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Kovalchuk Surprised Parise Gave Him Empty Net Goal


Quinn01

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"Zach had the empty net breakaway. I was thinking he was going to put it in," Kovalchuk said. "It says a lot about his leadership. We were talking about getting the third one right before that. He said, 'Even if I get an empty net breakaway I will spin and try to find you.' And he did."

Kovalchuk did bury the puck for his first hat trick with the Devils and his first in almost three years to do the day.

"I don't remember when I got my last one," said Kovalchuk, who now has 25 goals this season. "But this is my first one as a Devil and it's nice."

His last came on Feb. 15, 2009, for the Atlanta Thrashers in Anaheim.

"You don't get opportunities for a hat trick very often," Parise said. "I don't think he was expecting that pass. He wasn't ready for it."
"Kovy deserves the hat trick. I think he's been a force," Sykora said. "I can't say enough about how good he plays. He plays for the team and he's created so much offense out there. He's playing really fantastic hockey.

"I've always been a fan of Kovy's. Even when he played against me I always liked him. On top of how good a player he is, he's a great guy, too. You don't get that combo very much. He's a great guy in the locket room. He's playing great defensively, too. I don't know why everybody is always kind of saying he's not that great on the defensive side of the puck. I think he's playing as good as anybody on this team on the defensive side of the puck and the way he's creating offense, he's just great."

NJ.com

Its nice to see the chemistry among the lines and team for that matter growing each game. I think last night, Kovy getting the hat trick, added greatly to the positive chemistry. It also says alot about what kind of Captain and player Parise really is. He has grown into the role and has done a great job thus far. This is just another reason why he needs to stick around.

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It really seems lately that the entire roster has warmed up to him. You could tell last year and early this year that guys like Elias and Parise were very wary of Kovalchuk and being able to adjust to "Devils hockey", but lately it seems that both have really warmed to him.

Elias and Kovy have been part of some great passing plays this season.

Now on to some other business. Manta has to be one of the most gutless posters on the board. Nobody posted more last season than Manta when things were sh!t, but now that things have been going well, he is nowhere to be found. I guess he really would have rather been right about Kovy and the team struggling than seeing this team actually succeed. Pretty pathetic.

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It really seems lately that the entire roster has warmed up to him. You could tell last year and early this year that guys like Elias and Parise were very wary of Kovalchuk and being able to adjust to "Devils hockey", but lately it seems that both have really warmed to him.

Elias and Kovy have been part of some great passing plays this season.

Now on to some other business. Manta has to be one of the most gutless posters on the board. Nobody posted more last season than Manta when things were sh!t, but now that things have been going well, he is nowhere to be found. I guess he really would have rather been right about Kovy and the team struggling than seeing this team actually succeed. Pretty pathetic.

Eh, he'll be back as soon as Kovy hits a dry spell, or if the team loses in the first round.

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Well it's human nature that the complainers dissapear when the team's winning anyway (though it sounds like I missed some fireworks during the Ranger shutout judging by DM's pinned thread :lol:). Kyydax used to make like fifty posts a day when Marty allowed a soft goal and dissapear for a couple weeks when he didn't.

I do want Zach to re-sign (and us to make the playoffs) just so there's NO argument left after this year, whether the team loses in the first round or not. Because clearly 'part' of the argument's already moot, Kovy has assimilated and become an all-around player.

Edited by NJDevs4978
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Ill admit that I am one of those fans that will sh!t all over Kovy when he makes a mistake but when he does something great, I am right there saying I love him. I didnt like him much last year but this year, he has clearly become more of a part of this team then he obviously was last year being his first year here. What I think it is is he is more comfortable and confident now and will continue to do so as time goes by. I also think players underestimate the passion in this area for Devils hockey so I think that kinda took him by surprise also.

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I've thought of Manta as more of a pro wrestling heel than troll. Right now he's Sgt. Slaughter during his pro-Iraq phase. This whole time he's been having his own Wrestlemanias and Royal Rumbles with the American/Devils flag waving Hulk Hogans and Hacksaw Jim Duggins of the forum. In good time, he'll go back to being the face character he had been before the Persian Gulf war ... er ... I mean Kovalchuk trade.

Edited by DaneykoIsGod
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Ill admit that I am one of those fans that will sh!t all over Kovy when he makes a mistake but when he does something great, I am right there saying I love him. I didnt like him much last year but this year, he has clearly become more of a part of this team then he obviously was last year being his first year here. What I think it is is he is more comfortable and confident now and will continue to do so as time goes by. I also think players underestimate the passion in this area for Devils hockey so I think that kinda took him by surprise also.

He's growing on me obviously. This is what we expect and want from him. I'm sure he expects to play this way too. It's just hard to look past some of the bone head plays he's made since coming here but I think this is him finally starting to grow into the NJ Devil we all thought we were getting when we signed him.

I'm just keeping it real.

Definitely so stoked he's playing well now.

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I think the whole team was warmed up to him even more so this year after seeing how he's really worked hard at making his overall play better, backchecking more, etc. I think they can see that he's truly dedicated and accept him as he is because of that. I was EXTREMELY hesitant when we traded for him because I kept replaying a play of his during a game a few years ago against us where Elias lifted Kovy's stick, stole the puck and walked in for a goal, all while Kovy stood still watching it happen.

That being said, although his play over the entire time he's been here has been less than stellar, his play this year and through the last 20 games especially has really shown me he wants to be here, wants to be a better player and wants to play as a team and because of that I can't hate on him. He still does make a boneheaded play here and there that will make me swear at the TV, but that happens so much less than it had earlier on.

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I've thought of Manta as more of a pro wrestling heel than troll. Right now he's Sgt. Slaughter during his pro-Iraq phase. This whole time he's been having his own Wrestlemanias and Royal Rumbles with the American/Devils flag waving Hulk Hogans and Hacksaw Jim Duggins of the forum. In good time, he'll go back to being the face character he had been before the Persian Gulf war ... er ... I mean Kovalchuk trade.

Best comparison ever.

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