It’s Over
My streak of Devils wins at games I’ve attended ground to a halt tonight, as the season ended with a bang, a whimper, and fans mumbling about the free agency season on the way to their cars. There’s no word for what happened on the ice tonight — and indeed, for good stretches of the season — other than “unwatchable.” As a fan, as someone who has shelled out thousands of dollars for slices of season tickets every year for the past nine seasons, the Devils have become a team that generates more disappointment than excitement. Sorry, but I just can’t watch night after night of defensive breakdowns and missed scoring chances, interspersed with shots from the point that are blocked by wingers ten feet above the face off circles.
I’ll recap my thoughts on the first season in the Rock and the whole of 07-08 once the sausage and peppers mixed with Carvel sundae settles down and I’m no longer nauseated by what happened on the ice rather than at the concession stands. The sole bright spots of he playoffs (for me) were that the Devils didn’t get shut out in any games, Elias had a point in every game, and they didn’t get swept, maintaining at least one playoff tradition. But two out of three of those spots are negatives; hardly a way to remember 87 games of hockey.
As for tonight’s game: defensive breakdowns, too much dump and chase (which means not enough speed, or no support for the puck carrier), and way too many shots that went all of three stick lengths before hitting a Ranger, and not the one in net. How else do you explain the complete lack of offensive momentum, the failure to pick up rebounds, and the number of times the puck came into the Rangers’ end only to be squirted back out again without so much as a single play set up? The game is best summarized by what turned out to be the game-breaking goal: an odd man rush in, Brodeur makes a great save, and instead of (a) the defense getting the puck wide, or out of the zone (b) a winger backchecking Gomez who was standing — standing — off the play looking for the puck or (c) not turning the puck over in the first place, Gomez has an uncontested shot off of the rebound. Three Rangers goals came when there was no defensive pressure within two stick lengths of the shooter - Dubinsky’s goal on the power play, Gomez’ goal and Rosival’s game-tying goal in the first. Rosival dropped in from the point - who was watching him?
This one will be dissected, analyzed and harped upon by Rangers fans until October. I don’t think Brodeur looked tired; I think this came down to lack of hustle and finishing on offense and lack of play control on defense. The story of the entire season, and a story that completes the canon of Devils hockey for the season: it ends the way it started. Badly.