Devils do it! Bring on the Rangers
Shades of 1994? Mattau! Mattau! Mattau! Hopefully We will win the series this time. But the Broadway Blues still have to close out their series with the Capitals. Here's hoping for a Cross- Hudson series.
Gene So happy the Devils didn't fall into into the same game that the Pen's did. They played a great series and didn't get tempted into the fights. Celebrated Marty's 40th at the Rock on Sunday. I read a perfect description yesterday, the series will either be Off-Broadway vs. Broadway or Newark takes on the Nations Capital. Fingers crossed!! LETS GO DEVILS!!
JrzyGirl88 I believe the Devils have gone on to win the Cup every year in which they've won a series against the Flyers, if memory serves me correctly.
Andy Loigu I hope you are right Andy, they were not predicted to come this far so its nice to be enjoying it and just hope it lasts. My anxiety level is down a bit until next week and my neighbors are relishing the peace and quiet of me not yelling at the TV. LOL!!
Lets go Devils!! The ONLY professional sports franchise proud enough to call themselves "New Jersey". (the Nets are now the Brooklyn Nets).....it's time for cup number 4 !
deviljetGO DEVILS!!! I might actually start wearing my jersey's again after I brush the dust off of them hahaha
Pepper Cat 
Me4 
hockeymom30 
Calico696 are you guys the fans that leave early.. my tax dollars for an arena that no one goes to..should have let them move.maybe back to kansas city.. go rangers!
tommy gunn So because we're here saying Go Devils that means we're fans that leave early? You made this connection how?
btownguy The Devil's magical ride is about to end. Luck will only last so long. Your goalie is looking tired.
LET GO RANGERS!!!!!!!!
Yeah Marty needs to find his way to the retirement home. Let's go rangers. Devils fans can be happy they will finally get a sell out when rangers fans fill the building.
Jdem Rangers may be worn out after their battles with the Capitals while the Devs are rested ... or the Broadway Blues could have "momentum" and the Devils are "rusty." We can decide which after we see how game one goes. The Devils had an awful start this year ... seems like ages ago now that they have found their groove.
I love hockey...I am a Penguin fan first and foremost, but I do like the Devils. The Rangers I honestly cannot stand. I have thoroughly enjoyed the playoffs so far this year, and I think that the Rangers have a great team, better than I have seen in years.
My gripe here isn't with people on this forum, but just what I have seen with fans overall. I play hockey year-round, and I am usually surrounded by hockey fanatics. I get it that people are passionate about their team - hey, I am too. What I cannot stand are the fans who love to say "Devils suck", or "Rangers suck", etc.. Seriously?? Look how close most of the series have been. I wouldn't say that any of the teams suck. These series have all been hard fought by really good teams. For the record, the Devils have 3 cups since '95. That's damn impressive.
I don't mind friendly rivalry, but some people go too far. I was lucky enough to attend a Devil/Flyer game last week, and I couldn't believe how vile the fans were to each other. ITS A GAME! We witnessed several fights between the fans. Not to mention that there are children present. IMO it sounds really trashy when I am watching a game on TV, and it is clear that the fans are chanting that the other team sucks. There was a good article in the Ledger this morning, and two of the Devils players commented on how the Flyer fans were booing them when they got hit and were down on the ice for a little bit. That's SICK! Why would anyone be happy that a player is injured? I LOVE the game, and love when the Rangers or Flyers lose, but I am not happy to see any player injured, no matter what the team. I thought that the Penguins played rather dirty against the Flyers, and really didn't deserve to win. I was embarrassed by the way they played.
I look forward to an intense series between the Devils and Rangers. I must admit that I get a kick out of John Tortorella (sp?). He can be so pompous, especially when the Rangers lose. Ya know he was happy last night - I never saw him talk so long!
For this series, I think that the Devils have the advantage because they are incredibly disciplined and they have been able to rest for a few days. The Rangers only had 1 full day to rest. Whatever the outcome, I think we are all in for some great hockey, hopefully 6 or 7 games worth between these two. Go Devils!!
gpg Such negative comments coming from fans who had to wait to game 7 to know their fate..
gpg, that is because Philly fans are insane. They beat that father so terribly at the winter classic that he was hospitalized for a very long time:
http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/news/local_news/video%3A-flyers-fans-beat-rangers-fans-010412
They are notorious for being out of control and more than fanatics. My husband and I are huge Ranger fans but would not attend the Winter Classic simply because the people in Philly are too rowdy (not that we are in-your-face fans anyway, we sit and watch the game without any heckling whatsoever).
I am also not a fan of "Rangers suck" or whatever team you are rivaling - only exception is for "Brodeur sucks". I'm good with that. Any person who cheats on their wife with their sister-in-law during Christmas deserves to be told they "suck".
Woah boy, did I just say that? Here we go...
LOL JrzyGirl88!
Natalie...you are right about the Philly fans. I made the mistake of wearing my Penguin jersey to a game this year. I figured that the fans wouldn't pick on me too much, being a girl. Wrong!!!
On a side note, holidays must be awfully awkward in the Brodeur household....
gpg, there's just something to that long standing rivalry. I'm a huge Devils fan and I love going to games at the Rock and hearing someone whistle and the entire arena changing "RANGERS SUCK". And it happens when we're not even playing the Rangers.
