Game 4: Several Firsts In The Devils 1-0 Win Tonight

The Devils, dare I say this, needed a win tonight in Buffalo. With the injuries piling up and another game with a shorthanded team, the Devils came to Buffalo with several question marks. The teams remained scoreless, trading chances throughout regulation. When overtime started, the Devils got the better opportunity, and they finally converted, as Ilya Kovalchuk‘s first goal of the season gave the Devils a 1-0 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres.

Ryan Miller can only watch as Ilya Kovalchuk's shot finds the back of the net for the overtime winner. Photo Credit: David Duprey/AP Photo

The Good

1. Kovalchuk’s First Goal Wins The Devils’ First Game

The Devils had several chances throughout the game, but Ryan Miller and some ill-timed misses kept the game scoreless. Heading into overtime, it seemed like the Devils were on the doorstop, but couldn’t knock down the door. That would all change on one shot.

The Devils, as they had for two of the three periods in tonight’s game, dominated the flow of overtime. The team already had three shots on net as Jamie Langenbrunner handled the puck at center ice. Instead of passing to Kovalchuk, Langenbrunner sent the puck to a streaking Matt Taormina, who carried the puck to the left circle. Taormina momentarily lost control of the puck, but quickly gained it back. The rookie defenseman sent a pass to Kovalchuk in the circle, who dropped to one knee and rifled a shot on net. The puck hit the crossbar but found it’s way into the net for the game-winning goal, his first of the season.

2. Martin Brodeur and Miller Duel It Out

Whenever Brodeur and Miller play on the same ice, the ability to score goals decreases dramatically. Nowhere was that more evident than at the HSBC Center tonight. Both goalies made incredible stops to keep the game scoreless until overtime. Miller made several key saves, including stoning Langenbrunner on the crease with 5:10 left in the third period. But Brodeur equaled the effort, making a game-saving stop on Derek Roy in the second period. It only seems fitting that Brodeur would shut out the Sabres for the Devils first win of the season.

Brodeur now has 111 career shutouts, 23 of which have ended in 1-0 scores. It’s also his fourth career 1-0 overtime shutout win.

3. John MacLean Wins His First Game

Coach MacLean earned his first victory as an NHL head coach tonight, which always deserves congratulations. But it was the fire he lit during the pre-game skate that laid the foundation for the Devils solid game tonight. During the morning practice, MacLean got tired of watching the Devils go through practice with a listless attitude. After a missed pass occurred in a drill, MacLean stopped practice and let go a profanity-raced tirade at the team. After practice, he continued to prod the team through the media, believing the team didn’t have “an air of professionalism that we have to be ready to play the game.”

The team came out and played their most complete game of the night, and I believe it was that tongue-lashing that made the Devils play their best.

MacLean said his first win was a relief.

“I’m excited that we got it,” MacLean said to Tom Gulitti of the Bergen Record. “It’s always good to get the first one out of the way. I’m more excited about how hard they played tonight.”

Continue reading for the rest of the recap!

Game 4 Live Game Blog: Devils at Buffalo Sabres, 10/13/10

Ilya Kovalchuk’s first goal of the season gave the Devils a 1-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres tonight at the HSBC Center.

Rookie defenseman Matt Taormina began the play, causing a turnover in the Sabres zone. He passed the puck to Kovalchuk, who went to one knee and blasted a slapshot from the left circle. The puck hit off the crossbar and found the back of the net for the game-winning goal.

The Devils outshot the Sabres, 10-6, in the third period. They lead in shots, 32-22.

Miller answered with another nice save at 5:10 of the period. Langenbrunner received the puck on the doorstep, but Miller stacked the pads and made the save.

Brodeur made two nice saves to keep the game scoreless at 13:38 of the third period. Thomas Vanek took a sharp-angle shot that Brodeur saved. He left a rebound that was whacked at the net, and Brodeur turned that attempt away.

So far tonight, Brodeur has made 20 saves.

The Devils lead the third period in shots, 6-2. They’ve put 32 shots on Miller tonight.

