Brodeur Makes a Statement - Devils 1, Hurricanes 0
by Bob Wage on Apr 24, 2009 3:00 AM EDT
in Hurricanes Game Related
41 comments
Martin Brodeur set aside any previous disagreements with referees and led the New Jersey Devils to a 1-0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes last night in a crucial game at the Rock. The win gives the Devils a commanding 3-2 lead in the best of seven series with both teams returning to Raleigh for a possible elimination game on Sunday.
Carolina peppered Brodeur with 44 shots, 35 of them in the last two periods, but were unable to put any past the future Hall of Fame goalie. (Actually one did get past him, but as luck would have it the puck stopped at the goal line and the goalie covered it up before any damage was done).
Cam Ward matched Brodeur save for save at his end of the ice, if anything making even more spectacular stops than his mentor. But as outstanding as the former Conn Smythe winner was, his performance was not quite good enough to earn a victory.
After Ward made 16 stops in the opening period, some of them brilliant, David Clarkson was able to tip one past him off of a shot by replacement Andy Greene during a Jersey powerplay midway through the second period.
The slim lead proved to be enough as Brodeur received ample help from his defense this game, as they kept traffic in the crease to a minimum and cleared out any rebound opportunities the Canes might have had a chance at.
Carolina's powerplay woes continued as they went 0-5 with the man advantage in this game, extending their "powerless" streak to 1-19 in the series. Of course with the coaching staff's constant tinkering with the powerplay units, it's not surprising that the team's play with the man advantage has been anything but fluid. After sitting out for much of the season, Frank Kaberle was put on a unit in games two and three in place of Dennis Seidenberg, then returned again for this game replacing Anton Babchuk, who had been the best powerplay producer for the defense the entire second half of the season. (more about that later.)
The Hurricanes controlled much of the third period but were unable to solve Brodeur and his teammates, who gave the visitors very few grade A opportunities. It is "do or die" for the Canes now, as they will try to regroup at home for the next matchup on Sunday.
Game Notes:
The Devils had 22 blocked shots, which indicates just how tough their defense was. The Canes had seven.
While there is no question that Brodeur had a great game, there did not seem to be the same activity in front of him as in game four. Perhaps that was because the Hurricanes were less aggressive in that regard or perhaps the Devils cleared the crease much better. Either way, the Canes will have to get back to that mindset to find success in the future.
Sergei Samsonov did not play in the game because of an undisclosed injury. (lower body concern). The coaching staff had a rough time compensating for his loss as the lines seemed to be a mess most of the night.
Maurice eventually broke up the number one line and moved Matt Cullen to play with Erik Cole and Tuomo Ruutu. Eric Staal was with Ray Whitney and Chad LaRose. Perhaps the coaches were happy with the changes, perhaps not, but to this untrained eye they seemed to be out of synch and ineffective.
The most effective line for the Canes during the past two games barely got a sniff of the ice last night as Ryan Bayda just played five shifts for a total of four minutes. Bayda was the one creating most of the traffic in front of Brodeur in previous games, which was missing in game five. He also is tied for the team's lead with two goals scored. His linemate, Scott Walker played a bit more and had seven minutes.
For some reason the coaching staff seems to think that Frantisek Kaberle is the same player who starred for the Canes back in 2006. Yet he has not been able to crack the starting lineup in two years, management has been unable to trade him, even though they have tried diligently, and no other team in the NHL wanted him off of waivers. But suddenly, he is now good enough to start in the playoffs? They continue to play him this series over two proven point producers who have helped the Canes win during their long recent winning streaks, Babchuk and Seidenberg.
Also, in the long run does it make sense to bench Babchuk, a young player garnering his first ever playoff experience, in favor of Kaberle, a veteran who more than likely will be dealt over the offseason? (or at least it will be attempted again) The team will probably try to keep Babchuk, who is a restricted free agent in July, and this experience would be invaluable to him and to the team in the future.
As for Bayda playing just four minutes, that's not much of a reward for his previous success and hard work.
Not only are the Hurricanes being outplayed in this series, they are also being out-coached. More about that in my next article.
