HNIC- Coachs Corner- May 30th 2012

SCF GAME 1: Kings @ Devils

KOPITAR SCORED O.T WINNER; KINGS LEAD TAKE A 1-0 SERIES LEAD

GOAL SCORERS

LAK:   C. Fraser (09:56 - 1st) , A. Kopitar (08:13 - OT)

NJD:   A. Volchenkov (18:48 - 2nd)

GOALIES

LAK: J. Quick (W)

 NJD: M. Brodeur (L)

           Last night in New Jersey, it was Game 1 of the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals between the New Jersey Devils and the Los Angeles Kings. 10 minutes in, Nolan centred the puck to Fraser and he one-timed a shot between the legs of Brodeur to make it 1-0 LA. That was Frasers first career NHL goal. 3 minutes later with the Devils on a powerplay, Elias centred the puck to Zajac and his one-timer was stopped by the right shoulder of Quick. After 1 period of play, La had the lead and the shots were 5-5. With 5 minutes left to play in the second, Elias turned the puck over and played it to Zubrus on the left wing and his shot was stopped by the glove of Quick.Then with under 2 minutes to play, Volchenkovs point shot was stopped, but it went off an LA defenseman and in to tie the game.

         The shots in the second were 9-3 LA. There was no score in the third and the shots were 3-2 LA. So we needed overtime. 8 minutes in, Kopitar had a breakaway and he went from right to left and scored to win the game for LA 2-1 is the Final.''To put it past a goaltender like Marty is a good feeling,'' Kopitar said. The shots in this game were 25-17 LA. LA was the better team in this game. It showed mostly in the second when they didn't give up a shot for the first 8 minutes of that period.''I think it was probably the worst game in the playoffs for us,'' said Ilya Kovalchuk, who only had 1 shot on goal. ''Maybe we were a little too nervous before the game started, but it's all excuses. We've got to make sure we know what we didn't do right and be a different team next game.'' In the win, Quick made 16 saves. In the loss, Brodeur made 23 saves.

          Game 2 will be Saturday night at 8:00 PM E.t on CBS, RDS (French) & NBC

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

SCF Preview: L.A Kings VS New Jersey Devils

Devils: 48-28-6, (102 points), 6th in Eastern Conference
Kings: 40-27-15, (95 points), 8th in Western Conference


SEASON SERIES: Devils won 2-0

Players to watch:Brodeur(NJD), Parise (NJD), Quick (LA),Brown (LA), Zajac (NJD), Carter (LA), Zubrus (NJD),Richards (LA),Elias (NJD), Gagnet (LA), Kopitar (LA), Doughty (LA) & Penner (LA)

          Wednesday night in New Jersey, it is the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals between the New Jersey Devils and the Los Angeles Kings. In the regular season, both LA and New Jersey only met twice all the way back in October and the Devils won both games. But it means nothing when it comes down to the Cup Finals. In Round 1, LA pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NHL history by knocking off the best team in the NHL,the Vancouver Canucks in just 5 games. As for the Devils in round 1, they took on the Florida Panthers who made the Playoffs for the first time since 2000. The Devils won that series in 7 games. In round 2, the Devils became the underdogs as they took on the Philadelphia Flyers. The Devils found a way to win in 5 games.

            The Kings also surprised a lot of people in round 2 as they pulled out the brooms and swept way the St.Louis Blues. In Round 3, the Devils beat the Rangers in 6 games and the Kings beat the Coyotes in 5 games. The Kings held a NHL record for going 8-0-0 on the road. they also had a Playoff record of 12-2-0. The only other team that had a better record than the Kings through 3 rounds was the 1968 and the 1976 Montreal Canadiens as they had a 12-1 record. The Kings powerplay is at 8.1% and their Penalty kill is at 91.2%. As for the Devils, their powerplay is at 18.2% and their penalty kill is at 74.4%. So both teams are about equal there. As for Goaltending, the Kings have the advantage in a young Johnathan Quick as the Devils have a 40 year old in Marty Brodeur. Due to that I think the Kings will win this series in 7 games.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

2012 STANLEY CUP FINAL
Series O	Time (ET)	#6 vs. #8	Networks
WED, MAY 30, 2012	8 pm	LOS ANGELES KINGS AT NEW JERSEY DEVILS	NBC, CBC, RDS
SAT, JUNE 2, 2012	8 pm	LOS ANGELES KINGS AT NEW JERSEY DEVILS	NBC, CBC, RDS
MON, JUNE 4, 2012	8 pm	NEW JERSEY DEVILS AT LOS ANGELES KINGS	NBCSN, CBC, RDS
WED, JUNE 6, 2012	8 pm	NEW JERSEY DEVILS AT LOS ANGELES KINGS	NBCSN, CBC, RDS
*SAT, JUNE 9, 2012	8 pm	LOS ANGELES KINGS AT NEW JERSEY DEVILS	NBC, CBC, RDS
*MON, JUNE 11, 2012	8 pm	NEW JERSEY DEVILS AT LOS ANGELES KINGS	NBC, CBC, RDS
*WED, JUNE 13, 2012	8 pm	LOS ANGELES KINGS AT NEW JERSEY DEVILS	NBC, CBC, RDS
*if necessary

McGuire post interview: Marty Brodeur

John Tortorella: Post Game 6 5/25/12

Devils celebrate Eastern Conference championship

GAME 6: Rangers @ Devils - HD

DEVILS WIN 3-2 IN O.t TO ADANCE TO THE CUP FINAL

GOAL SCORERS

NYR:   R. Fedotenko (09:47 - 2nd) , R. Callahan (13:41 - 2nd)

NJD:   R. Carter (10:05 - 1st) , I. Kovalchuk (PPG, 13:56 - 1st) , A. Henrique (01:03 - OT)

GOALIES

NYR: H. Lundqvist (L)

 NJD: M. Brodeur (W)

            Last night in New Jersey, the Devils were looking to knock off the Rangers in Game 6 so they can advance to their first Stanley Cup Final since 2003.10 minutes in, Giontas shot was stopped and Carter was there to put home the rebound to make it 1-0 Devils.4 minutes later,Zubrus played the puck to Kovalchuk at the side of the net and he scored to extend the lead.10 minutes into the second Mcdonaghs shot was stopped but Fedotenko was there to put home the rebound to cut the lead to 1.

