newjerseynewsroom.com

BY SAM HITCHCOCK

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

COMMENTARY

The Devils started their four game battle against Western Canada getting beaten emphatically by Calgary, but fast-forward a week from last Tuesday, the Devils have won three straight, with a 5-1 romp against Winnipeg Tuesday night. Tonight, they take on the Boston Bruins, who have lost two of their last three games.

A week ago the Devils’ first period against the Flames was a disaster. Hedberg replaced Brodeur after Marty conceded two gelatin-soft goals by Flames defensemen Jay Bouwmeester and Cory Sarich; these were Bouwmeester’s second and Sarich’s first goals of the season.

Curtis Glencross got the third goal on a pass from Ollie Jokinen, and T. J. Brodie proceeded to get the fourth goal of the period – and third by a Flames defenseman --from outside the perimeter. This also was Calgary’s fourth goal on eight shots. The Devils did make an effort in the second and third period to finish the game strongly (6-3 was the final tally), but the energy level for the first period was woeful.

The Devils-Edmonton game was about special teams and the Devils’ Big Four leading them to victory. Kovalchuk created a turnover on the Oilers powerplay, giving him a breakaway in which he rifled a shot off the crossbar past Khabibulin into the net to put New Jersey up 1-0.

Ales Hemsky’s goal that forced the game to overtime was on an error by Volchenkov. On the Oilers powerplay, he came out to attack Hemsky, leaving Salvador, who had already marked his man around the net, hopeless to stop the giant Ryan Smyth whose bread and butter is screening goalies/producing ugly goals. Hemsky utilized the screen to blast it past the defenseless and blinded Hedberg, leading to a crucial overtime for the Devils.

Just a few games earlier against the Senators, the Devils got burned on the 4-on-3 powerplay format during O.T., but this time it was the Devils that capitalized on the opportunity. After Kovlachuk’s big one-timer was stopped by Khabibulin, Elias picked up the loose puck rebound and faked a pass, forcing the Oilers defenseman to dive to stop it. Elias patiently waited for the passing lane to open after the Oilers committed his position, and fired it into the stick of Parise, who directed the game-winner into the open net.

Hedberg was brilliant against Edmonton, and after Marty’s miserable Calgary performance, there was a lot of pressure on Marty when he got the nod to start in Winnipeg Saturday against the vicious and notoriously loud Jets fans. Brodeur would not disappoint. Henrique did not play because of a day-to-day groin injury, so a lot was asked from New Jersey as its already thin depth got thinner.

Devils defenseman Kurtis Foster received the obvious spotlight after scoring his first goal as a Devil, but it was Larsson who made the biggest impact, positively and negatively.

Larsson’s first period was not a good one. He let Blake Wheeler (who later got injured from a Sykora shot in the neck) blow by him for an opportunity on Marty which Marty poke/bodychecked away. He then let Jets captain Andrew Ladd walk into the zone and snipe an uncontested shot from the near top of the circle past Marty.