The difference is that I'm a classy hockey fan. I won't start a fight or curse in front of your kid. I will say "That was a good game/shot/save", even if the outcome wasn't favorable to my team. I love the sport - but I love the rivalry too!
Could be a tough two weeks in the animal household... but, being a Rangers fan, I just need to show class in victory and let sheanimal deal with defeat however she wants. I won't hold a grudge, no matter what she says, lol.
Ahem, mememememe.... Maaaaaaaaaaaarty, Maaaaaaaaaaaarty, Maaaaaaaaaaaaarty, Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarty........
iPhone-imal There are a lot of bad fans out there everywhere. Go sometime to a Boston hockey game where there are incidents of both players and the coach going into stands and exchanging punches. And yet none of that compares to just the average soccer match all throughout Europe where there are loads of riots and deaths. It's so bad any big championship game is played in some other country, and even in the foreign country in bars they won't let you wear team gear for fear of rivals attacking each other.
I've had both ends of the spectrum - wore my Flyers jersey on the Island and had my hand shaken multiple times saying I had class and taste compared to the awful way the owners treated Islanders fans. And then was harassed too much at the Rock where dad tells his little kid to go over to me and say "they suck". I wear my Ukraine jersey there now. At least got a thumbs up for that once at the annual post-season invite.
Sports are just a game, I like it too, but it shouldn't be anyone's life. There's plenty of growing up to do in that area. Have some respect.
GC Marv Albert used to describe the upper stands at Rangers games as "the zoo element." They are just as bad, if not worse, in Philly and Boston ... northeastern cities all have many fans who lose all perspective. I remember some fans in Baltimore at a baseball game telling me "those Yankees fans are vicious." They had to set up a police station and courtroom right in the stadium at the Eagles football games in Philly.
At MSG on Saturday night, immediately at the end of that brutal 7-game Rangers vs. Capitals series, the players lined up and shook hands ... it's a hockey tradition at the end of every series and these fans should learn from it.
I love a little friendly Rivalry, but I actually hate the Islanders more then the Rangers. Philly fans are the toughest. I've seen some horrible fights, including last week. As for Marty's affair, it was his brother in-laws wife. Not the wifes sister. (I'm not condoning just stating the facts). He did in fact marry her once the divorce was final, sometimes you can't help who you fall in love with. But certainly the cheating is not restricted to the Devils, lets just say Shanahan, Avery, Lindros, Prust all Rangers at one time, all cheaters.. Just sayin...
You can say what you want about Brodeur...........I feel my pic says it all! Hahaha
Maxdout2596 "They had to set up a police station and courtroom right in the stadium at the Eagles football games in Philly."
Here we go again. Almost ALL NFL stadiums have a jail. Sigh.
There are bad fans everywhere. What about those idiot Dodgers fans that beat that poor Giants fan nearly to death last year?
@ JerzyGirl88: I'm sorry but I do not understand where Brodeur's affair has ANYTHING to do with the game that is playing tonight....you lost me.
What I hate is the fact that so called "fans" come out of the woodwork when the Devils or Rangers get deep into the playoffs. If you only follow hockey because your "team" has made it to the playoffs than I'm sorry, I do not consider you a fan.
POTVIN SUCKS!!
TFulp I always want to talk about hockey. Problem is, nobody else seems to want to. Not even the sports radio dudes. I've tried regular season threads in the past and they get practically no posts. Same thing with NBA. Personally, I'm not an NBA fan but there have been threads on here that nobody really posts in. NFL and MLB seem to generate the most interest here.
Calico - You can always start a live conversation with me, you know I'd never turn down the opportunity. ;-)
LETS GO DEVILS!!!! And I'm NOT a bandwagon fan either! I probably watched 70 of their games this year. I also was at the Meadowlands when we won the first cup against Detroit.
No NBA for me, winter is hockey time!! But Calico you are right does not get much coverage. MSG does a good job now with hockey night live and if you have it on your provider the nhl network is cool. Michael Kay atleast congratulated the RANGERS on the win during the yankee game.
TFulp - It has nothing to do with tonites game, I was commenting on the post about Marty's cheating with his wife's sister during the holidays. (see above about 11 posts).
I too hate that everyone wants to talk hockey now! All of my co-workers are like Oh did you see the game last night, my reply, come talk to me when you watch your team lose 5 in a row and are struggling to get out of last place... I am enough of a fan that I paid a small fortune for tickets for seats for Saturday's game, Section 6! More then triple their regular cost. Who needs electricity next month anyway!! LOL!! LETS GO Devils!!
NHL Network gets you CBC coverage. That would be dynamite if it weren't for Don Cherry. Can we put him out to pasture now and remind him he only played one single game in the NHL, that he should stop blaming that on some accident, and even as a couch who wouldn't win with one of the greatest assembled teams ever? And right after we put him out to pasture, can we take off his sports jackets and pump every single one with a load of buck shot?? They're evil and should be destroyed.
GC, I would be all for that... especially if Don Cherry's sportscoats were used to cover Stan "The Maven" Fischler from head to toe. Let that buckshot fly, lol
I would love a hockey thread during the winter. I follow it all season. In some ways I don't mind people coming out of the woodwork now, because it gives me more people to talk to about hockey. I get annoyed with the bandwagon-ers who have a lot of crap to say about the other teams, when in reality they sound clueless.
