To paraphrase the inimitable Harry Doyle: in case you haven't noticed, and judging by the attendance you haven't, the New Jersey Devils have managed to win a few here and there, and are threatening to climb out of the cellar.
Actually, the Devils have done more than win a few here and there. Once left for dead in the East, they are 12-1-2 in their last 15 games. Former punch line Ilya Kovalchuk has netted the game winning goal in their last two wins (at Toronto and home vs. San Jose). Johan Hedberg has done a nice job of spelling Martin Brodeur (7 goals in 4 starts). And new-ish coach Jaques "Been Here Done That" Lemaire has breathed new life into a team that started the season under John MacLean worse than any Devils team in the past 20 years. Oh, and even though New Jersey has played 7 games in the past 11 days, they have gone 6-1 in those contests, including 3 overtime wins. So the Devils are, as their name suggests, hot.
But what about those New York Rangers on the other side of the Hudson River? Well, not so hot. The Blueshirts have dropped their last 6 games, and are 4-10 in their last 14 overall. They also can't catch a break, having to face Pittsburgh, LA, the red-hot Devils, and Philadelphia in their next four games. Perhaps they are feeling the impact of losing team captain Chris Drury to knee surgery for the next six weeks. Nevertheless, they are still clinging onto a playoff spot, currently two points ahead of 8th-seeded Atlanta, but Carolina (one point out of 8th) and Buffalo (three points out of 8th) are breathing down their necks.
In case you haven't noticed, and judging by the subject matter of this blog you haven't, the NHL is back and its ratings are threatening to climb out of the cellar. (H/T Harry Doyle)
One of the surprise stories so far in the 2009-10 season has been the New Jersey Devils. After suffering one of the most heartbreaking elimination-game losses in NHL history -- Martin Brodeur giving up the game-tying and game-winning goals within the last 1:20 of the 3rd period in Game 7 of the first round series -- the Devils have bounced back in a huge way.
They stand at 13-4-0, which is good enough for the 3rd best record in the NHL (despite having played 1, 2, or 3 fewer games than most of the "top 10" teams. The Devils also have a nice-sized, 2-point lead in the Atlantic, again having played 2 fewer games than the 2nd place Penguins.
Oh yeah, they're also 9-0 on the road following their convincing 4-1 win over the Penguins in Pittsburgh.
Why is this surprising? The obvious reason is that the team won the division last year by a comfortable 7 points, got a 3-seed against Carolina with home ice advantage, and lost the series when arguably the best goalie in hockey history mailed in one of the worst choke acts in hockey history. So yeah, it's tough to come back from that.
But even more surprising is the glut of personnel changes that have altered the face of the team. Former Stanley Cup winners Brendan Shanahan and Bobby Holik? Gone. Former Stanley Cup winning coach Jacques Lemaire? Welcome back! John Madden and Brian Gionta, who combined for 83 points last year? Gone. Exciting new guys such as Niclas Bergfors and David Clarkson? Welcome to New Jersey!
Injuries have also wracked the Devils. Patrik Elias and Brian Rolston have missed time. So have Johnny Oduya (extremely underrated defenseman in last year's regular season) and Jay Pandolfo (great name).
But as Scott Burnside points out, Lemaire is the right personality for this team at this time. He's been in NJ before and won a Cup there in 1995. He can rebuild a team that lost some big leaders and point scorers. He's got more experience than Brent Sutter, even if he's a little less fiery with the pregame talks. And you know what? He's off to a hell of a start. So many changes have happened in Newark, but he has the team poised to establish a new core of talent. And like we've known for the last 16 years (!!) we still have Marty Brodeur in net. And his Game 7 performance earlier this year notwithstanding, there's nobody I'd rather have between the pipes in a big game. In that way, he's like the Mariano Rivera of hockey - the ageless wonder, the guy who (99% of the time) comes through in pressure situations, the guy who always represents the ace-up-the-sleeve that your team has and the opponent does not. I challenge you to find a player on some other team in some other sport who is more like The Great Mariano than Brodeur.
Anyway, before I go, I should say that since NYaT isn't a hockey blog, I better embed these here because I might never have another opportunity! Enjoy, Devils fans...
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