DING DING DING! Round 1 of Devils vs. Rangers about to begin.

No Sean Avery tonight, and a more cuddly, controlled verson of Andrew Peters to make an apperance tonight, so the fisticuffs may wait until later in the season, but the action is moving fast and furious from the opening whistle.

The Devils score less than two minutes in, when Jay Pandolfo controlled the puck off the boards and found Rob Niedermeyer in the right faceoff circle, and Niedermeyer one-timed it into the upper right corner of the net.

The Rangers took a timeout after the Devils earned another shot on goal, and immediately took a 2 minute interference penalty. The Devils look like a completely different team than Saturday’s version, and we’re only 2 minutes in.

The Rangers kill the penalty, but the momentum is still with the Devils. And our first look at Pikkarainen, the Devils biggest offseason acquisition, is in the penalty box. 2 min for hooking. Awesome. Brodeur makes a save on his right side to start the PK.

Michael Del Zotto, one of the youngins playing for the Rangers this season, scored on a wide open rebound from the left side of the ice off of a shot by Vinny Prospal.  First power play goal given up by the Devils this season, and second goal of the season for Del Zotto. FANTASY HOCKEY TIP: Pick up Del Zotto. Now. On an offensively-challenged squad, he may be the scoring leader sooner rather than later.

Devils kill a second penalty very aggressively, and in turn create a penalty on the Rangers. Time to see if the Devils power play is less anemic than its’ Saturday version. With one shot on goal in the fifrst 20 seconds, the answer is yes.

Just as I was telling my colleague Denis Gorman that I didn’t like the Devils new power play set up, with both Zajac and Clarkson crashing the net, Clarkson gets a pass from Parise down low, and makes a sweet backhand, no-look pass to Zajac on the right side of the net. Zajac threw the puck into the upper right hand corner of the net to regain the Devils’ lead.

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Here are three things the Devils can do to help their chances of moving on to the next round:
1. Score first- the earlier this team gets on the board, the better they play. Remember in Marty’s record-breaking day, Zach Parise scored early and the team just cruised from there. Scoring first would keep the crowd in the game, ease the pressure from not scoring last time out, and improve the chances of winning for the team.

2. Use the D to push the puck up- Some of the best stuff we’ve seen out of this team happens when players like Paul Martin and Johnny Oduya push the puck up the ice into the offensive zone rather than sitting back and preventing any mistakes up front. How does that old cheer go? Be! Agressive! Be! Be! Agressive!

3. Be Opportunists- The Devils have failed to capitalize on mistakes made by the Hurricanes, while Carolina has been all over the flaws in New Jersey’s game. It ’s time for the Devils to make the Canes pay for mistakes. Catch them on line switches, fire up the power play, convert the odd-man-rushes, and get traffic infront of Cam Ward. It’s now or never, so take what they give you, and then take some more.

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At this point, I’m so overwhelmed with nerves and stats and historical consequences, that I really don’t have anything coherent to say about game seven other than: This Is Big.

Not only big because it means the end of a season or a rebirth for another best-of-seven. Big because there is a lot of talent on this team that is expensive and aging. This could be the last window of opportunity (although that’s been said many times as superstars have retired from the Devils, and Lou continually puts together a contender). Marty isn’t getting any younger (and neither are his top backups), and players like Shanahan, Holik, Langenbrunner, Elias and the like are starting to edge towards the other end of the bell curve.

That’s where my nerves come from. Am I seeing this team for the last time? Is this the last chance to get a one-on-one interview with the likes of Brendan Shanahan? No one is talking the end of the line, but you never know.

Game seven will be a match of goaltenders, toughness and who can put the freaking puck in the freaking net.

Many feel the 4-0 drubbing the Devils received in Raleigh on Suday should be embarassing enough to fire up the club, but according to some of my peers who were here for morning skate said several players mentioned they were “nervous” about tonight. Jamie Langenbrunner returned for game six, and although he wasn’t able to contribute on offense, he surely brings a calming presence and shakes some sense into his teammates.

Now is not the time to be nervous. Now is the time to be fierce, bold and willing to do everything to win. And that is the beauty of game seven.

