Pucks and Pitchforks
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New Jersey Devils: Sunshine State Challenge, Part II

By Ken Jones

Apr 7, 2016; Newark, NJ, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Ben Bishop (30) makes a save on New Jersey Devils right wing Bobby Farnham (23) during the second period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 7, 2016; Newark, NJ, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Ben Bishop (30) makes a save on New Jersey Devils right wing Bobby Farnham (23) during the second period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports /
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Saturday October 15th, the New Jersey Devils take on the Tampa Bay Lightning. Here is a preview of their tussle against one of the NHL’s elite clubs.

Time / Broadcast Info

7:00PM,  MSG+ 2, Amalie Arena.

Team Records

New Jersey (0-0-1). Tampa (1-0-0)

Tampa Bay News and Notes

Tampa scored six against the Red Wings in their opener. They have a very potent attack, to state the obvious.

  • Tampa General Manager Steve Yzerman performed at near genius level this off-season. Finding the cap room to squeeze Andrei Vasilevskiy, Victor Hedman, Steven Stamkos, Alex Killorn, Vladislav Namestnikov, Nikita Nesterov and Nikita Kucherov is as close to a management miracle as one will ever see in the NHL. Getting so many players to agree to at-or-below below market price contracts is a real coup.
  • Of course, the task of getting under the cap was made a bit easier by the absence of C Ryan Callahan, who is out indefinitely after hip surgery.
  • Is there anyone who doesn’t think the Bolts are one of the top contenders for the Stanley Cup?   I don’t think so. Several brilliant forwards, a elite defenseman and shut down pair, two world-class goaltenders, they have it all! They’d made serious runs the past two years, perhaps 2016-17 could be their year. No one would be surprised if Tampa secured the most cherished trophy in sports this spring.
  • It’s always somewhat depressing to me to see how valuable Anton Stralman, who the Devils released from a PTO in 2011, is for the Bolts. He could have been ours!
  • Ondrej Palat – Steven Stamkos – Jonathan Drouin and Alex Killorn – Tyler Johnson – Nikita Kucherov are two pretty sick top lines.
  • That means my favorite line name, The Triplets, won’t be together against the Devils. What a bummer.
  • You may think Victor Hedman is big, but Andrej Sustr is two inches taller than him.  At 6 feet 8 inches, he’s close to the tallest player in the league (Zdeno Chara still has him by an inch).
  • This January, Tampa will retire the #26 sweater once worn by Marty St. Louis. What an appropriate tribute to one of the NHL’s all-time great “mighty mights”. He may be small, but anyone who is 5 feet 7 inches and undrafted who becomes the all-time leading scorer of a franchise has the heart of a giant.
  • Speaking of all time leading scores, it’s a decent bet Mr. Stamkos passes MSL one day. Currently at 562 points, he’s approximately 400 shy of doing so.  At age 26 and in possession of a newly inked 8-year contract, barring injury you’d have to think Stamkos gets there in six to seven years.

Devils Keys

  • Matching up against the outstanding top two lines of the Lightning is a key to the game. The Devils struggled mightily against the Panthers top unit Thursday, the ice was tilted towards Cory Schneider whenever #68 and his pals hit the ice.
  • Tampa’s top two defensive pairings are top shelf. Amazing size, athletic ability and a player on each pair with some serious offensive skills who makes one think twice about taking chances (Hedman and Garrison). The third pair of Braydon Coburn and Nikita Nesterov is a few steps down. Not to say they are horrible, more like simply ordinary. The Devils must try to do some damage against the third pair .
  • Against Florida, the PK was excellent, the PP anemic. No shots in two tries. That has to improve. Quickly. As reported by Andrew Gross of the Bergen Record, P.A. Parenteau replaced Jacob Josefson on the power play unit during Friday’s practice.
  • Most of the game against Florida, and especially in the third period, defensive zone breakout passes and clearances were, to be frank, poor. The Devils can’t spend 35+ minutes in their own end and expect to win too many games. Have to win more of those battles on the half wall and make those defensive zone passes a bit clearer, especially when any of the Top 6 forwards are in play. The Lightning scored 6 goals against an always well disciplined Detroit squad. Enough said!
  • Keep up the grinding. The game against Florida was not the Devils’ best effort. But, to their credit, but they found a way to score an ugly goal and grab a precious point. That’s some good work. Bottom line in sports is the result. They got a point. Nice job by the Devils gutting that one out.
  • I’d consider getting Santini in for Quincey against Tampa.  Drouin, Stamkos and the triplets are all super quick. The Devils rookie, although admittedly raw, brings a bit more athleticism to the table. Quincey is not the fleetest of foot.
  • Our All Star goaltender was his usual solid self against Florida. How could I have doubted him? As usual, he kept the Devils in the game. They’ll need Cory’s best once again Saturday night

Saturday’s Venue

Opened in 1996, Amalie Arena (formerly known as the Ice Palace, St. Pete Times Forum and Tampa Bay Times Forum  at various points in time) is the home of the Lightning. Historically, the Devils have been successful in Tampa, accumulating 19 wins versus 10 losses. Of course, the current edition of the Lightning is an off-the-charts version of the club.

For any New Jersey fans attending the game, there is a newly opened Uber dropoff and pickup lanes on Channelside Drive which could prove to be helpful.

Amalie Oil, the arena name sponsor, is a motor and transmission oil company. Just thought you might be interested!

Regrettably, or thankfully, depending on your perspective, the Devils will miss Tampa’s most innovative promotion of the season, Pokémon Go Night. That’s scheduled for November 3. I don’t think I’ll be booking a last minute flight on Priceline to soak that in!

A Bit Of History

All time, the Devils have two playoff series wins against Tampa (’03, ’07).

"This is one of the more difficult matches the Devils will face during the 2016-17 season."

What To Expect

I would like to be more optimistic. I really would. But I expect the Devils to be overrun by a vastly superior team. Of course, that’s why they play the game. Sometimes teams over or under achieve. In hockey, a bit of special team success or timely goaltending can always cover some warts as well. The addition of Hall, Parenteau and return of Cammalleri add three more skill players to the power play, perhaps the Devils can pot a few in this match. We all do know John Hynes will have every playing super hard. That’s a given with him, he’s a great coach.

All in all, anything can happen, let’s hope for the best Saturday night.

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