Devils centers lead 5-2 victory over San Jose Sharks posted by Devils Fan

Devils’ Mike Cammalleri scored his team-leading 15th goal of the season as the Devils went into the NHL All-Star break by defeating the San Jose Sharks, 5-2, Monday night at SAP Center.

The game was tied, 2-2, when Cammalleri scored on the power play at 14:45 of the second period. Travis Zajac and Jacob Josefson (shorthanded) added goals in the third.

The Devils finished the California trip 2-1-0 and are 4-2-1 in their last six games. Since the team's coaching change on Dec. 26, the Devils are 5-5-1.

Centers Cammalleri, Travis Zajac, Scott Gomez and Josefson all starred in the win.

Adam Henrique passed Jaromir Jagr for the Devils' scoring lead when he picked up assists on Cammalleri's power play goal and Josefson's shorthanded score. That gave Henrique 26 points in 40 games. Jagr has 25 points in 43 games.

A relentless Jordin Tootoo scored a goal in the first period on his third try from below the right hash marks.

The Devils did well in winning face-offs, led by Zajac and Josefson. Zajac and Josefson both also scored goals.

Tim Sestito was shaken up when he was elbowed his the head by Brent Burns in the second period. Sestito remained down for a time before going to the Devils' bench. There were boos from the crowd when Burns was issued a minor penalty for an illegal hit to the head.

Henrique took a tripping penalty and Jon Merrill followed him to the box with a hooking penalty, putting the Devils two men down for 2 seconds in the third period with the game still in the balance.

With two assists, Gomez has 466 points as a Devil. That ranks sixth on the team's all-time list behind Bobby Holik (472 points). Now the Devils look ahead to the all star break.

Ducks make it easy for Bryzgalov in 5-1 win posted by Ducks Fan

Anaheim Ducks goalie Ilya Bryzgalov got his first win with the team and his teammates couldn’t have made it any easier.

The Ducks needed only 14 saves from Bryzgalov as they throttled the New Jersey Devils Friday night in an easy 5-1 victory at Honda Center.

“They played tremendous,” Bryzgalov said. “They play really hard for me to get that win. Pretty much they give them nothing and score five goals. What else can you ask from the team?”

The Ducks held New Jersey to one shot in the second period, tying a team mark last set in October against Dallas. The Devils had just six shots in the first 40 minutes.

It was another dominating effort after a 4-0 dismantling of Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday, leading the Ducks to think they’re on to something better after living on the edge most of the season.

Beleskey, who was scratched Wednesday, dropped a soft pass for a trailing Lindholm on a rush up ice and he snapped a shot past Kinkaid on the stick side for a 2-1 lead.

Just 1:52 later, Silfverberg got his first goal and point since Dec. 13 by tapping in Andrew Cogliano’s centering pass to snap a 12-game slump. Patrick Maroon also ended a goal-scoring drought dating to Dec. 3 when he beat Kinkaid after getting a pass from Ryan Getzlaf.

“It’s been a long time,” Silfverberg said. “It felt good to get a couple tonight. Hopefully I can build off this and keep scoring more goals frequently.”

Lindholm would set up Silfverberg’s power-play goal late in the third to finish the rout. Bryzgalov finally had to do his heavy lifting in the third, starting it by making back-to-back saves on Michael Ryder and Mike Cammalleri to keep the two-goal edge intact.

New Jersey Devils Strength and Weaknesses posted by Devils Fan

The devils have always played in their own unique style that has set them apart from other teams. This is partly due to the authority that Lou Lamoriello has had over the team. The play exceptionally well with limited resources and this has always been their strength.

Defence and Goalie

They have a good goalie in Cory Schneider. The goalie has a .926 save advantage last season. The team defence is not bad either. This means that the team can build its game from the net outwards with no problems at the defence and goal tending.

Ilya Kovalchuk Departure and the Offence

The offence hasn’t been the same after the departure of Ilya Kovalchuk last season. The veteran would have finished the previous season with an incredible performance, were it not for the fact that he had a herniated disc at the critical stage of the game.

