Hockey

[shadows]

Ila, there may be a little bit of a battle going on with your team!This is from tsn.ca.

REPORT: CANADIENS' MARKOV CALLS OUT PRICE AFTER LOSS TO BLUES

Things may not be well in the Montreal Canadiens' dressing room with a report that Andrei Markov and Carey Price had words following their 4-3 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues last Wednesday.

According to the TEAM990 radio in Montreal, Markov approached the goaltender after the 4-3 loss in overtime and told him "If you are not going to play with heart, stay home. We don't need you here."

The radio station's account also stated the dressing room was split with some players coming to Price's defence and others siding with Markov.

The Canadiens had no comment on the report.

Price is expected to get the start against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday night. The 22-year-old has a 11-16-4 record with a 2.73 GAA and .913 save percentage this season.

Personally, I don't think that the goaltending is the problem for the majority of Montreal's losses. Scoring 1 or 2 goals or getting just 17-20 shots is the main culprit. Prices stats aren't horrible by any means. Our goaltending is weak, not Montreal's. That being said, our defense is quite porous at times and leave the goaltenders out to hang in the wind. That is a problem that Montreal suffers from time to time as well.

Maybe Markov should look at his glass house that he lives in before casting stones.

This could all be a fake rumour for all we know. It would not be the first time that the media has embellished something.

[shadows]

Here are the scores from Jan 27th's games:

1. Buffalo beat New Jersey 2-1 in the shootout. Not a good start for hockey fans of this forum. The second game in a row that the Devils did not have any offense. It seems to be a trend this year. Perhaps it would be better for them if Brodeur did not get any more shutouts this season as they seem to taper off after he gets one. New Jersey outshot Buffalo 40-32 so at least there were chances.

2. Carolina beat the Rangers 5-1. Talk about no offense. The Rangers could only get 1 puck in the net yet again. They are horrible! Gaborik was pointless yet again since volunteering to donate his teeth to science a few games ago!

3. Washington beat Anaheim 5-1. This was tied up 1-1 at one point, I went to do something real quick, and then it was 4-1 for Washington! One thing you have to say about Washington is that they are an offensive threat no matter what. If you give them a chance, the floodgates can open up and then it's curtains for you!

4. Another bad night for the hockey fans of this forum. Tampa Bay beat Montreal 3-0. Montreal outshot Tampa Bay 33-30 but they just couldn't seem to get anything going. The first and third period were relatively quiet but a lot of shenanigans happened in the second. Lots of penalties(including two 10minute misconducts) happened at 9:51.

5. Minnesota beat Detroit 5-2. This game was tied 2-2 at one point, and then it all came crashing down for the Red Wings. The main reason Minnesota won this game is that Chris Osgood was in net(first time in quite a few games...now you know why!) and he sucked a lemon yet again. I cannot determine who is worse out of the two, Toskala or Osgood. Yuck!

6. Dallas beat Calgary 4-3 in the shootout. While it should be noted that this was Calgary's 8th loss in a row(and Iginla finally scored a goal in 12 games), the main story is that Calgary blew a 3-1 lead that led to the loss. They are playing some pretty bad hockey right now.

7. Vancouver beat St. Louis 3-2. While Calgary has lost 8 in a row, Vancouver has won 6 in a row. They have now vaulted into 3rd place in the Western Conference with 68 points(only Chicago with 76 and San Jose with 78 are ahead of them)! They are playing some great hockey! I remember at the start of the season they kept winning a game or two, then losing a game or two. How the season can change as it wears on!

[dauls]

Originally Posted by shadows

Here is a post I have to make. Believe it or not, Patrice Cormier is appealing his suspension rather than taking it like a man. Gutless. He (and his team) are calling it too "excessive". Excessive? What the are they talking about? The only thing excessive about all this was his elbow! I hope they turn around and give him a longer suspension now!

The article is below and it is from tsn.ca.

HUSKIES PLAN TO APPEAL CORMIER'S SEASON-LONG SUSPENSION

Patrice Cormier will not accept his suspension by the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League after all.
/~/
No date for a hearing has been set and Cormier will remain suspended during the appeal process.

A few aspects of this story stand out for me.

"It is not yet known when or even if Tam will return to play."

"The decision to appeal was greeted with loud applause from Huskies fans present at the event."

Andr? Tourigny, the coach & GM of the Huskies said, "...we were fully conscious that this act deserved a severe sanction. From our point of view, the sanction the QMJHL imposed yesterday is not severe, it is excessive."

Up to a 48 games suspension is nothing compared to Tam potentially never playing hockey again. How excessive a 'punishment' is that for Tam just for being a victim of a cowardly assault?

Perhaps Cormier's suspension should have been for twice the length of time Tam was kept out of the game by his injuries.

