Parise's OT goal gives Devils playoff berth

Zach Parise thought that the Devils had clinched a playoff berth simply by reaching overtime against the Islanders tonight. It wasn't until after he scored 29 seconds into the extra session to give the Devils a 2-1 victory that he learned otherwise.

With Washington defeating Carolina, 4-1, tonight, the Devils needed two points to clinch a playoff spot for the consecutive season. Parise's goal gave them the second point they required.

"I forgot," Parise admitted. "I thought maybe because we had already gotten the one point that we were already in. I didn't know. But it feels good to be in there, for sure."

Parise's goal came on the Devils' 47th shot -- a season-high for them. Joey MacDonald, a career minor leaguer with only three NHL wins to his credit (though he did defeat the Devils last season with Boston), stopped 45 of the first 46. But Parise deflected Johnny Oduya's shot left point for his 32nd goal of the season -- a new career high. He scored 31 last season.

"I always think and say you want to do better than you did the year before," Parise said. "It's a nice number, a nice number to have."

With a two-point lead over the Rangers for fourth place in the Eastern Conference with three games to go, the Devils are now thinking about holding on to home-ice advantage in the for the first round of the playoffs. Sunday's game at Prudential Center could end up being for home-ice advantage in an opening-round series between the Hudson River rivals.

The Devils have not been mathematically eliminated from winning the Eastern Conference or Atlantic Division yet, but it's a long shot. To win the conference, they need to win all three of their remaining games and hope that Pittsburgh and Montreal don't get more than one point in their last two games. A Devils' non-victory (regulation, overtime or shootout loss) would also eliminate them from finishing first in the conference and the division.

"We needed to win tonight and we found a way to win again," Devils coach Brent Sutter said. "The last 40 minutes we played very well...There's three games left now in the season and we're fighting for home ice. We see the standings. We've done the first step by getting ourselves in there (the playoffs). Now, we have to take the next step and we can't let any bad habits creep in. Trust me. They'll be aware of it if it does."

Sutter had to yell at his team during the first intermission after a breakdown led to Josef Vasicek's goal with 51.8 seconds left in the first period. "These guys are professional and then they've got to be reminded about a few things," Sutter said.

**With his assist on Parise's game-winner, Patrik Elias tied Scott Niedermayer for the team record for most assists with 364.

**Defenseman Sheldon Brookbank didn't play after the 12:49 mark of the second period. When asked if  it was because of his part in the Vasicek's goal, Sutter replied, "Perhaps". Brookbank let Vasicek go wide around him to take the puck by Billy Guerin, who dove to chip it past defenseman Andy Greene.

"We didn't play the play in the neutral zone like we're supposed to play it," Sutter said. "We did something that we haven't done all year. It's not what we're supposed to do in the neutral zone. Our defensemen got caught on it. The defenseman is supposed to have the wide guy. It was just a misread on our part to allow them to go in like that. It was not a sharp play and yet it was kind of reflection of the way we were in that first period."

Greene got more ice time in the last two periods and was able to redeem himself.

"I thought he settled down after the first period," Sutter said. "I thought for his first game back after he got into it, he played pretty well. He was steady. We need that from him."

**Center Travis Zajac said he got hit in the left thigh by a low hit by and Islanders defenseman (I think it was Rob Davison, but I'm not sure) with 3:08 left in the second period. Zajac stayed on the bench for the remainder of the second, but played in the third without any problems.

 

Comments

[Xander Crews]

Great... looks almost certain to be a first round match-up vs the Rags... the team im most scared of the Devils playing and also my most hated team in the playoffs.

This is looking to be a frustrating series. I sure hope we dont get swept.

[ALEXNJD]

45 shots on goal before OT and nothing to show for. Come on now, they had like 7 players plus goali from AHL and it took us OT to win the game. I am not sure we are ready for the playoofs. I just hope that Lou will find they way to get us that constant scoring machine and we will all know he can score 30 goals.

[Arteg]

Remember how the Cowboys beat the Giants twice during the regular season and all Giants fans (myself included) were hoping that lightning wouldn't strike thrice? Well it didn't. The playoffs are an entirely different beast. Once we're there, which we are, anything can happen. Not to suggest that I see this team as currently constituted hoisting the Cup a few months down the line, but I'd have to think (or is it hope) that most of the pressure would be on the Rags, regardless of which team has home ice. I mean, the Rags have gotten who knows how many points from us in the regular season and still haven't been able to jump ahead of us in the standings. Keep the faith, and if this season doesn't give us a Cup, I'm fairly confident that changes will be made and the team will continue to move in a positive direction. As an aside, I'd love to see a first-round matchup between the Caps and the Pens. Wow, would that be exciting.

[Erick]

I must say that Elias looked very good tonight. Not quite electric, but he was bringing in a lot of scoring chances tonight. Congratulations on the assist record... who's got the goals record by the way? And when will Elias hit that?

