Todd Cordell: Devils effort goes to waste as Rangers shutout New Jersey 3-0 in Game 1

Ryan McDonagh works as hard as Zach Parise.

every shift

(see foiled breakaway)

Another thing the Devils can do: if the Rangers are in the way, blast the puck as hard as you can right at them. Make them pay a big price for blocking shots. As 'Dobber' from DobberHockey.com said in his article this morning, would blocking a few extra shots be worth it if they lost someone like Dan Girardi or Ryan McDonagh for any period of time? Not a chance. If they want to constantly get in the way of Ilya Kovalchuk one-timers, so be it. Eventually someone will get hurt.

Unless someone gets hit in the head with the puck they won't stop blocking shots.


As for the game itself, could've really went either way. Early goal in the third set the tone and NJ wasn't able to keep up with shots on net. Looks like it could be a pretty tight series.

Ryam McDonagh works as hard as Zach Parise.

every shift

(see foiled breakaway)
- jimbro83

Is he as good as Ryan?

Another thing the Devils can do: if the Rangers are in the way, blast the puck as hard as you can right at them. Make them pay a big price for blocking shots. As 'Dobber' from DobberHockey.com said in his article this morning, would blocking a few extra shots be worth it if they lost someone like Dan Girardi or Ryan McDonagh for any period of time? Not a chance. If they want to constantly get in the way of Ilya Kovalchuk one-timers, so be it. Eventually someone will get hurt.

Unless someone gets hit in the head with the puck they won't stop blocking shots.


As for the game itself, could've really went either way. Early goal in the third set the tone and NJ wasn't able to keep up with shots on net. Looks like it could be a pretty tight series.
- Lahey

The Rangers under Torts have blocked shots like this for years now, nothing new, did anyone catch Callahan stepping in front of Chara's shot last yr? He suffered a fractured leg & guess what? He plays the exact same way this yr & always will. Its called paying the price. No amount of slap shots will deter the boys from doing what they do.

Is he as good as Ryan?
- B2B76

doh!

I would like to have seen the Devils create more traffic in front of Henry and also crash the net more. It seems the saves he made he had clear lanes to see the shots, and there were no Devils there to get the rebounds.
The Rangers defense does a good job of closing in on the puck very quickly, so quit playing with the puck and get the shots and passes off quicker.

one thing I have to say about the complaining of blocked shots....

I remember clear as day, reading this blog when the Devils signed Volchenkov and people ecstatic that they signed the best shot blocker in the league.

I guess it just matter which team you root for

Ryam McDonagh works as hard as Zach Parise.

every shift

(see foiled breakaway)
- jimbro83

Agreed, but it was 2 foiled breakaways. Parise and Kovalchuk. McDonagh is amazing and he apparently has no problems with conditioning.

Credit to the Rangers for sticking to their game plan, but nothing frustrates me more than watching the Devils dominate possession and come up with nothing. As we saw last night, that completely leaves the door open for the opposition and the Rangers capitalized on the Devils breakdowns, which is exactly what the Devils couldn't do.

PDB needs to make some adjustments. Scoring will be at a premium. And even more importantly, Brodeur HAS to be better. The Girardi goal was through a screen, so I'm not going to blame him on that one, but any other goaltender stops that Kreider shot. That 2-0 lead took whatever wind was left in the sails out and sealed the deal for the Rangers. In a series where goals will be hard to come by for the Devils, soft goals like that will cost this team any chance at a SCF berth.

You don't get anything for winning 1 game, and I liked what I saw in spurts for the Devils. But if adjustments aren't properly made my confidence is going to fade fast.

Let's go Devils.

I could watch players like Callahan and Parise play all day everyday.

+ David Backes
+ Dustin Brown
+ TJ Oshie
+David Backes

Imagine if Patty Kane eased up on the 151.

I'm ready for Sochi.

The Rangers under Torts have blocked shots like this for years now, nothing new, did anyone catch Callahan stepping in front of Chara's shot last yr? He suffered a fractured leg & guess what? He plays the exact same way this yr & always will. Its called paying the price. No amount of slap shots will deter the boys from doing what they do.
- B2B76

Especially now.