I think the "rest versus rust" is overblown in the beginning of this series. Rest isn't an issue for the Rangers. Sure they played back to back 7 game series, but they didn't play any back to back games... or 3 games in 4 days, as sometimes happens in the regular season. They had at least a day off in between games and twice had two days of rest between Wednesday and Saturday games. The Rags are gonna come out fresh tonight and play Rangers hockey. I don't think the Devils will be able to match up with them.
Rangers in 5.
ian - I'm right there. In Stan Fishler's head he's actually a former player and coach so that makes him a completely delusional Don Cherry.
I was at an Islanders game once with my brother in between periods and they had in-rink commentary on the TV sets. They just switched from the regular play by play to the commentary. To nobody in particular I said "what's the only thing worse than 'Jiggs & Eddie'??" My brother and I looked at each other simultaneously and said "Stan Fishler". Anyone within ear shot was practically laughing on the floor.
I hate that these playoff games are on NBC, I can not stand DOC doing play by play. He sounds like he should be calling a horse race in 1930. This series will be even worse as he has a love affair with Broduer. The guy could give up 5 goals in 10 minutes and he will just tell you how skillful he looked doing it. That voice is enough to watch the game muted. NBC coverage is horrible, I would take MSG over them any day. I can not stand the intermissions either . More time is spent talking about games other then the one you are watching.
jdem - Emrick is commentator for both. You'd get him either way. But do you really want it also interjected with Chico's *constant* "well, gee, Doc, I'm not sure I can quite agree with that call" after every home team penalty??? Chico is a nice guy. Nice. Great for a charity event, or a retrospective praise of a retiring player. Just shouldn't be calling games.
GC he once was but he retired last year from the devils,(thank god) he just does the NBC gig now.
Devils are playing a solid game so far. Great job clearing the rebounds in front of the net. Should be an exciting 3rd period. Let's go, Rangers!!!
Hen-rik, Hen-rik, Hen-rik...
1 down, 3 to go... one team looked extremely tired in the 3rd period, and they weren't wearing blue sweaters.
mammadone 
Clyde Potts 
Coach Aww man. Remember what happened the last time the Devils lost the first game of a playoff series?
Oh, that's right. They won the next four.
Boy, listening to Mike Golic and then Colin Cowherd on ESPN this morning, you would not know there is even an NHL series going on right now ... ESPN is all "what's wrong with the Lakers" and "can the Heat win without Bosh" this morning ... no hockey chatter at all.
What happened the last two times the Rangers won the first game of the series? Oh, that's right... they won them both. Don't confuse the Rangers with the Flyers. We don't have an "enigma" named Bryzgalov between the pipes. I would be very concerned if I were a Devils fan. Lundqvist owns the Devils as much as any goalie in the league. My guess is that last night won't be his only shutout of the series.
I couldn't have said it better Iphone-imal...
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/ilya-bryzgalov-returns-space-criticizes-monkeys-shortcomings-astronauts-193036611.html
Maaaaaaaaaaaarty, Maaaaaaaaaaaarty, Maaaaaaaaaaaaarty, Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarty........
The goalie is the key in hockey and Lundqvist gives the Rangers a great chance against anybody ... even a "rink of dreams" team of Hull, Howe, Gretzky, Orr, Esposito and "Rocket" Richard in their prime.
Andy, I almost believe it's deliberate on ESPN's part. Years ago they owned the broadcast rights to the NHL and decided not to renew them at some point. For them to talk about how exciting the SC playoffs are would be akin to admitting they made a mistake... especially since they've spent all this money on the NBA now.
Just scored tix for Game 3... sweet. Follow up the Rangers win with some rodizio and sangria; sounds like a pretty good Saturday afternoon.
Andy, Lundqvist may be good, HOF? I doubt it. that would be a tough team in anyones book. I think Brodeur should retire after this season. He does'nt play the puck as well as he used to, a bit slower, but he is still the #1 goaltender of all time!
bluelinr Broduer has good stats but there were better goalies. he had alot of years of typical Devils trap hockey while the 2 line pass rule existed. You saw his weeknesses much more the past few years when he had to face more shots.
Brodeur certainly is HOF one of the true greats for many years, although in the twilight of a great career at this stage...great goaltending wins...that's a big reason Philly has not won the SC since the days of Bernie in the Nets. Only the Lord saved more than Bernie Parent.
I don't know if we can really go nuts about Lunquivst's saves this past game. I think his team stopped more pucks than he did. Those blue shirts just threw themselves in front of a LOT of pucks.
Call it "neutral zone trap" or whatever you want. It is defense plain and simple! Do NFL teams let their opponent march down into their territory then start playing defense? Or do you want to stop your opponent before they even get a chance to start? Funny thing is, since the Devils started the dfense first mentality, many other teams have adopted the same mindset, even the Rangers. Blocking shots, aggressive forecheck is just a form of defense, that in turn feeds the offense from turnovers. I am a Devils fan, but will watch ANY hockey game, I like it that much. I enjoy seeing some of these new kids coming up, especially since we are now seeing some good american born players make it, even from NJ.
bluelinr , I do not argue that the Trap was just another coaching idea at the time just pointing out it was a huge stat benefit to Broduer. There was many night he only faced shots in the teens and when they opened the game up and those shots went up his stats took a hit and you saw weekness in his game that you had not seen in previous years.