Check it out tonight at 7:30 on Versus!

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A 1-0 thriller tonight, the best of playoff hockey. Two guys who didn’t even think they would see power-play time tonight put together the game-winning goal for the Devils. Andy Greene fired a confident blast at the net, and David Clarkson did what he does best: he got in someone’s way, and tipped the puck in.
Martin Brodeur made 44 saves to tie Patrick Roy for most playoff shutouts with 23, and earned playoff win number 98.
What’s the most impressive stat of the game?
22 Blocked Shots. 22. Twenty-two.
That’s team-work, playoff style. Four by Paul Martin alone.
Which reminds me, that was one of my keys to victory for the Devils…
Tomorrow morning we’ll recap the game, look at some quotes from pre-and post-game.
If necessary, I’ll be back in Newark for game seven. With a 3-2 lead, the Devils hold on to the home ice advantage, which makes this an even more interesting weekend to watch hockey.
Good night from Newark.

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The Good, The Bad and the Jussi:

So, here’s the good news: The Devils are 9-1 this season in the first game home from a road trip of two or more games.

The bad news: That one loss came against Carolina.

The good news is Andy Greene and Bobby Holik are in the lineup this evening.

The bad news is Bryce Salvydor and Jamie Langenbrunner are not (again).

The good news is Martin Brodeur is ticked off about the last-second goal in game four.

The bad news is no one else seems to be (maybe becuase it was the right call, but that’s just a thought).

Tonight’s game five against the Carolina Hurricanes seems to be ripe with cliche’s. I did five interviews this morning, and nothing really stood out except for Scott Clemmensen dripping sweat on me. These guys are in media-damage-control, hoping they pull out of the ”we play 25 minutes of good hockey and hope for the best” trend that’s been going on for the past few weeks before their season is over.

Carolina is a good team, a physical team, and a younger team. Patrik Elias is quietly getting shoved around out there. Cam Ward is playing very well, and more importantly, playing very well when the team needs him to. Martin Brodeur may be showing that he has lost a step in the months he was out of the game. It is very possible. He’s still capable of winning multiple playoff series, but just not by himself anymore.

So where does this leave the Devils for tonight? It leaves them with a lot of questions about who is going to step up, who is going to sacrifice themselves to keep the puck away from Marty and who wants to win more.

Here’s some keys to tonight’s game for the Devils:

1. Shot blocking- Standing out and swinging your stick at pucks isn’t going to get the job done at this time of the year. Lay down and keep the puck from reaching Brodeur. There’s some thought that a Devil tipped in the final goal on Tuesday… that should not happen.

2. Production from the 2nd line- Patrik Elias had a killer season very quietly, and now he’s having a very quiet post season. Not what keeps the Devils in the hunt. The Zubrus-Elias-Gionta line needs to provide some scoring for the team. Asking the first line to do it all isn’t helping anyone. Zubrus needs to pick it up big-time; he may be the (biggest) weakest link in that chain.

3. Channeling Marty’s Anger- Brodeur is STILL hot about that call on Tuesday, one of my peers in the pressbox saying he called it the “worst call in hockey history.” Instead of complaining to the refs, take it out on the Canes! The Devils need to use Marty’s anger to fuel the team, find some inner energy. The thing about a core of veterans is that they’ve been here before. They’re not phased by the playoffs, no matter what they say. unlike younger guys who are jazzed to be in the post-season. There are a lot of well-paid veterans, many of whom have their Stanley Cup rings, who might be fine with another extended golf season. But that’s not fair to the fans and the players on the team who still have yet to sip champagne from el grande punch bowl.

Game five might as well be game one in a best of three series. Tonight we shall see if the Devils are ready to fight for the next round.

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Friday, when the Tampa Bay Lightning come to the Prudential Center, Martin Brodeur will be honored for his achievement of the all-time wins record.

The only problem? He has only one more win since breaking the record. I’m sure we all thought by now he’d be at 560, not 553. The past week and a half have been brutal to the club.

Last night in Pittsburgh, Sutter lost his cool (and possibly his job?), and once again the offense could not put anything together.

The one bright spot?