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Lesse….We scratch the leading scorer on our D and put in Frnak and we lose again……..anybody else see a pattern? The guys played well for the most part, I once again missed the live game thread and we lost. It’s me or Frank…
A
Disagree.
Frank K is a great puck handler. With 44 SOG, I don’t know how many more Anton could’ve gotten off.
Anton has been nullified and while I like him, we have to remember that Frank was there in Game 2 and we won. He was taken out in Game 3 and we lost.
There is no correlation.
Knowledge is Power!
Power Corrupts!
Study hard,
Become Evil!
Agree
The Devils have done a great job so far defending the guys on our team who are USUALLY the ones scoring… Which is why we have no choice but to skate a 4th line and so on….
I don’t think you could have driven a dump truck through Brodeur last night…. he (and cam too) was very good.
by Mateos_Canes_Lamp on Apr 24, 2009 9:27 AM EDT up reply actions
Actually Kaberle played in games 2, 3, and 5. (two losses)
Babchuk has scored four goals against the Devils during the season and while another shot by him might not have made a difference last night, why not give him the experience? Isn’t that how young players improve?
If Kaberle is such an outstanding puck mover, why has he been scratched most of the season? Why was he on waivers? I’m not blaming the losses on Kaberle, but my point is, stick with what got you here. Why try to re-invent the wheel once you get to the playoffs?
GM of CanesCountry.com
After making me eat my words all season long, Maurice is starting to make some puzzling moves for sure.
by Iggy Reilly on Apr 24, 2009 10:06 AM EDT up reply actions
I think the way the Devils are defending us calls for making some puzzling moves….
by Mateos_Canes_Lamp on Apr 24, 2009 10:09 AM EDT up reply actions
not THAT puzzling…. (hi Jen) I get puzzled easily :-P
by Mateos_Canes_Lamp on Apr 24, 2009 12:22 PM EDT up reply actions
I think that was a display of two good teams who have two great goaltenders playing each other. If you think about it there were almost 90 shots between the two teams and a screened deflection goes in. I would even argue that Ward was better than Broduer. We had multiple opportunities where we could have scored but the Devils D was in place and knocked it away.
We need to get Babchuck back in the line up Sunday. Im not saying that Frankie played bad last night but I think that Babchuck will come back with a bit of an edge after being sat for such a big game. Also we need to get Sammy back. Although he hasnt done much this series he has made it easier for the lines to run smoothly and that will help keep the 4th line going.
I cant wait until Sunday night. Do or Die!
Bayda and Walker were probably our two most consitant players in game 4, and this is how they’re rewarded??
Also, how did the Devils score the only goal last night? On a big shot that got tipped. Goalie duels like that one are when you need big shots from the point and hope for a good bounce. I just don’t understand scratching our hottest D-man the last 2 months for a guy everyone hopes is off the team next year…
Still not a crook!
4th line
With Samsonov out Mo put Jussi on the 3rd line, taking away the 4th line center and essentially cutting us down to 3 lines. Why not play Bayda on the 3rd with Brindy and Eaves, leaving Jussi, Walker and Dwight on the 4th. That would allow us to continue rolling 4 lines and establishing a better forecheck.
Still not a crook!
lines were screwed, babchuk out made no sense
our line got screwed last night because you can’t roll a line with helminen in the playoffs and expect to win, and having babchuk out made sense because kaberle provide nothing at all and has provided nothing – babchuk atleast has a feared shot that might have made the difference had he got one off, that is how the devils scored after all on a deflection – that was there only way you would have beaten cam or marty last night – on a delfection or rebound – or maybe a 100mph blast from babchuk – i mean kaberle can’t even shoot
Kaberle has definitely faded……but the Stanley Cup clinching goal disagrees with your assertion that he can’t shoot.
by Iggy Reilly on Apr 24, 2009 12:16 PM EDT up reply actions
It's about Brodeur!
