SMOKED!!! That’s the word I would use to describe what the Islanders did to the Devils yesterday afternoon. This is the first time this season that the Devils have a 3 game losing streak where all three games were lost in regulation, so some people may say I am being too hard on them but this type of play can’t continue.
Whenever the shot totals for the other team are more than double what you put on the board, that screams to me that you are playing too much in your own zone. The Islanders outshot NJ 46 to 20 yesterday and out played them in ever aspect of the game.
NJ found themselves in a quick hole for the third game in a row and this time it happened really quickly, finding themselves down 2-0 before the first 5 mins of the game had been played. The Devils took far too many penalties, which in return never allowed their offense to gain momentum. The passing was terrible throughout the game and the Devils were unable to really have any type of quality scoring chance. At the end of the 2nd, the Islanders scored another 2 goals in a 3 minute span and put the game out of reach.
Denis replaced Marty for the 3rd and stopped all 14 shots that came his way but the offense didn’t even show up for this game. The Devils now sit 3rd in the conference and 4 points ahead of Pittsburgh in the Atlantic Division. Devils should get a workout in practice today as Lemaire tries to wake this team up and get them ready for the Panthers tomorrow night.
In other News:
Patrik Elias – There is very little news on Elias as of this morning. Devils are still saying he will be evaluated this week and then move on from there. Elias remains home resting with a suspected concussion and neck injury, but Lamoriello still won’t use the word concussion. He did say that Elias would be examined by a specialist but wouldn’t elaborate on the type of specialist Elias would be seeing.
Patrice Cormier – There was lots of buzz around the net and hockey media yesterday concerning the hit that Patrice Cormier of the QMJHL (Devils 2008 2nd Round Pick) put on Quebec Remparts defenseman Mikael Tam. I’m not sure what Cormier was thinking but you can see him come off the bench and go right after the guy with the puck. (I don’t think he was targeting Tam, I think he was targeting whoever had the puck). The video was certainly disturbing and their was a lot of anger about the hit and a lot of anger at Lou because Lamoriello does not believe that criminal charges or a suspension for the remainder of the season are warranted for the elbow. There was a lot of discussion about whether or not this play would impact his pro career.
I don’t agree with the decision he made but at the same time, I don’t think it will impact his career one bit. Should the QMJHL suspend him for the rest of the season, I do believe you will find Cormier in a Lowell Devils uniform rather quickly. He’s an extremely talented young hockey player and I believe that the Devils organization won’t allow him to sit idle for the next X amount of months because of a suspension.
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