Devils-Bolts…….live….and not Memorex.
Marty makes one of his 32 saves despite a screen.
Good morning everyone…..well for the left coaster it is. However for the majority of the hockey viewing world who resides closer to the Eastern timezone…the times for the liveblogging will be done in Eastern Daylight Time. Well screw the timezone crud and let’s get down to hockey.
12:30pm…Chris was last seen contemplating wearing the Devils jersey and wishing he never ate all that pizza last night.
12:35pm…The NHL Arena seems to be 60-40 for the Devils today…..hope that’s not a bad omen. As I watch the pregame simulcast…can NBC please shut up about Sidney Crosby…the obsession has gone too far. Next, there will be a doctor on about how the broken bone is progressing….d’oh.
12:46….Dan Boyle giving credit to where credit is due….the Devils have blocked a ton of shots in this series. Great to see John Madden with a calm level of composure…that is what winning the cup does for you. It is funny to hear The Killers…”Mr Brightside” over the nbc pregame.
12:53….Tampa PP along with their 3rd and 4th lines is the absolute key to this game…if the Devils can shut that down…it will be tough for Tampa to win this. Wow….Ruslan Fedotenko is a healthy scratch…thanks to Doc Emrick.
12:58….The Egg has to be huge today….Tampa will put its full defensive onslaught on Parise. This is going to be fun…gametime is minutes away….as Hull and Ferraro go at it…..damn good exchange.
1:02….I have to admire Brendan Morrow…hopping to the Canucks bench to confront them after taking a 2 handed slash. Calgary needs to channel their aggressiveness into something positive…or they are done tonite.
1:10….Just about ready to go in Tampa……time to send this up to the WABC and NBC.
Enjoy the game everyone……
1:15….The crowd erupts as both teams hit the ice….opening faceoff is just a moment away.
1:20….Madden line vs. Lecavlier line….anyone surprised as the puck is finally dropped…..AMEN!!
1:21….An oddman rush in the first minute??? Yep…wrong line….meh….shot wide.
1:22….THANK YOU MARTY….as the Devils brain fart….Brodeur stones the Bolts then the Zajac tip try is eventually covered by Holmqvist.
1:26…Marty getting a workout…..gotta like that …stuffing Karlsson and all comers. Gionta almost hammers one past Holmqvist…but not quite.
1:27…Brylin hooks down St. Louis otherwise he may have been all alone on Brodeur…..Tampa PP here it comes. Tampa stacks the world against Marty on the PP…I kid you not. Dowd misses the 2 on 1 shorthanded opportunity…..but clears. Devils were on their heels.
1:32…Tampa offsides….commercial. Pretty much all Tampa right now.
1:37…Halfway thru the first….Devils still trying to get their legs.
1:44….A penalty on the Bolts???? And we have some feistiness….gotta like that….O’Brien and Gomez go off….4 for roughing on O’Brien so the Devils get a PP.
1:47…..AND OH MY GOD….the Devils PP exists as Gionta catches Holmqvist going down…as Gionta goes high shortside to make it 1-0 New Jersey. Elias and Rafalski get assists.
1:54…Wow does Tampa dodge one….Holmqvist just barely gets the Elias effort. Tampa comes back and Tampa gets a PP out of it.
1:58….Lecavlier gets only 2 for a vicious cross check on Matvichuk as Brodeur STONES Lecavlier big time….and St.Louis gets 2 minutes for unsportsmanlike. Madden got 2 btw as well. Period over.
See you in 20 for the 2nd period…..1-0 Devils after 1.
2:18….We’re back …..AND JUST LIKE THAT…..RAFALSKI SCORES….2-0 Devils..as the Devils score on a 5 on 3. Ward went off for hooking to set that up.
2:21…Perrin breaks in….Brodeur makes a nice save…but Rafalski goes off for hooking.
2:26…UGH! Another penalty against the Devils…refs are touchy today…but the Devils can’t count. And this one costs….as Brad Richards hammers it home under Marty’s arm…..2-1 Devils now. Nice screen by St.Louis.
2:28….Devils SURGE!! As Gomez finds a wide open Gionta who beats a fallen Holmqvist…as Kuba ran him over by accident. Gionta didn’t get all of it…but it trickled its way across the goal line. 3-1 New Jersey.
2:33…Lecavlier cross checks Matvichuk AGAIN…call it…that’s 3 times now. Halfway thru the game.
2:38….Lecavlier just plain stoned, robbed blind, and whatever other felony by Brodeur. Parise called for tripping St. Louis.
2:39…Richards again…..Pandolfo screen…..puck go in…….3-2 Devils…gotta kill those PP’s.
2:48….Are you serious???? 4 on 4 hockey…as O’Brien hooks and Zajac happened to just lose his footing. Incredible.
2:52…Holmqvist maybe saves the Bolts season on a beautiful stop on the Zajac breakaway…Period over.
What a period folks……see you in 20……..
3:12…We’re back and 20 minutes to go……wait for the zamboni….wait..wait…wait.
3:16….Finally…we are underway again. UGHHHHH!!!!! Pandolfo off for high sticking….
3:20…Tampa PP killed off….as Brodeur stones the Craig effort….stick save and a beauty.
3:24…Holmqvist makes a huge save on Parise but O’Brien had to drill him to keep him from stuffing the rebound…so….a Devils PP.
3:28…Bolts kill the Devils PP off…and now we near the final ten minutes of the third…..
3:32….Devils looking for a breakout…but just miss. Pandolfo shoots…off the blocker…nicks the post. Devils showing some grit…waiting for Tampa’s surge….it will come. The EGG line has been a force today…and so has the Lecavlier-St.Louis-Richards combo….great hockey end to end.
3:37….Thank god for Marty again!! Still a ton of time left however. Cover that puck. Wow…St.Louis has played almost 26:30 of ice time….that has gotta be tiring…and Boyle is near 27 minutes.
3:43…Time is ticking away with Tampa itching in the Devils zone. Its rope-a-dope time…under 3 minutes left.
3:45…And now…the 2 minute warning…….Marty just saved our life tonite again…what a save.
3:47…Time out Tampa. Holmqvist ready to exit stage right…..temporarily pins him in. 1 minute left….Holmqvist is off.
3:48…The whole tampa armada on the ice…against the madden-pandolfo combo….under 30 seconds….Tampa is tired!! Tampa cant mount an attack…10 seconds…5….4…..3….2……1……..
AND THAT WILL DO IT!!!!! The Devils have eliminated the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2….taking the series 4 games to 2. Next up for the Devils…the Ottawa Senators…who defeated the Penguins in 5.
I know this isn’t the normal roundup…..but Iggy and company will be on tonight for the Wings-Flames game…check them out on The NHL Arena. This is Chris signing off. Once again…congratulations to the New Jersey Devils on their series win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
