Another Tough Loss

While the goals finally came last night, breaking a scoreless drought of 214 minutes and 58 seconds, the losses continue to pile up as they dropped another one last night, losing 5-4 in overtime to Gwinnett.

Yes, the team picked up a point in the standings, but ultimately it will need to start playing a lot better if it hopes to make the playoffs. It has lost nine of its last 10 games and has struggled in every part of the game, offense, defense, special teams and goaltending.

I think a big part of the losing streak is the fact they have no real veteran leaders in the locker room to pick these young guys up. Jim Henkel can provide leadership as he's been here before, but you can almost pinpoint the injury to Colin Pepperall for the T-Devils woes.

Since he has been out of the lineup, suffering a broken hand on Jan. 25 in a 5-2 win over Elmira, the team has won ONCE in regulation.

At first, I would say the loss of Caruso is a huge blow to this team. But now, the guys playing in front of...whoever is in net, need to step up and do their jobs.

They can start tomorrow afternoon when they play Johnstown in one of the biggest games of the season. Head coach Rick Kowalsky explained last night that they need to pick up two points in every remaining game against Johnstown this year, to at least have a shot at making the playoffs.

Maybe playing in the middle of the day will spark some new life into the team. Who knows?

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As always, comments are appreciated. Any questions you can email me at: trentondevils@gmail.com

T-Devils Trail 1-0 after One

Gwinnett scored a power play 5:37 into the game to lead 1-0.

The T-Devils out-shot the Gladiators 14-11 in the frame, but once again, failed to score. They actually have out-shot opponents 131-112 in first periods this year.

They were 0-for-1 with the power play.

It seems like they are looking for the perfect play out there instead of just getting pucks on net. This tends to happen to offensively-struggling teams.

Jason Smith doesn't look too bad making his second straight start in net, but the obviously isn't going to win anything if it can't put the puck in the net.

We are at the midway point of the second period here with the T-Devils still down 1-0. Shots are 17-13 in favor of Trenton.

Check back for a later update...

7-0?!?!?!

It was ugly here last night at Sovereign Bank Arena as the T-Devils suffered their worst loss of the season.

Cincinnati scored three power play goals in the first period and the game was over. The team showed no life the final two periods.

Jason Smith made the start in net while Dave Caruso got the call up to Lowell. He gave up all seven goals but cannot be blamed entirely for the loss. The T-Devils were 0-for-3 on the power play in the first period and the Cyclones got two quick power play tallies of their own which were deflating to the team. They added one more in the last minute and the rest was history.

The offense just cannot score goals. The players need to stop thinking about the injuries to Colin Pepperall and Brad Mills and play with what they got in the lineup. Every player needs to be accountable for their own actions.

Johnstown picked up a shootout win over Texas last night, so its lead over Trenton for that fifth spot in the division now stands at six, with two games in hand over Trenton.

I would say these players are simply going throught the motions, but it doesn't appear they are even doing that. Last night was probably the most lifeless team I have seen all season long. It should be interesting to see how they come out to play tonight against Gwinnett.

Check back here for an update in between periods for a live update.

Caruso Gets Call-Up

T-Devils No. 1 goalie Dave Caruso was called up to Lowell of the American Hockey League yesterday. This is the fourth time he has been called up to Lowell where he started one game and took the loss.

While this is good news for Caruso and his fans, it is not good news for the T-Devils. This means Jason Smith will be starting (I assume), and generally, the T-Devils have not played well in front of him. The first-year goalie has appeared in 17 games and has a 5-10-1 record. He has a 3.16 GAA and .904 save percentage. Through his four years at Sacred Heart University, his goals-against-average is over three.

Caruso has been the one steady element of the team this year, and for Trenton's sake, hopefully his stay in Lowell will be short-lived. As for Caruso, I wish him the best and hope is call-up lasts longer than the previous ones this season. The call-up comes right before he would have had the chance to take on his old team, the Gwinnett Gladiators, who come to Sovereign Bank Arena tomorrow. He compiled a 23-11-4 record at Gwinnett in the 2006-07 season.

The road won't get any easier as Cincinnati comes to town tonight. The last time these teams met the T-Devils held their own against the Northern Division's first-place team in a 2-1 loss and surrendered the game-winner with three minutes left in the third.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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As always, comments are appreciated. You can also email me at trentondevils@gmail.com