No Zach Parise, no problem. The New Jersey Devils opened up a new era without their former captain in fine fashion as they topped the New York Islanders 2-1.
Here are some notes on the Devils 2-1 win as well as some prospect updates.
- Given the circumstances, things went about as well as they could have for the Devils. That was a big win for them to open the season as not only were they on the road but they picked up a win against a divisional opponent. Throughout the off-season and lockout many questioned if Brodeur could still play and if they'd be able to score. Brodeur was very good, obviously, and though the Devils only scored twice, they did create a lot of chances.
- Martin Brodeur was spectacular last night, especially in the latter half of the game. The Islanders started to create more scoring chances as the game went on and Brodeur came up with a big save almost every time he was called upon. As usual Brodeur was a pain in the bottom to the opposing team's forecheck as almost every time the Islanders dumped the puck in it ended up on Brodeur's stick and out of the zone a few seconds later. Brodeur ended up stopping 18-of-19 (.947 SV%) in the win.
- In his first game since signing a long-term contract extension Travis Zajac was the 1st star of the game and in my opinion the best player on the ice. Zajac scored, had two shots and won 53% of his faceoffs. Zajac's line also went up against John Tavares' line almost all night and Zajac held him completely in check. Tavares didn't record a point and had just one shot.
- Mattias Tedenby really impressed me last night. He played the majority of his shifts on the 2nd line with Patrik Elias and David Clarkson and didn't look out of place. He was creating chances, using his speed effectively and he wasn't even remotely a liability defensively. Tedenby was in position in the defensive zone and was back-checking hard throughout the night. If Tedenby continues to pay attention to detail when it comes to defensive play and can still create chances, as he did last night, I expect him to stick with the Devils for the long haul.
- Jacob Josefson had a very strong game, in my opinion. He created some chances, was good on the penalty kill and had two takeaways, tied for 1st on the team with Andy Greene, in just over 13 minutes of ice.
- Overall I thought Stefan Matteau played a strong game. He had a couple chances on his first shift and had a couple more throughout the rest of the game. He was good on the boards, strong on the puck and hard on the forecheck. He played about 7:30 which is a result to him not only being a rookie playing in his first game, but he was on Cam Janssen's line. Janssen was held to less than 3:30 of ice time so it was clear DeBoer didn't want him on the ice unless the Devils were lacking in momentum and needed a hit or two to get them going. Matteau did show he can play in this league, but it's probably best he goes back to the QMJHL for at least the rest of this season.
- Ilya Kovalchuk played well and had a classic Ilya Kovalchuk stat line on the night as he had a beautiful assist and five shots in over 24 minutes of ice.
- With Matt Shaw coming over to replace Adam Oates and run the powerplay, the Devils PP unit was supposed to prioritize in shooting the puck rather than looking for the perfect play, as they did last night. I know the majority of the players are accustomed to Oates' style and it will take time to adjust, but they looked the exact same as they did last year. The Devils had just two shots on two powerplay opportunities.
- As a collective unit the Devils defense was fantastic last night. All six defenseman in the lineup played good systematic defense and they made it very hard on the Islanders to generate chances. I won't beat around the bush in saying that Adam Larsson needs to be in the lineup, and regularly, but nobody played themselves out of a top-6 role. Larsson will undoubtedly see some games, but he might have to wait a little bit until someone suffers an injury or is traded.
- David Clarkson scored the game-winning goal in the 2-1 win. He led the team with 7 game-winners last season.
- The Devils will get back on the ice for a practice Monday after being given the day off today.
- Here are the highlights from the Devils 2-1 win.
- In Albany, the Devils fell to Springfield 2-1 in a shootout. Defenseman Eric Gelinas is clearly in midseason form as he had the lone goal for Albany and had eight shots to top it off. Jeff Frazee stopped 23-of-24 in the loss.
- Devils prospect Ben Thomson scored his 9th of the season for Kitchener in a 6-3 loss to Barrie Saturday night. Thomson has really struggled this year and is on pace for about 25 points after recording 42 last season.
- Damon Severson was plus-1 in a 5-3 Kelowna win over Vancouver. Severson has six goals and 33 points to go along with a plus-23 rating in 43 games on the year.
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