New Jersey Devils
Devils C Henrique returns on Saturday for Devils’ clash with Penguins
New Jersey Devils rookie center Adam Henrique will suit up on Saturday afternoon for the first time since the All-Star break.Henrique has missed the last three games with a sore groin. The Devils went 3-0 in his absence.Henrique should slide back into his regular line centering Ilya Kovalchuk and Zach Parise for Saturday’s contest with the Pittsburgh Penguins.The 21-year-old has 13 goals and 21 assists in 43 games for the Devils this season.
Have the New Jersey Devils Developed a Reputation for Being Soft?
There was a time when teams feared facing the New Jersey Devils. It was understandable with players like Scott Stevens and Ken Daneyko patrolling the blue line. But these days there is no Stevens, no Daneyko and unfortunately opposing players feel as though they no longer have anything to fear.
I heard it mentioned on the Devils radio broadcast that opponents no longer respect New Jersey’s team toughness. I thought about it for a moment before realizing it may not be entirely true. The Devils do not have a player that can intimidate the competition physically….or do they?
Sometimes it’s amazing how much perception differs with reality.
After the Montreal game, all the talk surrounded P.K. Subban and the physicality of the Canadiens. The consensus was that Subban was throwing his body all over the ice, hi-lighted by a massive hit and rookie Adam Larsson. Subban drilled the young defenseman so hard the impact bruised Larsson’s back forcing him to sit at least…
Roger Mussa: Devils Hang with the big boys
My humble opinion…
The first half of the season the New Jersey Devils were feeling things out and establishing its identity.
Devils fan are looking forward to the second half of the season and hopefully shake off the ghosts of the recent recent yers.
Here are my Top 10 identity building events for the Devils (in no particular order):
1) I like the new look/old look coaching staff. B+/A-…
Foster – Australian for beer, or maybe just goal
After being benched by Head Coach Pete DeBoer a game before against Montreal, Kurtis Foster came out to play against the Philadelphia Flyers with a chip on his shoulder. He responded the only way that anyone could think of when trying to come up with a solution on how to impress their coach: produce. Foster netted a pair of power-play goals, one in the first and one in the second. Alexei Ponikarovsky would eventually be credited with the game winning goal in the Devils 6-4 defeat of the Flyers.
Continue reading “Foster – Australian for beer, or maybe just goal”
Ilya Kovalchuk Drops Brayden Schenn With Right Hook During Flyers-Devils Brawl (Video)
Brayden Schenn is a familiar foe to Bruins fans who remember his bout with Chris Kelly earlier this year. However, he may want to tone down his fighting judging from the way his most recent one went. Ilya Kovalchuk caught Schenn square in the jaw with a nasty right hook to send the Flyers center down and out during a fight on Saturday. The whole things got started after a late slew foot by Zac Rinaldo on Zach Parise and both teams gathered in a scrum. Schenn and Kovalchuk separated themselves from the bunch, and the fists started flying. Check…
Devils hold off Flyers for win
Kurtis Foster scored a pair of power-play goals, and the New Jersey Devils held on for a 6-4 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday afternoon.
Ilya Kovalchuk, Dainius Zubrus, Zach Parise and Alexei Ponikarovsky also had goals for the Devils, who have won three in a row. New Jersey’s special teams scored three times on the power play and once short-handed.
Down 6-0 to start the third period, the Flyers stormed back to make it close. Wayne Simmonds, Jaromir Jagr, Claude Giroux and Jake Voracek had Philadelphia’s goals.
The Flyers were 14 for 14 on the penalty kill against the Devils in the first three meetings this season. The road team has won each of the four games between the teams.
Sergei Bobrovsky allowed a career-worst six goals on 23 shots before getting replaced by Ilya Bryzgalov in the second period.
The Devils scored four goals in a span of 2:34 from the end of the first into the second to take a 5-0 lead.
Coming off an impressive 4-1 win that snapped Nashville’s five-game winning streak, the Flyers were looking to move ahead of the Eastern Conference-leading New York Rangers with a pair of wins this weekend. They’ll look to rebound against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.
