Need to look forward to Tuesday
The devils looked like garbage tonight.
Only positive I saw was Kovalchuk’s goal and more importantly the pass from Rolston. He showed a lot of poise finding Kovy open in the slot. I like the way these two play together and was a little confused why they started on different lines. — A reason Lemaire gets to me sometimes. I think Kovalchuk and Rolston together is a pretty nasty combo. Both with bombs and tonight (not to mention the way they played together in the Montreal game) proved that they got acquainted. Also, let’s not forget Kovalchuk’s dish for Rolston’s 700th point. If you don’t think that kind of thing builds chemistry you’re nuts. My point – Kovy Zajac & Rolston should continue to play together.
Another thing – I can’t stand Niedermayer lately or come to think of it, for most of his career in NJ. He is lazy and slow. The passed two games he got caught standing around in our end and got scored on both times. Wasted Mil.
Also, the Flyers problem is goaltending. They got the players to be a strong team but it hurts when your working with what they have.
While I think Rolston looks much better on that line than he did before, it kind of bothers me that 7ubrus got pushed down all the way to the fourth line because of it. He does not deserve to be there and he produced way more on the top two lines than Rolston can and will.
by undersuspicion426 on Mar 29, 2010 2:55 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Zubrus
I like the way he plays and by no means think he deserves to be a fourth liner but the more I watched him and Kovy the more I disliked it. They had no chemistry together. Both are scorers and look to shoot first, at least with Rolston he will look before he shoots. Rolston has great vision and that is something Zubrus is lacking.
I also just wanted to state I love the new lines. Putting a natural centre with Kovy was brilliant.
I agree that Zubrus shouldn’t have been banished to the fourth line. He was playing excellent hockey for the second half of this season, after his return from injury. In fact, I would go as far as saying that he has played better this season as a Devil than any other season with NJ thus far.
"We aim above the mark to hit the mark." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Confused
I have been a Devs fan since I could skate, so I do not say this in a disrespectful way. But it seems like every game we lose after having an amazing came, Lemaire comes out and says we looked tired and that is why we lost. Well isn’t it a sign of a good team when they can play back to back and not show a lack of energy? I mean, we are about to go into playoffs, and I am pretty nervous when we continually lose back to back. I do not think Lemaire can keep ‘excusing’ this lack of energy. Maybe it is not excusing, but at least taking a stronger stand against it? Teams of our talent should not show a lack of energy in back to backs,
Dan
I’m with ya. With the conditioning these guys do and the supreme athletic shape they are in, and considering their light travel schedule compared to some teams, being tired isn’t an excuse more than once or twice. Any more than that and it isn’t an excuse any longer, it’s a problem.
I agree. What happens during a playoff series if they play Montreal? Will they be “tired” flying home after every road game? Montreal to Philly isn’t that much farther than Montreal to Newark.
If Andrew Peters ever plays again it will be too soon.
by LangsForPres on Mar 29, 2010 3:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Lets give Philly credit.
Philly played a great game last night. They are fighting for the playoffs right now., The Montreal game we played great last night so-so. I agree that losing a back to back is not good but sometimes you have to give the other team credit for winning the game.
Donald Vasquez
the flyers look desperate and they should there not a lock for the playoffs yet.i would not like the devils to face this team in the first round they are capable of much more then we have seen up till now and with the way the playoffs have gone for the devils latley i wouldnt want them to pick it up right when the devils are facing them in the first round.
by Imperator_Celtic on Mar 29, 2010 7:47 PM EDT up reply actions
Never seen this statement before
From the Yahoo (AP) recap of the game: “The Flyers goalie had let an early 2-0 lead slip away on March 25 to Minnesota. They didn’t let that happen against the high-scoring Devils.” 19th in the league in goals per game last I checked.
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