Nine shots on goal - amazing!
Well I was a little concerned after Tuesday's loss to Phoenix. The Devs just didn't play well. Following the loss to Dallas and the tie in Colorado, I thought we were heading for a slump like the last time we had a long unbeaten streak end.
My fears were ill-placed because we certainly bounced back nicely on Thursday - and that was without White, Gomez and Langenbrunner. Knowing that Washington was looking to extend a 2 game winning streak and that Jagr and Lang were carrying long scoring streaks, I wondered if our guys were up to the challenge. Oh me of little faith! We looked masterful holding Washington to only 9 shots on goal and Marty recorded his league-leading 5th shutout.
Most of the action was down the end of the rink where we sit - in front of Washington goalie, Olie Kolzig and I wasn't really paying attention to the shots on goal. Near the end of the first period, I took a look and was astonished to see that Washington had only tallied ONE. I was worried that Marty had fallen asleep. This was one shut out he could have phoned in, while poor Olie saw more rubber than Route 3 at rush hour.
Beyond the game notes ....
The Albany River Rats will be playing a game against the Islanders farm team at the Continental Arena on January 22. All tickets are $10 each and there are lots of seats available. Should be a lot of fun and cheap enough to take the whole family.
More games to check out - The New Jersey Devils will honor Captain Scott Stevens prior to their game vs. the Washington Capitals at Continental Airlines Arena on Saturday, January 17 at 1:00 PM. Ken Danyko night is on January 9 vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning
We finally got the new Devils merchandise catalogs and I must say, I was disappointed. The much-advertised 3 Cup merchandise is kind of blah. The 3 Cup logo is small and on the sleeve of most clothing items. I would have liked a t-shirt or sweatshirt with a large logo in the center. The hats aren't bad, though, and I may get one. I'm kind of disappointed in the hockey and Devils themed merchandise that has been available lately. It seems to be a trend to have small pocket sized logos. If I'm going to wear my team's logo, I want it big and bold in the center. Ever since the sports logo jacket fad ended, you can't find a decent jacket anymore. I always liked the Starter merchandise, but since they went bust, you can't get anything that compares to the styles they had.
I've added a new section to my Links page - links to other hockey blogs. Check it out.