I have no problem with guys blocking shots; it's not illegal.
Back in the day it was kind of a specialty and only a few guys did it. But the Rangers seem to get everyone involved and they all do it well. They also have very active sticks, always moving batting away passes and shots.
Gonna be tough going for the Devs but not impossible.

one thing I have to say about the complaining of blocked shots....

I remember clear as day, reading this blog when the Devils signed Volchenkov and people ecstatic that they signed the best shot blocker in the league.

I guess it just matter which team you root for
- jimbro83

I don't think people are complaining about the blocked shots as being something that is wrong with the game or the way the Rangers are playing. It's just frustrating and it's what's got the Rangers 3 wins from the SCF. Great D and amazing, self-sacrificing shotblocking are a great part of the game. All guts and heart.

I also think that the same (uncalled for) argument against the goaltenders' greatness is going to come full circle. Rangers fans say that Brodeur is over-rated because of the D that played in front of him for most of his career. The same can be said for Henrik in terms of not being forced to make amazing saves regularly because of the shot blocking the Rangers do. Stevens, Daneyko, Niedermayer, etc... kept the chances against to a minimum. The Rangers D limits the amount of great saves Henrik has to make. Both arguments are ridiculous. You can find tons of tape on either goalie making amazing saves. Both are amazing. Both deserve what they earned so far.

I have no problem with guys blocking shots; it's not illegal.
Back in the day it was kind of a specialty and only a few guys did it. But the Rangers seem to get everyone involved and they all do it well. They also have very active sticks, always moving batting away passes and shots.
Gonna be tough going for the Devs but not impossible.
- FAZOOL

Back in the day you had to be on drugs to block shots given the equipment that you wore. Now you can eliminate a good chunk of the risk if you know how to block properly.

I don't think people are complaining about the blocked shots as being something that is wrong with the game or the way the Rangers are playing. It's just frustrating and it's what's got the Rangers 3 wins from the SCF. Great D and amazing, self-sacrificing shotblocking are a great part of the game. All guts and heart.

I also think that the same (uncalled for) argument against the goaltenders' greatness is going to come full circle. Rangers fans say that Brodeur is over-rated because of the D that played in front of him for most of his career. The same can be said for Henrik in terms of not being forced to make amazing saves regularly because of the shot blocking the Rangers do. Stevens, Daneyko, Niedermayer, etc... kept the chances against to a minimum. The Rangers D limits the amount of great saves Henrik has to make. Both arguments are ridiculous. You can find tons of tape on either goalie making amazing saves. Both are amazing. Both deserve what they earned so far.
- jbivens13

no argument there, great post

Need to move the puck quicker and react and make plays in the offensive zone. We were taking too much time and it allowed the rags D to set up in position every time pretty much. Need more shots too. But overall the effort was there and they played pretty good until the third. Its only one game need to bounce back in game 2.

Need to move the puck quicker and react and make plays in the offensive zone. We were taking too much time and it allowed the rags D to set up in position every time pretty much. Need more shots too. But overall the effort was there and they played pretty good until the third. Its only one game need to bounce back in game 2.
- NickA

Need to spread the offensive zone. The down low boardwork that crushed Philly plays into the Rangers system. The D, even when they get caught chasing down low, keep the chances to the outside and eliminate high quality scoring chances. The Devils need to find a way to get that pressure up to the points, to get passes between D. Washington had most of their offensive pressure started with D to D passing at the points. It is also more difficult to block shots when the puck is moving left to right. I remember in game 7, Hamrlik and Green must have thrown it back and forth 5 or 6 times before the shot.

Anyway, here's to hoping the coaching staff keeps up the solid adjustments and game 2 has a better result.

Agreed, but it was 2 foiled breakaways. Parise and Kovalchuk. McDonagh is amazing and he apparently has no problems with conditioning.

Credit to the Rangers for sticking to their game plan, but nothing frustrates me more than watching the Devils dominate possession and come up with nothing. As we saw last night, that completely leaves the door open for the opposition and the Rangers capitalized on the Devils breakdowns, which is exactly what the Devils couldn't do.