[Xander Crews]

Yea id love to see the Caps-Pens happen too. WIth the Caps winning ofcourse haha.

Anyway i know anyhitng can happen in the playoffs (we lost to Colorado in the finals and went 2-0 against them that year). The thing is we didnt go 0 and 2 or 3 vs the Rags its was 0 and 8.

Anything could happen its just the worst matchup for us imo.

[stoonbora]

its 0 and 7, they play again on the 6th.

[crashlanding]

Actually the Pens need two points to clinch the Atlantic Division. The reason that they could have clinched with a win on Monday was because they would be assured of owning the tie breaker with a win, but if NJ wins out and Pittsburgh gets an OT/SO loss NJ will have more wins.

It's still a pretty big long shot, but with Philly absolutely needing to win both games against Pittsburgh it could happen.

[mikeford]

In regards to the scoring record (goals), our franchise leader is none other than Johnny Mac with 347 goals.

In terms of points, its still Johnny Mac, with 701.

So theres an outside chance he could break it in 09 but realistically it would be in early 2010 for him to become the all-time points leader. He's about 80 goals shy so that could take a bit longer.

[Falcone]

I agree with some prior posts. To fire 47 shots on goal and get an OT win against essentially a minor league goalie and a team that's in last place and injury prone doesn't leave a good taste in my mouth.

I thought it was right of Sutter to sit Sheldon. Maybe not for the last half of the game, but for a good amount of time. He's got to be better and that's two mental mistakes as of lately. The other was letting a Flyer player go across the center when it wasn't his man, he got caught leaving his man wide open for a goal. We can't have those mental lapses at this level. Either he plays better ASAP or he sits, its very simple.

I still think we're not playing with a ton of confidence. Seems like we can't win a game in 60 min. One thing we're not doing is crashing the net and keeping some big guys infront of the net to draw penalties. If we're going to make a serious run at the cup, we need big guys, ie: Rupp, Clarkson, Zub,to park themselves infront of the net and draw penalties, and crash the net. They're not doing that. Our team is built on speed not size, but if we can trhow off some teams but changing that up, we might be in for some luck.

[Prokat]

Good- BUT difficult win (do they all have to be this hard against an almost AHL team?)
TG was the ice as bad as what some people were saying last night?
The Islanders goal was definitely a bad goal caused by the Devils D out of position and in the upcoming games that cannot be allowed to happen. This team is too close to the edge to allow any room for defensive lapses like last nights faux-pax.
Martin and Mottau played a terrific game last night and once again Oduya was in the right place at the right time.
We need Rachunek back in the lineup for the playoffs as the hitting will be fierce and we need much more physical play from the entire team.
There cannot be any letdown tonight against the B's as we need to continue to fight for the best playoff position to stay away from the Boring Blueshirts.
A first round Devil's-Rags match up doesn't look promising for the Devils if they play down to the level of the competition like they did last night.

[MoonDragn]

I really disagree. Sure they played alot of AHL players but aren't most of those players high draft picks? Plus this goalie has beaten us in the past against a better Devils team.

I liked our play the 2nd and 3rd periods. I think we did very well against them and we didn't give up. At least we got the shots on net, the goals will come.

[Jeff]

Can someone please explain to me three things:

1) Why is Langenbrunner still on the top line with Parise and Elias? He does nothing but slow that line down - put Zubrus or Gionta on that line please.
2) Why Andy Greene continues to get shots in the lineup. I understand we need offensive defenseman but at what cost? I counted at least errors he made last night that almost led to Islander goals.
3) How this team can possibly win a playoff matchup with anyone in the East. I know playoff hockey is a different beast, but this team just does not look ready to beat anyone.

To MoonDragn, the goals will not come unless this team plays differently. Shooting from 10-12 feet away with no chance of a rebound will not lead to goals. Crashing the next and creating havoc around the crease will lead to goals.

Maybe I am being ultra-negative, but I just don't see it this year from this team.

[Jeff]

If Green and Brookbank are paired up again tonight at the rock i think I will bring a book to read when they are on the ice together my blood pressure can't handle it. I literally tensed up watching last night every time i saw take the ice.

[Prokat]

MoonDragn,
MacDonald is a career minor leaguer who has a mediocre record at Bridgeport. He's lost more than he's won.
The call ups from Bridgeport and other places other than Comeau were draft picks of other teams.
The majority are career minor leaguers who are young but not advanced.
I give MacDonald credit for making the most of his chances but he is what he is-a career minor leaguer who has been playing beyond expectations.
Any goalie can look good against the Devils these days unfortunately because of our lack of confidence OR talent in scoring the past 20 + games.
This Devils team is very difficult to figure out for such a simple game.

[TG]

CORRECTION: As pointed out by one of you above, Pittsburgh needs two points to eliminate the Devils from contention for first place in the Atlantic and the conference. When I figured it out last night, I added two points to the Devils' total, but forgot to add the win. Anyway, two points for Pittsburgh in its last two games or a non victory by the Devils in their last three will lock the Devils into finishing no higher than fourth in the conference. I'll fix it in the post, too.