The injury-depleted Devils improved to 7-3-1 in their last 11 games, but they almost let this one slip away.
After Kovalchuk flattened rookie Brayden Schenn in a rare fight for the Devils’ three-time All-Star, the knockout seemed to fire up the Flyers instead.
Giroux and Voracek scored 51 seconds apart to cut the deficit to 6-4. But the Devils shut Philadelphia down over the last 6:29.
Foster scored on a one-timer during a two-man advantage to get the scoring barrage started.
New Jersey’s special teams then took control of the game late in the period when Kovalchuk scored a short-handed goal. Zubrus set it up by stealing the puck from Giroux in the Devils’ zone and starting a two-on-one break. Kovalchuk fired a wrister past Bobrovsky for a 2-0 lead with 57 seconds left in the period.
Flyers coach Peter Laviolette was irate that a penalty wasn’t called on Zubrus for tripping Giroux. He screamed at a referee from the bench.
His frustration was reflected in the chippy play of his players. But the Devils took advantage as Zubrus lifted a backhander past Bobrovsky with :03 left in the period to give New Jersey a commanding 3-0 lead.
The Devils opened the second period on the power play as Scott Hartnell was called for high-sticking at the end of the first. Parise knocked in his own rebound on the man-advantage to make it 4-0.
Ponikarovsky tipped in a behind-the-net pass from Steve Bernier for a 5-0 lead less than a minute later. Foster sent Bobrovsky to the bench after scoring on a slap shot midway through the second.
Simmonds started Philadelphia’s comeback bid with his 16th goal. Jagr then scored his first goal since Dec. 29 to cut it to 6-2.
Notes: The Devils were missing defensemen Henrik Tallinder (leg) and Adam Larsson (back) and centers Travis Zajac (Achilles), Ryan Carter (hand) and Adam Henrique (groin). .. The Flyers again were without Danny Briere and James van Riemsdyk. Both have been sidelined with concussions. … Patrik Elias has 32 goals and 41 assists in 74 regular-season games against Philadelphia. … The Devils lead the NHL with 12 short-handed goals, including three from Kovalchuk. … Hedberg has started in place of Martin Brodeur the last five times the Devils have played in Philadelphia. He’s 9-10-1 vs. the Flyers. … Brodeur started New Jersey’s previous seven games. … Simmonds tied a career-high with his 16th goal. He had 16 for the Los Angeles Kings in 2009-10.
Whoa! Ilya Kovalchuk drops Brayden Schenn
Who says scorers can’t fight in hockey?Early Saturday afternoon the Philadelphia Flyers and the New Jersey squared off on the ice, with the Devils winning 6-4.At one point, there was a fairly big scrum on the ice after Devils forward Zack Parise appears to get tripped by the Flyers Zac Rinaldo.Lots of square dancing began and at least initially it appeared to just be some wrestling.But away from the pile, Mr. Schenn and Mr. Kovalchuk ended up dropping the gloves. And well…let’s just say, it wasn’t the smartest thing Schenn has ever done.Check out the video from HockeyFights.net:
Devils 6, Flyers 4
Kurtis Foster scored a pair of power-play goals, and the New Jersey Devils held on for a 6-4 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday afternoon.
Ilya Kovalchuk, Dainius Zubrus, Zach Parise and Alexei Ponikarovsky also had goals for the Devils, who have won three in a row. New Jersey’s special teams scored three times on the power play and once short-handed.
Down 6-0 to start the third period, the Flyers stormed back to make it close. Wayne Simmonds, Jaromir Jagr, Claude Giroux and Jake Voracek had Philadelphia’s goals.
The Flyers were 14 for 14 on the penalty kill against the Devils in the first three meetings this season. The road team has won each of the four games between the teams.
Sergei Bobrovsky allowed a career-worst six goals on 23 shots before getting replaced by Ilya Bryzgalov in the second period.
The Devils scored four goals in a span of 2:34 from the end of the first into the second to take a 5-0 lead.