Aww Andy....GOALTENDERS...what about Tony Esposito and Eddie (never heard anything as amazing as 17,000 Rangers fans screaming your name...) ?? Some amazing tending back then as well!
The Kings look solid, especially for an 8th seed. Quick is playing as well as any goalie in the playoffs, including Lundqvist.
They will make a worthy adversary in the SC Finals, unlike the Devils: a bunch of fig eaters with towels on their heads, trying to find reverse on a Soviet tank.
probably more age and style of play have shown weaknesses. 40 yrs is old(by professional athlete standards) it could be said that Lundqvists stats would be worse if the Rangers did'nt block so many shots. A very effective strategy in my mind, though a painful one. there were better goalies than Brodeur, but very few with his stats. Patrick roy, dominick hasek for the modern era of hockey. I actually like some of the rangers and I love Torts, finally a guy that tells the league what he thinks, especially about the pens. I actually met him and Vincent Lecalvier in Tampa, Torts is a very funny guy, though a bit abrasive, but seemed like a good guy.
Man, the Kings are on FIRE...they are gonna give the winner of this series a heck of a time for the cup.
Yeah, LA has won nine straight road games. Nothing is assured for anybody yet ... the NHL has had more playoff comebacks from 0-3 than any other sport.
Scotty Bowman actually invented the neutral zone trap, won nine Stanley Cups with it ... but that said, the Devils have certainly brought it to a new level in the modern game, implementing it at a time the fast skaters were starting to rule the league.
Andy - That's not right. Bowman also never used the neutral zone trap but used something different called the left wing lock and then only with Detroit, not the Canadiens or Penguins teams. Bowman won nine cups total, but only the three with Red Wings and the lock. He didn't invent it either, the Czechs did in the 70's in order to combat the Russian KLM line.
I think you're right, the soviets were primarily left handed shooters and prefered to attack from the left side, hence the "lock" to force them to attack more from the other side. Different than the 1-3-1 neutral zone trap which did'nt employ the agressive forecheck. Though the Devils did'nt invent it, they perfected it. Now it will only be a matter of time before we hear about shot blocking and what the NHL intends to do about it, this drives me insane because of the constant griping about scoring being down. Defense is defense regardless of the method employed. Go to a bigger rink, increase the size of the net, play out a full power play regardless if the team scores. there are other options than people complaining about "traps", "shot blocking" "left wing locks" all perfectly acceptable defensive strategies in my mind.
What is that awsome horn sound in Indy after an awsome hockey team wins????
TheMadScientist Haha, yeah I guess they did. If you can't talk smack when your team is ahead, when can you do it? I still think the Rags will win in 5.
Looking forward to game 3 at the Rock. I'll be in the upper deck, but at least I'll be there, lol.
I'm not one to complain about defense in any sport. You win with defense, comebacks come with defense ... you don't come from behind by trading goals, you stop the other team while you're scoring your own. Interesting stuff about the Czechs developing trapping defenses ... defense is not something you do passively. Did you guys stay up that night the Czechs won the Olympic gold in the 1998 games that were played in Japan? Petr Svoboda scored the "golden goal." The celebrations must have been wild in the Czech Republic. Does the NHL keep stats on defensive saves by non-goalies? They should, even if they have to go back and review game film ... that's a good statistical measure of player value ... not everybody can be a sniper.
DeBoer made a great decision switching the lines around. Gave the team some momentum and they will be coming home on a win. Can't wait to be at the Rock for game 3!! Did anyone see Tortorella's press conference last night..?? What was that?
Torts is always like that after a loss, at times its funny, but not in the playoffs. I understand he's frustrated, but I'm sorry, but you bench a 41 goal scorer in 2012 for most of the 3rd period you better do a little explaining. I know he’s struggled this postseason but I think it’s fair to say were better with Gabby on the ice, than on the pine. He’s not a rookie, tell him what he did wrong and tell him you expect better, you can’t sit him down like that.
BrownEyesGuy The big question of the day ... will the door to the Devils' penalty box open? LOL. It was the only time Tortorella smiled all night.
Torts cut Kreiders time for 2 games in the last series and it hurt as well. If you ask me the playoffs is not the time to play the teach accountability game. If that was not learned in the regular season it is to late now. Benching key players over one defensive mistake just seems dumb. To do it when down really does not make sense. Frustrating to watch but the Rangers did it the hard way twice already hopefully they do it again.
should'nt have to tell him what he did wrong, he should know. I guess he has to stick to his guns. I thought he got benched for not back checking hard enough.
Good day to be a rangers fan , another big goose egg on the score board for the Devils. Hank stole this one for the blue shirts.
Whoa, oh, oh... Whoa, oh, oh... Whoa, oh, oh...
Hen-rik... Hen-rik... Hen-rik...
Still picking the Rangers in 5.
I hear people complaining about the way the Rangers play defense, even to the point of suggesting rule changes. Heck, so everybody on the ice is blocking shots, it's effective defense. If it was so easy everybody else would be doing it. Filling the lanes and being an obstacle to the offense is certainly within the rules and those guys are taking bullets for the team. Good for them.
