Most good things must come to some end and tonight it was the end of a five game winning streak. The New Jersey Devils suffered their first non-win of the month in a 4-3 shootout loss to the St. Louis Blues. All things considered, I can't say I'm upset or really disappointed in how the Devils played or even the final result.

Sure, the Devils were in a position to win and didn't get it. I'm not saying fans shouldn't care about that or that I don't care about that. Rather, the Devils played a really, really, really good Blues team in a fairly even game and took them all the way to a shootout. Outside of the shootout itself, the Devils didn't fall flat on their face or lose their focus entirely when St. Louis scored or had a good shift. The Devils had several opportunities of their own to attack and succeeded with three goals and sending their starting goaltender, Jaroslav Halak, to the bench. It would have been great if they got a fourth goal on the several chances they had to get one; but Brian Elliott played excellent in relief and other chances just didn't get finished for one reason or another. It happens.

Sure, the Devils had a lead in the third period and it got lost in that final third of the game. It's not like the Devils really blew it, though. The goal itself was a floating shot from Roman Polak that Patrik Berglund deflected into the net through traffic and Johan Hedberg. As far as equalizing goals go, that's just a bad break for New Jersey. There was some concern about the height of Berglund's stick, but a video review showed that it wasn't clearly over the crossbar. The goal stood and it became 3-3 until the end of regulation and, eventually, overtime. The Devils didn't sit on the 3-2 lead, they out-shot the Blues 9-6 in the third and that's including a 5 minute penalty kill when Kurtis Foster got a major and a game misconduct for boarding. The Devils played a relatively good third period; an unfortunate deflection just beat them. It happens. All it meant that the Devils went from two points to one point.

Frankly, if the Devils had to end their winning streak, then the one opponent who's in the opposite conference and is actually one of the best teams in the league is a good place as any to see it end. Still, the Devils got a point out of the game and they're still in fifth in the Eastern Conference for now. From a results perspective, it's not bad. From a performance perspective, I don't have too many complaints about how the Devils did against the Blues. The team ended at -1 Corsi and +1 Fenwick in even strength; which reflects how the game really went. The shootout was the only real disappointment from the home team, but I suppose the Devils weren't going to stay elite as the Blues weren't going to stay terrible at it. It happens. Should the Devils pick up some more wins soon, then it's no big deal.

I have more thoughts on tonight's game after the jump. For the opposition's point of view, Brad Lee has this recap at St. Louis Game Time.

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Martin Brodeur led the New Jersey Devils to beat the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, 1-0. That's right, it's a shutout win and it's Martin Brodeur's first of this season. In fact, it's his first shutout win since March 20, 2011, a 3-0 win over Columbus. In that game, Brodeur didn't have to play out of his mind to get it. Tonight was the exact opposite. Brodeur had to be excellent tonight. I cannot emphasize this enough: Martin Brodeur led the Devils to victory over the New York Rangers.

The opening of the game looked as good as you could get. The Devils came out with pace and pressure. They drew a call and David Clarkson buried a feed from Zach Parise in the slot for a power play goal. The first, second, and third lines got pressure on Henrik Lundqvist. Even the fourth line wasn't abjectly terrible. The Rangers came alive late in the first period; but they weren't that threatening. The second period was similar to the first, only the Devils didn't score (they came close) and the Rangers had more opportunities off the rush. But the Rangers either botched them or Brodeur stopped them with aplomb. It wasn't Brodeur's play in net that was impressive in the first two periods, but his play outside of the net. He was putting on a clinic in moving the puck, rarely making an error or putting a puck in an inopportune place. The Rangers kept trying to dump the puck in and forecheck the Devils; but Brodeur neutralized a lot of their efforts.

However, the third period began and it almost went awry for the Devils. They started off slow; not fatigued, but just lacking in the spark. The Rangers didn't have to dump it in so much and they created more shots. The Devils iced the puck too many times early, hurting their cause - even after a timeout by Peter DeBoer. As time went on, the Devils sold out on offense and just switched to a dump-and-change approach. Outside of an one-on-one opportunity by Jacob Josefson, Henrik Lundqvist didn't have to do anything in the third period. Adding to their woes, Bryce Salvador hit Carl Hagelin early and away from the puck, handing the Rangers a power play as they had the run of the game. Even after the kill, the Devils skaters went right back to sitting on 1-0.