Gio Tracker!

Brian Gionta was the lone goal against the Pens, but the team is now 16-19 when he scores, diluting the Gio Tracker effect to 84.2%. But last night, that was not Gio’s fault.

I’ve been hinting during this awful stretch that the effort in front of Marty isn’t there. And I’m not the only one. Since when did the Devils stop pushing the puck with clean passes? Since when did New Jersey stop blocking shots? Since when has it been okay to play the entire game in front of your own goalie? Never.

Jay Pandolfo filled in for Patrik Elias last night. I doubt Elias would miss a chance to break this losing streak if it were just to rest - the man is all about winning. I would suspect it might be a few more days before we see Elias on the ice.

I’ll keep on eye on the Devils and if Brent Sutter and Lou Lamiorello show up on ESPNEWS in press conference mode. We’ll try to stay current here at ‘The Devils Made Me Do It.’

Until then, stay strong fans!

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I feel completely overwhelmed at this point. As I sit write this, we are less than five minutes into the game and the Devils are up 2-0. It started with a goal by Zach Parise 18 seconds into the game off of a feed from Jamie Langenbrunner. It’s Parise’s 40th goal of the season. Then, at 2:56, John Madden tipped in a pass from Oduya in between the goalies legs.  I haven’t even had a chance to learn how to spell the goalie’s name, who is in his second career NHL game, much less type. SO we’re starting the live blog now, at 6:30 into the first period.

6:55- First media time out in the game. It’s been four minutes since the last goal, the longest drought of the game. Coach Sutter must be concerned. Oh, and the Coyote’s goalie is Johs Tordjman, for accuracy’s sake.

9:34- The Coyotes caught  Marty out of place. Collin White tried to clear the zone with his skate on a double-minor penalty to Zubs, but recently former-Flyer Scottie Upshall grabbed the puck and put it in the open net. No shut out tonight, but the Devils are still manhandling the Coyotes without even trying.

End of the First period (no really, nothing else happened during the period), Devils 2, Coyotes 1. Shots on Goal- Devils 16, Coyotes 5.

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Yuck.  Flames are up 1-0 because they are out muscling, out working and out passing the Devils. I didn’t see Travis Zajac corrall a pass once in the entire period. When Sutter was telling his players this week that they had a standard and expectations to keep up with, I know it was not this.

Jokenin scored the goal, well positioned behind Marty and put in a cross-crease pass. It was the kind of goal the Devils score when their offense is working.

The Flames are a step ahead on each play, breaking up passes, cleaning up the boards, getting odd-man rushes. The difference is so noticable between the two teams, Sutter switched up the lines (also because Mike Rupp was stuck in the box on a fighting penalty and the lines needed to rotate).

The ZZPop line of Langenbrunner- Parise- Zajac removed Parise and inserted Shanahan, and Parise moved onto a line with Zubrus and Elias, sending Gionta down to the third line. We’ll see in the second period if this was a fluke because of Rupp being stuck in the sin bin or if Sutter is looking for some offensive cohesiveness. I wouldn’t expect the ZZPop line to be broken up for long.

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Some thoughts before the puck drops for the Devils against the Calgary Flames.

• Niclas Havelid is playing in his first home  game with the Devils. He was -2 against the Islanders on Saturday in that debacle, but looks to rebound from debut jitters tonight.
• Mike Rupp will be in the lineup for the first time in five games. He’s been a healthy scratch while Jay Pandolfo has seen action. Pando said he was given no reason for the switch, despite the fact that he’s -8 this season.
• Brett Sutter, nephew of Devils coach Brent and son of Flames GM Darryl, was called up for the Flames the other day. He’s a scratch for tonight’s game. Brent’s son, Brandon Sutter, will visit the Devils next week with the Carolina Hurricanes. And somewhere in the middle of nowhere Canada, there’s a Sutter dominating his pee wee league. I would put good money on it.
• Calgary acquired forward Ollie Jokinen from Phoenix and defenseman Jordan Leopold from Colorado at the trade deadline, bolstering an already offensively potent lineup. This team is scary at this moment. I’m gald they’re in the Western Conference.

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