Devils downgrade Canes to Category 3 storm, Win 4-1
One down. Fifteen more games to go.
Who could have predicted the New Jersey Devils to absolutely dominate the Carolina Hurricanes after all NHL experts picked an early exit for New Jersey? This is what happened.
“Cam Ward! Cam Ward! Marty’s Better!”
The Canes’ blueline faced tough forechecking the entire night and Cam Ward played spectacular early by making unbelievable saves. But shots kept on coming and when Devils’ defenseman, Mike Mottau, scored the first goal of the game, the Devils started to seize control of the game.
Pressure, pressure, pressure!
The Devils need to continue wearing down Carolina’s defense and Brent Sutter effectively rolled four lines. Zach Parise, elected Devils’ MVP by his teammates, was constantly pursuing the puck. Jay Pandolfo played a very solid game and efforts were appreciated by the 17,625 sellout Prudential Center crowd.
Game 2 will not be easy. The Hurricanes will be making adjustments and it will be interesting to see how the Devils will counterattack. One thing is for sure. Sutter wants his team to dictate the flow of the game by making their opponents work for the puck. Constant turnovers in the offensive zone allowed the Devils to outshoot the Canes 39-19. One thing for certain: Game 2 will have an even more hostile Devils’ crowd and if the Canes cannot answer early, they will be going down 0-2 and face an impossible task of winning the series.
Great WOO moment
Devils owner, Jeff Vanderbeek, was spotted at Newark Penn Station handing out playoff towels to the Devils fans swarming in before the game. The city of Newark has gone playoff crazy and when you walk around, Newark business owners are chanting “Let’s Go Devils!” and the locals understand that Carolina is a tough team.
MVF Trophy goes to “Intern” Rob of Section 208
Before the last game of the season, the Most Valuable Fan trophy was announced at the Arena Lounge on 218 Mulberry St. “Intern Rob” was the winner as the Devils most valuable fan. Started in 2006, the trophy was created by a Devils fan to recognize the Most Valuable Devils’ fan.
“Intern Rob” served as my intern for the last two years. Personally, I am happy that he earned and won this award. I spoke to him about it after it was announced he had won. Quite obvious, the trophy and Devils fans mean a lot to him.
Congrats Rob!
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