The attitude of the Huskies fans to applaud the decision to appeal the suspension is bad for the reputation of hockey. A bunch of fg aholes.

Since Cormier will remain suspended during the appeal process, maybe the QMJHL can make his appeal last for at least a couple of years.

Originally Posted by ila

This is true bull. It was a deliberate premeditated hit. Cormier is lucky that I don't have a say in his punishment or he would be sitting in a jail cell right now for assault. His intent was to injure Tam and he used a weapon that he knew would accomplish long lasting effects. He is a coward and his team management are cowards. I have no respect whatsoever for him nor for his team. I hope the QPP investigation results in charges of assault against Cormier.

Play hockey dammit. Don't assault players and quit whining!!!!!!

Yes, I'm pissed. I'm more than pissed really. It's goons like Cormier and the gutless management of his team that are ruining hockey.

I agree Cormier must face criminal charges for this assault. Players get away with violence inside the game too often.


Clampdown on violence in Rugby Union

Recently an independent judicial officer handed David Attoub (of Stade Francais, a French Rugby Union Club) a 70-week ban for eye gouging in a Heikeken Cup defeat by Ulster.

The ban means Attoub will not be available to play again until April 22, 2011.

His team-mate Julien Dupuy was handed a 24-week ban, reduced to 23 on appeal, for his role in the incident.

Attoub's 70-week suspension is the second heaviest eye gouging ban ever handed out. And falls in line with an increasingly tough stance against gouging within Rugby Union, following the outrage over the 8-week ban handed to South Africa flanker Schalk Burger for his gouging of British and Irish Lions wing Luke Fitzgerald during 2009's second Test in Pretoria.

As expected Attoub has made an appeal against this ban.

The independent judicial officer who imposed the suspension, described it as "the worst act of contact with the eyes I have had to deal with".

[dauls]

Originally Posted by shadows

Here are the scores from Jan 26th's games:

6. Ottawa beat New Jersey 3-0. What is with the Devils not being able to score lately? Not a good night for anyone on the team, Brodeur included. New Jersey outshot Ottawa 24-18 which would make for quite a boring game to watch. Plus, Ottawa scored 3 goals off 18 shots which shows that Brodeur was not overly sharp. Lately, it seems that the Devils are either getting shutout victories or losing by getting shutout. It is puzzling to say the least.

Originally Posted by shadows

Here are the scores from Jan 27th's games:

1. Buffalo beat New Jersey 2-1 in the shootout. Not a good start for hockey fans of this forum. The second game in a row that the Devils did not have any offense. It seems to be a trend this year. Perhaps it would be better for them if Brodeur did not get any more shutouts this season as they seem to taper off after he gets one. New Jersey outshot Buffalo 40-32 so at least there were chances.

aaarg.gifMore Devils blowing hot and cold.

Conceding 3 goals from 18 shots against Ottawa is typical of their recent form. Followed by conceding just 1 from 32 against the Sabres.

I suppose this must have been what Lemaire was referring to when he said, "he was a little concerned," and "could see the team slipping a bit," following the Devils disastrous 4-0 shutout by the Islanders earlier in January.

ranting2.gifThe Devils just aren't scoring enough. They've scored 33 fewer than the Penguins, 16 fewer than the Flyers and the Caps have out scored the Devils by 68 goals. Even the Leafs are outscoring the Devils (142 to 139).eek_animated.gif

This offensive form won't see the Devils go far in the postseason.

[ila]

Originally Posted by shadows

Ila, there may be a little bit of a battle going on with your team!This is from tsn.ca.

REPORT: CANADIENS' MARKOV CALLS OUT PRICE AFTER LOSS TO BLUES.....

I finally found an article on it in the newspaper. Apparently the intial report came from an anonymous reporter so I don't put too much reliability in the story.

Today's article stated that there are no hard feelings between Markov and Price. Quite possibly there was an exchange between the two of them. If so it was probably borne out of frustration from losing two games that they should have won, espcially considering that last week they had two really good games.

The article went on to state that after the Canadiens' last practice Price gave a bearhug to Markov. Whatever happened there doesn't appear to be a rift in the team. Perhaps the whole controversy was wishful speculation from someone that doesn't like the Habs.

[smc]

I am quickly coming to the realization that a regular report of "professional" hockey should probably not include the Bruins.

[shadows]

Originally Posted by smc

I am quickly coming to the realization that a regular report of "professional" hockey should probably not include the Bruins.

I think we should drown our sorrows. Drink up, my friend! drink1.gif

I guess I can be happy that the Leafs came back from a 4-2 deficit and were able to get a point....but I won't be. They are really irritating me right now. Getting a penalty in overtime? WTF?!?!?!

