Martin Brodeur was perfect in goal with 29 saves and the cast around him did their jobs as well as the New Jersey Devils stopped a five game losing streak with a 3-0 win over the Phoenix Coyotes at the Rock in Newark.Devils goals to Ilya Kovalchuk (6 and 7 Power Play) and Mark Fayne (1).
New Jersey takes today off before back to back games on Friday and Saturday against visiting Nashville along with a trip to Atlanta.
Hell Raisers
1) Martin Brodeur was superlative in goal,but give some credit to the defense in this.
The team did a nice job keeping the crease clear and played tough hockey in allowing Phoenix few second chances.
More play like that can do nothing but help Brodeur and Hedberg's goals against average.
2) Play of the game goes to Dainius Zubrus,who knocked down a Phoenix pass and DROVE to the net on a 2 on 1 before passing to Ilya Kovalchuk for the one timer and the games first goal.
That is exactly how to get Kovalchuk's game rolling by using the skill of his that ranks with the best in the game-his shot from the perimeter....
3) The two goal game for Kovalchuk was his first as a Devil as his last one was in January with Atlanta.
The Devils seem to possibly be learning a bit on how best to use the sniper and if that indeed is the case,watch the numbers rise...
4) Mark Fayne scored the first goal of his career in the first period.
Always nice to see guys get that first point.
The goal was initially credited to Jamie Langenbrunner,but replays showed the captain never touched the puck.
5) I know it is just one win,but I am somewhat excited about how two of the new lines played in the win.
The Kovalchuk,Arnott and Zubrus line looked to have some real chemistry,while the Elias,Zajac and Langenbrunner line just missed on a few opportunities to really blow the game open.
Hopefully,the Devils stumbled upon a few winners.
6) Anssi Salmela returned to the lineup for the first time all season after missing the start of the season with knee surgery.
Salmela spent the game paired with Anton Volchenkov in what seems to be a good pairing of differing skill sets....
7) Brian Rolston was placed on waivers and cleared.
Rolston played in the game last night and could go on waivers again in the future.
Lou Lamiorello said that the move was a financial decision and part of the Devils dealing with their cap issues...
Photo Credit-AP
No comments:
Post a Comment