Devils Playoff Tracker

[Devils]

The St. Augustine Devils are back in the playoffs folks. After a season of total rebuild the team finds itself in the midst of a spectacular turn around year, and there is nothing but positive thoughts about the future from the Devils leadership team. This is a season where St. Augustine finished at the top of the pack offensively (tied with the Outlaws with a 3.78 Goals scored per game average), though for most of season they held the position alone. Kudos to the Outlaws for having a very strong finish.

What contributed to the league's best offense when no single Devils player finished in the top 10 in any offensive category? (that's right, not ANY offensive category) To illustrate the point real quick, Nick Backstrom finished highest in the scoring race for St. Augustine with 92 points, which was good for 16th in the race. So again, how does a team with no scoring leaders finish at the top of the pack in overall scoring? It was a team effort. The Devils had a league high eight (8) 20 goal scorers. Three (3) among those eight managed to put thirty or more goals by opposing netminders, with a fourth finishing just outside with twenty nine goals. Folks...that is team production at its best in my opinion.

The Devils finished 2nd in the American Conference with 107 pts, just under the Purple Aces who took the conference crown with 111 pts. Not a bad run after finishing at the bottom of the heap last year.

The first round of the playoffs saw the Devils face the Florida Panthers. It was the first time these two teams faced each other in playoff history if you can believe that. They didn't disappoint hockey fans. This series went the distance...

More to come later today, and also a bit on the series with the Eagles...

[Devils]

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The Panthers and Devils went into this series with pretty much equal momentum. Both teams had won 5 of their last 10 games of the season, and both teams were looking to prove the doubters wrong. St. Augustine had the added misfortune of 2 injuries to deal with. Veteran defenseman and 2nd scoring leader on the team Marek Zidlicky was unable to dress for the first 2 games thanks to a nagging lower body injury, and grinding long-term Devil David Cornacchia was unable to suit up for the entire first round. (Cornacchia was actually cleared for play recently and may suit up for the first time this playoffs tomorrow night in North Carolina)

Game 1: Dennis Wideman really stood out this entire series because of his great two-way play, but this game served as his coming out party. Wideman's two points were good for 2nd star of the game, behind only veteran superstar teammate Nick Lidstrom. The Panthers walked away from this game with a 5-3 win on enemy ice.

Game 2: Not to be taken for fools and completely give up the home ice advantage the Devils stepped up their defensive play and squeaked out of this game with a 2-1 overtime victory. It took two overtimes to put this game away. An interesting point to consider, in 4 periods and 5 seconds of the 2nd overtime there were only 48 shots in total. Neither team was willing to take offensive chances. And interesting point of note in this game was the fight between Pronger and Wideman. Chris Pronger lost the fight in the end, a fight he instigated to no doubt slow down the impressive Wideman, but Pronger was ejected and suspended 2 games for his effort. The depleted defense was even worse off for games 3 and 4 without the Devils captain on the ice.

Game 3: Sans Pronger the Devils faced off against an angry Panthers team. Wideman crushed the Devils in Florida with 3 points in the 4 goals his team scored. St. Augustine managed to put 2 in late in the game but this was the Panthers' game to lose, and they weren't going to let that happen. This game was also a feisty mess with Montador and Skrastins brawling in the middle of the 2nd period. Like Pronger, Skrastins was ejected and suspended for instigating a fight, but unlike Pronger Skrastins only received a single game suspension. Naturally the Devils fans were up in arms. I'm still confused with the NHA League Office for this decision. But it's the past, and we support their choice nonetheless.

Game 4: Without Pronger and Skrastins game 4 took on a new life of its own. It seemed like neither team was willing to give an inch of ground to the opposition and everything picked up as a result. Shots were over 40 a piece for both teams, hits were in the 50s, and we once again went to double overtime. There were two nasty fights in this one that ended in draws and OMG didn't see anyone gets suspended!!! The Devils eeked out a win here and it appeared that the only victories the Devils could manage were going to take 2 overtimes.

Game 5: Game 5, back in St. Augustine, the Panthers were the only team to show up. Jordan Staal and Dennis Wideman (curse him) scored the only two goals for the game as the Panthers routed the Devils. There was no fighting in this one and for all intents and purposes it appeared that the Devils had given up. Coach Paul MacLean pulled his team into a closed door shouting session and refused access to the media until the morning of the next game. This was the turning point of the series.

Game 6: It was do or die for the Devils on enemy ice in game 6. Panthers fans were shelling the ice with plastic rats and calling for Pronger's head. It was an exciting game for all parties involved that ended with a 4-2 victory for St. Augustine. Perhaps it was the excitement of the fans, or overconfidence by the surging Panthers, but the Devils were able to steal this one away thanks to horribly undisciplined play from Florida. The Devils cashed in 3 times on 11 powerplays to force a game 7.

Game 7: It was the only series to go to game 7 and the entire hockey world was watching. Who would win this intense series? Who would step up and give his team the energy it needed to move on to round 2. Jarome Iginla made Devils history by scoring a hat trick in this all important game and the Devils outshot the Panthers 40-29 as the Devils torched the opposition and moved on to the 2nd round. Mike Cammalleri notched the game winner on his 2nd goal of the series but Iggy stole the day and was all smiles after the game.