[shadows]

Here are the scores from Jan 28th's games:

1. Atlanta beat Philadelphia 4-3. This was not a good game for the Flyers. They had a 3-1 lead and then it all fell apart in the third period. Emery gave up 3 goals off 8 shots in the third. Probably just a minor bump in the road for them, but they should be careful not to fall in the same pit they were in earlier in the season.

2. Ottawa beat Pittsburgh 4-1. I guess this really isn't surprising any more. Pittsburgh has been decidedly average for a while now, and Ottawa has now won 8 games in a row(tied a franchise record). Spezza scored a goal again, and now has 1 in each of the three games he has been back from injury. Can they keep it up? I cannot honestly see this Ottawa team making a serious run for the Cup this year, but at least they are playing well and giving their fans something to cheer about.

3. Carolina beat the Islanders 4-1. Don't look now, but Carolina is only 2 points back of Toronto(this is including Toronto's point from Friday's game)! Looks like it is basement time for us! Yay.

4. LA beat Columbus 4-1. There are a lot of 4-1 scores this evening! Anze Kopitar(the guy's picture at nhl.com makes him look like he is a serial killer!) scored 2 goals in the victory which gave him his 100th of his career(his second was the 101st). He should be a good player for the Kings for a long, long time.

5. Minnesota beat Colorado 1-0. This was less than 5 minutes away from going to overtime, but thankfully they scored in regulation. Havlat scored his 11th goal of the season. To say that he is having a dissapointing season for the Wild is a huge understatement, especially with the way he played for Chicago last season.

6. Phoenix beat Calgary 3-2 in the shootout. This is Calgary's 9th loss in a row. They are reeling, and on a night where they come back from 2-0 their offense fizzles yet again when it counts the most. I don't forsee Sutter being head coach for much longer if this keeps up(I wish the same could be said for Ron Wilson, but Burke says he is "as safe as the gold in Fort Knox". That doesn't really make me happy to hear that.

7. Speaking of long losing streaks...St. Louis beat Edmonton 2-1. Not much to say about this except that this is Edmonton's 12th loss in a row. That is downright ugly!

8. Chicago beat San Jose 4-3 in overtime. This game pretty much lived up to the hype. Two of the best teams in the league right now going at it toe-to-toe! Chicago had a 3-0 lead at one point, and then San Jose came storming back! Chicago luckily was able to squeak away with the victory. Chicago outshot San Jose(San Jose getting outshot rarely happens) 39-37.

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Here are the scores from Jan 29th's games:

1. Oh, what new level of Hell am I witnessing now? New Jersey beat Toronto 5-4 in overtime. Toronto came back from down 4-2 and looked to have the momentum going into overtime(New Jersey totally outplayed the Leafs in the first and second period and then it was all Toronto in the third), but they decided to fall flat on their face...again. Luke Schenn took a stupid hooking penalty and that was all she wrote(since we all know that the Leaf's Penalty Kill is a freaking joke!). Zach Parise had 2 goals and 2 assists.

I am sure that dauls cannot be too happy with the way his team played tonight even with them winning.

2. Washington beat Florida 4-1. Mike Green had two incidents occur. The first was him hitting an elbow to someone's head(he got a 2 minute elbowing penalty) and then he got hit with a knee-on-knee later on in the game. The Capitals are saying that he is not seriously injured(could play in Sunday's game if he is not suspended for the elbow). He may be looking at a suspension for the elbow. Knowing that he is a star, he may get a more lenient suspension than perhaps a "plugger" would get.

3. Buffalo beat Boston 2-1. Want a scary fact? Toronto is only 9 points behind Boston now. Theoretically, if Boston were to end up in second last place at the end of the year(not saying this will happen of course) they could end up with the 1st and 2nd picks in this year's draft(thanks to the Leafs)!

4. Anaheim beat Tampa Bay 2-1 in a real humdinger of a shootout.

5. Detroit beat Nashville 4-2. Despite being badly outshot(48-29), Detroit was able to claim the victory. Lidstrom is heating up right now, and he had a goal and an assist.

6. Dallas beat Colorado 3-2. This was Colorado's 2nd loss in a row.

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Games that matter for us hockey fans tonight(Jan 30th):

1. Philadelphia VS the Islanders

2. Toronto VS Vancouver(oh great!)

3. Boston VS LA

4. Montreal VS Ottawa

Except for Jennifer, we will probably be a little worried. The opponents of our teams are all playing very well right now!

[shadows]

Well, it looks like my predictions about the games were correct. The only team that won(that matter for us here) was Philadelphia. Toronto found yet another way to lose. I need some love...but I will settle for a hug.