Fortunately for them, Martin Brodeur didn't relent. Yes, the defenders did a great job cleaning up loose pucks. But Brodeur was just excellent when it seemed like he was the only one trying to keep the lead. He positioned himself very well; his reactions were on point; and his movement was fluid. Even after Ryan Callahan fell on Brodeur's right ankle in a collision, Brodeur remained strong in net - twisted ankle (so Brodeur said to Tom Gulitti after the game) The only time Brodeur was beaten was in the dying seconds of the game and it required Marian Gaborik to illegally and intentionally plow through Brodeur in his crease so Artem Anisimov can put home a loose puck. Thankfully, the referees correctly called goaltender interference, ruled it "no goal," put Gaborik in the box, and the final 3.5 seconds were just killed off based on position. When you have to cheat to beat a goaltender, it means the goaltender has been superb.

Martin Brodeur made 30 saves to earn his 117th career shutout and a 1-0 win to extend the team's winning streak to five games. Even his biggest critics have to recognize that he was sensational tonight and critical for the team's win. I just hope in the future, his teammates will give him some offensive support and the coaches and skaters can make a concerted effort to not fall apart in the third period. Brodeur essentially bailed out his team en route to two big points in the standings; but that's not a gameplan for anyone to rely on in the future.

I have a few more thoughts on tonight's game after the jump. For the opposition point of view, please check out Bryan Winter's recap over at Blueshirt Banter. Please be nice if you're going over there, and please be polite when you point out that, yes, Gaborik interfered with Brodeur and so the refs didn't really rob the Rangers of anything.

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For the fourth straight game, the Devils put up more than 3 goals. For the fourth straight game, the goaltending has stepped up at opportune times. For the fourth straight game, Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise, David Clarkson, and Patirk Elias have at least a point.

For the fourth straight game, the Devils have won.

In their second afternoon game this weekend, New Jersey defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2. It was somewhat like yesterday's game in Philadelphia where they Devils took an early lead, continued dominance in the middle period, chased their opponent's goalie, and held on a multi-goal lead in the 3rd period. Once again the team's top players were exactly that. The defense even contributed with a goal and an assist. Martin Brodeur was excellent and came up big in the 3rd period to secure the win. He even got an assist, his 4th of the season.

I have a few mroe thoughts on the game after the jump. To see the other side of things, go to PensBurgh for their recap.

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One thing you have to say about the New Jersey Devils this season is that they are rarely boring. There's always something going on in the games that they play. Be it something good, something bad, and usually it's both. The Devils have had their worst moments and biggest triumphs in the third period. They've made improbable comebacks and improbable meltdowns. They've done it all, sometimes to the our chagrin. Today's game against the Philadelphia Flyers resulted in a 6-4 win, and it was done in one of the more agonizing ways possible.

The Devils completely blew away the Flyers in the first two periods. They started off the game well and just rolled on. They got power play opportunities and succeeded by going 3-for-7 in this afternoon. They got two 5-on-3 situations and scored on both of them. They got a shorthanded goal and then a rebound within the final minute of the first period to turn a good 1-0 lead into a huge 3-0 lead. The Devils added two more goals within the first two minutes of the second period to really put the Flyers in a hole. A sixth goal on their second five-on-three situation surely put the nail in the coffin. Thanks to an effective power play, the Devils heavily out-shot the Flyers 30-17 in the game's first 40 minutes. While even strength play was stunted due to all of penalties called, the Devils were only -2 in Corsi after the second period. They were up by six goals and they weren't being out-attempted by much - and those extra Flyer attempts were mostly blocked, as evidenced by the Devils' +5 in Fenwick. You couldn't ask for a better performance than what the Devils did in the first and second periods. The Flyers were undisciplined, unfocused, and they became undone. The Devils were dominant and they made the Flyers pay for their reckless play. The Flyers could get little in response except on their own power plays, which they did not convert on then. It was all good for the Devils after the second period.

With a six goal lead, the Devils relaxed and let up a bit from an intensity standpoint. They played their depth players more often and all they had to do was to avoid doing dumb things. The former was sensible, as the Devils do have a game against Pittsburgh at 1 PM tomorrow. The latter should be obvious, but still has to be a point of emphasis given the situation. Surely, the Devils, who have blown three goal leads a handful of times this season, can just play out the third period without issue. It's just 20 minutes, they can't blow that up, right?

