Game 1 Recap: Devils-Leafs: There is hockey!

[Elias Sports Bureau]

THE CRASHER LINE:

GAME 1 Toronto Maple Leafs (0-0) vs. New Jersey Devils (0-0)

PRE-GAME NOTES (actually written post-game):

--Well, I just got back from tonight's game and boy, are my arms tired!!! Anyway, Henny Youngman jokes aside -- and those of you not born before the 'Miracle on Ice' can go ask your parents about that reference...

--Strange thing is ... people thought that Continental Airlines Arena was empty BEFORE. This was just me, my sister, the Boston fan who has more Devils jerseys than Bruins jerseys at this point and K-Girl. I thought I saw Crasher, but since the Mrs. Fields line was never busy, I think he spent the bulk of the game at the cart.

--Didn't we open at home last year against the Maple Leafs too? Oh wait, we had that banner thing. There it is! Up in the rafters with Ken Daneyko's jersey. Now there wasn't an official ceremony to retire No. 3 last season, but I think a group of njdevsers got together and stapled that sucker up there.

--It was pretty heart-warming to see all four of the Devils on Team USA getting lots of props during the World Cup run. Don't know why it's so difficult for people to realize that people have multiple Cup rings know how to win. And that the Devils know how to draft as well.

--So right on to Matty and the pre-game interview with Zach Parise.

Matty: Zach, so welcome to the big club, how's it going so far?

Zach: Uhhhh, great.

Matty: You don't sound so sure.

Zach: Well, I think it was Whitey, but someone replaced my Jockeys with a g-string.

Matty: It might have Rasmussen... he has a history.

Zach: They keep wearing different jerseys though. I was calling Gomez Elias all last week.

Matty: Yeah watch out for those two.

Zach: I learned that the hard way. Let's just say it's a good thing I have my helmet on.

Matty: The old electric razor got another work out?

Zach: They didn't even take it all the way off, which woulda been fine. There's some kind of landscaping deal.

Matty: You can always take the rest of it off yourself.

Zach: Uh, no... I can't. I can't really talk about it, Matty.

Matty: OK, Zachy. So anyway, you've been playing with Friesen and practice and a couple different right wingers. Do you think you're developing some chemistry?

Zachy: He's got a lot of talent. I think we can make some things happen.

Matty: And wait til you get a load of his scoring celebrations.

Zachy: I look forward to it.

Scott Stevens brushes past, the knob of his stick grazes Zachy's stomach. He grumbles something it's inaudible.

Zachy: Gotta go!

Matty: I didn't give you your steak gift certificate yet.

Zachy: Just throw it out on the ice at Domi after the puck drops.

Matty: Will do. Thanks for dropping by. (Zach nods and leaves.) And that's Zachy Parise, a new face on the Devils. And if this game is being broadcast on Metro, people still don't know what he looks like.

--Welcome back Dad!!!! And do you believe the number Zachy's sporting? Outrageous!!!

--Tonight's Goalies: (career stats)

NJ: Brodeur (403-217-105, 2.1 gaa, .912%, 75 Shutouts)

Tor: Tellqvist (5-3-2, 2.87 gaa, .894%, 0 Shutouts)

--Injuries/Scratches:

NJ: Hale, Langdon, Marshall, Oliwa, Brown

Tor: Mogilny (hip), Belfour (can't find him)

First Period:

Tonight's Lines:

1. Elias-Gomez-Gionta 2. Friesen-Parise-Hrdina

3. Pandolfo-Madden-Langenbrunner 4. Rasmussen-Kozlov-Brylin

Defense:

1. Stevens-Martin 2. Niedermayer-White 3. Matvichuk-Rafalski

FIRST PERIOD:

--The puck is dropped. The puck is iced. Looks like the beginning of a looooooooooong season.

--The EGG line looks hard-boiled today... oh look, Gionta just skated through Nieuwendyk's legs. I once thought that would make a brilliant fake-out play when Joe was with us, but now it's just funny.

--Marty's in the game. Brushes the Gary Roberts' shot aside like a newspaper article about his personal life.

(1-0, Tor) Kaberle (1) (Sundin)

And Marty's out of the game... He gets the original shot from the point, but the puck deflects off to Sundin just out of the crease. Stevens has got Sundin covered three ways from Sunday, but he is able to pass back to Kaberle, who blasts the shot in the upper right corner of the net from just beyond the slot.