I'm no longer taking the Rags in 5. I'm also disappointed in the classless move by Rupp, shoving Brodeur like that. Completely uncalled for and an embarrassment to the whole team. There's absolutely no need for a chickenshit play lime that.
Ianimal - did you see Tortorella justifying the hit by suggesting he thought it was a "legal shot" ? I think that whole move by Rupp just gave Brodeur and the rest of the Devils a reason to bring it home in game 6 and knock the Rangers out of the Stanley Cup running.
RyanOMac iPhone-imal, thank you. I said right after that shove, "wow that was really classy". Then the Devils fans started chanting "Rangers suck" and a Rangers fan lloks at me and says, "wow Devils fans are so classy". Really? After the the coach specifically picking certain players (Rupp) to go in just to stir up trouble, then on the drop he starts punching right away, then the cheap shot to Brodeur, perfect examples of sore losers and poor sportsmanship, and Devils fans have no class??? How about the Rangers coach and Rupp?
It's nice to see not all Rangers fans have the high and mighty blinders on. Great series so far, Good luck to both. GO DEVILS!!!!!
SeeintheReality Really shocked at Mike Rupp's shot at Marty. They were pretty close during the 5 years Rupp played for the Devils, with Rupp scoring the winning goal in 2003 Stanley Cup. I guess emotions got the best of him, but it was still a cheap shot.
Been a great, albeit stressful series. Hope the Devils can bring the Cup home!!
Tortorella has always been like that. He seems like he's about six years old. During the coaches exchange I was just waiting for him on the bench to put his fingers in his ears and go "la la la la la la la la".
I did actually like torts, until last night. I think he just pulled the plug on the rangers. Did the Devils really need a reason to step up their play? what he did will have the exact opposite effect he is looking for. I really think his attitude and demeanor is wearing thin on the Rangers. the players are actually wondering what the hell he is doing. I think the players don't want to play goon hockey, but that's his MO, even when in Tampa. Rivalry is fine, but take it with a little class.
Goon hockey is the main reason the NHL has trouble gaining "mainstream" sports fans ... it's been a really exciting and competitive series, but the unnecessary cheap shots are detracting from it.
I am not sure I agree with that statement. First a little push on the shoulder is not exactly head hunting or a beat down. Also in most sports fans get a rise out of the extra activity. Take wrecks out of NASCAR and it is a bunch of cars driving in circles. Take emotions boiling over and rough stuff out of hockey and it is figure skating with sticks. To get more specific on this situation and follow marty's career and see how many time he lays into someone with his stick to the back of the legs when no officials are looking. It is hockey and it happens. I am a ranger fan and agree with most here that the rants from torts are a joke and nothing but a distraction. A few years Ago he went on to bench Sean Avery telling him he needed to get his mouth shut and use self control then he went on to get into it with a fan in the crowd a game later. Torts has good attributes but just as many faults. There is a reason it took a while for another team to gamble with him after he left Tampa.
Torts is an ass. However he brought the cup to Tampa and has gotten the Rangers further than they have in many years...
Push and shove on a player is fine, but all teams will take exception to someone doing it to their goalie. Think it would have been the same if it was done to Lundqvist?
Dubinsky will be back in the lineup tonight. Not sure if that's actually a "good" thing... I'm glad to have Prust back though.
Lacrosse is a sport that moves fast and is played with sticks, without goons ... and it is gaining popularity with the younger generation ... the NCAA championships now are being played in big NFL stadiums before national TV audiences ... I don't believe fist-fighting helps grow a sport ... in fact, I tend to feel the opposite. By the way, figure skating draws HUGE television audiences, so does Dancing with the Stars. People appreciate grace and skill.
Christine The Devils break through ... game 5 is usually the pivotal one in a series, especially when the visitors win.
Wow what a stressful game. IMO the Rangers were the better team tonight, but I am happy that the Devils were able to pull it off!!! Friday's game will be intense!
I must be the only insomniac who has been following this series. Yep, there is something in the air around Newark besides carcinogens. I've always felt (I'm not just saying it now because New Jersey went ahead) that five games is long enough for a professional hockey or basketball series. It's almost Memorial Day, for crying out loud! Baseball is different because you have pitching rotations ... but, long story short, these professional seasons are just --- too --- lengthy.
@Andy,
I agree, they go on too long. maybe they should have the top 4 from each conference go to the playoffs. the worst thing they did was have NBC take the playoffs, every whistle is a barrage of commercials, I can't take it, it's getting like the superbowl!
Totally agree bluelinr. NBC coverage has been awful. Game is taking way way too long.
Congrats to the Devils; they certainly earned the victory. Good luck in the finals.
In the "chess game" that is the NHL, the Devils will now "check" the King(s).
Cool beans.
This doesn't diminish what the Devils did against the Rangers. Awesome playoff run by the Kings. Instead of being able to claim being the second best team in hockey, now the Rangers can claim to be no better than the third best.
Johnny-X Devils beating the Flyers and the Rangers have already made this season worth it for most Devil fans. Games 1 and 2 could have gone either way, last night was awful. Hopefully NJ can get 1 or 2 wins this series. But hey been to 5 Stanely Cups and won 3 (4 if a miracle happens) since the Rangers have been to their last Stanley cup so "enjoy" Ranger fans.