Well, the Flyers came very close to doing that. It didn't start off so quickly. With the home team, who has been an offensive force this season, down six goals, one would expect them to take the game to the Devils. However, there is a huge difference between the opposition just attacking more often and getting out-shot 24-1. Seriously, the Devils just drowning out there as time went on and could only get themselves some occasional relief. Again, it wasn't like the Flyers came out and destroyed them immediately. No, it took some time. When Wayne Simmonds scored on a second rebound attempt over Johan Hedberg's stretched out body, it was no big deal. Just a consolation goal. Then Jaromir Jagr hammers home a shot off a fortunate re-direction on Johan Hedberg's flank and it's 6-2. Then after a physical fracas, the Devils take a stupid penalty with their top two defensemen on the PK in the box and Claude Giroux slams in a great shot to make it 6-3. Johan Hedberg had no chance on it; but the effect was massive.

The Flyers PP finally got the board and all of a sudden, the crowd at the Wells Fargo Center is alive, the Flyers are pumped, and it's apparent the Devils are getting worked. Jakub Voracek buried another rebound to make it 6-4 and Devils fans have fallen from happy to either incredibly nervous, worried, angry, or some combination of the three. All of a sudden Kurtis Foster clears a puck out of the crease and you're just thinking to yourself, "Please stop this shot Moose, please someone get to the puck, please someone get a clearance, please someone get the puck down the other end of the rink." The Devils lost the plot on the ice and had to calm down. They eventually did, but Philly made it a game when it really wasn't less than 20 minutes ago and they pressed hard. The Flyers pulled their goaltender and the Devils were stymied in their attempts to ice the game. Fortunately, the Devils would hold on to win 6-4. The final third of the game certainly wasn't boring; though I think I speak for all Devils fans that I wish it was a nice and easy third period. It was anything but.

Essentially, the Devils were brilliant for the first 40 minutes and blew away the Flyers. Then they were atrocious and let them come back in the third. The Devils' initial lead was too large for Philadelphia to overcome, but it brings to mind that old cliche: "Hockey is a 60 minute game." Perhaps the Devils will remember that in the future and act accordingly, hopefully by tomorrow afternoon. If it wasn't for the big six goal lead, then we're talking about a heartbreaker instead.

Believe me, there were some big positives among the negatives and I'll discuss what I felt were the important ones after the jump. For the opposition's point of view, Kreider at Broad Street Hockey has this recap.

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While there were no fights in tonight's game between the Montreal Canadiens and the New Jersey Devils, the game as a whole seemed like one bout in retrospect.

The visitors, a team that seriously needs some wins to get back into thinking about playoff contention, came into the Rock with a chip on their shoulder. They tried as hard as they could to put the New Jersey Devils into a deep hole, and looked to do just that early on. The Devils even helped out a few times. The visitors threw hard hits, high hits, illegal hits that weren't called, and all other kinds of fouling play. The visitors threw rubber at the net and took advantage of a Devils defensive effort that was similar to what was seen on Tuesday: inconsistent, wavering between solid and pylon-esque. They drew metaphorical blood with two goals within the game's first 10 minutes. It was so bad, Peter DeBoer used his timeout after Montreal's second goal just to get a message through to his players - and they still got outplayed for much of the first period. Montreal drove to the net when they could and found success three times tonight. The Devils offense took a while to get going and only got a goal when Carey Price completely misplayed an otherwise harmless shot from Zach Parise. It made the score look flattering, but it was apparent that the Canadiens were the better team early on. It got worse early in the second period. Montreal went up 3-1 due to a power play miscue resulting in the team's 13th shorthanded goal against this season. Was there an immediate response? Hardly, the Devils certainly weren't playing like a team down a few goals.

The game was heated, it was downright nasty, and given the early advantage, one would have expected Montreal to run away with the game. A shorty after a period of getting beaten on the ice and having a goal denied by the officials (the right call, in retrospect) would lead one to that expectation. It was reasonable to think the Devils were done before the halfway mark of the game. At some point, however, the Devils started fighting back.

They got a power play mid-way through the second that actually wasn't terrible and ineffective and it resulted in a goal against the league's top penalty kill. It not only made the score look more competitive, but the Devils players and the fans started generating a bigger buzz. Martin Brodeur demonstrated that he can still keep a team in the game in spite of their flaws. The Devils, slowly but surely, started to break into Montreal's zone and get rubber on Carey Price. They got enough of an attack to suggest that at 3-2 going into the third period, the game was still up for grabs. The defensive effort was as loose as the referee's idea of discipline tonight; but the game was not out of doubt.

