Here are some of the postgame quotes after Wednesday’s 5-2 Devils loss to the Canucks:

Zach Parise:

Their second goal did you get a piece of it with your stick?

“Yeah, it was a little miscommunication down low, and I got to the guy late. I was just trying to block it and I ended up tipping it; I don’t know if went right in off of that or what.”

After the last game you said the slow start was due to lack of intensity, was that the same case again today?

“Yeah, tonight might have been even worse. Tonight it was too big of a hole to climb out of, too good of a team to spot three goals and we just couldn’t come back tonight.”

Rob Niedermayer:
How did you feel in your first game back, obviously not the result you wanted?

“Yeah it was frustrating for sure, but it was nice to be back playing. Definitely not the result we wanted.”

You felt okay physically though?

“Yeah, I felt fine. It’s good to be back playing.”

On the fourth Canucks goal, did you get a piece of that with your stick?

“No, I think that might have nicked my shin pad.”

Martin Brodeur:
Was any extra pressure tonight for you and Luongo because everyone in Canada was watching this game?

“Not really, it’s about one game that people see (us) matched up. It is what it is; we can’t really do anything about it. For us, it’s just a disappointing loss; we played a healthy team – they showed the depth they have. It was a different challenge for us, when we meet teams all around the league that are healthy, it gets a little tougher.”

You don’t see the Canucks too often; does that have any bearing on how you guys started off?

“It’s about our game and what we do, I think we looked at some tapes in between periods, you could tell what they were doing; it was what we didn’t do.”

Did the team lose intensity or let up because you got one of your injured players back?

“No. We’re happy to see people coming back, we need that. For only so long you’re going to get away with playing with kids coming up and down from the minor leagues. Today was just an aberration, just because Nieder returned, it has no bearing on the way we play – it should be the same regardless of the players we have.”

You don’t get to see the Sedins too often, how impressed were you with them tonight?

“Well I’ve played against them a lot through the years even though they don’t play in our conference. They’re skilled players; that’s why they were paid so much this past summer. They’re skilled — and really patient with the puck — they’re twins, they know where each other is at, at all times (laughing).”

Roberto Luongo:
After they got back into the game, did it then turn into a good road game for you guys?

“Yeah, it was a tight second period and there were chances both ways. In the third period we kind of just sat back and tried to protect the lead, but we played our game and we scored some big goals.”
All of the talk leading up to this game, you said it was just another game and you needed a win…

“Yeah of course, its the first game of a (four-game) road trip, an important road trip for our team. We wanted to come here and establish something good going forward.”

Have you ever had a police escort to a game?

“Yes I have, not with the Canucks, but with Team Canada, World Cup, World Championships.”

Are you going to start tomorrow in Philly?

“I’m not sure yet.”

How were you feeling after Travis Zajac’s goal made it 3-2 going into intermission?

“Well not great obviously, we used the 15 minute intermission to regroup. It was a bit of a bad break that went off of our d-man’s skate — I was going to make the save there and it redirected. It was a bad break, but sometimes that happens in a game and its just a matter of staying with the process and making sure you don’t want to give up any freebies to the other team.”

You approached this whole day with a very lose attitude, is that something that you set out to do?

“Yeah, of course; it’s (just) a game and I want to have fun playing it. When things are going well, it’s a bit easier to enjoy it and have a good time out there. We’re doing something that we love so there’s no reason to be angry or mad or tense.”

After your team scored three goals did you let two in because you felt bad for Brodeur?

“Yeah after we scored three I had to let two in because I felt bad for him (smiles).”

Jacques Lemaire:

After it was 3-2 what went wrong?

“I think it’s what went wrong before that. I think the way we started — again — it’s not a good start for us; we were lucky to get two goals back and make it a game at that moment. The second period I felt that our guys would play better; we did play better, but not good enough. It’s just one night that nothing was working, our guys were, they didn’t have the legs that they’ve had in other games. You look at our top players; they’ve been responsible for pretty much every win that we’ve got since the start of the season. But today our top players were not as good.”

Did you see this coming?

“Well, to see it coming, it’s always easier after. Every little doubt that you have — then okay, it’s that, because you know the result.”

Law of averages, were you due for a bad one?

“Let’s try to say yes – we were due for a bad one. It starts from the defenseman all the way up; our best players tonight were the kids — Matt Halischuk, Vladimir Zharkov. Dean McAmmond played well; Nieder for his first game (after missing 11) played well, I liked what he did. Niclas Bergfors, he was fine.”

What went wrong on the two-man advantage?

“Well again, the top players, they have to find the guy that is open for the shot. I was asking if Zach was open, if Jamie (Langenbrunner) was open and they were saying ‘yeah I was open at different times.’ But you have to make the pass at that moment, which we didn’t do.”

Were either of the goalies much of a factor in this game at all?

“I don’t think so; I think it’s more the way we played. If you look at the start, it looks like they were easy goals at the start from both sides. And then they started to get more quality shots than we did. It wasn’t one mistake that we made, it was from the first minute to pretty much the last minute. It was mistakes on the forecheck, no support; mistakes on turnovers, mistakes on passing, mistakes on seeing guys open, making the right pass, breakouts, you name it. Decisions in our end, you look at our second goal against — my Lord — seeing (our) guys going around in circles in our end.”

How about the opposition and their forecheck?

“The opposition, to me, they just walked to a win; very easily walked to a win. I’ve seen them play a lot like this, they’re solid defensively, they wait for their chances; they have a chance to forecheck, they go hard. They are having success the way they are playing, playing with confidence.”

What do you tell your team?

“Well, we’ll start with a practice tomorrow, a good practice; I think they need a good practice. We’ve been going easy (on them) feeling that they might be a little tired and this and that, and you know Christmas coming, everyone, their mind is going somewhere else — so we’ll try to put their mind back on the game.”

NEWARK, N.J -Whether or not the game on Wednesday night would have any impact on the choice for Canada’s goaltender in the Winter Olympics, the Vancouver Canucks lit up the New Jersey Devils and Martin Brodeur for 5 goals, in a game that the Canucks needed to start their current 5 game road trip.

After a very slow first few minutes to start the game,  which felt like it would be a typical trap style, low scoring affair, the Vancouver Canucks took a mid 1st period surge all the way to bank.

Heading into the game, the spotlight was on the two front runners for the #1 goaltending spot for team Canada in the upcoming Olympics,  Roberto Luongo and Martin Brodeur, but after the first period, I’m sure many Canadian hockey fans were jumping on the Marc-Andre Fleury bandwagon. Brodeur, the NHL’s all time wins leader, let in 3 goals in his first 8 shots, and Luongo 2 goals in his first 5. The two goalies combined for a .667 save % after the first period.

