Devil Dealin’ & Dishin’

Ilya Kovalchuk was one of the players included in a blockbuster NHL trade Thursday. The defensive-minded Devils traded for the marquee left wing in a deal with the Atlanta Thrashers. New Jersey acquired the high scoring, three-time All-Star and Anssi Salmela for four of their own yesterday. Defenseman Johnny Oduya, rookie forward Niclas Bergfors, junior prospect Patrice Cormier and a first-round draft pick were part of the blockbuster swap. Kovalchuk arrives just in time to bolster an ailing and injured New Jersey roster. The 26 year old Russian had 31 goals this season for Atlanta, and has posted 50 goal seasons twice in his young career. General manager, Lou Lamoriello, believes Kovalchuk will add his unsullied hockey sense at the power forward position on the Devils’ ice. The new skater in black and red is expected to play Friday as the Devils host Toronto. He should be an assest to a team that has struggled to score goals as of late. Kovalchuk was drafted in 2001 by the Thrashers. Since his NHL debut, he has continued to lead the NHL. The Olympian has 328 goals and will become a free agent at season’s end.
Oduya, the 28 year old Swedish skater, was having a disappointing season in New Jersey. Oduya and Bergfors are both serviceable players but the Devils got the better end of this bargain deal. New Jersey, second in the conference, immediately upgrades their credibility at both ends of the puck. Oduya has four points all season for the Devils. Bergfors has 13 goals on the season with 27 points, landing him at fifth place among league rookies. Still, it’s hard to decipher whether Bergfors’ future production will equal what Kovalchuk brings to the ice. The Atlantic Division-leading Devils drafted the rookie in 2005 at 23rd overall, but Bergfors is not the better player in the trade. Thrashers GM, Don Waddell, attempted to sign Kovalchuk to an extension. Kovalchuk turned him down what would have been the biggest contract over 12 years. The Russian declined all the offers from Atlanta, a major blow to the suffering franchise. Salmela is a mobile 25 year old defenseman, but his output this season has been mediocre at best. He managed just four assists in 29 games for the Thrashers this year. Salmela was drafted by the Devils in 2008 before being dealt in the Niclas Havelid deal with Atlanta. New Jersey also waved adieu to Cormier, their temperamental 19 year old. Cormier will impact the Thrashers down the road. He captained the Canadian team to a 2010 World Junior Championship but endured a season-ending suspension after hitting an opposing player.
In other Devils news, the Duke Blue Devils showed their horns last night in Durham. The ACC leaders toppled Georgia Tech 86-67 behind Kyle Singler’s 30 point barrage. Jon Scheyer added 21 points for 10th ranked Duke. Nolan Smith contributed 14 for the 18-4 Blue Devils, who hit nearly 67% of their 3-pointers. The Yellowjackets, fourth best in the nation in field-goal percentage defense, couldn’t stop Duke from finishing 45% from the field. Singler stymied Tech from the rainbow and was given the freedom to have open looks all night. The junior forward was 8-of-10 from the arc on this career night. The Devils dominated the second half and it all added up to Mike Krzyzewski’s 15th consecutive Cameron Indoor Stadium victory. Singler, Scheyer and Smith are the most productive scoring trio in college basketball. The three average 53 points per game. It was apparent they were too much for the young Yellowjackets. Twenty-first ranked Tech was led by senior Zachery Peacock’s 11 tallies.

Parting Points: It’s nice to see the LA Kings off to their best start since the ’80 season . At 35-19-3, this Kings fan cannot complain.

