New Jersey Devils At The Break
You were expecting someone else in net perhaps??
(Getty Images)
The Brodeur Injury
The Day The Earth Stood Still For Devils Fans
Obviously it was more serious than anyone thought…when word came down that Brodeur was out 3-4 months. I would be lying to you if I said then that the Devils would be in first place at the break. Really I would have been happy with us hovering just a little bit above .500 (like 4 or 5 games above). Some will say it was the mask or the website but it was just an injury that happened. What is weird is that the Devils were 6-2-2 after that 6-1 win against Atlanta. I had some, even myself, wonder if it was getting married in 2005 that caused this. The only Devils game my wife and I saw together in New Jersey….Martin Brodeur suffered a knee injury against Tampa and missed 6 games. The reality is that was a coincidence.
When Panic Set In….
Oh wow….obviously once the Devils knew Brodeur would be out 3-4 months and now we know it is 4….you knew there would be a time where things got ugly. The first game without Brodeur was a dreadful 2-0 loss at home to the Buffalo Sabres. The Devils gave up 20 shots on goal in the first period and it felt like 30. Kevin Weekes tried mightily but Jason Pominville’s goal at the tail end of the first was the gamewinner. The Devils showed flashes of offense but could not get anything by Ryan Miller who stopped all 24 Devils shots. A 4-3 win over Tampa Bay did not do much to inspire confidence in the team. They were badly outplayed in Detroit (3-1 loss), then they lost at home to Edmonton (2-1) and combine that with a 5-2 home loss to the Rangers and another 3-1 road loss to the Washington Capitals sent the Devils down to a .500 record and that was really a time where everyone was scared…including yours truly.
A Shootout Gives Rise…….
You never expect the shootout to be the harbinger of good things to come but on a Saturday Night in the middle of November….you take anything that is good and cherish it. In a game that saw a little of everything…the Devils had leads of 1-0, 3-2, 4-3, and 5-4….before the game would go into a shootout. Washington even scored with less than a second left in regulation thanks to that blasted Ovechkin guy. All looked lost heading into that sudden death thing that I still never like watching. Both goalies were inconsistent all night so what happened next was absolutely unexpected.
In the shootout, both goalies played really well but while Scott Clemmensen of all people stopped Kozlov, Ovechkin and Gordon….Zach Parise got one just by Jose Theodore and that turned out to be the difference in a 6-5 win that was not only a morale booster but also would give rise to a story that was straight out of not a Hollywood script but a story definitely that came from left field.
A Bit More On Clemmensen….
For anyone to say they saw this coming…do not even speak another word! Here are his career stats! Before this year he was a mop-up backup and a frequent traveler to the AHL playing for Albany, Lowell, and even the Toronto Marlies in his brief stint with Toronto. He was even, in all honesty, an at best average goalie in the minors. It was talked about in the offseason that Scott Clemmensen came back here just so he could retire in the organization. Being Marty Brodeur’s backup…you kind of know what to expect. The man is a horse so obviously when he went down…there was an opportunity. Clemmensen, a 1997 8th round draft pick, would take Devil fans and the NHL by notice over the next two months. It just goes to show you that anything can happen given a chance. So to Scott Clemmensen, I take back all the bad things I said about you…I humbly apologize.
Devils Get Their Groove Back And Head To Break…
Wow! Over the nest two months I saw a completely different Devils team than I ever saw before….now it was not the impressive record over that span so much…but the way they played. That 22-8-1 stretch from November 15th has made me speechless. There have been times where the team plays helter skelter to no end. You will see two or three different Devils teams in the SAME GAME! I kid you not. There have been games where literally I wanted to strangle the TV set. That is just how it is.
But the team has come together! Scott Clemmensen even has garnered attention in many fantasy circles and hockey circles as well. There was even consideration that if Carey Price could not play in the ASG on Sunday….that Clemmensen could get the nod. Imagine that to go from career hockey transient to All Star goalie. Now that is a transformation. Scott has gone 19-9-1 for the Devils with a 2.30 GAA and .922 save percentage. Quietly something is missing here….something that reminds me of a time that seems long ago.
Remember when the Devils were among the league leaders in scoring goals as a team. A long time ago (2000-2001)…the Devils were in the Top 5. They scored 295 goals that year with guys like Gomez, Mogilny, Rafalski, Niedermayer, etc. Those guys are long gone but this season has reminded me a little of what that was like to score and score often. The team has scored 145 goals in 47 games (an average of 3.08 GPG). That does not seem like much as far as the juggernauts (a team like Boston averages over 4.5 GPG and Detroit even more)…but it is impressive for a Devils team that was left for dead when Martin Brodeur went down.
The Devils are led in scoring by Zach Parise and Patrik Elias. One is an all-star (Parise) and the other (Elias) should be. Parise has 28 goals and 27 assists…good for 55 points (7th in the NHL in scoring). Elias has 20 goals and 34 assists. His 54 points are good for 9th in the NHL in scoring. It is almost like the good old days of the EA Sports line or the GEM line. Now it is a line by the name of ZZ Pop (Zach-Zajac-Langenbrunner) that garners some of the same buzz. Travis Zajac has rebounded nicely from the Sophomore slump to post 36 points (15 goals, 21 assists) at the break. Talk about a team that has come together.
Hard To Believe….
Now the Devils have many shortcomings as everyone knows. Their defensive corps can be rag-tag at times. They are overachieving at 14 games over .500. I have heard this for weeks now and I understand where it is coming from. Remember at one point in November, the Devils had EIGHT guys on the IR. They even had five guys on the IR down at their AHL affiliate in Lowell. This team has come from a long way down to be within two points of the 2nd seed in the East (Washington Capitals). Contributions from guys like Michael Rupp, Bobby Holik and David Clarkson (10 goals) have paved the way. Even the recent signing of old time Devil Brendan Shanahan has furthered the spark.
A Look Ahead…..
This team does have needs. It is not a secret that they need a physical defenseman to complement guys like Salvador and White. Surely it would not hurt if that guy could be a good puck mover as well. The Devils might even need a little more scoring depth for the playoff run even with the signing on Shanahan. Their second half (35 games to go) is going to be a tough one but I have a feeling this team is up for the challenge.
Can they stay in first place? I do not know that answer honestly. The Flyers seem to be their toughest threat along with the Rangers and then Penguins. A lot of questions have come forth about the strength of the Atlantic but I have a feeling the second half will offer many answers. Aside from the Islanders, all it takes is one big run to get right back in it.
The team should get a big shot in the arm in March when Brodeur comes back. He will be eased into things because right now Scott Clemmensen is in net and the Devils are rolling. At 29-15-3, even with Brodeur, this team would have been considered…overachievers. That record is nothing short of devilish and that is truly a fitting statement.
Author Bio
Just a crazy Devils fan on the West Coast.
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