[e-max]

I am taking a new outlook on the Devils now, no more wanting more solid play, no more looking for "60 minutes of hockey", no more "more goals"....all that is gone. That is not our game. Trade deadline is passed, rosters are set, this is what we've got to work with...like it or lump it.

We need strong play from our strong players, and we need our mediocre players not to screw us up.

[Warren]

I agree 100% with anyone here who noticed that last night the Devils took 46 shots in regulation against a goalie that is the back-up to the back-up and scored exactly one goal.

Sure we've all seen teams that entered the playoffs playing badly and then got hot. But--and I HOPE I'm wrong here--that's NOT this team. This team doesn't have the guns to begin with.

Julien got fired for having a 102 pts on this very date. How good would 102 points (and Rafalski & Gomez...or suitable replacements) look right now?

Not to sound like a broken record...but...you can't replace those two with essentially AHLers and expect to compete.

I don't care how tight playoff hockey is...you still need to score. And, think of this...how will they EVER score in a tighter checking, playoff game if they can't score goals against the Islanders and their minor league goalie???

[Chris K.]

I wondered about the ice, too. Seemed like a lot of players were slipping and falling down for no reason, especially in the first period. Overall, I thought we played well. After the first period we put a lot of shots on goal and kept the puck in their zone most of the night. Granted, we didn't get enough in the goal, but their goalie was making some great saves. I also thought Greene played well last night. He took an Islander down with a great check in the second period and passed well. It's nice to hear Sutter say good things about him. He's young, but will be a great D for us if given the chance.

This team is what it is. We need to support them and cheer them on, no matter who's on the ice.

Too funny that Claude is coming back on the one-year anniversary of his dismissal, which is still unbelievably mysterious to me. That's all folks.

[TG]

No one mentioned the bad ice after the game, but it did look bad. Let's face it: there are a lot less rinks in the NHL where the ice is good than ones where it stinks. Prudential Center, The Garden and Nassau Coliseum (at least last night) all are terrible.

[Warren]

Funny, huh? I can still hear Lou telling us that Prudential would have the best ice in the league by far.

[MoonDragn]

@Jeff

1. Sutter moved Gionta because while he is better with Parise and Elias, it gives us 2 lines the opponents have to worry about. Langenbrunner has been clutch in a few games too if you remember. He's also one of our most accurate shots at the point.

2. Greene was very good last night, the only goal scored was due to Brookbank's bad play in the neutral zone. Left him to have to worry about the shooter and the passer. With a better D-man as a partner you almost never have to worry about him. Unfortunately he's stuck with guys like Vishnevski, Rachunek and Brookbank.

3. We looked very good last night despite all the criticism. I think we have the potential to make it past the 2nd round this year. They had the right idea last night. Pepper the goalie with shots and one of them will go in. Thats better than missing the net.

The goals will come. What they showed last night was teamwork. They just happened to face a goalie having a hot night. Just because the guy was a AHL lifer doesn't mean he didn't play out of his mind last night. Some of his saves were brilliant almost Marty like.

[MikeP]

after benching Brookbank Sutter better bench SB tonight, even if it means putting Vishnevski back in. As for wanting Rachunek back in, forget it,even if he's healthy, he's a human turnover machine, and is just completely exposed by the Rangers, who it seems will be our 1st round matchup. When Salvador comes back, he should play with Whitey and have Greene paired with Mottau

If we can't put more than 1 past MacDonald in regulation, how are we supposed to fair in the playoffs against Lundqvist, Fleury, or Price ?

[MikeP]

I agree that Greene did play a pretty good game. In the offseason Lou should target a right defensive defenseman such as Jason Smith to play with AG on the 3rd pairing.

It's definite that Rachunek won't back, I highly doubt Salvador will resign, and I could see Brookbank allowed to sign elsewhere. It'll be tough to unload Vishnevski, unless we get a low draft pick in return (#4 or #5 round pick). I think Mottau deserves to be resigned, even if Lou could sign a more offensive d-man such as Liles. (no way Campbell leaves San Jose)

[MoonDragn]

I believe Vishnevski can be useful, he's just not worth his salary. He's got nice hits and can intimidate the opponent. Again the problem is Vish needs a good partner as well. Someone fast enough to cover his being out of position and get the puck when Vish is busy checking someone.

[Joe M.]

I just have to comment on the play of Colin White. I'll be the first to admit that i expected big things from whitey this year, but all he's done is turn into a punching bag for opponents. Did anyone see how he was just THROWN around by islanders that were 4-5 inches smaller than him. He has lost his toughness and i hesistate to say that he is turning into a 3rd line D-man. i did hear that his hand was bothering him, but that wouldnt explain being thrown to the ice by someone 5'10''! we need mega help on D!