T-Devils Struggles Continue
It has been a rough couple of weeks for the T-Devils and their fans as they have now lost seven of their last eight games. The road doesn't get any easier as Cincinnati comes to town on Friday and Gwinnett on Saturday. To make matters worse, Johnstown beat Gwinnett tonight and now are four points ahead of the T-Devs with two games in hand.
Fortunately though, Trenton can make a statement on Monday afternoon when Johnstown visits the Sovereign Bank Arena.
The offense has been anemic as of late scoring five goals in its last five games. The injuries are also really starting to pile up as Brad Mills, Colin Pepperall, Mark Pandolfo all continue to be out of the lineup. Stephen Wood was added to the list last game as head coach Rick Kowalsky said he was "banged up." From the sound of that, it doesn't seem like the team's leading goal scorer among defensemen will be out for an extended period of time.
Another reason for the team struggling is its youth. With so many first-year players, it seems these guys have hit the proverbial "wall." The problem is, these rookies have hit this wall at the same time at the most inopportune time. With just 26 games remaining, it appears this team is treading in deep water trying to hang on to a playoff spot. They are on the outside looking in as of now and will not only need to string together some wins, but will also need help from other division opponents losing, mainly Johnstown.
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I thought I would take a little time now to discuss the NHL. The race in the Atlantic Division is very tight and will most likely be determined in the last week of the season, perhaps the final Sunday of the regular season. My gut tells me the New Jersey Devils will come out as the division winners, with Pittsburgh and Philadelphia to follow. But if you don't win the division, I think you would rather finish in third place in the hopes of finishing 6th overall in the conference and play the Southeast Division winner, rather than finishing in the 4/5 slot and play Montreal. However, with both the Flyers and Canadiens struggling now, it is possible the second and third place winners in the Atlantic will finish 4/5 in the conference.
Despite Pittsburgh and its one-point lead over Jersey, I still think the Devils are the team to beat in the division. The loss to Boston tonight, along with a Devils win over Ottawa, hurts, but I gotta say, I did not expect this kind of performance from the Crosby-less Pens. Evgeni Malkin has plastered a Superman 'S' on his chest and has carried the load. Can this team really be this good?? I just don't get it.
Both the Penguins and the Flyers, I believe, have question marks in net. Ty Conklin and Dany Sabourin have done a nice job but don't really see either one putting together a good run (I've never been a big believer in Marc Andre Fleury). Martin Biron WILL be the Flyers starting goalie in the playoffs, assuming they make it, over Antero "Frank" Niittymaki. Biron is a steady goalie who will not win or steal wins for the Flyers, and this is what it takes to go far in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. For those of you who thought Niittmaki should be the starter, just look to his most recent stretch of games.
As always, comments are appreciated. You can also email me at trentondevils@gmail.com
Fortunately though, Trenton can make a statement on Monday afternoon when Johnstown visits the Sovereign Bank Arena.
The offense has been anemic as of late scoring five goals in its last five games. The injuries are also really starting to pile up as Brad Mills, Colin Pepperall, Mark Pandolfo all continue to be out of the lineup. Stephen Wood was added to the list last game as head coach Rick Kowalsky said he was "banged up." From the sound of that, it doesn't seem like the team's leading goal scorer among defensemen will be out for an extended period of time.
Another reason for the team struggling is its youth. With so many first-year players, it seems these guys have hit the proverbial "wall." The problem is, these rookies have hit this wall at the same time at the most inopportune time. With just 26 games remaining, it appears this team is treading in deep water trying to hang on to a playoff spot. They are on the outside looking in as of now and will not only need to string together some wins, but will also need help from other division opponents losing, mainly Johnstown.
***
I thought I would take a little time now to discuss the NHL. The race in the Atlantic Division is very tight and will most likely be determined in the last week of the season, perhaps the final Sunday of the regular season. My gut tells me the New Jersey Devils will come out as the division winners, with Pittsburgh and Philadelphia to follow. But if you don't win the division, I think you would rather finish in third place in the hopes of finishing 6th overall in the conference and play the Southeast Division winner, rather than finishing in the 4/5 slot and play Montreal. However, with both the Flyers and Canadiens struggling now, it is possible the second and third place winners in the Atlantic will finish 4/5 in the conference.
Despite Pittsburgh and its one-point lead over Jersey, I still think the Devils are the team to beat in the division. The loss to Boston tonight, along with a Devils win over Ottawa, hurts, but I gotta say, I did not expect this kind of performance from the Crosby-less Pens. Evgeni Malkin has plastered a Superman 'S' on his chest and has carried the load. Can this team really be this good?? I just don't get it.
Both the Penguins and the Flyers, I believe, have question marks in net. Ty Conklin and Dany Sabourin have done a nice job but don't really see either one putting together a good run (I've never been a big believer in Marc Andre Fleury). Martin Biron WILL be the Flyers starting goalie in the playoffs, assuming they make it, over Antero "Frank" Niittymaki. Biron is a steady goalie who will not win or steal wins for the Flyers, and this is what it takes to go far in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. For those of you who thought Niittmaki should be the starter, just look to his most recent stretch of games.
As always, comments are appreciated. You can also email me at trentondevils@gmail.com
posted by Rob Chakler at
10:49 PM
2 Comments:
Rob:
How many places outside the playoffs do the T-Devils sit?
As for the Atlantic, I agree it will probably come down to the Pengins & Devils.
I thought the Pens were toast for sure, but I give them credit.
The Devils probably need to make a move come out on top. They havn't beaten the NY teams all year and have 6 games left agaisnt them.
The T-Devils currently stand in 6th place int he Northern Division. For the playoffs, the 4th and 5th place teams face off in a "play-in" series, with the winner facing the team finishing in first of the Northern Division.
They are four points back of Johnstown for the 5th spot. The key element; however, is the two fewer games Johnstown has played than Trenton.
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The Atlantic Division
After watching hockey my entire life, I've learned the seedings don't matter all much come playoff time, especially the last five years. The only place I see a real advantage is finishing sixth and getting to play the Southeast winner. It all comes down to who is playing the best hockey in late March and into April.
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