Devils wonder? Steve Doesn't in 1-0 win

In a tight defensive battle between two of the lowest scoring teams in the league,Steve Bernier's one timer off an Andy Greene pass beat Jhonas Enroth for the only goal of the game and the New Jersey Devils captured two points in a 1-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres.
Bernier's goal (2) in overtime gave the Devils their second win in a row.
The Devils will be in Montreal on Monday....

Hell Raisers

1) Steve Bernier's goal was not only nice for being a game winner,but because he has been a hard worker and it is good to see hard work prevail.
Bernier had been through a few organizations before getting the New Jersey call and he has been a model Devil.

2) I had talked to Rachel during the game about how pleased I had been with the play of Andy Greene lately and Greene had another strong game in this one.
Greene is developing into the teams steady old hand and playing solid hockey is a help to the young players as well....

3) Cory Schneider only had 15 saves in the shutout,but some were tougher saves,so I would not say this was an easy one.
Schneider especially had a few nice grabs in the second period of note.

4) Schneider and Martin Brodeur's use of late has made me think of whether Pete DeBoer has a gameplan for his use of his goalies or if he is just playing it by ear.
I am convinced that there is no plan and both Brodeur and Schneider have noticed it as each has expressed dismay thus far this season.

5) Ryan Carter was flattened in a one punch KO against Marcus Foligno.
The shot sent Carter out of the game early in the first period,never to return.
I like the gloves to be dropped as much as the next guy and the bout was only 3rd of the year for the Devils and only the 2nd that was more than push and shove action,but Cam Janssen is on the team for that reason.
Carter going down put the Devils down a forward all game...

6) Adam Henrique almost went at it with irritating Steve Ott after the Bernier game winner.
As an excited Rachel alternated from anger to fear of "her Adam"'s involvement,I wondered if the Devils could afford another forward loss.
Answer-No...

7) I pick on Deb Placey a lot.
She may be a nice lady,but she will always be an Islander to me and her work leaves me cold,but I liked her talk with Pat LaFontaine in between periods.
LaFontaine was a favorite of mine as a player and always seemed to be a great guy.
Glad to see Pat back in the game as he attempts to rebuild the Sabres...

Photo Credit;AP Photo

Still standing! Ohio State holds on 42-41

The Ohio State Buckeyes took the best shot from a rival that entered the day disappointed and left it the same way despite a grand effort as the Buckeyes moved to 12-0 with a 42-41 victory over Michigan!
Carlos Hyde smashed his way through the blue defense for 226 yards and the game-winning score while Braxton Miller threw for three scores and ran for two more as the Buckeyes maintained their undefeated record going into the Big 10 title game next weekend against the once-beaten Michigan State Spartans.....

Olentangy Offerings

1) Off the stick, as thrilled as I was to see Auburn dump Alabama and possibly give the Buckeyes their shot at the national title,I knew what was coming.
Should one loss Auburn leap over the Buckeyes into the number two?
My short answer is no. Undefeated is undefeated and for all the pounding that the media gives the Buckeyes for their non-conference schedule, Auburn wasn't playing Murderer's Row.

2) Hate to start off with a bad point, but boy did Luke Fickell's defense play poorly in this one.
Bad tackling and what seemed to be major problems stopping the screen pass (Bet on Michigan State practicing that all week) made the mediocre Devin Gardner look like a Hall of Famer.
I appreciate Fickell's contributions to the program as a player and getting the program through a rough time, but he might be better suited to making a move elsewhere...

3) Give Brady Hoke some credit.
I hate his braggadocio for a guy who hasn't won anything, but he had his team fired up and ready to play with a tremendous effort.

4) If I were a fan of the team up north, I would applaud Hoke for going to the well for the two-pointer and the win, but question the play call.
Hoke had to realize that overtime would favor OSU, who was killing their defense on the ground and saw their best chance to win was there and now, so I agreed with that call.
Where Hoke went wrong was the play when the screen and option had befuddled the Buckeyes all day long.
He played right into the Buckeye's hands, Thanks!

5) Carlos Hyde is a first-round running back.
I made the statement in the past that the oft-injured Jordan Hall was the team's best back.

I was wrong. Hyde might not be the fastest or the strongest, but his combination of the two reminds me of Eddie George,

6) Another thing I love about Hyde?
After his fumble that came after carrying defenders down the field with loads of extra effort, he was clearly upset on the sidelines, but not in an out-of-control manner.
If Hyde can show the same composure off the field, I'd love to see him as a Brown.

