Ok, so we weren’t able to get Monday’s Devilscast online due to our old pal, “Technical Difficulties.” He’s the type that only shows up when you don’t want him around, like that neighbor character from the sitcom Empty Nest — you know, the one who played Joe Izusu in those commercials.

Anyhow, 80s pop culture references aside, Brian had an idea last night that at the very least we could dialog back and forth all day today via blog, just to throw some thoughts out there on another spectacular loss at home. It’ll be like “Dueling Banjos”, except without the backdrop of the creepy woods down on the Bayou.

Alright, alright, I’ve fulfilled my tv/film reference quota for today. Now, can someone answer why the Devils have not only lost two straight home games but given back a lead each time? The Montreal mail-in was inexcusable, but at least you could pinpoint a reason (early vacay) even if it wasn’t a good reason. Giving up a second-period lead to the Crosby-less Penguins? Not terrible… as long as you can actually come back and score in response! (P.S. Mike Rupp is the only one we’re letting off the hook for that one). Also, Pittsburgh was without Colby Armstrong, which at worst should have balanced out the lack of Langenbrunner and Pandolfo.

I’ll also throw in that New Jersey has coughed up leads in each of its last 3 home losses, taking into account the Panthers loss on the 18th. After that nice 10-1 stretch at The Rock, the Devils have dropped 4 of 5 there, and that’s not even remotely the kind of momentum you want to see building when they’re basically at home for the next 3 weeks.

Well, hopefully that gets the ball rolling… someone go wake up Monzo and tell him it’s his turn. Except when we have to preview the Rangers game in tomorrow’s Devilscast. Then it’s okay for him to sleep right through it.

It is the all-star break officially for the NJ Devils.  Good times.  As I sit here and watch the TiVo’d version of Brian Leetch night, I need to write about the Devils.  The almost first place (shocking) Devils. 

As I sat on the subway with one of my best friends, Rob Axisa, I looked for him for some thoughts on tonights blog. 

Brian–”I need to write my Devils blog tonight.”

Rob–”(Expletive deleted) them! It’s Leetch night.”

Brian–”Fair Enough”

However, this is what seperates the pros from the rest.  I can write an unbiased Devils blog after a historical night at MSG.

 Despite a tough loss yesterday to Montreal, the Devils are in great shape heading to the break.  Despite the slow start, the Devils got things on track.  They got players back from injury and named a captain.  Jamie Langenbrunner was named team captain shortly after his return from injury in November.  Martin Broduer started slow, but got himself back on track and in the process won his 500th career game.  What does all this equal? The Devils getting off to a slow start, going on a monster run and getting back to first place.

The best win in the first half was a few nights back on the road in Philly.  The team scored 5 powerplay goals.  5.  Really. 5.  It was similiar to an adult film, every 4 seconds someone was scoring.  It was the only comparison I could come up with. 

Martin Broduer for family reasons will miss the All-Star Weekend.   Enjoy the weekend, it is a fun one.  The skills competition is on Saturday with the game on Sunday.  Unless you are watching WWE Royal Rumble, be sure to check it out, however with TiVo, both are possible.  Break the walls down.

Thoughts on Cloverfield?

Be sure to check out devilscast.com for more updates and all the podcasts and blogs that are part of the New York Sportscasts Network.  Also check out devilsdaily.com.

We will be back on Monday for another edition of Devilscast.  Till then, Swanton Bomb.

I’m in a borrowing mood this week, as is probably evident by my play off of Brian’s headline from a few blogs back. As for the Jan. 17th Devilscast, I felt the best way to channel my severe irration from 6 straight losses to the [expletive deleted] Icelanders was to go the route of WFAN’s Chris “Mad Dog” Russo — the rant.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, yes, I am a part-time FAN employee, and yes, 660 is the Devils’ home broadcast station. The point, though, is that over the years, Mad Dog has elevated the rant to an art form. Say what you will about his pronunciation mistakes or whatever, a good Russo rant is a good listen. However, I think I may have also found a non-ratings-related reason that he does it: it’s a great release.