"You know, I didn't really do anything different before the game. We just knew we needed to have this one or our season was over. We've fought too hard and had too much success to let our fans down again at home. I was just happy to contribute and I'm really proud of the guys. Bring on the Eagles!" Iginla

[Devils]

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The North Carolina Eagles are by far and away the favored team to run away with round 2 against the Devils. It's really not that hard to imagine why. The Eagles are saturated with talent from top to bottom. They have one of the best goaltenders in the world in Henrik Lundqvist and the King is surrounded by world class defensive squad. And then there is the offense. Dustin Brown, Henrik Zetterberg, Marian Gaborik, and Jeff Carter are just a few of the names that Devils fans will get to know really well in round 2, if they haven't already learned to hate their rivals.

The Devils and Eagles have faced off in the playoffs twice before in history, once in the 2nd round like this and once in the Conference finals. The teams have split the contests. This will be a tough series however you slice it.

Game 1: In game 1 of the series (oddly the first sell out of the playoffs for the Devils?!?) St. Augustine seemed to carry the play for most of the game. The Eagles were able to capitalize on powerplay opportunities however and managed to steal the victory on enemy ice by a score of 3-2. It was a good game but one that left the Devils with their heads hanging low and a sense of failure.


"We had this one. I felt it fall through my fingers. Next game you'll see a different result." Chris Pronger

Game 2: In game 2 the Devils and Eagles were back at it with more intensity than game 1 and a lot more offensive flash. Brian Campbell and Jack Johnson met at center ice for a classic beat fest with neither warrior coming out unscathed and with no clear victor. This was as exciting as it was unexpected, for neither of these players are known for their fighting ability. Devils fans and teammates alike gave their playoff scoring leader a hell of an ovation and the energy it generated appeared to be the edge the team needed to find victory. The Eagles managed to outshoot their opponent but Martin Brodeur got the better of King Henrik and the Devils won game 2 by a score of 3-2. Another point of note is the emergence of Evander Kane "Little Iggy" who scored twice and also assisted on the game winner. Kane has been a physical force all season long but only recently has become a point producer. If he can continue to show the offensive spark he was acquired for this team may have a chance to defy the odds.

Both teams have exchanged close victories so I look forward to game 3 with no shortage of excitement.

"Look for David Cornacchia to make his first appearance tomorrow night. He's finally ready to play and we definitely welcome his brand of physical defensive play. I expect to see him hungry to make his mark out there and frankly I wouldn't be surprised if he was a key contributor to a victory we really need right now. I would love to see the looks on the faces of everyone who counted us out of this series." GM Mark Stefenelli

[Deleted]

good read...good luck, again

[Commish]

It's nice to see some of your articles once again Mark. They always make for great reading.

[Devils]

Thanks guys. I find it makes things a little more interesting with the game recaps. It had been too long since the last article. I'll try to make it to the Cup so I can write the whole playoffs. hehe

[Devils]

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Game 3: The Eagles played host for the first time in this series and treated the fans to a hell of a game. Both teams came out hard and produced some highlight reel goals. The Eagles took the early lead with 2 quick ones in the first and it looked like the had things well in hand. About a minute and a half later Evander Kane's hot hand scored a powerplay goal to wake the Devils up. After an Iginla goal in the 2nd there was a 4 goal explosion in the final period, with the Devils scoring 3.

David Cornacchia has a strong performance in his playoff debut. The young defenseman was strong defensively, played the body, and contributed to the offense with an assist on Malone's goal.

We go back to The Temple tomorrow night for game 4 as the Devils look to extend their lead and spoil another game in Carolina.

[Devils]

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Game 4: In game 4 the Devils showed the first signs of control in the series. They had a 2-1 lead in the series and they had proven that they had solved Henrik Lundqvist. The goals were not coming often, but they were coming, and Martin Brodeur was winning the duel. This game was another tightly played game but the Devils skated away with a 28-19 shot advantage and another 3-2 victory after just 1:24 of the Overtime period. The Devils continue to win every overtime battle this playoffs. Kudos to Chris Pronger. The Captain has found a way to repay his team for the suspension in round 1 against the Panthers. He did this by scoring the overtime winner on a big blast from the blueline off a nice feed by Nicklas Backstrom.



Game 5: After sweeping both games in North Carolina the Devils returned home with all the momentum in this series. In this game Backstrom exploded for 4 points, factoring in on every goal for his team. The number 1 center was acquired from the Ravens before the draft when the Devils traded their first round pick last year, and boy did he show his value as the Devils closed out the series in the 5th game. St. Augustine outshot the Eagles 49-19 and won the series on a Joe Corvo double overtime winner just 4 seconds into the 5th period.



"Nick is just a fantastic player. He has been everything we wanted out of the draft last year and, for me, has been one of the biggest reasons for our success this season. He's a terrific skater with a good shot, and he draws a lot of attention when he skates. But the thing that I love about him is his playmaking ability. He sees the ice better than everyone on the ice and can make plays that leave you baffled. He is our franchise center." Mark Stefenelli

Strong words for the GM when the franchise just extended the contract of veteran scoring center Patrick Marleau. Two high quality centers are part of the foundation of the first team to make it to the 3rd round.

"I like how his line is skating lately. All three guys are pitching in. Backstrom, obviously, and Iggy and Lil' Iggy share the scoring lead on the team if I'm not mistaken. If you want to be successful your best players need to be your best players, and they are certainly showing that. But I am also happy about how our other lines are playing...the defensive pairings. We believe in the system and the team is skating hard. Keeping the puck moving north." Coach MacLean

The Devils will now enjoy a much needed rest as the rest of the round plays out. I'm sure this is welcome after the series with the Panthers that went to 7 games. Now they wait to see who they will face in the Conference Finals. Will it be the Purple Aces, the only team who finished ahead of the Devils in the American Conference Standings? Or will it be the Bandits, who boast a powerful top line that can take a series over if unchecked?