Luongo and Brodeur earlier this year at Canada's evaluation camp in Calgary

“I’m sure there were a couple of goals that (both goalies) would like to have back … but, in our case we did what we wanted to do,” Canucks coach Alain Vigneault said. “We wanted to come out skating and moving the puck and getting as many shots as we could on their net. We buckled down in the second and in the third got on them early. We’ll take the two points and go to Philly.”

Buckled down the Canucks did.  After a shaky 1st,  they denied any goals in the 2nd and 3rd periods. In fact, in the 2nd period it felt like both of Canada’s top netminders had shown up. Both goalies made key saves in the period, but none bigger than the two Luongo made on Zach Parise right on the door step.

Canucks Roberto Luongo makes a sprawling save on Zach Parise

Coming into the game, Parise had several streaks going. He was riding a 10 game point streak, and hadn’t been on the ice for an opposition goal since way back on Nov. 4th. With those key saves from Luongo, Parise’s point streak came to an end, and his league leading plus/minus took a huge hit, as he was on the ice for 3 Canuck goals.

After the game Brodeur was more upset with the loss, rather than who he lost to.

“I’m just disappointed to lose,” Brodeur said. “I could care less about who I was playing. You don’t like to lose certain ways. You’ll take some good losses, but losses like that — it was just parts of the game. It was six minutes (in the first period) and three minutes (in the third) that we allowed five goals. That’s not a way to be successful.”

Whether or not Mr. Yzerman was was watching these two gladiators tonight, Luongo and his Canucks will take the 2 points and look for the same result tomorrow against the slumping Flyers in Philadelphia.

Here are some of the postgame quotes after Saturday’s 6-1 Devils win over the Islanders:

Mike Mottau:

Describe your goal that started the offensive explosion today…

“The face-off was won to the boards and I just went down the wall, (once I got the puck) I tried to center it, it got blocked. Then I went around the net and tried to center it again, and I got a lucky bounce.”

Did you sense that the momentum shifted after that goal?

“Yeah, we came out flat in the first, the Islanders were pushing the pace, getting a good forecheck. We didn’t help (ourselves) by having all of the turnovers, but we settled down in between periods and came back in the second strong.”

What does it say about this team that you continue to win with all of the injuries?

“I think it shows the organizational philosophy, the system that’s put in place – that we can plug in (younger) guys and work as five-man units all over the ice, while still having success.”

Does that help make the transition of getting used to a new teammate easier, the fact that you have had success so far with the young players called up from Lowell?

“Yeah absolutely, because down in Lowell they’re doing the same things, so when they come in (here) nothing is a big surprise. When these young guys get a chance, due to injury, it’s a good thing in a way too; they get some experience and help out the team.”

Zach Parise:

You mentioned the team didn’t have a great start, was anything said during the first intermission?

“No, nothing really needed to be said; they came out really aggressive and maybe we weren’t ready for that. They played a good game in the beginning, but nothing needed to be said – we knew we weren’t playing very well.”

Talk about the play that you scored your goal on…

“I tipped one of Greenie’s shots and the rebound was there – I think I took about four shots at it until it finally went in.”

You got knocked down after you scored, did it matter?

“At that point you don’t really care anymore.”

Vladimir Zharkov:

You almost got a point, how close was it?

“Yeah, I’ll get more chances to score; not today, maybe next game. It was a good play, Dean (McAmmond), I like playing with him he’s a good player.”

You played with your linemates (McAmmond and Matt Halischuk) in Lowell too, did that make today easier?

“Well, it’s the same tactics, and coach wants us to work together here. He helps me and tells me to play like I played in Lowell. Short shifts and work hard.”

Jamie Langenbrunner:

What was said during the timeout before the two-man advantage?

“Oh we were just figuring out who was going to go on the ice there. We haven’t had a 5-on-3 in a while, we practiced it a couple of weeks ago; we weren’t sure who was going on (the ice) there and where.”

What was your point to the official on the disallowed goal?

“My point is there’s not a whistle and a goal’s scored, so why did that play stop. If he’s not 100% sure, he can point, as to say it’s a goal, but play can continue. There should be a whistle there. The play should go on if he’s not a hundred percent certain.”

You’ve played with Patrik for a long time now, how close is he to 100%?

“I don’t think he’s there yet, I think he’s making strides though. I don’t think he feels completely comfortable yet; though today he told me coming into the game that he felt as good as he has (this season), and that’s a good sign, but it takes a little while. When you miss training camp and you miss those first few games, it tales a while to get back up to the flow; I think he’s getting closer and that’s huge for us.”

How nice is it as the captain of the team that when guys go down with injuries the young players step in and the team continues to be successful?

“It feels good. It gives us the feeling that when things happen that aren’t good, we can find a way through it. We’ve done a good job so far – but I’d like to see some guys come back, that’d be nice too. It’s great to see these young guys, it seems like when someone goes down they come in and fill that role (for us). Tonight I thought Matt Halischuk played his best game in the NHL and I think he saw the opportunity with Clarkie going down that he’s going to get a chance to play more minutes and he elevated his game.”

When a guy comes up from Lowell is there anything you say to them as the captain of the team?

“I think all of us try to make them feel comfortable, we know they’re coming here because they can play and I think today Zharky played a heck of a game for his first NHL game, he had some great chances; everybody who’s come in has really been up to the task. All we can do is try and make them feel comfortable, make them feel like they’re part of it right away.”

When you first came into the NHL who was that player for you?

“Yeah, Joe Nieuwendyk was the one for me that really took me under his wing, made me feel comfortable, part of the team. There’s that and there’s also the whole team helping to make you feel like part of the team.”

Patrik Elias:

You and Brian Rolston seem to really be on the same page now…

“You have to play a few games with guys to know where they like to be; you have to communicate, you have to talk to each other and let each other know what you want to do out there. Build up chemistry or whatever you call it, comfort, that you know what each other’s going to do out there. Rollie is more of a shooter, so you have to try and get him open and create space for him and his great shot, he’s got an unbelievable shot. I think the last few games we’re playing pretty good together.”

How is it different from last year when he was at center and you were at wing, does it change a lot now that it’s reversed?

“This year he’s healthier obviously too. It’s tough to, I can speak from experience, when you start the season with injuries and you’re down, it’s not just the conditioning, it’s the hockey sense and everything. You miss that, so for him I think it’s good that he’s playing right away. Hopefully we can keep it going, he’s getting more shots every game and he needs to get those; Rollie’s a more up and down (the ice) guy, because he’s got the unbelievable shot, and I like to carry the puck, control it a little bit. Playing center is fine for me.”