The Devils have created some great chances in this period. Adam Mair almost burned his former team, but sent a one-timer wide of Miller at 2:52 of the period.

The Sabres almost scored a fluke goal only 53 seconds into the period. Dainius Zubrus came off the ice on a bad line change, giving Buffalo a 3-on-2 opportunity. Roy sent the puck towards the net, and Brodeur had to dive to his right as the puck bounced wide of the net.

Buffalo outshot the Devils, 15-11, in the second period. Devils still lead in shots, 26-16.

Interesting stat: The Devils and Sabres combined for three goals or less in three of the four meetings last season.

The Devils are 0-for-3 on the powerplay tonight. They’ve created some great chances, but in a scoreless game, those missed opportunities get frustrating.

Buffalo is outshooting the Devils, 9-5, at 10:28 in the second period.

Martin Brodeur just made a great save at 16:09 of the second period to keep the game scoreless. Derek Roy was able to drive around Devils’ defenseman Andy Greene, and chipped a puck on net. Roy then collected the rebound and put another shot on Brodeur, but the Devils’ goalie stuck the right pad out and made the save.

The Sabres have come out with more jump in this period, and Brodeur has made some great saves to keep this a scoreless game.

The Devils did everything but score in the first period. They outshot the Sabres, 15-2, but Miller was there to make several big saves. As Ken Daneyko just said on the intermission report, that was the Devils best period of hockey this season. But it will be important to see if the Devils can carry this effort. The team has struggled to give a consistent effort for 60 minutes, and it’s one of the reasons why the Devils still lack a win.

Mark Fraser and Cody McCormick dropped the gloves at 12:18 of the first period. Both McCormick and Patrick Kaleta hit Fraser high earlier in the period, and Kaleta went off for a charging penalty. Both landed some good punches, but neither went down and the fight ended in a draw.

The Devils are 0-for-2 on the PP tonight, but it isn’t a lack of chances that’s kept them off the scoreboard. During the Devils last PP opportunity, the team created several chances in front, but Ryan Miller and the penalty killers stood tall and thwarted the Devils opportunities.

Andrej Sekera almost gave the Sabres a 1-0 lead at 12:54 of the first period. Sekera held the puck at the point and faked the shot, getting a Devil to go to the ice. He then ripped a shot on net through a screen, but it rang off the left post.

Early in the first period, the Devils lead the shot category, 6-0. John MacLean ripped into the team for being laissez-faire and not having an air of professionalism. It seems like the team has responded to that criticism.

Here were the starting lineups:

DEVILS

Dainius Zubrus – Adam Mair – David Clarkson; Henrik Tallinder – Andy Greene; Martin Brodeur

SABRES

Jochen Hecht – Derek Roy – Drew Stafford; Jordan Leopold – Steve Montador; Ryan Miller

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The Devils are looking for their first win of the season. The team will only have 16 skaters dressed for tonight because of injuries to Anton Volchenkov (neck, broken nose) and Brian Rolston (sports hernia). Rolston will undergo surgery Thursday to fix the hernia, and will be placed on injured reserve. The Devils will have a full compliment of skaters for Friday’s game against Colorado.

Game 4 Preview: Homecoming For Tallinder, Mair As Devils Face Buffalo

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (0-2-1) face off against the Buffalo Sabres (1-2-0) in Buffalo. This is the first meeting between the two teams this season.

The Last Sabres Game: The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Sabres, 4-3, on Monday in Buffalo. The Sabres jumped out to an early lead, with Drew Stafford scoring 14 seconds into the game to put Buffalo ahead, 1-0. Derek Roy extended the lead to 2-0 at 2:43 of the first with his second goal of the season. Buffalo couldn’t hold the lead, as the Blackhawks scored four goals over the three periods to take a 4-2 lead. Tim Connolly‘s even-strength goal at 5:24 of the final period brought the Sabres to within a goal, but Buffalo couldn’t complete the comeback. The game also featured this hit on Jason Pominville, which concussed him and earned Niklas Hjalmarsson a two game suspension.

