Assorted items from tonight’s 7-3 victory over the Flyers at Wachovia Center.
**The Devils’ five power-play goals tied the team record (the entered the night on a 0-for-15 drought). They also scored five power-play goals on Jan. 4, 1996 against Dallas at the Meadowlands and Oct. 29, 1986 at Pittsburgh. The franchise record is six power play goals, set by the Colorado Rockies against Philadelphia in an 8-6 win on Feb. 19, 1980. The Devils’ previous high for power-play goals this season was three.
**The seven total goals were the most the Devils have scored since a 7-4 victory over Tampa Bay on Feb. 7, 2006. The Devils scored only six goals in their 7-6 shootout win over Toronto on Oct. 12, 2006 (the shootout winner is awarded a team goal). The Devils hadn’t scored more than five goals since their 6-2 win at Wachovia Center – Martin Brodeur’s 500th win – on Nov. 17.
**The Devils have defeated the Flyers five consecutive times and are 5-1 against them this season. They are 15-1-1 in their last 17 meetings dating back to 2005-06. The Flyers, who had their four-game winning streak snapped, are 10-2-1 in their last 13 games with both regulation losses coming against the Devils.
**Zach Parise snapped a nine-game goal drought. Johnny Oduya had one goal and three assists for a career-high four points. Previously, he had never recorded more than one point in a game.
**Although it appeared that Steve Downie may have scratched David Clarkson, causing the cut over his left eye during their first period fight, Clarkson said that wasn’t the case. “I think it was an elbow just before he fought me,” Clarkson said. “I’m not sure if it was an elbow or his helmet. I just got a couple of stitches above the eye.”
**Karel Rachunek spent much of the last two periods defending himself after delivering an high elbow to Simon Gagne late in the first. Gagne returned to the Flyers’ lineup on Jan. 10 after missing 26 games with a concussion. “I didn’t mean to hit him from behind,” Rachunek said. “He just turned at the last second…I don’t think I got the elbow to his head. I think his head hit the boards.”
**According to all reports, there were no biting incidents tonight.
"According to all reports, there were no biting incidents tonight."
bwahahahahahaha! good one!
I think we're all feeling a little good after that one, eh? Wow!
Posted by: blue-eyed devil | January 22, 2008 at 11:31 PM
Gagne should learn not to put himself in a vulnerable position.
Posted by: Brian | January 22, 2008 at 11:32 PM
LOL at the last note TG!!! :)
Great game by the Devils. I liked the way Rachunek set the tone for this game with his hitting.
And my man Oduya was awesome! What rush on that Elias goal.
Posted by: Devilswede | January 22, 2008 at 11:32 PM
No biting? How do you explain that offense then?
@Swede: I agree that Rachunek played really well, but it was Oduya's show. I loved the comparison to Orr!
Posted by: jules | January 22, 2008 at 11:43 PM
1975!!! The boys in Red & Black are back in first place!
Posted by: JoeDevs | January 23, 2008 at 12:19 AM
with Oduya playin like he did tonight.. Mottau is starting to look more like the odd man out.. that could possibly be scratched for Greene.
and Pelley did not impress me at all.. either him, Asham or Rupp are gonna get the boot with the return of Pandolfo. i'd rather Pelley leave.. Rupp has energy and size.. Asham just needs to get a goal and be happy.
Posted by: matt | January 23, 2008 at 12:59 AM
Man, power plays played a big part in tonight's game, huh?!
This is the time when everyone who has secretly liked Johnny O can come out and say, "I knew he was good, I just didn't want to say anything..." He had a great game tonight. His +/- is impressive. I like the way the Devils' defense is playing lately. I ALSO like the way Zubrus plays in general. He's such a smart player, and he and Elias look like they've found a nice connection.
That whole "scratching" thing was weird because Downie had Clarkson's right eye, but he was then bleeding from the left. I really think it makes such a mockery of the NHL All-Star game that the NJ Devils' representative is David Clarkson. C'mon now, let's be serious. I mean, don't get me wrong: I think Clarkson is a good player. Is he an All-Star (even amongst rookies)... maybe. Unsure. It doesn't matter, but I think it's a contributing factor to hockey's lack of a following being that the all star game totally blows.
TG - one thing I was wondering (maybe it's somewhere and I haven't read it) - when was the last time they scored on four consecutive power plays? I haven't heard that mentioned yet, and I wouldn't be surprised if that is a team record.
Posted by: Maxwell | January 23, 2008 at 01:26 AM
Whew! What a crazy game TG.
Five power play goals!! There was a full moon last night too!
The Flyer's were on their heels all night with their lack of discipline with bad penalties.
The Dev's defense really stepped up offensively and pressed the Flyer's from just after the Flyer's PP goal in the first period.
The Dev's defense is playing great these past few games except for the Islander game.
Mottau and Martin consistently have logged the most minutes the past 15+ games and have done a darn good job.
I'm glad that Marty is taking the all star break off as he's going to need all the strength he has to remain healthy if the Dev's are to make it past the first round of the playoffs.
Let's hope that the Dev's can maul the Canadians like they did the Flyer's last night.
Posted by: Prokat | January 23, 2008 at 08:49 AM
I have a question about the Clarkson fight with Downey. Isn't there supposed to be a penalty against players with visors picking fights?