Patty can you get thirty goals if you keep playing like this?

“Maybe in two years (smiling).”

How are you feeling after back-to-back games?

“I have good days, bad days. Today I felt good, yesterday I felt that I just had to work through it; I didn’t feel good at all. I just, my own feeling, was that it was my worst game in the last few years. But it didn’t seem that way when I looked at it, but I just felt like it. I was a little rundown, I didn’t feel good at all, I played a lot of minutes yesterday and also the team that we played, the Bruins play really tight, they don’t give you much. It’s going to happen; you’re going to be up and down, good games, bad games. I just have to work through it.”

Martin Brodeur:

Down at the other end of the ice with so many weird bounces, were you thinking about that at all?

“Well, I think when you play against a team and they started to get a little lucky – I think we dominated in the second and we hit a lot of posts, the puck wasn’t going in, we got a goal taken away also. We had to bear down and that’s what we did early in the third we were solid; we kept playing our game plan exactly what we wanted to do. We showed we can play a different type of game, because we out played them, but one shot could’ve been the difference. They had a power play that we killed off extremely good all afternoon long, so it was good.”

The way the team came back after the first period, what’s the key ingredient with your team with so many guys out?

“I think its all about intensity. I think early in the game we weren’t intense and they took advantage of us. They got the best of us. Jacques kind of just touched on it again; he said ‘just be intense’. Get to the puck and be quick, do everything quick – when we do that we’re a good skating team, with so many young guys we have to use their young legs. Hally played a tremendous game and Zharky did real well in his first game also, so it was good.”

Jacques Lemaire:

What changed after the first period was it because of the penalty kill?

“I think that was part of it, the first part of the game we, I think our intensity wasn’t there. We turned the puck over many times; this is a team that capitalizes on every turnover. They have two great lines, as good as anyone in the league. You give them the puck, you turn the puck over (against them) and you’ll pay the price for it. We were fortunate that they didn’t score more than what they did in the first. But I think the penalty kill, that’s exactly what I told them after the first in the room — I said we played 5-on-5, we don’t have intensity and we played 4-on-5 and we were better. We’re getting chances, and I said I’d like to know the reason. Right away a couple of guys said, ‘we were more intense’; well can we bring that in the game 5-on-5? Then the second, we had a great second period, a lot of chances, its always scary when you get a lot of chances and you don’t score. We were wondering what would be the outcome; but we kept getting chances and in the third the goals came easier. We sent pucks at the net and for some reason we got the right bounces and we scored goals like that.”

How about your secondary scoring? You wanted to get Rolston and Elias going…

“They did the job tonight for sure. I think they’re on top of their game now, they’re playing good hockey and they play with confidence and they enjoy the game – you can tell when you talk to them. They feel better than they did at the start (of the season). And you look at the kids; you look at Dean, McAmmond, Zharkov and Halischuk – that was our best line in the first period. They played well through the whole game and all you could ask more would be to score some goals.”

How was Zharkov in his first NHL game?

“He was very good, solid skater, good with the puck. He’s good, he sees the ice well; he’s going to play. He’s going to be a player.”

Do Elias and Rolston have something special?

“Well Rollie’s shooting the puck with confidence, Patrik is starting to get in shape slowly, he’s skating more and if he’s skating more; you know he’s a guy that has good hands.”

How about his shot?

“I don’t know about the third goal, if their goalie didn’t see it, but he’s got a quick release that sometimes fools the goalies. Hopefully he can keep playing the same way.”

Here are some of the postgame quotes after Saturday’s 5-2 Devils win over the Washington Capitals:

Dainius Zubrus:
Your thoughts on the game…
“Well the start wasn’t obviously very good, with the penalty that they (the refs) gave them and the quick goal they scored. We don’t want to give that up, but sometimes that happens. But more than anything, its how we reacted afterwards; we started skating, we were much better with the puck, winning battles — definitely for the last 40 minutes and parts of the first period as well.”

I thought you had a strong game (10-4, 71% on face-offs) and you were active when you had the puck; did you feel good out there?
“Yeah I felt good. You play against good players; our line and Travis Zajac’s line, sort of matched up against their two top lines. They’re a good team and their top guys play a lot, that’s where they get most of their goals from, so you want to be skating and play well against them. At the same time, by playing alot, you get in the game and you have to be moving and get your legs going, so I felt pretty good.”

Next game is in Philadelphia, how do you continue the winning streak?
“Well, the same way we played tonight for the last 40 minutes, when we are skating, when we are strong on the puck, winning battles, we can be successful. We’ve done that for the last nine games on the road, and some here at home too. I don’t think we’ll change much; honestly I don’t think about how many games we’ve won on the road. It’s just a big game because it’s a division rivalry and they’re doing well too, winning a lot of games. I don’t know stats-wise, but I know they aren’t too far from us in the standings.”

Jamie Langenbrunner:
What did you change after they scored the first two goals?
“Get our feet moving, we stood around and watched them for the first 10 minutes of the period and they took it to us. You watch that much skill and you don’t move your feet and you don’t battle; Jacques (Lemaire) talked about intensity and we didn’t have intensity for the first part of the game, and we got it back”

How different of a team are they without Alex Ovechkin?
“They’re still a talented team…everybody’s missing players. Obviously, he’s a big part of their team, but they’re missing four other players too; and we’re missing five. That’s part of playing in the NHL.”

Do you remember your first NHL goal?
“Yup (smirking), it was a while ago.”

How special is it to see Matt score his first NHL goal?
“He tried to play it cool and stuff, but you could tell he was excited. I think he has some people in town too, so that makes it that much more special. You couldn’t ask for a better goal, it was a good shot. Usually it’s a sloppy one, but that was a great shot.”

Nicklas Bergfors:
Coach changed the lines after the first period again, is it a big deal to you, or do you just play your game no matter what line you are on?
“We didn’t really do too much in the beginning (of the game), so I didn’t mind it; whatever is best for the team — he knows that. It (changing the lines) has worked before, it’s not the first time, so you just have to go out and play harder.”

Do you have to change your game at all, when you play with different linemates?
“I just try to play my game, try to be more simple because things didn’t work out in the beginning of the game.”

Describe the play that Matt scored on, you had a big part in it with the primary assist…
“We had a 3-on-2 and that’s something that we have practiced, the middle guy drives to the net. He got open, I gave him the puck and he made a good shot. It was a nice goal.”

Zach Parise:
How did you shut the Caps down after they scored the first two goals?
“We started to be a little better as a team and we didn’t give (Nicklas) Backstrom and (Alexander) Semin a lot of room out there, so it was a good job by our defense.”

