The Devils stood nose to nose with the top team in the East and did not allow the scoreboard to be used until the third period,plus the second Beantown goal went into the empty Devils net.
New Jersey takes Xmas eve and day off before returning with back to back games on Friday and Saturday with divisional wars with the Penguins and Rangers.
Hell Raisers
1) I am not sure how to feel when a player that you really like be
ats you.Does it make the loss easier because someone that you like did it and did well or harder because you think "Damn,I wish he was here"!
That was the case last night when Milan Lucic was the player that won the game for Boston.
With Lucic,it is a mixture.
It made it easier to take and I still would love to have him as a Devil.
2) Lucic added his name to the short list of players that I seem to tolerate doing well against the Devils along with Richard Park of the Islanders and Vinny Prospal of the Lightning.
3) The goal was not Scott Clemmensen's fault as Zdeno Chara's shot bounced off Clemmensen straight to Lucic for the game winner.
Clemmensen played well,he just wasn't perfect on a night when Boston's Tim Thomas was.
4) Want to see the small difference in getting a point or not?
The Devils had one chance in the second period,when Jamie Langenbrunner fired a shot that Thomas deflected and looked to be headed to Patrik Elias for the easy goal.
Boston stopped that with enough of a backcheck to keep Elias from getting his best shot off and the opportunity was lost...
5) In the loss,Patrik Elias point streak was snapped at ten games.
Bonus Rounds
If you watch the Lucic goal closely,watch Travis Zajac on the Chara shot.
The shot breaks his stick and that hinders his chances of clearing the rebound away.
Breaks of the game.
All and all-an excellent and well played game by both teams and I am really looking forward to their next matchup in Boston on January 29th....
Bullpen Notes
I really like the Ryan Doumit contract extension.
Doumit gets far more money and the Pirates not only buy out his arbitration years,but they also can eliminate his first two free agency years by exercising one option.
This is unique as the Pirates have one option to keep Doumit for two years.
The usual clause would be a separate option for each year,so creative for the Doumit reps to put the pressure on the Pirates at that time.
In any case,I like the move.
Left handed power hitting catchers are not exactly in abundant supply..........
At that same time,I don't like various voices getting on Neal Huntington and the Buccos for not getting a similar deal with Nate McLouth done.
As Ryan knows,I have always been a Nate McLouth booster as far back as when the Chris Duffy love started for the first time.
Even then,I thought Nate was the better player and that (thus far) has proved to be true.
However,when you consider that last year was McLouth's first year as a starter,his numbers are skewed between his first and second halves and that the two best prospects in the Pirate system are at his position (Andrew McCutchen and Jose Tabata),that a similar contract for McLouth makes little sense at this time.
McLouth doesn't seem to have the bat to play the corner on a good team (although that shouldn't affect him in Pittsburgh for a while),so his value is as a centerfielder.
Smart move in waiting by the Pirates in my opinion...
The Pirates signed six players to minor league deals.
Denny Bautista returns as does Juan Mateo (from AA Altoona) with pitcher Chris Bootcheck.
Garrett Jones and Andy Phillips look to be part of the Indianapolis infield and Jeff Salazar looks to be a possible outfielder partner for the I-Indians as well.
Not a lot of high side here,but one needs filler at all levels....
Back later with either a Seahawks tape review or my trip to Lowell.....
Photo Credit
Lucic:Jim McIssac-Getty Images
Doumit:Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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