The Last Devils Game: The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Devils, 3-1, Monday afternoon at The Rock. It was the return of former Devil Paul Martin, who was booed every time he touched the puck. Alex Goligoski opened the scoring, giving the Penguins a 1-0 lead with 1:04 left in the first period. Mark Letetsu extended the lead to 2-0 with a powerplay goal at 2:32 of the second period. Patrik Elias tallied the Devils’ first goal, pulling the Devils to within one at 8:26 of the third period. But Brent Johnson held steady, making 13 saves in the final frame. To make matters worse, Martin iced the victory with an empty net goal at 19:46 of the period.

The Last Devils – Sabres Game: The Devils won the final game of the season against the Sabres to earn a split of the season series. After a scoreless first period, Thomas Vanek and Travis Zajac scored second period goals to tie the game at one. In the third period, after Buffalo pulled goalie Patrick Lalime, Devils’ captain Jamie Langenbrunner fired home an empty-net, powerplay goal to give the Devils the win. That victory clinched the number two seed in the Eastern Conference for the Devils last season. For a full historical recap of the matchup between these two teams, click here.

Welcome Back! Both Henrik Tallinder and Adam Mair return back to Buffalo for tonight’s game. Mair played seven seasons for the Sabres before joining the Devils on a tryout contract. Tallinder, a second-round draft choice of the Sabres in 1997, played nine seasons before signing with the Devils.

Tallinder said the Sabres offered him a contract, but didn’t pursue him once he became a free agent. But he feels no ill will toward the organization, and doesn’t know what to anticipate tonight.

“They might (boo) sometimes,” he said. “I have no idea what they’re going to do. They might cheer. No, they won’t. What ever happens, happens.”

Tonight’s Matchup: The objective is clear – win a game. It’s not time to hit the panic button yet, but the Devils need to come out aggressive and make things happen tonight. Once again, the team will be shorthanded, only dressing 16 skaters for tonight’s game. But those are extenuating circumstances beyond the player’s control. They need to put the past three games out of their minds and focus in on beating one of the best goalies in the game.

The Devils did some good things in Monday’s loss. Even though they allowed 30 shots, the team played better defense. It looked like some of the pairings were building chemistry, and the team seemed more responsible in their own end. They were also victims on some bad penalty calls, but did a great job on the kill. If not for an unfortunate bounce, the Devils wouldn’t have allowed Letetsu’s powerplay goal.

I’m looking for whether or not the team can give a complete, 60 minute effort tonight. They haven’t done that yet, and it’s an issue that plagued the team last season. They weren’t showing effort during the morning skate, where coach John MacLean stopped practice to rip into the team for being listless and sloppy during drills. If that’s an indication of things to come, then tonight may be a long night.

Game time is 7 p.m., and you can catch all the action on MSG Plus. Join us here on The Devils’ Den for a live game blog, beginning at 6:45 p.m.

Here are the expected lines, based off of this morning’s skate:

Forwards: Zach Parise – Travis Zajac – Ilya Kovalchuk; Patrik Elias – Jason Arnott – Jamie Langenbrunner; Dainius Zubrus – Adam Mair – David Clarkson; Rod Pelley

Defenseman: Henrik Tallinder – Andy Greene; Colin White – Matt Taormina; Alexander Urbom – Mark Fraser

Goalies: Martin Brodeur, Johan Hedberg

The Devils Sports Page – Wednesday, October 12, 2010

Excited for tonight’s Devils and Sabres game? Hold yourself over with today’s edition of The Devils’ Sports Page:

MacLean looking for Devils to complete a full game; still has faith in Parise – Zajac – Kovy line (Tom Gulitti/Fire and Ice blog)

Mair happy to be signed with Devils: Mair, Tallinder looking forward to return to Buffalo (Tom Gulitti/Fire and Ice blog)

Leblond assigned to Albany, Mair signed; Rolston may have sports hernia, Volchenkov out rest of the week (Tom Gulitti/Fire and Ice blog)

Devils sign Adam Mair but will remain shorthanded against Sabres due to injury (Rich Chere/NJ.com)

Geting late early for winless Devils (Mark Everson/NY Post)