You can set a record in Philly for longest road winning streak to start a season. Do you guys even look at that, or is it just a game in Philly?
“We don’t look at that, that’s something that you guys (the media) looks at. We don’t pay attention to that, we’re having fun, we’re playing smart, we’re playing well. We know it’s going to be a tough game, it’s never easy going into Philadelphia; they have a good team and they are playing well right now. We want to do the same things we did tonight — play good smart hockey.”

Matt Halischuk:
Walk me through your goal and how did you feel afterwards?
“It was a great play by my linemates there Timmy (Sestito) did a great job driving to the net and I got a nice pass from Nicklas, so I just tried to get it on net as quick as I could and fortunately it went in, so it was a pretty special feeling for sure.”

I know you’ve scored some big goals playing in Junior Tournaments, how big is this one?
“Oh, well this is right up there, it’s pretty special, and it feels great to contribute. It was a great team effort for the win.”

Do you have to change your game at all when Coach Lemaire changes your linemates?
“I don’t think so, I think you just have to go out there and take responsibility and play your best. We have a bunch of great players here, so it’s always nice to get to play with these guys.”

When you got sent down to Lowell earlier in the season and then got called back up, did you play any different so as to not get sent back down?
“Yeah, it’s never fun getting sent down, but you always want to play as hard as you can to get called back up. Fortunately, it was a quick turnaround (3 days) and I was able to get back up. I just try to take it game-to-game and keep going.”

Sorry, no Recap from Devils 5-2 win over Washington on Saturday due to computer issues, but here are my three stars of the game, the line combos/d-pairings and game notes:

Dan’s Three Stars of the Game:

#1 — Jamie Langenbrunner (NJ) – pp goal (4), assist (11)
#2 — Nicklas Bergfors (NJ) – 2 assists (9)
#3 — Dainius Zubrus (NJ) – assist (5), 71% face-offs (10-4)

Game Notes: The win was number 1,000 for the Devils since moving to New Jersey. Devils defenseman Colin White scored his first goal in 80 games. Washington’s Tomas Fleischmann scored the first goal of the game and has points in eight straight games (7g-3a). Capitals captain Chris Clark played in his 500th NHL game. Andy Greene led all skaters in ice-time with 25:36 and was a game-high +3, Mike Green led the Caps with 23:51 and had two assists. Zach Parise led all players with five shots on goal and scored a goal for the fourth straight game. Rookie Tim Sestito, playing in his fourth career game, got his first career point/assist on fellow rookie Matt Halischuk’s first NHL goal.

Line combos/d-parings:

New Jersey:
Parise-Zajac-Elias
Rolston-Zubrus-Langenbrunner
Halischuk-Sestito-Bergfors
Peters-Pelley-Clarkson

White-Mottau
Greene-Fraser
Salvador-Murphy

Washington:
Semin-Backstrom-Fleischmann
Laing-Morrison-Fehr
Bradley-Perreault-Clark
Steckel-Laich-Gordon

Green-Morrisonn
Poti-Sloan
Pothier-Schultz

Here are some of the postgame quotes after Wednesday’s 3-1 Devils win over the Ducks:

Martin Brodeur:

Talk about the next three games (at Pitt, vs. Wash., at Philly)…

“It’s going to be a big week, a big weekend; these three games are going to be hard. This one is a back-to-back, so it was good to get a win in the front end.”

Did the ceremony make you think that you’d like to have a (Cup) celebration here at the Prudential Center?

“It doesn’t matter where (laughing), just another one would be awesome. I think it’s always nice to see things like that — because we worked really hard for the guys that were there — and for the young guys, it makes you realize what you can achieve. These things are great; it’s a special year with us playing all three teams that we beat in the Stanley Cup Finals in one season. And it’s definitely nice to see the faces on the scoreboard and the faces of the few guys that were here.”

The PK was real strong tonight going 6-for-6…

“Yeah well…we got ourselves in penalty troubles – again too many men on the ice – twice in the game. Sometimes you pay the price when give these kind of freebies to the opposition, but our guys stepped in; we didn’t quit. Guys worked really hard on the PK and that’s why we were able to be dominant tonight.”

Zach Parise:

Talk about your shorthanded goal…

“It was a good play by Whitey to step up and hold the blueline there and Jamie was able to thread the needle there (to me). I think I caught (Ryan) Whitney a little flat-footed there and was able to jump past him and get a breakaway.”
You’ve seen time on the PK this year, how do you like it?

“I like it a lot; it’s better than sitting on the bench for two minutes. You want that responsibility, you want to be one of those guys that they (the coaches) feel comfortable having on the ice. Yeah, I like penalty killing.”

They say the worst thing you can do is give up a goal in the first or last minute of a period, was your goal a backbreaker for them?

“Yeah, they were on the power play, it’s a 2-1 game, they were looking to tie it up and we know it doesn’t feel good (to give up a goal there). We’ve been on the other side of that.”

For you it had to be a great feeling to score there…

“Yeah, it’s a good feeling (to score), regardless of when it comes. It’s definitely a good feeling being able to contribute.”

Jamie Langenbrunner:

Tough schedule coming up…

“Obviously we have some tough games coming up and it’s nice to start off this segment with a win. The thing about this league is we have a game tomorrow so we have another tough game and we have to focus on that.”
Talk about your goal in the opening minute…

“It was definitely a focus of ours to have better starts. A great job by Zubie to win the face-off, good job by Zach jumping in to get it, good shot by Greenie; I just went to the net and was able to get my stick on it.”

What part of your stick did you get on it?

“I got the blade on it I think; I’m not 100% sure, but I think it was the blade.”

David Clarkson:

You had a nice goal tonight, describe it…

“I think Greenie made the pass, it was just one of those plays that I saw the D coming across so I just pulled the puck across (my body). I knew that if I did that the goalie would be coming the other way, so I put it (my shot) back the other way and it went in the net.”

It seemed (Jonas) Hiller gave up a lot of rebounds tonight; is that something the team talked about?

“Yeah, I think you pick up on stuff like that – rebounds around the net. We knew we had to get there. You see Zach’s goal, it was hard work – he just kept banging at it and banging at it and it went in. Those are things we did talk about; the rebounds around the net, get to them and get pucks at him, because there’s a chance it could go in.”

Talk about the penalty kill tonight…

“The penalty kill was great. I took a couple of penalties myself – I’d have to see the replay to see if they were real penalties – but they (the PK) were huge. I came out of the box and thanked them, because I was the guy in the box most of the night.”

Marty said he keeps telling you that the toe drag doesn’t work anymore…

“(laughing) Yeah we were joking it’s a men’s league move but I guess it worked there tonight. The guys were bugging me a little bit, but you know what I was just going to the net and its something you try right? Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t; tonight it worked and I’m happy the puck went in.”