PDB needs to make some adjustments. Scoring will be at a premium. And even more importantly, Brodeur HAS to be better. The Girardi goal was through a screen, so I'm not going to blame him on that one, but any other goaltender stops that Kreider shot. That 2-0 lead took whatever wind was left in the sails out and sealed the deal for the Rangers. In a series where goals will be hard to come by for the Devils, soft goals like that will cost this team any chance at a SCF berth.

You don't get anything for winning 1 game, and I liked what I saw in spurts for the Devils. But if adjustments aren't properly made my confidence is going to fade fast.

Let's go Devils.
- jbivens13

I agree with everything you posted but give Kreider some credit. That was a nice shot and perfectly placed Would of been a hell of a kick save if Marty pulled it out.

Need to spread the offensive zone. The down low boardwork that crushed Philly plays into the Rangers system. The D, even when they get caught chasing down low, keep the chances to the outside and eliminate high quality scoring chances. The Devils need to find a way to get that pressure up to the points, to get passes between D. Washington had most of their offensive pressure started with D to D passing at the points. It is also more difficult to block shots when the puck is moving left to right. I remember in game 7, Hamrlik and Green must have thrown it back and forth 5 or 6 times before the shot.

Anyway, here's to hoping the coaching staff keeps up the solid adjustments and game 2 has a better result.
- jbivens13

I just think were spending too much time holding on to the puck. need to move it quicker and release our shots quicker.

rangers better be prepared to do something besides flop in front of the net every shift...looks like between what TG and marty have said they're gonna start firing as hard as they can with headhunters...not with the intent to injure but with the intent to scare the rangers into actually playing the man and not playing this boring style...imo more teams will start adapting this style and hockey will become incredibly boring and dangerous..mark my words a ranger is going to get hurt next game

Ryan McDonagh works as hard as Zach Parise.

every shift

(see foiled breakaway)
- jimbro83

i completely agree. I knew he was good, but I didn't know he was this good. The guy is fast, makes smart plays, and plays good 2-way D. props

rangers better be prepared to do something besides flop in front of the net every shift...looks like between what TG and marty have said they're gonna start firing as hard as they can with headhunters...not with the intent to injure but with the intent to scare the rangers into actually playing the man and not playing this boring style...imo more teams will start adapting this style and hockey will become incredibly boring and dangerous..mark my words a ranger is going to get hurt next game
- Xnightwish

did u just say boring in reference to the rangers???

+ David Backes
+ Dustin Brown
+ TJ Oshie
+David Backes

Imagine if Patty Kane eased up on the 151.

I'm ready for Sochi.
- Travis Yost

can't freaking wait

I don't think people are complaining about the blocked shots as being something that is wrong with the game or the way the Rangers are playing. It's just frustrating and it's what's got the Rangers 3 wins from the SCF. Great D and amazing, self-sacrificing shotblocking are a great part of the game. All guts and heart.

I also think that the same (uncalled for) argument against the goaltenders' greatness is going to come full circle. Rangers fans say that Brodeur is over-rated because of the D that played in front of him for most of his career. The same can be said for Henrik in terms of not being forced to make amazing saves regularly because of the shot blocking the Rangers do. Stevens, Daneyko, Niedermayer, etc... kept the chances against to a minimum. The Rangers D limits the amount of great saves Henrik has to make. Both arguments are ridiculous. You can find tons of tape on either goalie making amazing saves. Both are amazing. Both deserve what they earned so far.
- jbivens13

absolutely

rangers better be prepared to do something besides flop in front of the net every shift...looks like between what TG and marty have said they're gonna start firing as hard as they can with headhunters...not with the intent to injure but with the intent to scare the rangers into actually playing the man and not playing this boring style...imo more teams will start adapting this style and hockey will become incredibly boring and dangerous..mark my words a ranger is going to get hurt next game
- Xnightwish

Are you serious with this post?

Boring because your team lost; bet it would have been awesome for you if the other team won though, right?