--Hey there's another fan on the premises. He's an older man with a beer gut and a white T-shirt that reads "Devils Baby" and has an arrow pointing to the gut. He's chanting at the guys, drowning out the organ playing "Let's Go Devils".

--Here's our first look at the Parise line, Parise passes to Friesen and heads toward the net, Friesen's shot, save Tellqvist. Parise's got his stick in there, for some reason the Leafs defensemen are taking offense to this. Guess he really didn't like his head shaved.

--Kozlov enters the zone... Kozlov leaves the zone. I'd sure like to see one of those moves he put on Team USA when he was wearing the Team Russia garb.

(1-1) Elias (1) (Gomez, Rafalski)

--This one we've seen before! Rafalski, in his own end, passing to Gomez, to Elias, back to Gomer as Elias cuts for the net and Gomer cuts wide, takes McCabe with him, pass over to Elias and bang, bang, it's in the net, baby!

--Did you see Stevens on the bench when the scorers went by? Dude has a lot of pent-up energy. Think he might be able to win the Cup with just Marty.

--Ooops, maybe too much energy, as Dad takes the first penalty of the season, an interference call on Sundin. Admirable, but punishable as well.

leafs pp:

This pp is olllllld, man. I think they might be carrying canes instead of sticks. Nieuwendyk to Roberts... Nolan... No, I don't think my shot can go that far anymore... I'll pass it back to you... and you... oh wait, back to the point, McCabe shoots. Marty blocks it aside.

Madden not allowing easy access into the zone, he stick-checks, puck pops away. Makes the change, Sarge and Elias come out. Ponikarovsky wheels sends to the front, Sundin in front of Marty. Saaave... and clear... and that's the end of that.

End of the period too. It's good to see Larry again, ain't it? But I miss Pat too.

SECOND PERIOD:

--Off the faceoff, Madden knocks it into the Leafs zone, Langenbrunner chases... bashes or gets bashed or both, not really sure. Leafs can't clear. Pando with the shot, shanked left... Martin holds, sends it back in, Madden can't quite get his stick on it in front of the net and it's finally out.

(2-1, NJ) Parise (1) (Niedermayer, White)

I expect this to be a lot like what we can see out of this kid. Marty just misses the assist on this, up to Whitey, over to Nieds who steamrolls through the Leafs zone, with Zachy matching him stride for stride. Telly thinks he's gonna shoot, but at the last second, the pass comes and Parise knocks it home! Freeze grabs the puck for him, awwwww.

--Period's getting a little loosey goosey, I think that's what happens when a league misses a whole preseason. A lot of icings, a lot of missed passes on both sides.

--In fact "Devils Baby Daddy" is ragging on everyone on both sides now. "It's friesen in here!!!!!!" Maybe it's because thousands of people ain't in the building, I don't know. Not so funny, right? But the Nieuwendyk one is kinda funny... cruel but funny. "Hey, Nieuwy, maybe if you leave the game then your team will win again, just like in the '03 playoffs!"

--Brylin in off a Kozlov slapshot, Tellqvist just gets his blocker on it. Good thing Lou gave him a new deal! He's a regular Sergei Hustle. No, I don't mean he gambles. Again, that's another reference for those born before the 80s.... maybe you remember the Bicentennial... the gas shortages... that kinda thing.

--Marty with the windmill save as Antropov gets the jump on Matvichuk. Beauty, eh?

--EGG at it again, Tellqvist makes the save on an Elias shot, Gionta tries to stuff it home, but he gets plowed by McCabe. No call.

--Parise runs into some kind of Domi-Tucker combo, bounces up pretty quickly though. Friesen gives Tucker a little extra push. Johnny Hrdina doesn't look interested in mixing it up, but he makes sure Kaberle stays away. (By the way, I call him Johnny as a reference to the Lightning jumbotron, which once referred to Jan as John Hrdina last year.)

--And that's two.

THIRD PERIOD:

--Chico's wetting himself about Marty's windmill save. Ah, the familiar sounds of Devils hockey once again. Doc sounds amused. He didn't get quite that factor from the homer college hockey announcer. Chico's on a different level all together.