Venting all my anger toward the [expletive deleted] Icleanders — that is now the official Greg moniker for them until further notice – actually made me feel better in some way. It also helped put things in perspective; as aggravating a loss as that might have been, the Devils are still 10-2 in their last dozen home games (and play 14 of their next 17 at The Rock), they’re tied for first place, Elias and Parise have started producing, and the respective returns of Madden and Pandolfo are around the corner. Once you rant away all that agita, it’s like the clouds lift and you can see the light.

That said, if New Jersey loses one more game to the Uniondale Six, I’m resigning. Until I get another chance to rant, that is.

Well, I call it right again (unfortunately) as the Devils continue to do really nothing other than win.  They beat the Canes late in the week than beat Buffalo in a shootout on Saturday.  I guess the Devils and Sabres fixed out a deal early in the season to only play in shootouts as they have played two in the past week and a half. 

Now the Devils back at home battle the Islanders, who just beat a banged up Ottawa. 

With the latest set of injuries to the squad in Ottawa (Heatley out 4-6 weeks and Spezza was hit hard over the weekend), the Devils have a legit chance of taking over the conference in the upcoming weeks.

 Stayed tuned for updates as Greg and I will preview the upcoming battle with the Islanders.  Till then, go forehand….or backhand, keep em on their toes…

 Greg and I have been doing this podcast for a good 2 months now.  And there has been one real constant.  Winning.  So with that said, I am going to do what Isiah Thomas should do, and should have done well over two years ago and resign.

 In this span, I could count of my left hand how many times the Devils have a lost a game.  By the way, unfortunately for me, I could probably count on my right hand the amount of times my New York Rangers have won a game during this time.

 How have these rivals reversed roles in two months?  Here is how:

 –Devils get a real captain, Rangers captain struggles through tough season.

–Brodeur returns to form, Hank looks similiar to Jason Muzzatti.

–Devils D comes alive, Rangers D dies.

–Devils lose Pandolfo and Rachunek, Rangers lose Avery and Straka, while Prucha and Shanahan are banged up.

–Devils don’t buckle when giving up a goal, Rangers lose all composure and give up 5.

 All things added up equal the Devils in first place, the Rangers in last place.

 So again, I am outta here, it’s been fun….good times.

 We’ll see you next week.

Driving up the Parkway the day after New Year’s, I was flipping around to the different morning shows on the radio (don’t tell my employers) and heard a disturbing trend. Basically, almost every host I tuned into said that he/she deliberately made no New Year’s resolutions, because you can’t break ‘em if you don’t make ‘em. I immediately began thinking, who allowed this type of pansy, defeatist-attitude line of logic to permeate our culture?

Don’t get me wrong, I can be a lazy as the next guy when given the proper opportunity, but given that A) I like going against popular opinion quite often, and B) the rest of the world is ostensibly shunning New Year’s resolutions these days… well sir, I’m going to go right ahead and buck the trend.

Furthermore, since I just happened to catch the John Cusack vehicle “High Fidelity” on cable this past week, I’m going to take a page out of lead character Rob Gordon’s book and list the Top 5 New Year’s Resolutions for the Devils in 2008. Please note: These are not the actual resolutions of the Devils themselves, just the ones I’d make if I were part of the team:

1.) GET IT TOGETHER ON THE POWER PLAY: Going 24 consecutive man-advantage situations without a goal isn’t going to help come April.
2.) GIMME AN ‘A’! OR AT LEAST GIVE IT TO ELIAS: No doubt that our pal Patrik got off to a forgettable start and hasn’t been playing up to snuff this season, but was that any reason to pull the captaincy rug out from under him completely? Langenbrunner is clearly The Man now, but maybe making Elias an alternate might help restore some of his confidence (Lord knows the groin thing isn’t helping).
3.) BEAT THE [EXPLETIVE DELETED] ICELANDERS: As a part-time coworker of WFAN’s Steve Somers, I join The Schmoozer in taking delight at ragging on Islander fans. Maybe I should lay low for the purposes of good karma… or maybe New Jersey should use its remaining 4 meetings with the Isles as opportunities to run them over with the proverbial Zamboni.
4.) EMPLOY THE “MANGINI METHOD” OF INJURY DISCLOSURE: I understand that knowing the specifics of Jay Pandolfo’s injury situation can help us speculate when he finally might be able to return to the ice, but to me a “pubic bone ligament injury” is TMI. Could we take a cue from Jets head coach Eric Mangini and just list it as a “lower body injury”? Please?
5.) RESERVE A ROOM AT THE ROCK FOR OUR OLD FRIEND STANLEY: Since winning their first Cup in 1995, the Devils have not gone more than four full seasons without bringing Lord Stanley’s trophy back to the Garden State for a return engagement. It’s time to make it 4 Cups in 13 years — that’s a dynasty I’d like to see continue, as opposed to the dynasties that are currently ruining the other three major sports (no thanks to our brazen Bay State brethren).

As for myself, I resolve to get myself to The Rock a minimum of three more times before the end of the season. I know that doesn’t seem like a lot, but when you’re a starving Internet blogger who can rarely afford tickets and works evenings most of the week, you take what you can get.

So far so good for the Devs on this homestand.  I took a glance at the upcoming schedule and I ask you this question:  Do the Devils ever play road games?  They do, but if you remember, they started the season on a 9 game road stretch in preparation of the opening of The Prudential Center. 

 Noah Clarke was called up.  Who? Noah Clarke, signed from the LA Kings in the offseason.  Guess what?  He scored a goal last night against the Flyers….I mean Panthers, although the watching the game last night, the new uniforms are extremely similiar to the Flyers, causing me several times to be confused.

Patrik Elias is still out with a now lingering groin injury (when is a groin injury not lingering?).   He return is day to day, but who knows?  He is invisible at times when he plays to begin with. 

The Devils now look forward to a battle with the Flyers, Friday night and of course, at home.  Tickets are still available, so do yourself the favor and buy a pair, take the ladyfriend, buy her a Henrik Lu….I mean Martin Brodeur jersey and be ready for a division battle.  Till then, triple deke.

Alright, so I was wrong about the Devils winning out their home stretch. They have an outstanding win on Friday in the shootout over Buffalo, and then proceed to no show against division rivals, the New York Islanders. I am still a .300+ hitter. That is a fact. At least in my head it is.

Let’s forget that game. That game just slipped by, and no one will remember that Rick DiPietro did not play. We could mention the fact that Wade Dubielewicz might in fact have NJ’s number (See page B9 in the Islanders media guide, the last stat). But no, we will lay low.

It is a new year. 2008. That’s right. 2008. And what better way to kick off 2008 for hockey fans, than what was the “Winter Classic,” held in Buffalo at Ralph Wilson Stadium. 71,000+ packed the stadium, freezing cold, snow coming down and Sid the Kid making history.

This was a historical event for the NHL. For once, something for the NHL might have worked out a whole better than they anticipated. It got a 2.4 rating in New York. Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals got a 2.0 last year.

How great was the snow? It was old school hockey. If you are a die hard or just a casual fan, or hell, not even a fan at all, it was something fun to watch.

This is something the NHL needs to build on. The “Winter Classic,” needs to become an annual thing. Here is another thought, why not do a few outdoor games a year? Rangers/Devils at Giants Stadium? Bruins/Red Wings at Fenway? This may be the key to a locked door for the NHL. A new way to spark a fan base and get the public attention the sport is in utter need of.

Alright, I hope everyone had a safe and fun New Years Eve. I myself was in bed by 1AM. I am a loser. Greg and I will do another show on Thursday. Till then, like always, go top shelf.

