Speak of the Devils

So, I was at Madison Square Garden last night for Rangers-Devils. Watched the Devils take a 3-0 lead in the first 5 minutes of play, then slowly give it back over the next 2 and a half periods. Saw the 3-3 tie broken by Carter's game-winning goal, followed by an empty-netter to boot. Thoughts from the game:


-The Devils certainly look like the better team out there. I thought the Prust and Gaborik goals were total softies that Brodeur badly misplayed, while all 4 Devils' goals on Lundqvist were legitimate plays made by the Devils. 


-The home-ice advantage in the NHL is truly mystifying. The Rangers seem like they have a pretty fierce crowd at MSG and yet they're a paltry 6-5 there over the course of these playoffs, while they're 4-4 in road games. Same goes for the Kings, who look unbeatable on the road yet have lost two closeout games at home. Go figure. 


-Dainius Zubrus looked like he was all over the ice for NJD. Same goes for Parise. Whenever those two were out there it just seemed like the Devils completely controlled the action. 


-This whole series is a very interesting role reversal from the Rangers-Devils matchups of the 90s with the Devils' trap against the Rangers' goal-scorers. Now it's just the opposite. You've got a very aggressive Devils' attack against a defensive-minded Rangers team that wants to block shots and go on the counter. 


-The Rangers looked tired, especially in the first 10 minutes of the game and in the last 10. You could smell that last goal coming for the NJD. Guys like Staal, McDonagh, and Del Zotto looked like they just wanted to get off the ice. 


-That being said, the Rangers out-hustled and generally out-toughed the Devils the entire second period and much of the third. Prust and Gaborik were both pure hustle goals while Callahan scored on a very gritty Rangers attack. 


-That being said(2), I think the Devils are just better at this point. All their goals felt like sure things, and some of their passes in the neutral zone are just really pretty. It looked like the Rangers just didn't have an answer for some Devils attacks. 


-The "Marty" cheer after NYR tied it up was absolutely deafening. Deafening. And pretty cool, too. With all the NYR towels waving toward him it almost looked like the stadium was just collapsing in on him. And the guy deserved it -- he was awful. As bad as Lundqvist looks from the box score (4 goals on 16 shots) Brodeur looked worse based on the chances he faced. 


All in all, I'd put my money on the Devils at this point. The Rangers seem like the deeper, more athletic squad and they definitely have the better goalie, but the Devils have a much more purposeful offensive attack and what looks like more reliable pieces up and down the roster. The Rangers might have some magic left but it's tough for me to see this Devils team losing twice in a row now.