The team is also in need of young player who will take the team not only through this season but also into the future. 42 year old Jaromir Jagr and 38 year old Patrik Elias were the top scorers for the team with 67 and 53 points respectively.

Cammalleri and Havlat are the new players added to the team this season and they are both in their 30s. Despite this, both players have shown they are capable of bringing in the numbers for the devils. The team desperately needs to perform better 25.5 against shots per season which was the worst performance in the league.

Conclusion

Despite the fact that he is one of the oldest players in the leaugue, Jaromir Jagr can still help the team get the numbers they need. Together with the new acquisitions, the team can be expected to get to the position the finished in last season, or make a slight improvement. 

LA Kings Win Stanley Cup in 6 posted by Richard Kagan

What a great day for hockey in LA.  The Kings, benefitted from a boarding major on a hit in the first period and scored three power play goals to take a 3-0 first period lead and command of the clinching game.  It was 4-1 Kings, when they scored two late goals in the 3rd period to ice the game and the Cup.  Then it was counting down the clock and finally, at 0:00, the KIngs' players tossed their gloves and sticks in the air and the crowed went crazy.  Jonathan Quick, the great goalie for LA won the Conn Symthe Throphy.   Gary Bettman, NHL President didn't suffer the boos from the LA throng when he gave the trophy to Quick or when he asked Dustin Brown to claim the Stanley Cup for the winners.  They were overjoyed to see their home team, an 8th seed in the playoffs, who stormed through the Western seeds, oust an upset minded Devils team.  LA has had some tough seasons, Always an after thought in the Western Conference, they are the new Cup Winners and stepchild no more.Continue reading "LA Kings Win Stanley Cup in 6"

St. John's Defeats Duke, 93-78 posted by Richard Kagan

The St. John's Red Storm beat handily the Duke Blue Devils 93-78 at Madison Square Garden on Sunday before 19,390 fans. St. John's played tough, gritty team basketball with energy and passion. The Red Storm rose to the occasion in a marquee matchup, topping the #3 nationally ranked Dukies.

Dwight Hardy netted 26 points, and Jason Brownlee scored 20 points and had 9 rebounds. D.J. Kennedy and Sean Evans each scored 10 points for the Johnnies, who had played 8 nationally ranked team in a row this month. Duke, being the 8th team, The St. John's Red Storm (12-8) sent a message that they are a strong team, and will not be ignored in the flurry of wins and losses among the college elite.

Duke missed many three point attempts, and played a sub-par game, and the Red Storm pounced on each miss, coming down the floor and making a nice pass to the open man for a basket. St. John's had 21 assists to Duke's 9 in the contest.

This effort came off of blow-out loss to Georgetown where St. John's lost by 25 points. They decided to stick it to Duke and lead by 20+ points through most of the first half and part of the second half. They simply would not let Duke back in the game. In this game, St. John's had an answer. It was a senior who made the right pass to the open man and knocked down the basket. There are 10 seniors on this team, and they played like they wanted a Duke win on their belt.

Well, they got it. Duke got some nice treys but it was too late to amount to anything. Kyle Singler, one of the top players in the country, was nullified.
Continue reading "St. John's Defeats Duke, 93-78"

New Jersey Devils Sign Anton Volchenkov to a 6-year, $25.5M Contract and Henrik Tallinder to a 4-year, $13.5M Deal posted by Jeff Ponder

It looks like the Devils were more worried about a defensive game than an Ilya Kovalchuk game.

 New Jersey got one of the best shot-blockers in the league.  But don't think that the team is the only winner here; Volchenkov has to be happy that he won't have to block those Brian Rolston bombs anymore.  The Russian defenseman was yet another piece that the Devils knew they needed.  He really brings more of a competitive edge to New Jersey as the league's best shot-blocker.

Henrik Tallinder is a former Buffalo defenseman that can put fear into opposing offenses.  His 6'3” stature doesn't even speak for how well he keeps forwards out of the play.  He also is a smooth skater that possesses soft hands to make some long stretch passes out of his zone.  New Jersey knew what they wanted when they went after this guy.