Ok, so they didn’t score a powerplay goal and I said they would. I get it, not everyone is perfect. But alas, they got the win over Buffalo, much like I said. Zach Parise scored the only goal in the shootout and Martin Brodeur was perfect stopping 3 of 3, including an outstanding save on Thomas Vanek with the glove.

The Devils are now 10-5-0 at “The Rock.” What’s more, the Devils have 21 wins and continue to expand their lead in the Atlantic Division. They now take on the inconsistent New York Islanders. This is a very winnable game. The Islanders are coming off a tough loss to Ottawa and are still unsure of the status of goaltender Rick DiPietro.

So what now? Although they have won 3 straight after that 5-0 debacle to Vancouver, they still have only scored 3 in regulation. No matter how good Brodeur plays, you need to average more than 1 goal a game to be a contender in this league. Now I know what you are saying: “dude…seriously…I know you are a Ranger fan, but we are winning games, leave us alone.” I know, and I understand, but you need to score to win.

With that said, will Patrik Elias please stand up? Zach Parise is emerging as a superstar, if not already, but Elias is without a doubt the most talented player on the team and needs to get going. It was cute for the first 3 months of the season, but if the Devils are going to be victorious when it matters, he needs to put the puck in the net.

That aside, will I be right and will the Devils win each game on this home stretch? History shows, I am usually right, I am better then a .300 hitter and am pretty much a Hall-of-Famer. Greg and I will be back with the next edition of Devilscast next Thursday, so everyone have a safe and fun New Years, go easy on the Jamey and be sure to watch the Winter Classic on NBC on New Years Day. It is going to be a great event for the sport. They have sold over 70,000 tickets and weather pending will have over 75,000 people in attendance. Till next time, go top shelf.

Last Friday night, I had a chance to visit the Prudential Center to see a Devils home game for the first time. Okay, so it took me 12 games to get my act together. Sue me. It would help, however, if Jersey didn’t have to play on every single NFL Sunday this month except for the 30th.

For some reason, the hopelessly devoted Jet fan in me is going down with the ship, which will just about be blown to smithereens when The Death of Sportsmanship In Football As We Know It kicks off in New England on Sunday. If only Scotty Stevens could take the field for the Jets and deliver one of his trademark bone-crushers to the Pats’ pretty-boy quarterback…

Oh right, Scott Stevens Hall of Fame night! Let me tell you, I was at the Meadowlands when they retired his number last year, and it was quite an emotional night. Granted, the circumstances were a little different this time around, but I would have liked to hear ol’ No. 4 say something in person instead of watching the recording of his HOF acceptance speech. (Not that it was a bad speech. Please, Mr. Stevens, sir, spare my life!)

Actually, the center video board/scoreboard was one of the most impressive features of The Rock. You could basically walk the concourse, peek in through any opening and see it know exactly what’s going on, even as you attempt to purchase $8 of Macho Nachos — which, incidentally, were a pretty decent value.

The walk to and from Newark Penn Station was about as safe as everyone promised. And let’s be honest, there are other NHL cities where walking five or six blocks in the wrong direction puts you in a not-so-nice part of town, so let’s take it easy on the Brick City. Rome wasn’t transformed from down-in-the-dumps into a sparkling metropolis in a day, and that area of Newark has undergone a significant renaissance over the last decade. Let’s hope Barry Melrose noticed the same upon his visit that night (and no, The Mullet Man was not shown on the video screen).

One more thought: the Prudential Center is probably not the first place to be dubbed “The Rock” — especially considering where the Pilgrims landed — but it’s still one of the coolest nicknames ever. Plus, ever since the movie of the same name came out in 1996, I always liked mimicking the way Sean Connery’s character said it onscreen.
The fact that the pre-game video board showed that exact clip of Mason creaking open the steel door to Alcatraz and intoning, “Welcome to the Rock”…well, that just made me feel right at home.