1940 to 1994 to 20never
darwin I agree, beating the Flyers and Rangers are enough for me this year. Would have been nice to get another Cup, but you can't win 'em all.
hmmmm seems to me that being the Eastern Conference champ and still having four games to possibly play is better then being home playing golf these days now isn't it??
Not since 1942 has a team (Maple Leafs) come back after being 3 games down, but it has happened. Don't count them out yet!!
If I could give them some great inspirational words, it would be:
"You were born to be a player. You were meant to be here. This moment is yours."
The true "Miracle on Ice"
Herb Brooks 2/22/80
Making it to the finals and losing still makes them the first loser. I hope all kings fans have there brooms in hand.
Devils still get to raise a banner and get a trophy.... Ranger's missed out on the President's trophy and Prince of Wales Trophy. Sorry no Banner year for you.
Good job on that #1 seed too bad you got nothing to show for it
You know, if us Devils fans have been quiet, the Rangers fans have been even more silent. How are you guys doing this round?
If you go that route the the rangers came in 1st in the regulare season and the Devils 6th , means nothing in the end if you lose the only series that matters.
No the Rangers lost just like the the Devils are about to finish up doing and in the end the only ones that won the games that matter would be the Kings.
jdem has it exactly correct. It means nothing if you lose the only series that matters - like the NJD/NYR series. We won so anything rangers fans have to say means nothing.
I can't say it means nothing. They still beat the Rangers and Flyers which was very nice. It definitely sucks to lose the cup and it defintely puts a damper on those prior wins. They have definitely exceeded expections this year by quite a bit. It's pretty obvious NO ONE was going to beat the Kings in these playoffs. Big picture - the Devils (will) have won 3 of the 5 Finals they have been in over the last 17 years. Not so bad.
Bryan Well, the Devils playoff history since 1994 far exceeds the Rangers and this year just added to that. Teams have come back from 0-3 before ... the Islanders have done it, Flyers have done it, Red Sox have done it (sorry, Yankees fans) so the Devils should not give it up YET. For inspiration, see John Belushi's stirring (though not exactly historically accurate) pep talk in Animal House.
I was just looking through a listing of the Stanley Cup finals through the years ... the St. Louis Blues reached the final in 1968, 69 and 70 and got swept twice by Montreal and once by Bobby Orr and the Bruins. 0-12 in final games but they had to win a lot of big games to get there three years in a row ... the Buffalo Bills of hockey.
Andy - I wouldn't go that far when it comes to the original St Louis team. 68, 69, 70 are all right after the first expansion and the teams were divided into original 6 vs expansion teams. It would be like saying you'll take the best AAA team and play against the real MLB champion for the World Series. It's not until the expansion has some time to draft, and the divisions were evened up that you got real Stanley Cups again after the expansion. Credit where credit is due though, Glen Hall and an aged Jaques Plante of that era was a stellar, Vezina goaltending pair. They were definitely the best of the expansion, but no match for the original six.
The Bills were the best of the AFC in the middle of a stretch where the NFC won every Super Bowl from 1985 to 1997.
The Flyers were the first team of that expansion group to win the Stanley Cup, in 1974 ... I was there with a press credential for the now defunct Ocean County Times, which was an afternoon paper (don't see many of those anymore) ... anyway, the parade was a lot of fun. Only the Lord saves more than Bernie Parent.
That's right, where there is life there is hope. Great game, scoreless for two periods (although grammarians would argue 0-0 in itself is a "score") and then the Devils break through on the road. Whatever happens from here, give them credit for not being quitters. Now the Devils attitude has to be, "you won't win the Cup IN OUR HOUSE" and next thing you know, LA is feeling pressure.
Chant for everyone at the game "BEAT L.A., BEAT L.A." and just keep it up the whole game.
Great effort by the Devils!....It would have been real easy to fold up the tent, playing in L.A. with the Kings within reach of the cup. Devils showed alot of heart, grit, and effort. Newark better be CRAZY Saturday night!
Been following all of the comments from my original post. Somehow i got the feeling that if i posted again, I would jinx the Devils. But, I think the writing is on the wall--or the puck in the net--as the case may be. Great effort. Of course, all is not lost. Statistically though,only one other team ever came back from a 3-0 deficit. But we have one back. :-) Guess I'll go on cheering until the final horn is blown.
I think the Devils will lose game 6 in LA... but man if they can somehow make it to game 7 the rock will be nuts.
Kings look unbeatable. but hopefully the devils can give the fans 1 home win this series
I believe there's been just one comeback in the finals, but there also have been comebacks from 0-3 in other rounds. All you can do is a game at a time and never give up. The Devils didn't look like a beaten team last night, so why should we fans just throw in the towel? It is so difficult to score against the Devils .. nothing is in the bag. LA could get very frustrated the longer this goes on. Thanks to you starting this board, Gene, we've shown people how much interest hockey draws in this area. Why not make some history, eh?
Andy - Sorry but even if they didn't look beat the whole time, their power play was beat. Really beat. I can't see a game 6 let alone a game 7 with bad passing and standing around like their power play did last night.