The shootout goal (in Tampa) and now this one – two nice goals you have now this season…

“I’m learning stuff (all the time), from players in this room and trying to pick up some moves that guys make to try and make myself better; and I find it’s helping me.”

Jacques Lemaire:

Is your team getting better?

“I think in some aspects of the game we’re getting better; not all of it, not yet.”

Where are the exceptions?

“(Smiles, then laughs) we have to get better at too many men on the ice…that’s one thing.”
But you’re good at it.

“Yeah exactly, we’re getting good at it.”

When you have this (winning) streak, there’s some sort of formula that’s enabling this streak. What’s enabled it? It’s six in a row now…

“It’s hard to say, it’s hard to say. I think right now we’re getting some breaks, which is a big part of it. I think the guys believe that they can be successful, that is a big part. They believe we can do it, they believe we can come back. So I think it’s all of this. We’re playing as a team more and more, but there are still little things.”

What do you call a break, what break did you get tonight?

“Tonight we worked well; we worked well enough to win the game. When they scored the goal, we picked it up, again, which was good. I thought tonight was our best start since the beginning of the season.”

What will stick with you about Clarkson: the move/shot on his goal or the penalties?

“The three penalties; I want the guys to play for the team – which he does – all the time. He’s going to get some penalties, it could be accidental, but the one that I really didn’t like (the too many men on the ice call) was when he jumped on the ice, he got the puck…when Zach just came in front of him. That’s the one I didn’t like. But on the other hand, when you look at it after the game…his goal was a huge goal. His goal was a huge goal.”

How about this kid from Rome, NY, Tim Sestito, he seems to fit in really well?

“He’s playing with energy which I love. He’s on the puck, and he’s in good position, he takes the man and plays as aggressive as he can and skates well. So, that’s why he’s playing.”

Will Brian Rolston go to Pittsburgh?

“Yes, he will be playing tomorrow.”

How good was your D tonight?

“They were as good as they’ve been all year. Maybe at the start we couldn’t find the high man, our long passes were not good. We were going D-to-D, or back to D; we don’t want that. We have to find the open players, and that we didn’t do too well at the start. But we talked about it and during the first period they started to get better.”

How impressed are you with Mark Fraser?

“Very impressed, very impressed…he’s solid. You know who would say, at the start of the year that this kid would be with us? Secondly, playing, now he’s among the top four (defenseman). He’s getting a lot of minutes and I love the way he plays. He’s very safe and aggressive and he’s playing a man’s game out there.”

Andy Greene led you club in ice-time and added two assists, your thoughts?

“He’s been very steady all year; probably the best defenseman up till now. He’s so calm and knows the game well. He’s sneaky – what I mean is he is getting away from guys and putting pucks where his teammates can get them. These little passes that he makes…its all smarts, stuff that he does.”

How much does he remind you of Scott Niedermayer?

“Greene? He doesn’t have Nieder’s speed. He has his finesse, the speed does it all for Nieder.”

The PK tonight?

“Tonight had to be our best, our best PK of the year so far.”

How was Patrik Elias tonight?

“Very good, you know he’s getting better and that’s what I like. I know he’s not at his best, but he’s got good skills and its coming. When he’s in top shape he’s going to help us a lot.”

Is he going to Pittsburgh?

“Yeah, I think he’s ready (for back-to-back games).”

Here is the link to my recap of the Devils-Ducks game from Wednesday night:

http://nycsportsnews.com/articles/details.htm?id=1028

Dan’s Three Stars of the Game:

#1 – Zach Parise (NJ) – sh goal (8), assist (11)

#2 – Martin Brodeur (NJ) – 31 saves, win (10-4-0)

#3 – Andy Greene (NJ) – 2 assists (6)

Tonight’s line combos/d-pairings:

New Jersey:
Parise-Zajac-Bergfors
Elias-Zubrus-Langenbrunner
Halischuk-Sestito-Clarkson
Peters-Pelley-Pikkarainen

Niedermayer-Boynton
Whitney-Wisniewski
Eminger-Mikkelson

Here are the transcripts of postgame after Wednesday’s 4–1 Devils loss vs. Buffalo:

Jason Pominville:

Ryan Miller tonight…

“He’s a huge part of the team and he’s been playing extremely well for us. I think he’s a guy that takes a lot of pride in his job and he puts a lot of pressure on himself to do well. He’s been playing amazing for us, like you said, again tonight he stood on his head a bit; made some huge saves. That’s what we expect from him because he’s an elite goalie.”

Talk about your goal…

“It was kind of a frustrating night for us on the power play and we ended up switching sides and moving around pretty good – I just put it on net and it ends up kind of having eyes; it found a way in the net.”

You finally got one through, been getting shots but they don’t make it through…

“Yeah definitely, I got one tonight that I broke a stick on; I take a hundred one-timers a day and never break a stick. I come in the game and break a stick, it ends up getting blocked and going the other way; so those are ones that are frustrating a bit. But we have to do a better job on the power play, find a way to score like we did on the last one.”

You seem to play well in New Jersey, any explanation?

“It could be a little bit of coincidence, but when we play them we know that their reputation is that they are so solid defensively. For us to be able to get that first goal and make them kind of open up the play; and then we get another one, they have to open up even more — that’s when we’ll get our scoring chances. When they get the lead, they’re a tough team to play against; especially with (Martin) Brodeur back there.”

Ryan Miller:

The team’s performance tonight…

“We did a good job getting a good start and that’s what we want; a good start can always carry you through (the game). It’s good to see the guys get off to a good jump and we were skating really well in that first period. They made some adjustments and clogged up some outlets that we were hitting in the first period, so it changed the game for a little while there. But once we made some adjustments, we started pushing them.”

One guy that had a lot of chances was Parise; you saw a lot of him…

“Yeah, I’m going to see a lot more of him too, as we move forward (in our careers). He’s a talented guy, quick; he puts everything on net. I was kind of looking for him, when he was on the ice, he makes some smart plays.”

It’s only ten games into the season but is it nice to win three straight on the road…

“Yeah, we’re happy. I don’t want to give people the impression that we’re not happy. We’re managing our expectations a little bit better; we know there’s going to be a steady improvement by every team over the course of the season. With this team we have to show some improvement every night and we also have to show that we can bring a work ethic on the ice every night. A good start shows that guys really care and they want to play; I think that’s going to be a key to the season.”

Colin White:

Fast start for them and not so much for you…

“They jumped on us quick; we had a slow start; and a slow finish I guess.”

Was missing Paul Martin a factor early on?