            5 minutes later, Giradis point shot was tipped in by Callahan to tie the game. The score was still tied after 3 periods of play so we needed overtime.1 minute in, Kovalchuks shot was stopped. It Henrique put home the rebound to win the game for the Devils! 3-2 was the final! "Johnny on the spot for that one," Henrique said. "I was sitting there. I couldn't see the puck. I knew it was down, and I was just praying it was going to come under his pad. It's a big one. It's one you dream about."In the win,Brodeur made 33 saves."I wasn't sure if it was in or not. When I saw everybody celebrating, it was just a big relief," Brodeur said. "We played really hard this playoff series, and this was an emotional series against the Rangers. To pull it off in that fashion, it's even sweeter."

            In the loss, Lundqvist made 26 saves."We're a team that just keeps battling," said Rangers center Brad Richards. "We had our fair share of opportunities. It's a fine line. To get this far, it's a bounce here or there." In the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals it will be the Surprising LA Kings vs another surprise team In the New Jersey Devils. LA was an 8th placed team in the Regular Season, but in the playoffs they have been the best team with a 12-2-0 record.LA was also the first team in NHL history to go 7-0 on the road in the playoffs. As for the Devils, they finished in 6th in the East and in the Eastern Finals they knocked off the Stanley Cup favourites, the New York Rangers.


Written by Andrew Di Pardo

Stanley Cup Final Schedule: LA vs NYR or NJD

2012 STANLEY CUP FINAL
Series O	Time (ET)	#1 or #6 vs. #8	Networks
WED, MAY 30, 2012	8 pm	LOS ANGELES KINGS AT EASTERN CHAMPION	NBC, CBC, RDS
SAT, JUNE 2, 2012	8 pm	LOS ANGELES KINGS AT EASTERN CHAMPION	NBC, CBC, RDS
MON, JUNE 4, 2012	8 pm	EASTERN CHAMPION AT LOS ANGELES KINGS	NBCSN, CBC, RDS
WED, JUNE 6, 2012	8 pm	EASTERN CHAMPION AT LOS ANGELES KINGS	NBCSN, CBC, RDS
*SAT, JUNE 9, 2012	8 pm	LOS ANGELES KINGS AT EASTERN CHAMPION	NBC, CBC, RDS
*MON, JUNE 11, 2012	8 pm	EASTERN CHAMPION AT LOS ANGELES KINGS	NBC, CBC, RDS
*WED, JUNE 13, 2012	8 pm	LOS ANGELES KINGS AT EASTERN CHAMPION	NBC, CBC, RDS
*if necessary

GAME 5: Devils @ Rangers

DEVILS BLOW A 3-0 LEAD BUT FIND A WAY TO WIN 5-3

GOAL SCORERS

NJD:   S. Gionta (02:43 - 1st) , P. Elias (04:13 - 1st) , T. Zajac (09:49 - 1st) , R. Carter (15:36 - 3rd) , Z. Parise (EN, 19:28 - 3rd)

NYR:   B. Prust (15:41 - 1st) , R. Callahan (00:32 - 2nd) , M. Gaborik (00:17 - 3rd)

GOALIES

NJD: M. Brodeur (W)

 NYR: H. Lundqvist (L)

                 Last night in New York, the Rangers returned home with their third round series VS the Devils tied at 2-2 and with the home ice it looked like the Rangers had the advantage.But they didn't. 3 minutes into the game, Faynes shot was stopped, but Gionta was there to put home the rebound to make it 1-0 Devils. Just over a minute later, Henriques point shot was tipped in front by Elias and into the back of the net to make it 2-0. At the half way point of the first, Zajac came up the right wing and wristed a shot past Lundqvist to extend the Devils lead. Late in the first, Prust came in on a partical breakaway, he fell, and tipped the puck by Brodeur to cut the lead to 2.

              32 seconds into the second, Anisimov centred the puck and it went off of Callahans shin pad and into the net to cut the lead to 1. Then just 17 seconds into the third, Brodeur came out to handle the puck and it slipped off his stick and into the trapazoid where NHL goalies can't play the puck, so Gaborik skated up and fired the puck off the leg of Brodeur and in to tie the game. Then with under 5 minutes remaining, Gionta centred the puck right to Carter and he scored to give the Devils the lead. Parise would add an empty net goal as the Devils win 5-3 and take a 3-2 series lead going back home.''It's a good feeling,'' goalie Martin Brodeur said of the Devils' status. ''We worked really hard to get in that position. (There's been) a lot of unsung heroes and guys producing at different times. Players are playing well. We've just got to keep going.

                   ''Nothing is done yet.'' In the win, Brodeur made 25 saves. In the loss, Lundqvist made 12 saves.''We have to have a short memory,'' McDonagh said. ''We've been in this position before in this playoffs and we found a way to get it done. We don't want to look ahead. We have to win two games, but we just have to focus on winning one.''

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

GAME 5: Kings @ Coyotes