A cap-hit of $4.25 million may be a little too high for Volchenkov, as he really does not possess much of an offensive game.  His former salary of $3.5 million with Ottawa was just about right for what a defensive defenseman should command.  But if Volchenkov and Tallinder can combine to stop all opposing offenses with the help of their defensive teammates, it may prove to be two great pickups at season's end.Continue reading "New Jersey Devils Sign Anton Volchenkov ..."

USA! USA! USA! posted by Goon Squad

Has it been 30 years now since the US beat the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid?(It seems like only yesterday...)

The Americans went on to win the gold medal in hockey that year - something that hasn't happened since, but don't expect any miracles next month at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. No, the United States still isn't favored to win a gold medal in hockey. In that respect the Americans remain underdogs. But with a roster stacked with young talent, they certainly are a medal candidate - one that the powerhouses from Canada, Russia and Sweden can't afford to overlook. "A little bit different situation [than 1980] in my opinion," said United States team captain Jamie Langenbrunner, a forward with the NHL's New Jersey Devils. "As much as Canada deserves all the credit that they're getting for the players they have, the 23 players named to the [United States] team play in the same league as those guys and we feel quite comfortable playing against them on a nightly basis. We feel we belong on the same ice."

That's a far cry from goalie Jim Craig and the 1980 team! US coach Herb Brooks had to convince that group of college All-Stars that it could compete with the grown men the Soviet Union sent over. But since 1998 the NHL has allowed its professional players to compete at the Winter Olympics. So this group of Americans is baffled by the notion that they would be intimidated by any of the major hockey powers.

Told of stories in the Canadian press that listed him as the only American capable of making the loaded Team Canada roster, forward Zach Parise chuckled. "I think that's kind of a bold statement," said Parise, also a New Jersey Devils forward. "I don't think there's going to be too many people that would agree with that."

And the winner is… posted by Andy Charles

 Well, we’ve made it to the halfway point of the season, so it is time to hand out a few awards to the deserving, the hopeless and the sensational.

Team of the season: I’m going to take the New Jersey Devils here since they are the one team to impress me more than I had expected. I thought Chicago and San Jose might be the quality of the West and so it has proved. The Devils; well I saw them as a decent playoff team but not the halfway top seed.

Martin Brodeur has been predictably brilliant, but the Devils continue to get offense from a team that lacks star quality after Zach Parise. And the biggest surprise among them? Has to be Andy Greene with 23 points in 37 games, already doubling any output he has managed in four NHL seasons.

Bust of the season: Plenty to choose from here but (sad for me since I am a fan) the Anaheim Ducks should try for the Anaheim Sucks. Twelve points out of the playoffs in the West and not even the best team around Los Angeles.

The goals haven’t been too hard to find and they have the scoring, but the defense has been shoddy despite Scott Niedermayer and Ryan Whitney being in town. They do have the talent to get out of their predicament and some NHL Predictions suggest they will, but it is not going to be easy given the strength of the West.

Surprise of the season: No doubt for me – has to be the Colorado Avalanche. Just on top of the Northwest Division after a season predicted to be dogged by youthful struggles. A brilliant free agency signing of goalie Craig Anderson has helped but Wojtek Wolski is finally becoming the player many thought he could be and watch out for Chris Stewart as well – the next top class power forward.

Tkachuk Signs One-Year Contract and other NHL Notables posted by Jeff Ponder

St. Louis Blues President John Davidson announced Friday that forward Keith Tkachuk has agreed to return to the club for one more year.  The Blues and Tkachuk have been having talks about a return since being ousted from the playoffs in April.  The deal is reportedly worth $2.15 million.

“Keith is a veteran leader who played a key role with our club’s success this past season,” Davidson added. “He and his wife Chantal are first class people and have been tremendous to the St. Louis Blues organization and the St. Louis community.”