Posted by: Dave | January 23, 2008 at 09:15 AM
Max - I don't really think the YoungStars game is taken nearly as seriously as the ASG itself so I don't mind seeing Clarkson in there at all. He should make it a little more interesting to watch, IMO.
Posted by: Laura | January 23, 2008 at 09:40 AM
Just keep in mind that the Devs did give up 3 goals in two periods. Until the third period was a total washout, the Flyers scored some EASY goals that Brodeur should have stopped. If it wasn't for all the powerplays, this would have been a lot closer game and as bad as the Flyers were, the Devil's defense looked bad behind their own net.
I'm glad for the win, but put it into perspective. Most other nights, if the Devs give up 3 they lose. Lets see some D!
Posted by: Alzheiemrs | January 23, 2008 at 09:42 AM
Go Johnny Go! Good to see him gaining confidence daily, he's still raw in his own zone but Big Birdie is schooling him right. I also like that he's finishing his checks when he has the chance. And to think I heard fans booing him early in the season.
Posted by: JJ | January 23, 2008 at 10:27 AM
Now what we all want to know. Is there anything at all to the Phaneuf rumor started by Eklund?
Posted by: Elias26 | January 23, 2008 at 10:29 AM
Laura,
You're definitely right, but it is pretty telling that guys admittedly DO NOT want to attend the all-star game, and would rather that time off.
I'm super stoked to watch Clarkson, and I wouldn't be surprised if he whipped out his fisticuffs, even in a scrimmage-type setting such as that.
Posted by: Maxwell | January 23, 2008 at 11:26 AM
Max - I agree there. Hopefully, this "I'll just skip it" mentality doesn't become a trend in years to come. It's such a great event for the fans and it'd be a real shame for it to become "optional".
IMO - Calgary won't be trading away their franchise defenseman anytime soon - and we certainly won't be trading away our entire offense to get him. The Tanguay rumor is more realistic, though Gio or Elias would likely be on the way out if that comes about. I'm foreseeing Lou coming up empty again this year - hopefully an active offseason but that might also be asking too much.
Posted by: Laura | January 23, 2008 at 12:02 PM
I hear ya Laura, I can't see him trading Gio or Patty, and trading away young talent or draft picks is the reason why the organization is in rebuild mode right now at the AHL level. The talent just isn't there (www.hockeysfuture.com has us rated at 28th, ouch!) Other than Vrana, it seems the best prospects are still in Juniors right now in Corrente & Romano so they're probably still a couple of good years away from getting a shot.
Posted by: JJ | January 23, 2008 at 12:56 PM
Don't forget Halischuk, he was good enough to make the Canadian junior team and he scored the winning goal against Sweden.
Posted by: stoonbora | January 23, 2008 at 01:50 PM
As good as Oduya was on offense last night, he still looked awful on defense. That said, if he can use his skating to his advantage we may just have a PP quarterback that we've been looking for.
However I'm not in favor of Greene sitting. Greene has too much talent to be sitting.
Posted by: MoonDragn | January 23, 2008 at 01:51 PM
Anyone else hearing or reading about the Phaneuf to Devils deal?? Can we part with what would be a very good player the other way (to Calgary)?
Posted by: Great Pandolfo | January 23, 2008 at 01:56 PM
Calgary wants to sign Phaneuf to a long-term deal, not trade him.
Posted by: TG | January 23, 2008 at 02:33 PM
@JJ: Re: our prospects, I’m not sure what’s going on in Lowell, but I think that our prospect situation not as bad as that HF rank might make it seem. It’s true that we done have that we don’t have the really elite prospects that a lot of other clubs have (which boosts their prospect rankings), but that’s to be expected after years of picking at the bottom of each round (unless they trade up, like they did for Parise). But that’s not to say that our prospects are terrible. As aforementioned, we have guys like Halischuk, Corrente, Palmieri and Snetsinger (and the last two have already signed) who should be solid contributors, though not superstars. Bergfors may not quite be there yet, but I haven’t given up on him because he’s still young and probably our best talent-wise, while a guy like Palmieri has power forward written all over him. He had a pretty good camp, too, if I recall. And calling guys up right out of juniors isn’t as rare as it used to be.
As for Marty’s skipping the all-star game, I don’t think it’s a big deal. He made it pretty clear that he wanted to go, but had other obligations, and it was a difficult decision because he likes it, so kudos to him for putting his family first.
Posted by: jules | January 23, 2008 at 02:50 PM
There is an extra unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for instigating a fight while wearing a shield. No instigator penalty was called against Downie. Whether he deserved one is another question.
Posted by: TG | January 23, 2008 at 02:59 PM
I was at the game last night...awesome! The big screen showed the referee picking up a tooth after the initial Downie/Clarkson fight. Any word on who lost it???
Posted by: DelawareDevilsFan | January 23, 2008 at 03:48 PM
Another few good prospects to watch for:
Petr Vrana, Matt Corrente, Matt Halischuk, Nick Palmieri, Bradley Snetsinger, Tony Romano, Tyler Eckford. Eckford plays for U. Alaska-Fairbanks and is 6'3 215 and has great offensive skills. Could be another Paul Martin in the making, only with size.
Posted by: James | January 23, 2008 at 04:00 PM
DelawareDevilsFan
That wasn't a tooth, that was Downie's hearing aid.
Posted by: Devilswede | January 23, 2008 at 04:04 PM