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Oh No! The Devils got back their second most important player last night, in goaltender Jacob Markstrom. However, 58 minutes later, they lost their most important player in Jack Hughes. In a season where positives have consistently been met with negatives, the trend continued last night. They fo...
Beware of the ides of March In a fashion so tragic that it could inspire a Shakespearean play, the Devils had their hearts ripped…oh wait…No, their hearts were ripped out Sunday when Jack Hughes was injured. Let’s try again… In a fashion so tragic that it could inspire a Shakespearean...
The much anticipated NHL trade deadline day came and went and General Manager Tom Fitzgerald was unable to work his magic. However it was not for a lack of trying. In what was a sellers market GMTF was one of the most active pursuers of roster reinforcement. In the final few days there were six t...
Solid Win in Philly It wasn’t the most flashy win on Sunday in Philadelphia, but it sure was effective. The Devils showcased the five man defensive system that Head Coach Sheldon Keefe has implemented in his first season with the club, playing it to near perfection. That high level of attention...
Momentum Finally Building Again? What a huge win in Jersey last night! That’s two in a row! The Devils came out buzzing on Tuesday at the Rock, putting the Wild Card hopeful Blue Jackets on their heels. First period goals from Nico Hischier, Paul Cotter and Jesper Bratt electrified the crowd in...
Momentum Finally Building Again? What a huge win in Jersey last night! That’s two in a row! The Devils came out buzzing on Tuesday at the Rock, putting the Wild Card hopeful Blue Jackets on their heels. First period goals from Nico Hischier, Paul Cotter and Jesper Bratt electrified the crowd in...
Despite a late surge by the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday nightin Newark, the Devils were able to batten down the hatches and emerge victorious. Enormous third period goals by Jesper Bratt and Simon Nemec gave the Devils a lead they would not relinquish, further anchoring themselves in the third place...
Putrid In Pittsburgh: Sloppy Devils Embarrassed By Pens. Columbus next Sorry this comes a little late guys. I’ve been busy slamming my head into a block wall for the past 36 hours, in a desperate attempt to spur some short term memory less, and completely forget Saturday’s game. Unfortunately...
Columbus PD: Jake Allen Wanted For Theft Of Two Points The Columbus Police Department is offering a $10,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of a Canadian citizen accused of stealing two points at Nationwide Arena on Monday night. The suspect, Jake Allen, 34, curren...
Another Pathetic Third Dooms Devs After being outshot 24 to 3 in the third period of Monday’s win versus Columbus, Coach Sheldon Keefe lauded his men for their “bend don’t break” mentality. On Thursday in Newark, those third period Devils bent early and often and eventually broke, surren...
The Devils picked up where they left off on Thursday night versus Calgary, welcoming the Ottawa Senators into town with way too much hospitality. The Sens were on the front foot for the entire first forty minutes, gifted with grade A scoring chances due to mental lapses, defensive breakdowns, fail...
Reality Check: Devils Fall to Canucks in SO When Dennis Cholowski stepped on the ice in the final minute of OT for New Jersey on Monday night, two things became even more evident than before. One, the unfortunate Devils’ injury report and two, this roster just isn’t any good. This is not the...
A Memento Of Moments Of Momentous Momentum Momentum; noun (muh-MEN-tuhm) the quantity of motion of a moving body, measured as a product of its mass and velocity. The word above is one of the most important factors in the game of hockey. Gaining and maintaining positive momentum along with limiting that of the opponent is how winning hockey teams succeed consistently. The consistently, inconsistent Devils simply do not respect obtaining and maintaining their momentum, nor preventing that if their opponent. How many times have the Devils scored a goal or two and immediately surrender a goal or two? How many times have the Devils drawn a power play, only to take a penalty of their own just seconds later? How many times have the Devils earned a great win and immediately follow it up with a bad loss? This rollercoaster of a season is testament to that, and Wednesday was no different. After taking a rare two goal first period lead, the Devils had positive momentum on Wednesday night in Chicago. I sat back, let out an exhale and felt some relief. Just like that, another bad penalty at a bad time by NJ. That easy, game in the bag, smooth sailing, cruise to a win feeling lasted just 129 seconds. An unnecessary neutral zone penalty by Simon Nemec surrendered the momentum that Jersey has seldom held this season. Just seven seconds after that penalty, Chicago scored, and all of a sudden momentum was theirs as the crowd awoke, the Blackhawks fed off the energy, and the Devils conversely fell back on their heels. While the momentum in this game would be given back and forth over sixty minutes, it was the Devils that would hold it at the final buzzer. A late, third period, empty net goal by Stefan Noesen was the seventh and final change of momentum, giving NJ two much needed points in the standings. With just nine games remaining in the regular season, if Sheldon Keefe’s team wants to make any noise in the postseason, they’ll need to figure out the obtaining, maintaining and regaining of hockey’s most important force, momentum… Hey Siri, play “Glory Days” by Bruce Springsteen… Game Notes: Depth Scoring!? Great to see some depth scoring as Dawson Mercer(one of his most impactful games in a while), Nate Bastian, Ondrej Palat and Stefan “Effin’” Noesen all scored. Depth scoring always helps with MOMENTUM! Future HOFer Luke Hughes The above is how we shall refer to 43 in black and red from now on. While I know he still makes some mistakes, this kid has it all. Luuuuuuuuuke is playing big boy minutes in all situations of the game, not only excelling but driving play for the Devils in brother Jack’s absence. The youngest Hughes brother has been getting better by the game since he entered the league and sky is the limit. His seemingly effortless skating, evolution of his defensive and offensive awareness and will to make something out of nothing has been very impressive. Oh yeah, he’s also a major reason why Quinn will be here in the near future! Winnipeg Next Up next for NJ is the league leading Jets. Winnipeg has been a wagon all season long, but March has been rather up and down. Winning seven of their twelve games in the month, let’s see if the Devils can get a big win and gain…MOMENTUM against what may be a complacent Jets club.
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