--Stevens shows Ponikarovsky the business, Martin scoops up the puck and sends it the other way... Madden to Langenbrunner, shot... thud off of Tellqvist's pads... over to Pandolfo, into Madden... shot... off the glass.

--No one's hitting Nieuwy. Marshall should be out there so he can send him into the bench again like last year. Joe passes to Roberts... shot, hits Whitey in the leg, he limps off but he's OK.

--Actually correction, the only one hitting Nieuwy is "Devils Baby Daddy," cause he's STILL on his case."Everything Nieuw is old again!!!" Now my little group didn't have any beers, but even in an empty arena, I think the sales were pretty strong for this opener, if you know what I mean...

(3-1 N.J.) Kozlov (1) (Brylin, Rasmussen)

And this is probably what Lou was looking for in that deal. But credit Muss and Sarge for the work. Rasmussen battling like 80 guys in the corner for the puck. It squirts out to Brylin, he circles around, makes like he's gonna take the shot, but over to Kozlov, who one-times it into just about an open net 'cause Tellqvist's skates ain't moving too fast!

--Aw, come on... Fraser nabs Parise for tripping. It looked like a clean swipe of the puck if you ask me. But the kid is in the box anyway, cause they ain't listenign to us... Or Devils' Baby Daddy ... who is offering (more loudly than ever) to provide free Lasik surgery for the ref who uses his hair for a helmet.

--Shouldn't there be more than one penalty in this game? I thought the early games were penalty-laden efforts?

(4-1 N.J.) Rasmussen (1) (Madden, Langenbrunner)

This was weird, Rasmussen didn't quite get off the ice as the Madden line started to come out, because the Leafs were about to pull Tellqvist, but he was caught up with one of the guys and must have seen the change, cause he gets the step toward Tellqvist and he pulls him all the way out and taps the puck in!

--Chico's saying that Tellqvist was so focused on getting out of the net that he wasn't really prepared to be schooled by one Erik Rasmussen!

--And either Devils Baby Daddy needed a bathroom break and didn't get one or he's given himself a beer bath!

--The Leafs get na-da going and it's win no. 1 baby!!!

-- Faceoffs:

Madden: 9/18, Gomez: 6/15, Parise: 8/16, Kozlov: 3/7, Elias 0/1

Shots on Goal: 1 + 2 + 3 == Total:

Leafs: 9 + 12 + 5 == 26

Devils: 11 + 11 + 7 == 29

Power Plays:

Tor: 0 / 1

NJ: 0 / 0 (we deserved at LEAST one for G)

My Three Stars:

3. Scott Stevens... he leads and the team follows ... and we're right behind them in line.

2. Zach Parise... I hope his hair doesn't weigh him down when it grows back, cause he was flyin'!

1. Erik Rasmussen... That's the fourth line?

We're shuffling off to Buffalo now... tomorrow the first road game of the year... Devils-Sabres!

[Elias Sports Bureau]

Oh, I forgot to put a little disclaimer in here. The goal scorers were picked scientifically and not personally. It's sort of akin to a name out of the hat... and I had a couple people picking with me on this one. And yes, I picked the first goal... which wound up being against. Doh!

And I didn't pick Elias either, drat!

[Don]

Freeze is more-or-less invisible again. Someone's gotta give him a kick in the ass.

Good to see the captain back.

What did everyone think of Matvichuk?

[CRASHER]

you have NO idea how surreal reading this thing feels !!!

and Don lest we forget Friesen DID get the puck for Parise

it even has the Chico digs down pat... but where's the swearing ???

that was still an out-of-body-experience.... but a good one !!!

is it bad that I wore the madden jersey last night out of habit ???

[Elias Sports Bureau]

Don: There were a couple of times during the game when I thought Matvichuk was very Albelin. Very solid, doing the job, with no flash but getting it done.

Crash: It was only the first game, I'm sure that'll come into play very soon.

[halfsharkalligatorhalfman]

i have a feeling the devils will go undefeated this year

[Rock]

Did Marty look like he was still favoring the wrist, he injured in the World Cup?

[Pepperkorn]

How do you do the hat pickage? I mean you could get REALLY complicated about it...

Oh MAN .... I CAN'T go here -- I already have an imaginary affair with Scott Stevens and now imaginary GAMES???