7) The fight.
I can understand Dontre Wilson getting fired up and tossed, but Marcus Hall wasn't even on the field!
Dumb play from a senior and as much as I can understand Hall's wanting to flip the bird to the fans, who I'm sure were not friendly, he shouldn't have done it.
It reflects badly on the program and university...

8) The Buckeye offensive line was the major factor in this game.
The loss of Hall, I thought could be major, and yet the big boys did not skip a beat and the play of the offensive line had to have influenced Brady Hoke's decision to go for two.

9) Carlos Hyde is the first-ever Buckeye with over 220 yards in a game twice in a season.
If Hyde hadn't missed those first few games due to off-the-field issues, Hyde would have won the Heisman....

10) Now it is the Spartans of Michigan State standing between Ohio State and BCS glory.
The Spartans have just one loss and lost by just one point to the Buckeyes last season in East Lansing.
A win over Sparty would add some points to the computer ratings that were lost with Wisconsin losing to Penn State yesterday.
Looks like a good one in Indy next week, despite the presence of Gus Johnson...

Photo Credits: Cleveland Plain Dealer

Quick PPM

Last week: 5-2
Season: 55-24

College
Ohio State over michigan 30-20
The next two have been played but I would have gotten both correct
Texas over Texas Tech
Bowling Green over Buffalo
Game of the week
Auburn over Alabama 31-30 (I have to dream)

NFL
Browns over Jaguars 13-10
Saints over Seahawks 24-20
Game of the Week
Broncos over Chiefs 31-21

This Devils rally gets the W!

The New Jersey Devils rallied again in the third period against the Carolina Hurricanes,but there was a difference from the past game versus Carolina-this one went into the win column as four third period goals gave the Devils a 5-2 victory in Raleigh.
Mark Fayne gave the Devils the lead after one period with his first goal of the season,which was overcame with two Carolina goals in the second.
New Jersey exploded with four third periods tallies against Cam Ward led by (in order) Andrei Loktionov (2),Adam Henrique (6 power play),Dainius Zubrus (4) and Jaromir Jagr (11).
Cory Schneider finished with 16 saves in his return to the lineup.
The Devils will return home to Newark Saturday for a night game against the Buffalo Sabres...

Hell Raisers

1) Of all the goals,the prettiest one was the one handed putback by Adam Henrique,who took a rebound off a Eric Gelinas bullet and chipped it into the net.
Very nice goal from Henrique and what a shot from Gelinas,who sent a Hurricane off the ice on the shot.

2) Jon Merrill looked to have scored his first NHL goal,but Dainius Zubrus would stake his claim to the goal as he deflected the puck by Cam Ward.
Merrill looks to be a good one as part of the Devils kiddie corps of defensemen.

3) Jaromir Jagr shot the puck off Cam Ward's pads and then quickly slid the puck by Ward almost in one motion.
Jagr also finished the evening with two assists to add to his goal.
I still wonder how Jagr's legs are going to hold up over the course of the year,but of late,Jagr has clearly been the top offensive threat.

4) Anton Volchenkov returned to the lineup in this one.
New Jersey is going to have some tough calls when Bryce Salvador and Adam Larsson come back and put the blueliners at full strength...

5) I've never been the biggest Mark Fayne fan,but I was happy to see him score his first goal.
Fayne (and Adam Larsson) seem to get the short end of the stick in the Peter DeBoer system as they get scratched at the slightest perceived misdeed,so it's nice to see them do well...

6) Cory Schneider didn't have to do much (16 saves) to get the win,but he was solid enough.
It'll be interesting to see if Schneider plays against Buffalo tonight.

Photo Credit:AP Photo

Random Thoughts

Slow news day,but here are a few thoughts on a few things!

I mix up what I watch between the various news networks.
I think CNN does the best job covering breaking news,but many of their personalities are less than exciting.
I used to watch MSNBC,but other then Morning Joe with Joe Scarbrough and Mika Brzezinski,I've found their network has gone downhill since they left Keith Olbermann without a contract.
On off days,I'll check Al-Jazeera (AJTV are not on work cable)
out from time to time since they hired Nicole Mitchell (remember our five part interview with her?) as the morning meteorologist.
I tend to watch Fox in the mid-morning to early afternoon,but other than the Kelly File,I cannot stand the evening Fox lineup.
But,I must admit-when Christi Paul fills in for CNN or HLN,I go there everytime!
Christi's energy is infectious and when you work my hours,you need as much of that as you can get!
Christi walks the tightrope of being high energy without being obnoxious about it.
I'd root for one of the Atlanta networks to give her a show of her own,but with my luck-it would be at a time that I couldn't watch!