Coming off an impressive 4-1 win that snapped Nashville’s five-game winning streak, the Flyers were looking to move ahead of the Eastern Conference-leading New York Rangers with a pair of wins this weekend. They’ll look to rebound against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.
The injury-depleted Devils improved to 7-3-1 in their last 11 games, but they almost let this one slip away.
After Kovalchuk flattened rookie Brayden Schenn in a rare fight for the Devils’ three-time All-Star, the knockout seemed to fire up the Flyers instead.
Giroux and Voracek scored 51 seconds apart to cut the deficit to 6-4. But the Devils shut Philadelphia down over the last 6:29.
Foster scored on a one-timer during a two-man advantage to get the scoring barrage started.
New Jersey’s special teams then took control of the game late in the period when Kovalchuk scored a short-handed goal. Zubrus set it up by stealing the puck from Giroux in the Devils’ zone and starting a two-on-one break. Kovalchuk fired a wrister past Bobrovsky for a 2-0 lead with 57 seconds left in the period.
Flyers coach Peter Laviolette was irate that a penalty wasn’t called on Zubrus for tripping Giroux. He screamed at a referee from the bench.
His frustration was reflected in the chippy play of his players. But the Devils took advantage as Zubrus lifted a backhander past Bobrovsky with :03 left in the period to give New Jersey a commanding 3-0 lead.
The Devils opened the second period on the power play as Scott Hartnell was called for high-sticking at the end of the first. Parise knocked in his own rebound on the man-advantage to make it 4-0.
Ponikarovsky tipped in a behind-the-net pass from Steve Bernier for a 5-0 lead less than a minute later. Foster sent Bobrovsky to the bench after scoring on a slap shot midway through the second.
Simmonds started Philadelphia’s comeback bid with his 16th goal. Jagr then scored his first goal since Dec. 29 to cut it to 6-2.
Notes: The Devils were missing defensemen Henrik Tallinder (leg) and Adam Larsson (back) and centers Travis Zajac (Achilles), Ryan Carter (hand) and Adam Henrique (groin). .. The Flyers again were without Danny Briere and James van Riemsdyk. Both have been sidelined with concussions. … Patrik Elias has 32 goals and 41 assists in 74 regular-season games against Philadelphia. … The Devils lead the NHL with 12 short-handed goals, including three from Kovalchuk. … Hedberg has started in place of Martin Brodeur the last five times the Devils have played in Philadelphia. He’s 9-10-1 vs. the Flyers. … Brodeur started New Jersey’s previous seven games. … Simmonds tied a career-high with his 16th goal. He had 16 for the Los Angeles Kings in 2009-10.
Parise’s final stand as a Devil?
Zach Parise and the New Jersey Devils began the post-All Star break portion of the schedule firmly on the Eastern Conference’s playoff bubble, and for both the individual and the team, early returns have been positive.
In two home games in Newark through Friday, the Devils rallied for a shootout victory over the Rangers and a regulation win over the Canadiens. Those wins gave New Jersey 59 points, which is good for seventh — one point ahead of Toronto and one behind Ottawa — before Saturday’s game against the Flyers.
Parise had three goals in those first two contests after the break. After a sluggish start to the season, the left wing has found his game at the right time. As coach Pete DeBoer said after the win over the Rangers, “we’re at that time of the year where they’re all big.”
But for the New Jersey captain, this spring’s upcoming stretch drive is bigger than most.
Two months plus potential playoffs separate Parise, the Devils’ best homegrown player of the post-lockout era, from unrestricted free agency. A strong end to the 2011-12 season for Parise, however, could put him out of the team’s price range over the summer.
Parise will likely earn a raise on his current $6 million, one-year deal, and the size of that raise will be determined this spring.
The Devils, however, are facing financial issues unrelated to whethery they re-sign the 27-year-old star.
The team is currently $80 million in debt, and the NHL is providing it with early payment of some revenue. And co-owner Ray Chambers is reportedly trying to rid himself of his 47 percent share of the franchise.
At a practice this week, player representative David Clarkson said the team’s financial situation did not weigh heavily on the minds of players.