“We’re definitely going to miss those guys, but I don’t think we performed as well as we should have, obviously. Myself, I have to be better than that, so we all have to pick our games up. Let’s not try to do too much, just do the right plays. We made a lot of poor decisions, all of us, tonight. We’ll learn from it and we’ll move on; it sucks right now, but its one game and we have to get ready for tomorrow.”

Does it help that there’s a game tomorrow, to get this out of your head quick?

“Yeah, we have to forget about it. We have to learn from our mistakes – we made a lot of them tonight. They played hard, they played 60 minutes; they played the same system for 60 minutes.”

The third goal did you get a piece of it with your stick?

“Yeah I did, I tipped it. The pass beat me, obviously through my legs, right to (Paul) Gaustad; I just turned around and whacked at it. I got a piece of it and tipped it, I think low corner (into the net) blocker side.”

Jacques Lemaire

What went wrong tonight?

“I think we faced a team that was ready and you could tell why they’re on top (of the standings). They have four good lines and they all play the same way. They’re a puck control team and they make quick plays and they’re around the puck. So there’s no doubt we faced a better team tonight. Our players were not surprised with what they were going to get from the Sabres. The second period is when we started to play.”

Penalties seem to be hurting you, are they bad penalties?

“Well, one (Pikkarainen) lifted a stick and touched a guy’s hand, it’s a penalty. The too many men happened when Travis (Zajac) was on the point (during a power play) and then he came to the bench. The defenseman jumped on the ice for the point man, and, the center jumped on the ice for the point man. So you end up with too many men on the ice.”

By the end of the first period you had Zajac back with Parise and Langenbrunner, why?

“Because we had no offense; we had no offense, so I felt that ‘hey if we’re not going to have offense, I’m going to put Travis back (with them).’”

Boxworthy hanging out with Bernice the pigeon (or, as I just typed it, “Bernice the penguin”, which would have been pretty awesome) at Rockefeller Center. –Schn.

David Clarkson, spotted near Park Avenue. –Schn.

White, Greene, Martin, Zubrus, Parise, Egg, Maddog, and Rolston hang out in NYC. –Pk.

Sheldon Brookbank, Ken Daneyko, Scott Stevens, Colin White, Andy Greene, John Madden, and Brian Rolston, in hoity-toity roman numerals. –Schn.

Andrew Peters may suck at hockey, but he’s good at identifying street addresses. –Pk.

Marty. A very, very blurry Marty. –Pk.

We caught this building right after it attempted a wraparound. –Pk.

We saw Marty in the city and waved hello. –Pk.

Dano and Scotty keep 34th St clean. –Pk.

Applesauce! –Schn.

Zach, Zubrus, Paulie, Scottie and Dano, clockwise from the top. –Schn.

Travis showing off his Milford Academy education at work, as he blends in to this train departure board at Grand Central Station. –Schn.

Here are the transcripts of postgame after Saturday’s 2-0 Devils win over the Hurricanes:

Zach Parise:

It looked like a playoff-style game, do you agree?

“Yeah, it seems like anytime we play these guys, it’s going to go down to the wire. Both teams didn’t really give a lot of room; it was tough (out there). It wasn’t an easy game.”

Talk about the line changes…

“We knew beforehand, so it wasn’t a surprise for us. We need to get some more scoring and more of a consistent attack. We’ll see what happens. There are some good players in here and we should be capable of playing with anyone so – its tough when you lose Elias who’s one of your best forwards – you have to mix and match and find something that works.”

The PP struggled again tonight…

“Yeah we’re working on it. We were fortunate to get away with it tonight, but we’ll figure it out.”

Martin Brodeur:

Talk about getting shutout no. 102…

“You never know when there’s going to be the next one, (so) it’s hard to really look forward to it. Hopefully we get shutouts, because that means we’re getting wins, and then everybody’s happy.”

You seemed like you were in a zone tonight, fair assesment?

“When we play these guys it’s always a tough game. We knew that we couldn’t give them much; we had to stay disciplined and stay out of the box. They did the same too. It was really a little bit of a chess match. I think it was a pretty good game to watch – to play it was a lot of fun, because every little mistake could have been the difference, we got a lucky bounce on our goal and that was enough to win the game.”

What’s it like playing against Ward?

“He’s a good goalie. Every time I play against him or watch him play, I’m really impressed. Tommy Barassso has done a great job with him, he’s playing a lot like him – how aggressive he is. He made some big saves to keep his team in the game. Again, anytime you play against one of the top goalies you always want to play well because you know your team isn’t going to get much, so you can’t give up a lot.”

Did you notice Ward has been more aggressive with his stick?

“Well, Tommy B was like that; it’s a credit to Cam that he’s playing that way – I think it’s a way of playing the game, to be active with your stick. It’s something that I do a lot but really impressive in the way that he’s playing.”

When did you know you needed a shutout tonight?

“When we scored that goal, I said, ‘I think this is going to be it for me – this is all the production I’m going to get.’ In my head it wasn’t about a shutout it was I cant give up anything and we’ve got to get it done.”

Did you sense in the first period it would be a goaltending duel?

“I felt good. I’m not sure about Cam, but I felt strong in there. At least I got some shots early on – last night I didn’t get many shots until late in the second period. It’s hard to get going when that happens. I should be used to it playing for Jacques so many years (smirk) but it was nice because I was able to get some work tonight and I felt good.”

Paul Martin:

New defense partner for you tonight…

“It worked well tonight and we’ll see what the coaches want to do. It’s not up to us.”

Was it difficult after playing alongside Oduya for so long?

“Sal is more of a stay at home d-man. He has different tendencies (than Oduya). I guess they (the coaches) weren’t getting from us what they wanted so far, so they tried something different.”

You played with Salvador last year a bit, does that make it easier?

“We’re supposed to play the same way (individually) every game, so it really shouldn’t matter who you’re playing with, you just get used to it.”

Rob Niedermayer:

Talk about the scoring play and the goal…

“Zach made a good play and I knew a couple of guys were going to the net so I just tried to throw it there and we got the bounce. Sometimes you need to get the lucky bounce, like we did.”

Did you feel you were owed one of those lucky bounces?

“Well, you have to work for your chances, your goals. I thought tonight we did and we came out and worked hard all three periods – that’s what we have to do.”

Jacques Lemaire:

What did you think of tonight’s performance?

“Much better — everyone worked hard, everyone played disciplined, we were good with the puck, and we had good scoring chances. I can’t find a player that didn’t do his job.”

How about Marty?

“Marty was just great. That’s how we know the type of game he could play. You could tell right at the start there that first cross-ice pass that turned out to be a one-timer he made a good save, and after that it was downhill for him.”

