Eight down, eight to go! The New Jersey Devils are headed to the Eastern Conference Finals! Our team has proved all the non-believers wron yet again; the underdog has risen and boy oh boy, are we rising! Tomorrow night on NBC Sports Network, we may in fact discover our opponent. If the New York Rangers can close out Alexander Ovechkin and the Caps in Washington, we will pack our bags and resume the Hudson River Rivalry. If Brayden Holtby has other things planned, and can manage to steal a game away from New York, the teams’ fate will be decided in a second straight Game 7 for both the Rags & the Caps.
Tonight I am writing a shorter recap, primarily focusing on “my thoughts” of the game, but, for now, let us bask in the glory of the accomplishment this team has done.
After getting scored on in the first period, for the 4th straight game, the Devils would take FULL CONTROL and take charge of the game. After every big hit by Philadelphia, the Devils’ players would get right back up on their horse and go! I liked the whole, persona of the squad in this one. Their mind was in right place for the full 60 minutes… ON THE ICE. One minor penalty, two even strength goals, and a powerplay goal would be in the Devils’ side of the boxscore. This is ideal. They’ve shown what needs to be done to get into the next round and what that is is to play with your head, not, your heart. I tend to use Philadelphia as an example of a team that plays with their heart. They’re a ruthless group of players who act without thought; this afterthought mentallity ultimately came back to bite them in the a** in this series. Devils defensemen stayed focused. Fayne, & Zidlicky in my opinion really came through big in the Semifinals and Im expecting big things from these two in the E.C.F.
Im exceptionally confident in this group of men. They play together, one game at a time. Confident, determined, driven, united. Goals by Salvador & Bryzgalov, (lol, it was credited to Clarkson), and a powerplay goal by Kovalchuk would hammer that final nail in the coffin of Philadelphia forward, number 19, Yukon Cornelius & his Band of Bullies, leaving the rest of their week open for early tee times. Brodeur was, as expected, clutch in big situations like he was been his entire career, along with strong leadership by Devils captain Zach Parise & alternate captain, Ilya Kovalchuk. The two have combined for a total of 9 goals, 11 assists for 20 points. A total of 86 shots from these two, 51 of them from Zach are evidence that these two are striving for the back of the net night after night, which makes the oppositions job that much more difficult. Unlike Mr. Universe, A.K.A.
As for the next New Jersey Devils game, a date will be determined in due time. Keep up to date with MORE New Jersey Devils playoff news right here! Be sure to check out our “RWTD” app for iPhone & Android! As for social networking, we have our outlets as well! Follow us on twitter at: @RWTDblog @DEVIN88MATTERA, @RealScottRobb and @Rvaidya33. Along with twitter, be sure to check out our facebook page or find us on Instagram, “rwtdblog”. Be sure to hashtag #RWTD ! From all of us here on Running With The Devils, Im Devin Mattera, (recapping yet ANOTHER series clincher), you stay classy Devils Fans!
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