Bergfors powers Devils to victory over the Caps

November 5, 2009   ·   Hasan   ·   Jump to comments

During October, the Devils’ bizarre home-road split was cause for consternation in New Jersey and celebration everywhere else.  You’d figure at some point something would have to give one way or the other, given the Devils’ 1-4 record at the Rock (squeaking out their lone win against a suddenly awful Hurricanes team) and sterling 7-0 record on the road.  Coach Jacques Lemaire even joked that things like staying in a hotel at home and changing the uniform to the road white were considerations.  I wouldn’t mind that, so long as they don’t wear the dopey Titan uniforms that the Jets now choose to play every week in – but I digress.

Fortunately tonight, no such drastic measures were needed to ensure a 3-2 win over the Capitals though perhaps there was divine intervention in the third period as Nicklas Bergfors scored not just one, but two power play goals.  That was almost as shocking as Rod Pelley dropping the gloves with Chris Clark late in the second period, with Pelley winning the fight.

While a cynic might point out that the Devils barely managed to squeak past a Cap team missing Alexander Ovechkin – who’s week-to-week with an undisclosed injury – given that there were no fewer than four regulars out of the New Jersey lineup tonight, the Devils weren’t about to shed any tears over a missing Alex the Great.  Actually, the first period looked like it was going to be more of the same dreadful hockey at home when the Caps outshot the Devils 11-2 at one point in a slow opening twenty minutes after the Devils got the first four shots of the game against Semyon Varlamov.  Given the Caps’ pressure a late first-period goal was perhaps inevitable, but the surprise was who scored it - little-known defenseman Tyler Sloan who was playing on the wing tonight.  Sloan scored his second NHL goal after a turnover by Jamie Langenbrunner led to a two-on-one with Sloan slipping a shot under Martin Brodeur at 17:10, giving Washington the lead. 

If anything was said during the first intermission it worked, for the Devils started to pick up their game after Brodeur made a big stop on a Brooks Laich slapshot in the first minute but they also needed a little bit of luck to get back in the game when a pass from Brian Rolston intended for Langenbrunner instead bounced off a skate and in at 3:33, tying the game and giving Rolston his third goal of the year.  You could say it makes up for Rolston only having two goals despite a high shot total but really there weren’t an inordinate number of those shots one could consider high-quality.  Hopefully that one does get him going though and he skated with more of a purpose after that, particularly in the second period when on a line with Langenbrunner and Rob Niedermayer, who both assisted on Rolston’s goal.

Even being tied has been a rarity for the Devils at home, let alone getting a lead.  However, a surprisingly potent power play would do just that, with help from the Caps who came unglued took four straight penalties in the third period.  On two of them, Bergfors would score decidedly different goals.  At 11:20, he scored the tie-breaking goal with a hellacious slapshot over Varlamov’s glove for his third goal of the year after assists from Travis Zajac and Zach Parise.  Being paired with the Devils’ top offensive players brought out the best in the young Swede, for he was at it again just three minutes and fifty seconds later, deflecting a Zajac shot home for what proved to be the winning goal.  Andy Greene also got an assist on Bergfors’ second of the night and for Greene, it was a very busy night as he went from being a healthy scratch the first two games of the season to playing a team-leading 25:46 tonight.

Up 3-1 with no Ovechkin to worry about the lead seemed secure, especially after another Caps penalty by Alexander Semin (his second of the period) moments after Bergfors’ goal.  Not to mention the Devils’ overall play in general, as they outshot the Caps 26-17 in the final two periods.  However, Semin came out of the box with under two minutes left and got a breakaway which Brodeur did well to stop.  With Varlamov pulled after a timeout however, he couldn’t stop Tomas Fleischmann’s deflection from beating him with just 1:37 left.  As the Caps suddenly gained confidence dancing around the Devils, I definitely had visions of Game 7 last year but fortunately this game would have a different outcome as the Devils hung on for the two points.

Of course, things being as they have been so far this season it wasn’t all peaches and cream.  Niedermayer left due to injury though ostensibly it wasn’t too serious.  Granted, there are increased injuries all over the league thanks to the Olympic schedule, but it’s getting to the point where I am starting to wonder if we’re employing the Mets’ team doctors and trainers.  Especially in regards to Patrik Elias, who was supposed to be out 3-6 weeks and is still unsure of his return eight weeks later.  At least the Devils (apparently) aren’t rushing him back this time the way they did late last year when Brent Sutter openly wondered why Elias wasn’t playing in a division showdown against the Flyers and as a result, Elias came back and wasn’t the same after re-aggravating the injury.  Due to Elias’s certainty it led to an unusual week for Matt Halischuk, who was demoted to Lowell then came back and played as an emergency recall tonight.

Whatever the case, the Devils are now 9-4 with back-to-back games against the Islanders and in Ottawa starting Friday, both of which they’ll be favored in.  Hopefully Elias and defenseman Johnny Oduya return by Saturday, not to mention Niedermayer.

BoNY Three Stars:

1. Nicklas Bergfors (two PP goals)
2. Martin Brodeur (26/28 saves)
3. Tomas Fleischmann (goal, +1)