“There’s a freedom in your arms that carries me through”- Lee Ann Rimes

Brodeur Breaks Boston

Black Friday in Boston saw the snap of the Bruins season-high four game winning streak. History was also made in the New Jersey Devils 2-1 win over Boston in a shootout. New Jersy goalie, Martin Brodeur surpassed Hall of Famer Patrick Roy for the most minutes played in breaking Boston’s streak. The 37 year old eclipsed the 60,235 minutes record in the opening of the third period. New Jersey outshot the Bruins 37-33, but the goaltending was the story of the game for both teams. Something was always going on during the contest. The Bruins matched New Jersey’s electricity from the second the puck dropped at TD Garden.
The Devils earned their 16th victory of the season behind two Zach Parise goals. Parise was the lone Devil to score in regulation when he forced the puck into the net in the second period. Matt Halischuk was credited with his first assist of the year on the play. Parise extended his point streak to a career high nine games with the shot past Tuuka Rask. The Boston netminder allowed only Parise’s goal during regulation and was otherwise brilliant. Brodeur was a bit more fantastic in net and saved the game in the shootout. Blake Wheeler scored for Boston in regulation and in the shootout. Wheeler fired the tying shot 12 seconds into the third period to end Brodeur’s record shutout bid. The puck caromed off the glass, allowing Byron Bitz to set up Wheeler’s shot off Brodeur’s block. The Devils goalie needs one more shutout to tie Terry Sawchuk’s NHL record with 103.
Boston forced the Devils to play heads-up hockey and skate deep in their own zone throughout the game. New Jersey winger, David Clarkson took a wicked shot off his ankle from Zdeno Chara 2:30 in the opening period. Clarkson left the game and did not return for the already deterred by injuries Devils. Brodeur helped keep it a tie game instead of putting a damper on the Devils night. He made a quick stop on Marc Savard’s wrister from the slot in the closing seconds of regulation. Andy Greene has been piloting the Devils defense with the Paul Martin and Johnny Oduya on the sidelines. The Devils put up zeros on three power play opportunities. The Bruins did likewise. But, Boston brought a balanced attack and managed to send the game into overtime. The Devils were steady in the extra session to push the game into the deciding shootout. Patrice Bergeron failed on a forehand stuff for Boston. Patrik Elias couldn’t connect off Rask to give the Devils a point. After Wheeler whacked the puck past Brodeur in the second round, Parise notched his second goal. Parise answered Boston’s temporary lead with a deke just beyond Rask’s reach. David Krejci’s shootout shot was cut down with a Brodeur pad stop. Jamie Langenbrunner had a chance to seal the deal for the Devils. The 34 year old right winger skated in and jammed the game winner past Rask in the third round for the 2-1 dramatic Devils defeat. The team is now 4-1 in shootouts this season. New Jersey last conquered the Bruins at TD Garden on October 29th. Head coach, Jacques Lemaire, sent Yann Davis to the net in that win. Lemaire went with Brodeur last night, and it paid off for New Jersey. For Boston, it was a continuation of scoring woes. The Bruins were not without scoring opportunities against the Devils last night. In four of their last six games the Bruins have mustered one goal during regulation. Despite the disengaged offense, goalies Rask and Tim Thomas have kept Boston a winning hockey team.
I just have to continue my Parise praise. The former first round draft pick is always amazing me. The kid can play hockey. He is one of the most relentless and determined players in the NHL. Parise’s wrist shot Friday night was nothing short of spectacular. He just kept grinding his way to the puck until he had a chance to drive the loose object into the goal. Parise is the Devils’ most persistent and consistent scorer. New Jersey can count on Parise to get his minutes and his goals.

Parting Points: Congrats to WVU on taking this year’s Backyard Brawl.
Song of the day- “Sometime Around Midnight” by Airborne Toxic Event

Scorching Scorers

I enjoy a crisply-played defensive game in any sport. Sometimes it’s a required relief to witness wild scoring performances. Especially during a high-paced and heightened hockey game, scoring offenses are optimal. Nothing compares to the physicality of well-played hockey as players impeccably deliver the puck by penetrating defenders to the net. The New Jersey Devils are on fire outscoring opponents with scorching fervor. New Jersey ranked 11th in the NHL, as of Sunday, with 95 goals. They are averaging roughly 3 goals per game, led by Zach Parise and Patrick Elias. The Devils’ two leading scorers have placed 18 and 16 pucks in opposing nets, respectively. Parise and Elias are shoo-ins all-stars and deserve much credit for the Devils’ 19-9-3 record.
Scott Clemmenson is New Jersey’s backup net minder. His four stopped saves in Sunday’s shootout win over the Philadelphia Flyers sealed the Devil’s 19th victory. Coach, Brent Sutter, has New Jersey within two points of the Flyers in the Atlantic Division. The New York Rangers are still at the head of the class, but s much is going right for the Devils. The amount of multi-goal games by Elias and Parise is most impressive. Patrick tied club leader, John MacLean, for most multipoint games in last week’s contest versus Ottawa. Parise reached his own milestone in a short career Sunday with his 199th career point. In the Ottawa game, Parise gave credit to teammate, Travis Zajac, after he was wrongly credited with the goal. The gesture shows how classy and true Parise is as a player and teammate. Parise is an excellent winger with the ability to rack up assists. The Devils are an unselfish bunch and have been able to find a nice mix on the front line. Even with players sidelined due to injury and illness, Sutter’s crew has meshed fittingly. Clemmenson has stepped up and was especially electrifying in the Philadelphia shootout. Scott had 27 saves in regulation and 3 in the shootout.
What I liked most about the Flyers-Devils game was the final goal. Zajac masterfully slid the puck past Flyer goalie, Antero Niittymaki. He did it with a nifty fake and took advantage of Niittymaki’s positioning near the back end of the goal. The Devils led the game 2-0 and coughed up the lead to force the shootout. The way they won the game by not allowing Philadelphia to prevail shows what this team is. The Devils are 2-1-1 against Philly this year. They are that good, and tonight I look forward to seeing them skate against the Boston Bruins. The game is at the Rock and last year, the Bruins visited twice. Twice the games were overtime Devils wins, so this could be a thriller again. New Jersey is looking for their 4th win in a row against a Boston team that surprisingly leads the Eastern Conference. With the steady defense of Colin White, Paul Martin, Jamie Langenbrunner, and Jay Leach, I like their chances. Leach is somewhat of a newcomer but is a tough player quickly gaining experience. He is now a regular for Sutter. Dainius Zubrus, Brian Gionta, Brian Rolston, Jay Pandolfo and David Clarkson are all effective players against a Boston team looking to ploy and scheme their way to a road win. Andy Greene, Johnny Oduya and Mike Mottau have defensive skills to battle the Bruins. Look for Sutter to shake things up with Bryce Salvador missing time on defense and John Madden out with the flu. All in all, New Jersey hockey is scorching and hot during a very, very cold December so far.

Parting points: Christmas comes early for Yankee fans. New York signed Mark Teixeira FINALLY. They now have the best offensive infield in all baseball. How good will Mark look in pinstripes? I just cannot wait to see.

Good Nolan Ryan article to check out: http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=499547