Parise and Kovalchuk have to come up big today, if the Devils are to keep the dream alive. As for the power play, for years (I mean decades) my impression of NHL power plays has been the shorthanded team packs everybody in front of the goalie and the team with the extra man passes it around the perimeter and just takes long-distance slap shots. That's how the Flyers managed to lead the league in penalty minutes and still win back-to-back cups in 74 and 75, when I actually covered games in the old Spectrum.
For penalties to really be PENALTIES how about the offending team playing without its goalie for two minutes? That'll cut down on roughing, high sticking, cheap shots big time.
Even the refs are setting picks for the Kings. Holy blind refs batman. I hope their names get on the cup.
Great idea, Andy. Lets apply that principle to other sports, too...
In baseball, when a pitcher hits a batter, the team has to finish the inning with a position player pitching and the pitcher on the bench. In football, if a linebacker gets a roughing the QB penalty, he has to play QB on the next offensive series for his team. In soccer... well, who cares? It's soccer. There's really nothing you can do to make it any worse.
Yes, I'm being facetious. Except for the part about there being no way to make soccer any worse (-;
Quick deserves nothing yet! gotta prove year in and year out, jim carrey, Tom barrasso, artus irbe, cam ward..... the list goes on!
Really "Great game...that first period was really amazing" Yeah not to hard when you spend most of the period on a power play. That game was a joke!, NHL officiating is a joke! Bettman is a joke. No true Hockey fan can say that was a great game.
Denis No, Denis, the game wasn't "amazing", due to the fact that the Devils played like crap. Blaming the refs is sad... especially since the Rangers would have been in the Finals if it weren't for the crappy refereeing in the EC Finals (-;
Hey iPhone-imal, I'm a Rangers fan my whole life, not a Devils fan, but I'm also a Hockey fan and wanted to see a good game decided by the players, not the refs. That was a disgrace, and it's nothing new. I agree the rangers got screwed to, they have been ever since Tortorella called the refs out early in the year. NHL officiating is by far the worst and most inconsistent in all of major sports, and has been for years. The refs looked completely incompetent tonight, and decided the game in the first period. The NHL lost tonight also.
Too bad for the Devils...As always, when the officials call in favor of your team it's okay. But calls against your team, you scream and yell. Nothing will ever beat Giacomin in the Ranger goal in the early 70s... the entire garden on its feet yelling EDDIE. Still was very exciting to watch. At least they don't stop every 15 seconds like football and pull on their "pants" as in baseball...love love hockey. It has become the family sport in our house. Even save go to a few games each year in the city. My dtr loves it! Hey, if that is what it takes to bring a family together for a few hours, it's all good.
acl76 The Kings played better, faster, and smarter. The Devils had no energy after the 3 goals.....on the last goal Brodeur was sleeping until he heard the puck.
Well, there will be more seasons.
Let's Go Devils!
What can you say.... game was over when the Gionta hit from behind wasn't called and Bernier threw the hit on the Kings player causing a five minute power play, a penalty that will stay with him forever. Writing was on the wall. Even the Islanders should have been able to pull off that kind of win... Thank you NJ Devils for a great season, thank you for all the Full Season Hockey Fans out there who watched their teams win and lose over and over and supported them during the nine months of our season, not just watched for the Playoffs (you know who you are LOL). No matter what happens with free agency in a few weeks I will be there cheering louder then ever next season.
botheredbyu When the home team loses and the season's over, all you can do is keep it in perspective. Devils are conference champions ... that's a season worthy of a banner.
No regular programming...now it's time for baseball..so lame after watching hockey. Better yet, golf.
Well, the alternative is watching the Yankees hit homers or watching the Mets make errors. Triple-LOL
The only "talent" anywhere near the Devils bench last night was the blonde woman sitting directly behind DeBoer. Too bad she was wearing a Kings sweater.
newbee Its funny how short a memory the Devils and their announcers have. Chico Resch is probably still whining.Was it a bad call? Sure but i seem to remember Callahan getting speared and Stepan getting a stick to the face that were non calls that both led to goals seconds later vs Rangers. Did they complain as well when they scored one of their other goals on a play that was offsides??? Of course not. Rangers had some bad calls or non calls in every series but it was their job to overcome them. Devils could of killed that penalty(or maybe gave up one goal) and they would of been fine. What i would really be bitching about was how a penalty killing unit that had the best % in NHL history during the regular season play so bad especially against a team(Kings) who had one of the worst PP in playoff history before the Finals. Of course i am a bitter Rangers fan and not ashamed to say i am happy there will be no parking lot parade this year.
Cya next October!!!
KKDL bluelinr - Barrasso did prove himself for many years. Winning a cup isn't the only thing, and there have been great goalies on some bad and mediocre teams that were great. Quick has actually been good 3 solid years with much worse teams in front of him before this outstanding year. Irbe was never all that great. Ever. Carrey I though only had a strong run for part of a year and never proved much either. Ward has always been solid, but never a star. I don't believe he won a cup on his own, or deserved a Conn Smythe. Then again Quick is also not Dryden or Parent.
The officiating is an excuse. It was not at all perfect, but it's no where near as bad now as in the Islander/Vancouver cup series. They called a penalty first, and then spent 5 minutes figuring out what the penalty was. Only 15 seconds later call an even up penalty because they knew the first one was wrong. Should we even go into not calling certain off sides penalties to give a quy a one on nothing to win a cup? Still nothing you can do about that, not as bad as it has been in the past, and try soccer refs who have been shown to have taken bribes or cricket where the whole series of games is thrown...
