535 replies to this topic

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Henrik Lundqvist's career numbers vs. the Devils ...

Regular Season:
41 GP, 25-11-5, 1.79 GAA, .936 Sv%, 6 SO

Playoffs:
13 GP, 6-7, 2.54 GAA, .901 Sv%, 2 SO

The man is human in the postseason. We can do this.

CLOSE IT OUT, BOYS!!!

Those numbers are pretty skewered by the 2006 series...his numbers were dreadful that series (0-3, 4.40 GAA, .835 save%), and the Rangers were free-falling.

But the Devils have put 7 pucks past him in the last two games...I don't care how they've done it, the fact is they've done it. They need to do it one last time (put 3+ past Lundqvist), because I don't think they can hold the Rangers to less than two goals, unless they really limit the Rangers' scoring opportunities. I wish I could say I believe Marty can make a 1-0 or 2-1 lead stand up, but I don't at this point...maybe he'll surprise, and that's not implying that I think Marty sucks (far from it), but even with pretty good playoff numbers (.921 save%), I think it's simply asking too much of Marty to ask him to steal a win or carry the team. The skaters will have to make this happen.

[NJCroMag]

[Steven M.]

BTW I think Matteau#32 still has the Rangers winning in six.

Best reply.

Matteau#32, are you still "not worried?"

[NCDevsFan]

Salvador now tied for lead with most points for a defensemen in the playoffs.

[NJCroMag]

BTW I think Matteau#32 still has the Rangers winning in six.

Heh...

For the record, in his own words:

Oh well. A goal that doesn't get through 95% of the time, a terrible play by Del Zotto and then the Rangers D letting Parise whack away at rebounds. As if they were just waiting for their turn to get the puck. Like I said on Wednesday, I expected a split in NJ (although did want last night's game). Rangers win the next 2 and move onto the finals. Queue Triumph with some Fenwick and Corsi numbers and an explanation about why the Rangers won't win 2 in a row.

Quite the strong wording, too. No, "I predict that..." or "I think that..."

Very confident, this guy.

Very wrong, this guy.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Heh...

For the record, in his own words:



Quite the strong wording, too. No, "I predict that..." or "I think that..."

Very confident, this guy.

Very wrong, this guy.

To his credit, he did come onto his biggest rival's website and made a bold prediction, and didn't back off it. (Doesn't mean he shouldn't take some ribbing for it though, especially here.) He does come off as a bit antagonistic, and like I've said, it ain't my thing to go onto other teams' fansites to start to stirring the pot.

But he can't now run away and hide after last night's loss. He'll come off as a troll and a clown if he does (and it's still early...I'd be surprised if he didn't come back today).

And just like fans overreact when their team is up or down 2-1 in any given series, they do the same when they're up or down 3-2...this thing is far from over.

[NJDevs4978]

Those numbers are pretty skewered by the 2006 series...his numbers were dreadful that series (0-3, 4.40 GAA, .835 save%), and the Rangers were free-falling.

But the Devils have put 7 pucks past him in the last two games...I don't care how they've done it, the fact is they've done it. They need to do it one last time (put 3+ past Lundqvist), because I don't think they can hold the Rangers to less than two goals, unless they really limit the Rangers' scoring opportunities. I wish I could say I believe Marty can make a 1-0 or 2-1 lead stand up, but I don't at this point...maybe he'll surprise, and that's not implying that I think Marty sucks (far from it), but even with pretty good playoff numbers (.921 save%), I think it's simply asking too much of Marty to ask him to steal a win or carry the team. The skaters will have to make this happen.

Not to mention his migranes or whatever he supposedly had at the end of '06. But even in '08 when we were bullied by the Rangers we had started to solve Lundqvist in the last three games, but it didn't matter cause Marty blew up. If we do finish this off, at least it'll end the Lundqvist owns us talk once and for all though.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Not to mention his migranes or whatever he supposedly had at the end of '06. But even in '08 when we were bullied by the Rangers we had started to solve Lundqvist in the last three games, but it didn't matter cause Marty blew up. If we do finish this off, at least it'll end the Lundqvist owns us talk once and for all though.