“I think everything figures itself out, somehow,” Clarkson told reporters. “The thing I know is that our locker room is the exact same as it was before. It doesn’t affect us as players. We just have to go out and continue to do our job.”
And it will not affect the Devils’ personnel for the remainder of the season, either.
Mark Everson of the the New York Post reported Tuesday the team does not plan to trade Parise before the NHL trade deadline on Feb. 27.
That means he has until at least early April to create a few more winning memories for Devils fans before the reality of free agency sets in.
“We’ve got to move on and get prepared,” Parise said after the win over the Rangers. “Because it’s not going to be getting any easier.”
Bill Meltzer: Flyers Gameday: 2/4/12 vs. Devils
PREVIEW 7:00 AM EST
Coming off one of their best all-around efforts of the last month, the Flyers (30-14-6) will look to build from Thursday night’s 4-1 win over Nashville when they host the New Jersey Devils (28-19-3) today at the Wells Fargo Center. The matinee game starts at 1 PM and will be broadcast locally on CSN Philly.
This is the fourth of six meetings between the Atlantic Division…
Injuries Hang A Dark Cloud Over The New Jersey Devils Playoff Quest
If you’ve followed the New Jersey Devils long enough you probably already know that for every good thing that happens to the team, something terrible is sure to follow.
So I wasn’t surprised when I heard the Devils placed rookie center Adam Henrique on IR to allow his sore groin additional time to recover. This came of the heels of the announcement that Adam Larsson and Ryan Carter would not be unable to go in Saturday’s divisional battle with the Philadelphia Flyers.
With consecutive come from behind wins over the New York Rangers and Montreal, New Jersey has jumped into the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. While none of the injuries seem to be serious, it still hangs a dark cloud over two very good wins to start the post All-Star playoff drive.
When it rains it pours and right now it’s pouring injuries on the Devils. But, Don’t expect a few injuries to wash away any of the teams playoff dreams.
The Devils are three points ahead of the ninth s…
Devils’ Elias fined $2K for boarding
New Jersey Devils forward Patrik Elias has been fined $2,500, the maximum allowed under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for boarding Montreal Canadiens forward Mike Blunden during a 5-3 win on Thursday.
The incident occurred at 18:54 of the first period. A minor penalty for boarding was assessed on the play.
The fine money will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Elias has 18 goals and 16 penalty minutes this season, and leads New Jersey with 30 assists. The Devils meet the Flyers in Philadelphia on Saturday.
Devils F Elias fined by the NHL
New Jersey Devils forward Patrik Elias has been fined $2,500, the maximum allowed under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for boarding Montreal Canadiens forward Mike Blunden during a 5-3 win on Thursday.
The incident occurred at 18:54 of the first period. A minor penalty for boarding was assessed on the play.
The fine money will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Elias has 18 goals and 16 penalty minutes this season, and leads New Jersey with 30 assists. The Devils meet the Flyers in Philadelphia on Saturday.
Video- Elias Fined For Boarding
NEW YORK (Feb. 3, 2012) – New Jersey Devils forward Patrik Elias has been fined $2,500, the maximum allowed under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for boarding Montreal Canadiens forward Mike Blunden in NHL Game No. 755 in New Jersey on Thursday, Feb. 2, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.
The incident occurred at 18:54 of the first period. A minor penalty for boarding was assessed on the play.
Devils rookie D Larsson injures back vs. Canadiens
New Jersey Devils rookie defenseman Adam Larsson exited Thursday’s game versus the Montreal Canadiens with a bruised lower back.
The fourth overall pick of the draft, Larsson was blasted by Montreal blue-liner P.K. Subban along the wall near the Canadiens’s bench.
“I thought it was a clean hit,” New Jersey coach Peter DeBoer said.
It was not immediately known if the 19-year-old Swede would be able to compete this weekend against Atlantic Division rivals Philadelphia (on Saturday) and Pittsburgh (on Sunday).
Larsson has collected two goals, 14 assists and 18 penalty minutes in 48 games this season.