It's Thanksgiving weekend and it always makes me think of the only game that ever meant as much to me ( at one time) as Ohio State-michigan.
I've written before about Barry Switzer's Oklahoma teams being the only teams to rank as high in my heart as the Buckeyes,but the holiday weekend brings back memories of the dead rivalry between Oklahoma and Nebraska.
That game was often played on Thanksgiving friday,when the game meant Big 8 titles,Orange Bowl trips and often national championships.
Wishbone and option football on display along with some of the best running game talent around,the game is no longer played with Nebraska leaving for the Big 10.
Pity,I miss it...

Still angry about not being able to find 7UP 10 anywhere.
After falling in love with the low calorie,regular taste version of the greatest drink created by man,only my local Target sold it and now they don't either!
Diet 7up is great,but 7up 10 is even better!
The next time I see it someplace,I'm stocking up and if it's on sale on that occasion-look out,my car might be scraping the back fender on the ground due to weight!

I'm asked often around this time of year "Do you do Black Friday?".
I resist the urge to say "Hi,I'm Shawn-have we met?" and use the truth-I am always at work on Black Friday,but even so I think my personality wouldn't mesh well with the routine that goes on these things.
After all,I'll be busy watching Oklahoma-Nebraska,Oh wait..Never mind...

Finally,I wrap up with this-a few thanks since it is the season.
Thanks to my lovely wife and daughter for taking care of the author everyday.
Few people are lucky enough to have the freedom that I have combined with the level of caring that Cherie and Rachel give to me.

Thanks to Ryan as he goes onto the next station in his life as he moves a few hours away.
It is always a bit melancholy when your first born moves out,let alone away,but I wish the best for him in his newest adventure.

Finally,thanks to all my friends,old and new.
I don't want to get into all of you,but from friends for years all the way to my autographing buddies and to some of you that read this without knowing me at all...
Thanks to all of you and I hope to have some fun stuff for you coming up over the winter as I am working on more interviews for the cold season!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

Just a quick note to wish you and your families all a Happy Thanksgiving.
Thanks especially goes to the most important people in my life,Cherie,Ryan and Rachel.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because no matter your stance on religion/faith,we all can find things to be thankful for.
Hope you all enjoy the holiday weekend!

Devils rally falls shy in 4-3 loss

The New Jersey Devils fell behind early to the Carolina Hurricanes by allowing two goals and only a Travis Zajac goal (4) sandwiched in between two more goals put the Devils on the board in what loomed to be a blowout.
However,the Devils then put together one of their better offensive periods of the season besides just two goals as their offensive aggressiveness almost tied the game before a terrific Cam Ward save on Adam Henrique on what looked to be an open net in a 4-3 loss to the Hurricanes.
Andy Greene (3) scored halfway through the third period before Jaromir Jagr (10) scored with under two minutes to cut the lead just one goal.
The same two teams hit the ice in Raleigh on Friday night...





Hell Raisers

1) First off,the Devils came so close to tying this with six skaters on the ice as Adam Henrique was just robbed by a prone on the ice Cam Ward.
Nothing that Henrique could have really done other than try to put the puck in a corner and then he took the risk of hitting a pipe.
What a save by Ward!

2) The elephant in the room with the Devils right now has to be the comments of Cory Schneider about his lack of playing time after Martin Brodeur started his third game in a row.
I can understand Schneider's frustration with not playing,especially for the third game in a row,but Brodeur has been playing well.
The larger issue is this-Schneider is only signed through next season and after giving up a first rounder for Schneider,can the team afford to let him walk?
This situation will be very interesting to follow as the season progresses.

3) As for the aforementioned Brodeur,he was decent on a night that very good would have earned two points.
I hold Marty blameless on the middle two,but the first and last were softer.
Stop those and a loss becomes a win...

4) I really did like the aggressive play on offense in the final period and I was encouraged by the attack,but that does not make the Devils desultory play in the first two periods any easier to swallow.
Other than maybe Travis Zajac,which was easy because he scored the goal,none of the Devils forwards really stood out until the final period...

5) Jaromir Jagr's goal was number 691 and passed Mario Lemieux for ninth all time on the goal scoring list.
Imagine how much higher Jagr could have been had not spent time in the KHL.

Photo Credit:AP Photo