Any line combos you haven’t tried yet – is it because you haven’t thought of them yet?

“(Smiling) Yes, I did change the lines, I feel much better with the ones that we have right now. I think our team is more solid. It’s too bad that I had to break up a line that had so much success last year, but I talked to the guys and they want to go on with this and they feel it’s going to help the team. You could tell the job that Travis did tonight with the kids – that was really good…really good. He makes the kids even better, this is what we need. Nieder, started on the checking line and then I moved him up with Zach and Jamie and I thought he fit really well there. He moves the puck well, he’s getting his share of chances and I’m really happy with the way they all played.”

Why did you make that move?

“I wanted to give a little more responsibility to Zubie (on the checking line with Pandolfo and Rolston) playing against the other team’s top line and I knew before the game that Nieder would fit well with those two. It turned out really good.”

You used Bergfors a lot… (He played 17:47 and led the team with 8 shots on goal)

“Yes. He played a good number of minutes. You know I just feel he’s solid. You look at him when he gets the puck and he controls it…makes good plays. I liked, if you talk to Lou or any of the coaching staff, I liked the kid right from day one. I said ‘This kid can play’, you can see he missed a few chances, but he’s there. We’ll work on his shot. But him and Matt they never stop; they just keep working. Matt had the stick in the face on his nose and he wanted to come back as quick as possible — he wants to play. It’s great to have kids like that.”

You still have an issue with too many men on the ice…

“Whew. I think we’re practicing our PK. That’s the only thing I can see. The guys want to kill penalties so our average gets better. Again – the player though the player he was replacing was already on the bench.”

These are just a few of the hottest guys in the NHL. (In my opinion and no specific order)

Sheldon Souray

A beautiful wife, beautiful kid and a Edmonton’s best D-man.

Brad Richards

Always on a top line, A consistent goal scorer and not very good at video games.

Patrick Sharp

Sharp: The better of the two Patricks on the Chicgo Blackhawks and a bit of a prankster.

Mikko Koivu

Most dependable guy on the Wild and an adorable  baby face.

Joe Thornton

This guy has the funniest videos ever and he’s a gifted scorer.

Cal Clutterbuck

1. His last name.

2. led ALL NHLer’s in hits… as a rookie.

Jeff Carter

I think he looks like Jesse McCartney? Yeah?

Zach Parise

A consistent top goal score and a Minnesota boy!!

Jonathan Toews

With the help of Patrick Kane he managed to bring hockey back to

the Windy City and lead them deep into the play-offs.

Steve Mason

Reining Calder trophy champ and Veznia trophy nominee.

Sidney Crosby

Youngest player to lead a North American sport in scoring…

and now he has a Cup.

Brooks Laich

He’s Canadian, he recycles and plays pro hockey.

What’s not to love about him?

Vincent Lecavalier

His French Canadian accent= sooo cute!

Ryan Getzlaf

He’s pretty much the face of the Anaheim Ducks and he was with the club when they won the cup in 07.

Derick Brassard

Look at his cute baby face and that killer smile

Peter Mueller

A guy manly enough to play pro hockey but sensitive enough to to wanna be a teacher. Awww

(Plus he’s from Minnesota, so what am I to do?)

Tell me what you think? Anybody to add? Anybody to lose? Lemme know.

Next week or later this week my NHL Notties list.

Devils Coach Jacques Lemaire announced this morning that Patrik Elias and Zach Parise will be sporting ‘A’s’ on their jerseys this season as assistants to captain Jamie Langenbrunner. Elias is hurt to begin the season, so Lemaire will give the A to someone else until he returns.

Here are the transcripts of my post-game interviews after last night’s 1-0 Devils win over the Flyers at the Prudential Center.

Andrew Peters:

Your thoughts on the game?
“Don’t you want to talk to Dainius Zubrus? It was a good game, big win. Marty (Brodeur) played great. We came out a little bit slow, but as the game went on we got a lot better and sometimes….”

Good bounce back after losing to Philly 2-1 in OT on Thursday night?
“It was a tough loss the other night, you hate losing in overtime. But I think there’s a rivalry here and guys really get amp’d up to play against each other. There was some good energy put there.”

How are you doing, as far as getting in shape?
“I feel better every day. I came to camp big and strong; I put on 15 pounds over the summer, so at first it was tough to adjust (playing) at that weight. You know, as much as you skate back home, it’s not the same as being in a game. So it’s an adjustment when you’re carrying that much extra weight around. I think I’m adjusting just fine and my goal is to continue to learn Coach Lemaire’s system and play the system the best I can.”

How has your experience been with Coach Jacques Lemaire been so far?

“Great. He’s a great teacher. He really takes time to make sure you understand and he wants to make sure that everyone is on the same page; the way he explains the game, he makes it so simple. I think that’s why he’s had so much success as a coach in this league.”

Paul Martin

Thoughts on the game?
“We were a little streaky. We had some chances we didn’t score on. I think we had a little lackadaisical second (period), but I thought we played better in the third. So it was good to finish strong.”

The PK was good tonight, going 5-for-5.
“Yeah, we did well, Marty played good. We have to get the puck out (of the zone) though – we gave them a couple of extra chances. Otherwise the PK did good tonight.”

Good response after a loss to Philly on Thursday?
“Yeah, it’s always feels a lot better when you win, and you’re doing things right, so that helps.”

Thoughts on the new coach?
“It’s been good so far. He’s come in and changed some things up, so it takes a little time to adjust; but so far guys are buying in and working hard, so with time I’m sure it’ll be good.”

Zach Parise

Your thoughts on the game?
“I think we played pretty well at certain times in the game. I think our PP could be a little better; we can try and get some more chances. There are still areas that we need to improve on – but that’s what training camp and preseason games are for.

PK was good tonight, and you played 3:08 in the game on it, something you haven’t done too often here in New Jersey. Your thoughts on both?
“I thought our PK was really good. I like penalty killing, its helps you stay in the game more – every 15, 20, 30 seconds you’re out there, you get your legs going a little bit. I think our PK has been good. We’ve been aggressive, and aggressive at the right times.”

Your thoughts on the new coach?
“It’s been really good. He’s a really good teacher, I’ve learned a lot. He makes suggestions on things we can do better and gives the explanation why. Its good, so far we’ve learned a lot.”

Jacques Lemaire

“I didn’t like that second period. We set the puck up, we didn’t control it, and we just sat back.”

Are you close to where you want to be offensively?

“I think there’s a lot of improvement for us to get to where we want to get to. You know I felt we made good steps from game to game, but this game was step back.”

Consistency?

