Devils’ PP leads to comeback win in Ottawa

November 8, 2009   ·   Hasan   ·   Jump to comments

Through fifteen games this season, there’s a lot to like about the 2009-10 Devils so far.  A power play that’s improved from clueless to capable and even borderline potent, a defense that’s showing more potential every game and an offense that’s slowly becoming more than just the ZZPops line and Patrik Elias.  Not to mention the coaching of Jacques Lemaire and his staff, actually giving capable backup Yann Danis a real role this year, integrating  young players like Nicklas Bergfors and Mark Fraser into the lineup and completely untapping the potential (that I admit thinking was a myth) of Andy Greene. 

Just about all of those positives were on display last night in Ottawa as the Devils fought back from a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2 in regulation against a competitive Sens team, extending their perfect road record to eight in a row, only two behind the Sabres’ NHL record of ten set a couple years back.  In spite of a lineup that was missing no fewer than five regulars last night – including Elias (scratched for precautionary reasons), this Devils team continues not to miss a beat for the second year in a row after a frightening spell of trips to the IR at the start of the season.

I’d planned on watching this game at a friend’s house but due to some terrible dinner service (and a couple of late arrivals) it took our group three hours to eat out, so I wound up listening to most of the first period on the radio driving back to Morristown and watching the second period before going out again.  From what I gathered between the radio and TV there wasn’t too much early in terms of action, though watching the replay this morning it’s funny how Chico Resch twice mistook Danius Zubrus for Zach Parise when the former hit the crossbar in the first minute on a two-on-one.  Especially since the night before, Zubrus took a penalty and the official called him ‘number nine’.  Still it wasn’t quite as bad as Steve Cangelosi’s beaut during last year’s playoffs, mixing up Brendan Shanahan and Travis Zajac on a game-winning goal.  Do all of our announcers need glasses?  I kid cause I still love ya Chico.  Even if you’re a total goofball.

In any case, the Senators struck first fourteen minutes in when their top line applied sustained pressure with multiple shots on Martin Brodeur, the second in the sequence causing Brodeur to drop his stick and he couldn’t recover in time before a Milan Michalek slap shot beat Brodeur through a Jason Spezza screen in front.  Moments later came a fight between Matt Carkner and Andrew Peters – who maybe showed why he doesn’t fight any more as the big man just got beaten down by the smaller Carkner.  Of course if he can’t fight, then what use does he really have on the hockey team?  But that’s another rant for another day.

During the first intermission (as well as the pregame) MSG Plus whatever had a nice little feature on HOF’er Lou Lamoriello before he and four other distinguished nominees get inducted Monday, nothing particularly earth-shattering since I’ve read most of this stuff on Lou post-HOF announcement over the last several months but it does help you appreciate that much more his other contributions to hockey besides only being the best GM in the game for the last two decades.  Not to mention – going off on a slight tangent – you appreciate the Devils’ record of success that much more when you see what’s going on in Carolina this year.  Looking at both teams proves that you can have fluke success over a single season as Carolina seems to have once every three years but it takes a solid foundation to ensure the year after year consistency the Devils have. 

Meanwhile back at the ranch, with the game still at 1-0 more than midway through came what could have been a disasterous goal allowed by Brodeur, after unheralded defenseman Brian Lee skated up the ice and wristed a shot that somehow squirted through at 11:09 and at this point I thought last night would be the end of the road streak.  As college football’s Lee Corso would say though, not so fast my friend…not as long as this Devils team still has time to do anything about it.  Indeed, Parise would answer for the Devils less than five minutes later, scoring on the power play at 15:35 off a rebound in front where ironically Ottawa goaltender Pascal Leclaire lost his stick after stopping a couple of close-range shots before Parise scored his seventh of the year.  David Clarkson and Jamie Langenbrunner got the assists on Parise’s goal, and it wouldn’t be the last time any of them had an impact on the power play.

During a remarkable 7:20 to open the third period, Ottawa not only lost their lead but their heads as well.  Admittedly I still couldn’t figure out what happened after Jesse Winchester’s cheap elbow on Colin White at 3:02 that was only ruled a minor penalty but Peters and Jarko Ruutu each got two minute minors for unsportsmanlike conduct after jawing back and forth in the ensuing scrum, with Ruutu getting a ten-minute misconduct on top of it.  I didn’t see what Ruutu did, but knowing the player and his rep it probably wasn’t good.  Doc Emrick alluded to an alleged biting incident betwen Ruutu and Peters in the past when Peters was in Buffalo and on the receiving end supposedly, which probably contibuted to the third-period bad blood between the two.  

During the ensuing power play, the Devils got their just reward when Clarkson beat Leclaire from a bad angle, tying the game with his fourth goal of the year at 4:38.  Nicklas Bergfors and Brian Rolston also assisted on Clarkson’s tying goal.  Just a minute and fifty-nine seconds later came the second contreversial get-together of the period after Chris Campoli took a delay of game penalty, when Chris Neil caually bumped into David Clarkson, ostensibly causing Clarkson to fall down.  While the Clarkson tumble did look a little embelished there was no reason for Neil to even coast into Clarkson to begin with, and in doing so he also earned a ten-minute timeout from the game for Ottawa’s second misconduct of the period.  And for the third time in the game, the Devils made the Senators play for bad decision-making when Greene’s blast from the blue line found its way through bodies in front and past Leclaire at 7:20 for his second goal of the year, giving the Devils a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.  Parise and Langenbrunner had the assists on Greene’s decisive goal.  Ottawa’s best chance to square matters came with around four minutes left when Michalek’s point-blank shot was stopped by Brodeur after a good shift by he, Spezza and Carkner.  Once again however, the Devils took the home crowd out of it late and came up with their eighth straight road win and eleventh win in their last thirteen games overall. 

Notes: Tim Sestito was last night’s call-up from Lowell to replace Elias in the lineup, can’t say I noticed him all that much until a terrific shift early in the third period but he played around nine minutes with a -1 (I think the latter was because of the Lee goal though, which was more on Marty than anyone else).  With his numbers in Lowell you do wonder why he didn’t get a longer look instead of Rod Pelley in the preseason.  Dean McAmmond will join the team in time for Wednesday’s game against the Ducks, where the ‘03 Cup winners will be commemorated, as part of the Devils’ Champions Pack promo that includes the three teams we beat in the Stanley Cup finals and last year’s champion Penguins.  During the telecast, Chico spilled the beans on another retro adjustment Brodeur’s planning to make for green jersey throwback night March 17th - with likely means either a return to his old helmet or perhaps he wears the #29 for a night since he actually wore that number with that jersey.  

BoNY Three Stars:

1. Zach Parise (PP goal, assist)
2. Andy Greene (PP goal, -1, team-leading 27:47 TOI)
3. Milan Michalek (goal, +1)