Devils were really not a good team that year...Marty wasn't alone in "blowing up". The two-steps-slower, let-me-look-at-my-feet-while-I-receive-a-pass Devils were on full display in that series. If not for a fortunate OT bounce, that team could've gotten swept and probably deserved to be.

The real revelation in these playoffs is that the two-steps-slower, can't-cleanly-receive passes Devils are gone. After YEARS of seeing those Devils come playoff time, and even at times during this regular season, we've barely seen that at all in the playoffs, and let's face it, EVERY team will look slow and overwhelmed at times...it just seemed to happen to the playoff Devils of '04-'10 almost constantly. It really feels like DeBoer looked at tapes of that time period and said, "Screw that, let's just to do this right back to the team WE face, forecheck and create pressure." It just seems like this particular roster and DeBoer are well-suited to each other...even if the Devils lose the next two games, I will still think DeBoer did a hell of a job.

[ThreeCups]

Now that the Devils are up 3-2 in the Eastern Conference finals, I'm having a flashback of epic proportions. My love, my true love, for the Devils really started on that fateful Game 7 battle with the N.Y. Rangers in 1994. I wasn't even a huge hockey fan back then but I was so enamored with the fact that the Devils openly acknowledged that they were from Jersey (unlike the Jets and the Giants). In short, I was fiercely proud of N.J. and took a shine to the Devils because they were New Jersey through and through. Long story short, the day of the infamous Game 7 battle with the Rangers, my girlfriend had scored us two tickets to an Elvis Costello concert (one of my all-time favorite musicians) at a local Minneapolis college venue. She was great and I appreciated the tickets ... but the venue didn't allow booze. So, being the quality 24-year-old that I was, I went to get booze. Eventually, I found my way to a bar in an effort to bring back liquor to the show, but as I was purchasing my merchandise (which were two awesomely lame bottles of root beer schnapps) I looked up at the TVs in the bar and saw that the Devils were behind with time running out in the third. So, naturally, I had to watch until the bitter end. And then ... the Devils scored with seconds on the clock. Now I was hooked. I ordered a few beers and kept watching ... all the while while my girlfriend was at the show. I made it through the commercial time and the entire first overtime. I then realized I'd better get back. So I jumped in my car, raced back to the venue with the root beer schnapps and parked the car. Now, I'm totally figuring out that I've basically left my girlfriend at a concert - a concert that she bought tickets for solely for my benefit - for the better part of 2 hours. And as I'm running back to the concert, one of the two root beer schnapps bottles I bought at the bar flies out of my pocket and shatters on the street. I finally get back to the show, sans one bottle, and the look on my girlfriend's face would have frozen Heat Miser from the Year Without a Santa Claus. For the most part, I also missed the entire concert, my favorite entertainer almost ever, sans the last three songs. Twenty minutes later, back in the car ride home, she breaks up with me (which was totally justified) and as she's exiting my car I hear on the radio that the Devils lost in double OT. And it was at that point when I realized I cared more about the Devils’ loss that night than my girlfriend breaking up with me … and that's when I knew I was a fan for life.

In sum, I want revenge for 1994 - and for making that Game 7 experience one of the worse nights of my 20-something life.
'''

Great story! Hopefully Marty gets his revenge 18 years later!

[Matteau#32]

To his credit, he did come onto his biggest rival's website and made a bold prediction, and didn't back off it. (Doesn't mean he shouldn't take some ribbing for it though, especially here.) He does come off as a bit antagonistic, and like I've said, it ain't my thing to go onto other teams' fansites to start to stirring the pot.

But he can't now run away and hide after last night's loss. He'll come off as a troll and a clown if he does (and it's still early...I'd be surprised if he didn't come back today).

And just like fans overreact when their team is up or down 2-1 in any given series, they do the same when they're up or down 3-2...this thing is far from over.

I'm not running anywhere. This one hurt. Will respond to stuff tomorrow when I can think a little more rationally. Afraid I am might break my laptop if I start posting now.