The Devils broke through in the third period. They equalized in the third when Dainius Zubrus tipped an Alexei Ponikarovsky shot past Price. They pushed for a fourth goal and got rewarded late when Ilya Kovalchuk shanked a shot and the puck thankfully sailed right to Parise at the side of the net. Price could do nothing about Parise burying it into the twine to put them up 4-3. The Canadiens were stunned. They pulled Price and the Devils largely controlled play. After missing on a few empty net tries and Montreal icing the puck (seriously), the Devils eventually got a clearance to David Clarkson. The man who deflected Ilya Kovalchuk's shot in on the power play picked up his second of the night on the empty netter. The Canadiens, who played the game with tough and sometimes down-right dirty edge, got their licks on the Devils. They had them dazed. But the Devils recovered, kept at it in the game, and ultimately knocked them out in regulation. The Devils didn't leave the game unscathed - Adam Larsson suffered a bruise to his lower back after a big hit by P.K. Subban - but they can hold their heads up high. They won tonight's battle 5-3.

I have a few more thoughts about tonight's win after the jump. For an opposition perspective, please check out Habs Eyes on the Prize.

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Tonight, the New Jersey Devils came from behind to tie the New York Rangers twice late in regulation. The game itself was frenetic and fitting for two rival teams that simply dislike each other given the pace and physical actions. The Rangers did their best to go up in the game; but the Devils kept fighting back and were rewarded for their efforts. Close calls in overtime were just that and so a shootout was necessary. Thankfully, this game would have a winner. Ilya Kovalchuk and Martin Brodeur sealed it to make it a 4-3 shootout win. The Devils' three game winless (and only one goal scored) streak was snapped; and it happened against those blue fellows from across the river in an exciting, dramatic, and tense fashion.

As I left the Rock and headed towards Newark Penn Station, a Rangers fan had something to say as I walked by with the confidence that comes with seeing a hated rival lose. It was an older gentleman, clad in a Rangers-branded tracksuit. He stated: "It's better to be lucky than good sometimes, huh?" With the high of a hard-fought, dramatic victory over a rival in mind, I just snapped "That's the story of the Rangers season." Truthfully, it wasn't most witty response. It didn't necessitate a response. However, what he said did stick with me from the whole trip back home to write this very recap.

At the time, I felt it was a put down. Perhaps that was the intent. He was a fan of a rival unhappy to see their team blow a lead late in the game twice. He didn't look pleased when he said what he said. It certainly wasn't a compliment. I thought about it some more and I think he sort of hit on something.

Let's take a step back first. The New Jersey Devils went into the All Star Game break with a 2-1 shootout loss to Buffalo. That was a game where the Devils did everything right except score two goals. They came close in regulation. They came close in overtime. It didn't happen. In fact, the Sabres only scored in regulation due to a fortuitous bounce off the glass that laid a puck right out in front for Buffalo to poke in. The Devils outplayed the Sabres, but they didn't get enough breaks despite their efforts - and they lost in a shootout. The Devils were good, but not lucky and they didn't get the desired result.

Now let's jump to tonight, the Devils hosted the Rangers and had an uneven performance of sorts. The Devils did well enough on offense (+2 in team Corsi) but it took until the second period before it really germinated. And it wasn't even all that pressing in the third. The Devils defense seemingly jumped from playing solid in their own end to sheer panic at times. Frustrating to witness and it burned the Devils a couple of times. Martin Brodeur made several huge stops to bail out the skaters; but still let up a soft one late after Ilya Kovalchuk's equalizer. And the Devils did get their share of big breaks. The Devils fought back to tie the game 3-3, but it may not have happened if Greene's dump-in hit the glass itself or the boards as intended - or if David Clarkson wasn't charging through the center of the ice for the puck. The first third period equalizer may not have happened if the Rangers cleared the puck on their third PK instead of attempting to attack, which led to the odd-man rush. The shootout wouldn't have happened if Derek Stepan curled that puck into the net in OT instead of pushing it laterally across the line; or if Andy Greene didn't clear it away quickly enough. The Devils were lucky to get a point tonight with that in mind. The Rangers did enough to win and seemingly iced the game when Michael Del Zotto scored that third goal. The Devils were lucky to get the opportunities to equalize twice in the third period.

The key here is that the Devils made the most of those opportunities that they were fortunate to get. Kovalchuk made sure the odd-man rush wasn't just an opportunity; Clarkson made Biron pay for keeping his legs open after the bad bounce; Greene did clear the puck; and the Devils did make sure the Rangers didn't get anything easy on net in OT (or anything at all per the scorer).

The man almost had it right: the Devils were lucky. They were also good enough to not squander it as they got a result. And the Devils did just that. That's just how it is in hockey - like in all sports.