Tkachuk tallied 25 goals and 24 assists in 79 games in 2008-09, along with 14 power-play goals that placed him second on the team just behind Brad Boyes.  He started the season red hot though, scoring 7 goals in the Blues' first 6 games of the season.  He was also the only Blue to participate in the 2009 NHL All-Star Game, which saw him score the first goal of the game.  His point totals have trailed off in his eight seasons in a Blues jersey, considering in 2001-02 Tkachuk netted 38 goals and 75 points.  Scoring is not what Tkachuk was brought back for though.

Tkachuk has come a long way from his days of scoring 40-50 goals with the Phoenix Coyotes and Winnipeg Jets franchise.  Not only is he still widely known as a hitter and a mule in front of the net, but he has added much depth to his game.  Tkachuk spent a good portion of 2009 as a third line center, usually between the likes of gritty wingers Dan Hinote and Brad Winchester.  When Tkachuk was on these checking lines, there was always a chance that a puck would cross the opposing red goal line.  But his strength came in when he would forecheck and pressure the other team's defenses.  Growing a little older, Tkachuk learned to adapt his game and still be a presence even though he cannot score 40 goals in a season anymore.
Continue reading "Tkachuk Signs One-Year Contract and ..."

NHL Playoffs Rock On! First the East posted by Joshua Tarkoff

Welcome everyone to my first post here on the hockey blogs! I know I am a Floridian, but hockey certainly runs through my veins. Today, I will first be talking about the Eastern Conference. And...how about them Bruins! They look like the team they were when the season started. I was a bit concerned about them in the middle of the season, I mean after all they lost to the Panthers and the Lightning in one road trip. I did not think they were contenders when the playoffs started, but I am starting to rethink that now. Their power play gives me nightmares. Bruins in sweep, I say.

The biggest surprise series so far has to be Caps-Rangers. Just like the Bruins, I was not much of a believer in the Rangers, but after taking the first 2 in Washington, they may just have a chance. I must say that the Washington fans are tough, I watched them lose to my Panthers in March and the team started booing after just giving up 2 goals...rough crowd! Things do not look good if Ovie gets going though. Maybe it was because he was caught watching the Rangers practice the other day ( http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs/2009/news?id=4083635). Lol, that Ovie. Whatever his off the ice antics, I firmly believe he is the best player we have in the game right now. I had the privilege of watching him twice this year and I was astounded at how good he is. Caps in 7.

And NJ is quietly doing their thing without much fanfare. While I am not too much of a Devils fan, it is tough to go against Brodeur and company. They may not be pretty, but they do have a solid playoff system going there. I was thinking upset by the Canes at first as they finished the regular season so strong, but I can't go against Brodeur quite yet. Devils in 6.

Palmieri signs 5-year, $23.25M contract with Devils (Yahoo Sports)

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From Yahoo Sports

New Jersey Devils sign free agent Gazdic, re-sign Josefson (Yahoo Sports)

The New Jersey Devils have signed free agent left wing Luke Gazdic and re-signed restricted free agent center Jacob Josefson. General manager Ray Shero announced the moves on Tuesday. The 25-year-old Josefson got a one-year, $1.1 million contract and Gazdic signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $700,000. [read full article]

From Yahoo Sports

Devils sign Lovejoy to $8 million, 3-year deal (Yahoo Sports)

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- The New Jersey Devils have signed defenseman Ben Lovejoy to an $8 million, three-year deal. [read full article]

From Yahoo Sports

Devils acquire former No. 1 pick Taylor Hall from Oilers (Yahoo Sports)

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From Yahoo Sports

Devils make qualifying offers to Palmieri, 4 others (Yahoo Sports)

The New Jersey Devils have tendered a qualifying offer to leading scorer Kyle Palmieri and four other restricted free agents. Forwards Reid Boucher, Jacob Josefson, Sergey Kalinin and minor league defenseman Reece Scarlett also received qualifying offers from the Devils before Monday's deadline. Forwards Beau Bennett, Devante Smith-Pelley and defenseman Jon Merrill did not receive offers, although the team is hoping to re-sign them before they become unrestricted free agents on Friday or after that. [read full article]

From Yahoo Sports