“We didn’t work hard enough and we weren’t at our best at skating tonight. Our thinking cap wasn’t on, and that’s why we played, in the second period we sat back a little too much. In the third, we came back and you could see that there was more intensity, but we want to play more like the third period than the second.”

Jay Pandolfo?

“He’s sore, not sick.”

Brodeur’s game tonight?

“Very solid; very focused, that’s the goalie that I know. He controlled the puck well, he made good plays. On the PK he sent the puck down a few times. He looked good.”

Zubrus?

“It’s not one player that makes a line. And that line didn’t go as well as I would like to and its the chemistry of the 3 guys that has to be better. The chemistry could be to support at the right time, the right play. I remember one time they had a great chance to make a play and they shot instead of making the play. They make the play…it’s a goal. That type of chemistry I’m talking about. Good support offensively, skating at the same time; not one guy, not two guys, but all three. Back the defensemen up when its time to back them up; be consistent in all this. That’s what we’re looking for. They do it, but not all the time. That’s why the line is not working; they don’t have success right now. At times it’s everyone. It’s every line that has to do a little more, or working better as a line, it’s everyone. “

What about the Parise-Zajac-Langenbrunner line?

“No, no, no. Not as much as I’ve seen (in the past).”

The New Jersey Devils just topped the New York Rangers 3-2 in a shootout in their preseason opener at the Prudential Center. Here’s what I liked and didn’t like about the Devils first game since losing a stunning Game 7 last year to Carolina.

Positives:
David Clarkson — Scored two PP goals and is well on his way to becoming this team’s version of Randy McKay. He is poised to score between 20-25 goals this season if he sees an increase in ice-time.

Yann Danis — Played a great game in his Devils’ debut, despite blowing the two-goal lead. Both goals were a result of questionable defensive plays and in the shootout he was very good, stopping five of the six Rangers’ shooters — only surrendering Matt Gilroy’s goal in round three.

Zach Parise — From the drop of the opening puck, Parise was very noticeable every time he was on the ice. He showed me that despite having a remarkable season in 2008-09, he is still hungry to be even better.

The power play — They scored twice with the man advantage and that’s a big deal in Devil-land. There weren’t too many games last season that they scored more than one PP goal in.

Negatives:
Dainius Zubrus — Once again looked slow and failed to do much of anything offensively. He really needs to step up with Patrik Elias being sidelined for the next 3-6 weeks after groin surgery.

Brian Rolston — Same as above, will have to score more in Elias’ absence. He doesn’t look as lethargic as Zubrus on the ice, but the results are the same as far as producing points goes.

Blowing a two-goal lead — After last postseason, the Devils should be very protective with any type of lead, so it was a little disheartening to see them blow a two-goal lead in the 3rd period. Thankfully Danis was sharp in the shootout and Parise and Travis Zajac were able to score on Rangers goalie Chad Johnson (no not Chad Ochocinco!!).

New Jersey is off for a week until their next preseason game on Wednesday in Long Island against the Islanders.

With the open of training camp on September 13, many of the Devils players have started to make their way to New Jersey for some scrimmages and workout sessions. Here’s whats been going on according to the Fire & Ice blog by Tom Gulitti:

Brendan Shanahan will now wear no. 14 which was vacated when Brian Gionta signed with Montreal; Shanny previously wore 14 in Detroit and with the NY Rangers. He is also experimenting with wearing a visor for the first time in his career.

Jay Pandolfo became a first-time dad when his wife gave birth to a baby boy on July 2, the day after his longtime linemate John Madden signed with Chicago. He admitted it will be weird not seeing Madden when camp opens, but is looking forward to playing for coach Jacques Lemaire again. Pando is one of only four current Devils (Brian Rolston, Martin Brodeur, Patrik Elias) that has played for Lemaire in New Jersey.

Ilkka Pikkarainen is wearing no. 17 which was last worn by Mike Rupp who’s now in Pittsburgh.

Zach Parise took batting practice with his hometown Minnesota Twins last week and almost hit a home run to right field, falling just short of the wall which is 340 feet away from home plate.

Elias won the Czech player-of-the-year award, had successful surgery on his hip in June and obtained his level B coaching license from the Czech Ice Hockey Federation according to his website.

So much for taking the month off from hockey to focus on me…

I started multi-tasking…writing the book, doing some soul searching, and being on Preds On The Glass radio last night.

Now, that last part I didn’t expect to happen. I just called in to listen to the show and Buddy came on to ask who was on the line, so he ended up putting me on the show.

We talked about a few things, traditional media vs. new media, Hockeybuzz.com and InsideHockey.com, etc.

Now, the world has no idea why we talked about two very different websites: a rumor site vs. a credible hockey news site. You’ll be surprised with the reason why in the next couple of months.

So here are the write-ups on the show:

Tuesday’s Tidbits POTG

Dirk Hoag’s SB Nation Write-up

And the Link to the Show

I’m on the last half hour of the 90-minute segment.

For those wanting to know who’s names I dropped…

In Devils territory: Brendan Shanahan, Zach Parise, Jamie Langenbrunner and Paul Martin

In Twitterland: @speakofthedevs, and Defending Big D

People I work with: Kevin Greenstein and Eklund

I even cleared up a little strange Google search oddity. There’s something on Google when you Google my name that talks about Michelle Kenneth being an American scammer. It has something to do with Russian brides.

I have a connection to the Russian community, but the person they talk about is definitely NOT ME. I’ve had someone email me a Russian email address saying that was me, when it wasn’t. To this day, I have never stepped foot in Russia. I’m supposed to go someday to visit a friend, but that hasn’t happened yet.

Besides, what in the world would I have to do with Russian brides? Michelle Kenneth is against human trafficking…including those under the guise of mail order brides.

Could there be a possibility that someone else has the same name as me??? Just something to think about.

I sincerely hope that I’m not the only hockey fan anxiously awaiting the 2010 Winter Olympics.

I have decided to throw my support to Team USA (despite: the fact that I never have before, the presence of Patrick “20 Cent” Kane, and Chris Chelios’s mahogany finish tan).  And who doesn’t love those third jerseys?   Look familiar, don’t they?

That is why it kills me that Swedish websites put up these kinds of videos right after I make my decision to finally be patriotic:

http://tv4play.se/sport/hockeykanalen?videoId=1.1118036&renderingdepartment=2.41799

This was followed by a similar Lundqvist video, which proved even more debillitating to my decision to paint my nails with miniature American flags.

Of course, the US team has attempted to counterattack with a smattering of Zach Parise and Bobby Ryan press conferences…

*on a side note: did Patrik Berglund REALLY (REALLY) shave all of his hair off or have I just not had enough to eat today?