The New Jersey Devils traveled to Long Island Saturday and started Johan Hedberg in hopes of picking up wins on consecutive nights over divisional opponents. Their hope didn't come to fruition, though, as the New York Islanders, lead by John Tavares and Matt Moulson, defended home ice and picked up a decisive 5-1 win over the Devils.
Game Notes
- Though Hedberg allowed five goals Saturday night, I have to give him some credit. He appeared to be one of just a few Devils with any interest and trying to win a hockey game. Hedberg made several big saves in the first 35 minutes to keep the game scoreless and give the Devils a chance to break the ice, but they couldn't do it. Hedberg obviously allowed three goals in a span of less than three minutes, but it was hardly his fault. The Devils took some dumb penalties and it cost them.
Prior to Saturday's game, Hedberg was 8-0-2 in his last ten decisions.
- Henrik Tallinder's stint back in the Devils lineup might be a short one. The veteran defenseman was minus-1 and took two bad penalties, one of which the Islanders capitalized on. He's got to be better.
- After failing to register a point in six consecutive games, Marek Zidlicky has stepped up offensively of late. Zidlicky has points in three of his past four games, including his 1st goal of the season. Zidlicky played almost 22 minutes, had six shots and two hits along with his power play goal in the loss.
- Ilya Kovalchuk picked up his 800th career point Saturday night and extended his point-streak to six games while doing so. Kovalchuk ten points (3G, 7A) and 19 shots in that span.
- Patrik Elias recorded an assist last night to extend his point-streak to four games. Elias has six points (1G, 5A) in that span and is now tied with Sidney Crosby for 2nd in the NHL in assists with 15.
- The Devils penalty kill continued to struggle last night as they allowed three power play goals on six opportunities. Special teams often determine who will win the game, and the Devils penalty kill hasn't been up to par of late. It's starting to hurt them now.
- David Clarkson didn't register a point in the loss, but he did have three shots and five hits in a littler over 17 minutes of ice. He's been pretty consistent throughout the season and has been contributing even when he doesn't get on the scoresheet.
- Adam Larsson was pretty good. He wasn't stellar, but he made a few nice defensive plays and for the most part did a good job moving the puck out of the Devils zone quick. He did have a couple rough shifts, but it's part of the learning curve for a young defenseman like him. He's shown a lot so far this year and I'm convinced that come playoff time he'll be the best defenseman on the team on a nightly basis.
- Speaking of Larsson, I came by an interesting stat courtesy of HockeyAnalysis.com. Adam Larsson is 3rd on the Devils in goals for per 20 minutes of 5 vs. 5 with a 1.044 rating. Only David Clarkson (1.079) and Adam Henrique (1.163) are on the ice for more goals per 20 minutes of 5 vs. 5.
- As for goals against per 20 minutes of 5 vs. 5, Travis Zajac is far and away the best on the team. Zajac's rating: 0. He hasn't been on for a 5 vs. 5 goal against all season. Stefan Matteau is the only other Devil who can say that, but he's only played 73:29 of 5 vs. 5 hockey this season. Still impressive, but he doesn't hold a candle to Zajac who has played 158:34 of 5 vs. 5 hockey so far this season.
Prospect Updates
- Reid Boucher scored his league-leading 51st goal of the season Saturday night in a 4-2 Sarnia win over Oshawa. Boucher now has 51 goals in 57 games. Steven Stamkos holds the all-time record for Sarnia with 58 goals in a season. Boucher needs seven more goals to tie that record and has 11 games to do so.
- Ben Johnson scored his 16th goal of the season for Windsor in a 7-4 loss to Saginaw. Johnson is now two goals shy of last season's total of 18. He's not having a great season offensively, but the Spitfires have had a lot of injuries and have made a lot of roster changes so it's probably been tough for him to gain chemistry and find familiarity with his linemates.
- Artur Gavrus was minus-1 for Owen Sound in a 3-2 win over Niagara. Gavrus has been struggling since returning to the OHL as he has just two assists in 12 games this season.
- Damon Severson was the lone Devils prospect in action in the WHL last night. He was even in a 3-1 Kelowna loss to Kamloops. Severson has been having a very, very impressive season this year as he has eight goals, 44 points, 64PIMs and a plus-31 rating in 60 games.
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