The Devils really swarmed and had good movement against the Rangers. Then they sat around and looked at each other against the Kings. They only had one game as good as mediocre, and that they only won because the Kings played just as mediocre.
The Kings were clearly the better team, and Quick deserved all the praise he got.
I'm not saying the Kings didn't deserve to win, but it's a tarnished win. There is a huge difference between being on the power play for 2 minutes which the Devils should have been, versus having to kill a 5 minute penalty that doesn't end when a goal is scored. Then to start the second period the linesman gets in the lane instead of the being on the boards where he belongs, and picks off Volchenkov, and the Kings score. The refs totally ruined that game with their incompetence. Inconsistent ref's are the biggest problem in Hockey.
If that was a tarnished win, then every Islander win was tarnished, several Boston wins in the 70's were tarnished. Calgary's was tarnished, and at least two Edmonton cups were as well. I wouldn't even go further than saying it was a weak call and not much more.
The worst problem in hockey is the over expansion producing mediocrity and franchises struggling financially. And I will agree Emperor Bettman has done his share of making that happen.
Over expansion is right. ... although the location of the Devils into NJ would not have been possible without it. Still, the American Hockey League was a marvelous league of the NHL's top farm clubs before the expansion craze hit. Back in the 1960s I went to some Hershey Bears and Baltimore Clippers games and followed the league with interest ... those teams played a better brand of hockey than what passes as big league today ... and if NJ had put a franchise in that league I would have been more than happy to support it.
It was tarnished, most objective fans would agree. No true hockey fan wants to see the refs decide games. Your just glad they lost. The Islanders were the dominant team of the early 80's and deserved every cup. You cite a one call against Vancouver? They swept them in the finals! You lose all credibility, and your Flyer colors clearly show saying they were all tarnished.
I guess you haven't gotten over being dominated this year by the Devils in the Playoffs. Or by the Islanders in the 80's.
The Islanders certainly were the best team the years they won and although I'm bummed out by the Devils losing, they only have themselves to blame for falling behind 0-3 and putting themselves in a hole. They lost the first two at home ... that's not supposed to happen to a quality team like the Devils.
I don't disagree Andy, and I'm not a Devil fan. I just don't like to see such big game like that ruined by the refs.
Really, the officiating has gotten steadily worse over the past 2 years. The NHL has yet to legitimize itself, not as many people like hockey as other sports. This is'nt Canada. Bad calls in game 6? just as many as there was throughout the playoffs. I wanted the Devils to win, but sadly, they did'nt play well enough in the finals. Maybe the outcome would have been different had the officiating been better, maybe not. I still think the NHL has to hold the referees more accountable when blatant mistakes are made. I guess Quick deserves the Con Smythe, eventually he will be solved by teams in the future, no doubt he is a very good goalie. But NBC made him seem like the entire Kings team which I thought was unfair to a very good team. The most disturbing thing about the whole NBC run dog&pony show was the pre-game with Millbury, JR and Maguire skating around showing the keys to beating brodeur and quick. I thought it was horrible! I respect JR as a commentator based on his experience and millbury much the same way, but maguire has to go!
Denis - That's nonsense. At this point I really don't care who won or lost. I am saying it was not such a game changing event. Particular compared to other series in the past. The Islanders were dominant at that period in time, and did deserve certainly 3 out of the 4 cups. The last one could have gone either way, and I do still agree they deserved the last one even if it was far more even than in the past. And that's one of the best examples of how far worse previous calls were. During the last Islander cup the referees made a solid dozen bad calls, and often made even up calls directly after. This one single call is just nothing in comparison to that call. That series you could legitimately say the refs changed the course of the game. I don't see this call as nearly that important.
And that was not the only call of that era or before. Just to be not so biased I didn't even bring up the Nystrom off side. Who remembers the fog game that they literally put the whistle away? Remember how that worked?
This was only one call in one game when the whole series was just not that bad, and much of it was more yapping than reality.
Well, whether it decided the series or not, officiating needs to be improved. There are plenty of people working their way up through the lower levels who deserve a chance, if the officials in the big show are not up to par.
Well GC were just going to have to disagree on the game, but kudo's for the Ukraine jersey!! NHL refs are just a thorn in my side as a hockey fan, too inconsistent, and too much influence on games. This pic pretty much sums up why I would root for even the Flyers over LA.
OMG! She is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo nasty!!!!!!!!
She needs to look in the mirror, if she can find one "droopy" enough. Makes me want to puke!!!!
Andy - That I would always agree on. It goes with any sport and any officiating - it can always improve. The lack of that talent goes together with the over expansion. Too many teams, too many referees needed, harder to find.
Denis - Thanks on the jersey, I've got a connection over that at the president of the federation. Yes, we can disagree about the game, it's just the level of how much it means and not the fact that things can't be better.
As for the picture, what does 4 Oompa Loompas have to do with it?
As a Devils fan I was sad to see them lose to the Kings but this touching gesture makes the loss a little easier and is a big reminder that it is just a game.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/kings-fan-honours-fallen-scouts-brings-cup-champions-025559391--nhl.html
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