Intensity

Vol. I, No. 29

Friday night in Newark, the Devils found a way to give up a standings point in the last minute of play. After 59 minutes of nearly flawless hockey, leading by 1 - 0, the Devs gave up the equalizer to an attacking Blackhawk squad with an empty net and an extra skater. 

It was the only "power play" opportunity of a penalty-less game. No infractions were called. No special team had any chance.   The Devils had never before played in a game without penalties. In the entire NHL, the last game without infractions happened on March 28, 2001.  

The Hawks capitalized on their only advantage of the game, at 19:34 in the third period.  Overtime continued with even play, and the shootout concluded with the Hawks scoring one, and the Devs being blanked by netminder Antti Niemi. 

For the Devils, it had the ring of recent memory.   This is the third shootout loss since March 18.  In fact, over the past two weeks, New Jersey's team has been in a slide. Two shutouts. Three shootout losses. Six losses out of past eight games.  A precious few SIX goals scored since March 18.  Only two goals scored in the last three games. Here's the record of the six games on the losing end.

Toronto 2, Devs 1 (SO loss)

Toronto is in the cellar of the Eastern Conference

St. Louis 1, Devs 0

The Blues are 12th in the West, 6 points out of 8th place

Rangers 4, Devs 3 (SO loss)

The Blue Shirts are turning up the heat, 2 points behind 8th place

Flyers 5, Devs 1

Philly is 8th place in the East, struggling to stave off NYR and Atlanta

Boston 1, Devs 0

The Bruins are virtually tied with Philly, trying to hang on

Chicago 2, Devs 1 (SO loss)
The "Original 6" Hawks are 2nd in the West, 3 pts behind San Jose

Out of all these teams, the skinny in the league has the Hawks as one of four favorites to win the Stanley Cup this year (Washington, Pittsburgh, San Jose and Chicago).  So, last night's game was a true test of the competitive position of the Devils.  New Jersey (95 points, 7th place in the League) ran into a strong Hawks team (103 points, 3rd place in the League).  The best team won.

What remains to be seen is how the chemistry of the Devils will change in the post season.  Can the defense tighten up to prevent the 4 and 5 goal onslaughts that have been allowed recently?  Can the offense find its mid-season production level?  Will the addition of Ilya Kovalchuk allow other lines to contribute?  The ZZ Pop line has been too quiet.

One thing is sure.  There are no shootouts in playoff hockey.  Teams cannot relax in regular time, playing for a point from the tie.  The Devils have their playoff spot.  Every other team mentioned above (except for Chicago) has been playing out of desperation to make sure their season continues.  As for Chicago, there is a sense of "desperation" from years of failed playoff expectations.

The Hawks were named as the worst franchise in sports history in 2004. They have won the Stanley Cup twice in the "modern" NHL era, in 1938 and in 1961.  Only in late 2007, with an ownership transition, did the team's fortunes seem to change. The Hawks have something to prove. And last night, in Newark, they demonstrated intensity.

The Devils need to dig deep and find the same intensity. Tonight, playing against Carolina (11th place in the East, out of the running, but last year's first round playoff spoiler against the Devs) will be a good test.  There are five regular season games left to find the intensity hidden beneath the surface.  

Hockey Rules.