Hey guys, if the Hurricanes want to advance they have to beat Marty Brodeur. To do that, they have to play smart, fast, and rough. I give them one out of three Thursday. You can snipe at the goal from the point until the ice melts, and all you’ll get is a sore arm. If Marty can see the puck, it’s already too late. The way to beat him is to make sure when he looks out of the goal mouth, the first thing he sees is a Hurricanes winger four feet away, ready to make his job harder than possible. If one of his playmates pushes that one out of the way, another has to move in to take his place. Look at the game films of shots that went in and shots that didn’t. Notice the difference
Ummmm…… you should look up Martys record Vs. The Hurricanes. I think they know how to beat him…..
by Mateos_Canes_Lamp on Apr 24, 2009 2:18 PM EDT up reply actions
If the Hurricanes know how to beat Brodeur then why are they one loss away from elimination? To be quite frank, these are not the same teams that faced off in ‘01, ’02 or ’06 regardless of whether or not some of the components of their general make-up remain the same. At this point it doesn’t matter that the Hurricanes won two of the three postseason series they’ve played in against the Devils or that they won the regular season series 3-1. That is all in the past. The only thing that matters is the present. And right now the Devils are up 3-2 over the Hurricanes. After Game 4 every hockey analyst seemed to be salivating over the prospect of pronouncing the time of death on Martin Brodeur’s career. Brodeur’s game is in decline, is essentially what they said. He no longer has the mental or physical toughness required to compete at the elite level he has in the past. What you saw last night was his way of telling all the doubters to shut up. Because he’s not done yet.
I was there in 2002, and 2006, and the regular seasons. (Missed 2001, but we can’t all be perfect.) Martin Brodeur has a temper. We saw it Tuesday, and we’ve seen it before. When he starts to lose it, he gets erratic. BUT the way to make him lose his temper is to get in his face. The fans can help. Caniacs, let Marty know how much you love him, and what a great job you think he’s doing. Frequently and loudly. Bottom line, though, is that the Hurricanes have to start playing at the bottom of the zone, crowding the crease, letting him know they’re there. They’ve been doing for years, and it has always worked.
Yet, they have a losing record vs. Brodeur this season (3 wins, 4 losses)… 2001, 2002, and 2006 are not really that relevant as its 2009.
Last night the Hurricanes took the game to Brodeur up close and personal, and kicked his (figurative) ass. Past performance is no guarantee, but Carolina can play a full three periods of hockey when the mood is right. Hopefully they’ll still be in the mood on Tuesday.
by GordonKeehn2 on Apr 27, 2009 3:11 PM EDT up reply actions
So I was just over reading on Puck Daddy that NBC had decided that if the Caps and Rangers don’t go to a game 6 that they WILL NOT air game 6 between the ’Canes and Devils…. instead they will air poker….
A) This is something for Canes and Devils fans to be pissed about together (it’s not been a boring series at all….)
B) Those bastards!!!
C) Does this mean that the game time will default to 7:30pm so that Versus can broadcast the game?
D) Those bastards!!!!
by Mateos_Canes_Lamp on Apr 24, 2009 2:25 PM EDT reply actions
Good, I was gonna be pissed if I had to sit inside on that beautiful Sunday afternoon they are predicting. Now I have time to get my gardening done and get drunk before the game!
well….. they still have not announced the time of the game…. it’s just that NBC has got to be the worst broadcasting partner in the history of professional sports…..
by Mateos_Canes_Lamp on Apr 24, 2009 3:09 PM EDT up reply actions
Ha! What would a hockey game b like w/out text messages…… funny thing is that I ALWAYS leave my phone in the car (as to not tick off the hockey gods….)
by Mateos_Canes_Lamp on Apr 25, 2009 9:23 AM EDT up reply actions
That just means go to the game!
Beautiful weather for tailgating and good seats still avaiable!
I’ll be there getting my Jersey hatred on!!
Still not a crook!
why are they going to hate on your jersey? You a buffalo fan or something?
by Mateos_Canes_Lamp on Apr 24, 2009 3:50 PM EDT up reply actions
well… so…. now…. according to Luke DeCock (is that spanish for????) it was not NBC’s choice after all to not carry the game on Sunday. According to DeCock it’s a decision based on the teams and their local carriers…. who could only carry the game if it starts at the later time….
Still no time set…. but bet on 7:30.
by Mateos_Canes_Lamp on Apr 24, 2009 4:06 PM EDT reply actions
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