As usual, I have more thoughts on tonight's game after the jump as well as links to the game's stats and a highlight video from NHL.com. For the opposition's point of view, please check out Bryan Winter's recap over at Blueshirt Banter. He's not happy about the bounce that led to Clarkson's goal and I can't say I blame him. Sometimes, it's better to be lucky (and close your five hole) than good.

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Tonight's game could best be described in one word- unfortunate. The game itself wasn't unfortunate- rather incredibly boring (So much so that TG even had to say that it was terrible on twitter). What happened to the Devils was. The Devils outshot the Sabres. They had the better chances. They had a PPG. Yet all they managed was one goal and one point. The Sabres only goal came on an unfortunate bounce off a stanchion right to Jordan Leopold. Everything that could've went wrong went wrong for the Devils. And they lost to the worst team in the east. Going into the All-Star break, the Devils are in a 3 game losing streak, without their best defenseman. Who knows what's going to happen now?

More thoughts on tonight's game can be found after the jump, or over at Die By the Blade if you want a Sabres perspective.

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The New Jersey Devils lost to the rival Philadelphia Flyers 4-1. The main culprit were the two special teams. By no means was this a pretty game. There were lots of sloppiness on both sides. Offenses struggled to get sustained attacks in each others' end of the rink. Passes bounced off blades of sticks or missed their mark. Board play was particularly gritty with both teams just going at each other physically first and playing for the puck second. Loads of penalties were called and the referees still let a lot go for both teams. The only aspect of this game that wasn't ugly were special teams play. Unfortunately, that was one-sided in today's affair at the Rock. The visitors just dominated on special teams.

The Flyers power play was absolutely on point today. They've received five opportunities and those lasted four minutes mostly due to two power play goals scored. Ten seconds into Adam Larsson's interference penalty, Scott Hartnell tipped Kimmo Timonen's shot from the center point past Wayne Simmonds and Martin Brodeur. That goal made it 2-0 in the second period. While the Devils responded with a goal of their own later, that power play tally would hold up as the game winning goal. Later in the third period, Hartnell made the Devils pay for another penalty: a (stupid) delay of game call on Ilya Kovalchuk for clearing a puck over the glass. The Flyers held possession around the perimeter until Hartnell skated in between Bryce Salvador and Dainius Zubrus into the right circle. He's open, Claude Giroux sets him up, and Hartnell slams a one-timer to the top left corner. The Flyers power play only had four minutes of a man advantage, but with two goals on five shots, that's all they needed. The Devils' PK units weren't amazing for once and it cost them dearly.

As usual, the Devils power play was the opposite of amazing. Yet, in my opinion, today's game was the final straw. The Flyers were reckless all game long and they handed the Devils power play after power play. Philly took a lot of dumb calls and so the Devils had six power play opportunities lasting 9:17. The end result of all of them were a mere eight shots on net. I'm surprised they even got eight, since some of these opportunities yielded no shots on net at all. Down a goal, the Devils had two power plays in the third period and got only one on net. They had two power plays in the first period and not only got two shots on net, but allowed a three-on-one shorthanded rush that Martin Brodeur had to bail them out on. It's one thing not to score, but it's another to waste opportunities and settle for outside shots with no support. On the Flyers' power plays, there were screens, there were crisp passes, and players moving around. On the Devils', there was little movement beyond the pointmen, there wasn't any variety, and the passing wasn't on point. I really do not know how Adam Oates still has a job running power plays. Maybe I'm wrong and he really doesn't. Whoever it is needs to quit and have someone else in charge because it's getting ridiculous.

The annoying thing about all of this is that I feared this would happen. In my preview for this game, I said the Devils would be wise to keep this game at 5-on-5. As it turned out, the Devils were the better team at 5-on-5. They out-shot the Flyers in each period at even strength, 22-14. They out-did them in Corsi at +11. They even tied them in 5-on-5 goals at 1-1. The Devils' own attack suffered from a lack of presence in the slot, not able to get to rebounds or pick up loose pucks in front. Yet, they were at least getting into the Flyers' end and getting space to get shots off. The Devils were better than the Flyers in 5-on-5 play today. Yet, they got stupid with their own discipline, they remained stupid on the power play, and now Devils fans feel angry and stupid a game like this ended up at 4-1 because of special teams.

After the game, in this post-game post by Tom Gulitti, Peter DeBoer regretted not sending a message to the top teams in the league about the Devils' quality. Well, it's going to repeat if the special teams (today) and third period issues (Boston) aren't addressed. That's on the coach and the players, of course.

I have a links to stats and a highlight video of today's game after the jump. Please visit Broad Street Hockey if you want to know what the Flyers faithful think for some reason.

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