[DaneykoIsGod]

Those numbers are pretty skewered by the 2006 series...his numbers were dreadful that series (0-3, 4.40 GAA, .835 save%), and the Rangers were free-falling.

But the Devils have put 7 pucks past him in the last two games...I don't care how they've done it, the fact is they've done it.

It's a small sample size. You could also say they're skewered by the '08 series.

Mainly, I just wanted to point out that there seem to be two Henriks. One in the regular season who's played like Superman in all but two or three of his 41 starts against us. Another in the postseason who, even in a winning effort in '08, allowed a Bryce Salvador goal from behind the blue line.

He looked like crap in '06. Started '08 strong but finished kinda weak (the team prevailed anyway for reasons you gave). And in '12 he's had two goose eggs but has also looked downright fragile these last two games.

That seemingly impenetrable regular season armor has cracks by the time the playoffs roll around.

[NLinfante]

I must admit, I'm pretty proud of how they played last night. I give the rain-jas a little bit of credit for stepping on the gas down 0-3, but in reality, the Devs took the hockey gods' (and refs') best punch and emerged with a win anyway.

All three of the rags goals were, well, garbage. The Prust goal was the closest thing to an actual shot that beat Marty all night. Zid was sliding, and Marty missed; I guess give credit to Prust for at least getting it on net, but the thought of a Brandon Prust breakaway doesnt exactly make me nervous. The other two were just smart hockey plays that Lady Luck shoved in the net; could have easily stayed out.

In terms of the refs, I hate to jump all over them but last night was brutal at some points. They made (what I saw live/no replay) the worst icing call of the playoffs with about 9:40 gone in the 3rd. I've honestly never seen a D slam on the brakes so hard with no one around and still get an icing call. And, obviously, there could have easily been a double minor called on whatever cut DJ Zubie's face (Callahan?, I forget).

I'm very satisfied with this win; I'm sure PDB, Zach, Marty and the whole crew realize the importance of game 6 back home. They have the opportunity every lower seed dreams of. I expect our fans will show up, blot out any remaining blue in the stands, and make sure the guys know how much we appreciated that effort last night.

[NCDevsFan]

I'm not running anywhere. This one hurt. Will respond to stuff tomorrow when I can think a little more rationally. Afraid I am might break my laptop if I start posting now.

I thought Ranger fans all had Ipads.

[smokinscurvy]

Wow! Just when I think ... well, I won't say it. Great come from ahead win, boyz!

[lucifer91]

They made (what I saw live/no replay) the worst icing call of the playoffs with about 9:40 gone in the 3rd. I've honestly never seen a D slam on the brakes so hard with no one around and still get an icing call.

You made a point here on what I have been observing the Rangers defense do quite a few times, especially that time. I probably saw this 10 times this series

[devilsadvoc8]

I thought they were toast after the rags tied it up. They just didn't seem to have the pop in their game after the 1st period. This was a game I didn't enjoy watching for the majority of the game as I mostly had a bad feeling. Even when Carter scored I was worried about their being 4 minutes left.

Damn am I glad they proved me wrong.

Now they need another complete game. No game 7. CLOSE IT OUT

[Steven M.]

I'm not running anywhere. This one hurt. Will respond to stuff tomorrow when I can think a little more rationally. Afraid I am might break my laptop if I start posting now.

I know that feel, man, however I am happy it is you and not I feeling it presently.

[eaglejelly]

[pumpkin cutter]

New York on the brink... That's the ESPN ticker... Does anyone enjoy the fact that we will never be appreciated? It's never that we played good, its always the other team somehow blew it. I remember a few months ago someone brought this up and facetiously replied... They'll have to show us on the front page when we win the.... Won't say it..... But cmon. Give the boys some credit.. they are the quintessential "team" they deserve a headline saying... Devils rape rangers, or devils on fire... That's actaully pretty good. Sorry for the rant.. just hate that we never win and that the other team just loses.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

I'm not running anywhere. This one hurt. Will respond to stuff tomorrow when I can think a little more rationally. Afraid I am might break my laptop if I start posting now.

That's cool, been there before, know the feeling.