Here are the *sigh* scores for Jan 30th's games:

1. Philadelphia beat the Islanders 2-1. A closer game than I thought it would be, especially since Roloson was in net. Philly scored both their goals in the first period and then tried to protect their lead. They gave up a goal in the second period, but were able to prevent the Islanders from getting any more. I am sure that Jen is happy. This is all the joy us TLB folks will enjoy from this night of hockey.

2. Ottawa beat Montreal 3-2 in overtime. Not a good game for Montreal. They had to play from behind yet again. They were able to tie it up at 2 after being down 2-0, but they fell short in overtime again. Hal Gill took an absolutely idiotic penalty which pretty well cost them the game. True, Spezza took a penalty later in O/T but that doesn't really help too much. I believe that Ottawa scored the first ever 3-on-3 goal in the history of the NHL.

Some potential bad news on the injury front for Montreal as well. Mike Cammalleri was injured in this game, and they won't know the extent of his injury until Sunday. If they lose Cammalleri they are in a LOT of trouble, as he is their leading scorer. Another injury happened to Ottawa. Mike Foligno broke his leg blocking a shot. Ouch!

3. LA beat Boston 3-2 in the shootout. Boston's freefall continues. Some unruly behaviour in the second period led to a slew of penalties. Boston capitalized with a goal, but that is all they got in that period. Savard got his second point in his second game back from a lengthy injury, but he was not able to get Boston to shake their scoring slump. Boston got a point out of this loss, but it is probably a point that is hard to swallow for Boston fans.

4. Vancouver beat Toronto 5-3. What can I say? What do I want to say? I want to let loose with a whole lot of profanity, but that won't make a lick of difference. Toronto had a 3-0 lead after the first period. Do you know what I thought when I saw that? I thought "Toronto is going to lose this game. I just know it." And I was right! Arggghhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!! Carolina has now passed Toronto in the standings. Just lovely.

At least Edmonton is sucking even more than Toronto, so we aren't in last place for the entire league...yet.

5. Carolina beat Chicago 4-2. And this is why Carolina went past Toronto. They won when they had to(against a tough team!), and they got it done even though they were outshot 41-24. Hossa had a goal and an assist. I wonder if the limo incident(Kane and two other players were allegedly in a limo with two girls and had pictures taken with them. The players did not wear shirts.) had anything to do with this loss? Perhaps this distracted the Blackhawks?

6. Columbus beat St. Louis 3-2 in overtime. I would like to say that I care about this game, but I do not wish to lie. I don't care about this game.

7. Nashville beat Atlanta 4-3. Jason Arnott scored the winner for the Predators just 7 seconds into the third period.

8. Phoenix beat the Rangers 3-2. This was a battle of the back-up goalies. Phoenix had a 3-0 lead until the third, and then they let their foot off the gas. The Rangers scored two goals, but as is the case many times for them this season, they did not score enough. They have a very poor offense.

9. Calgary beat Edmonton 6-1. I can almost guarantee that Calgary saw this game and licked their chops with anticipation. They had a 9 game losing streak and they could almost be certain that playing against Edmonton would stop that streak. Edmonton has now lost 13 in a row. Bad, putrid, ugly, you name it, that pretty much describes the Oilers right now.

10. San Jose beat Minnesota 5-2. Dan Boyle(defenseman for San Jose) missed his 4th game in a row with an undisclosed injury.

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Mike Green of the Washington Capitals was suspended for 3 games for his elbow to the head of a Florida player Friday night. This was almost a given, especially with the vicious elbow that Patrice Cormier was suspended for(and is currently appealing). Boudreau(Washington head coach) complained that he saw no reason why he should be suspended(he never does...his players do no wrong apparently) but Green's teammate(and NHLPA representative) Brooks Laich said that hits to the head need to be punished so obviously it was a hit that deserved a suspension. Some of the head coaches in the NHL need to give their heads a shake and realize that they need to tell their players to stop with the head shots. If the head coaches basically do not hold their players accountable(by saying that they think the player did not deserve to be suspended, for example), then why would the players care about whether or not they hit someone in the head. Sheesh.

[shadows]

I have a couple of trades to post about, and then I will post the scores.

The first one occured on Sunday Jan 31st. The Leafs and Flames did a big trade, and then Toronto made another trade with Anaheim.

Going to Toronto: Dion Phaneuf(Cal), Fredrik Sjostrom(Cal), Keith Aulie, Jean-Sebastien Giguere(Ana).

Going to Calgary: Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman, Jamal Mayers, and Ian White.

Going to Anaheim: Vesa Toskala and Jason Blake

I hope this will help Toronto in the long run, and having Giguere may be the tonic to help the Monster develop into the good goaltender that the Toronto brass believe him to be. If Phaneuf can revert back to his good play from a couple of years ago, he will help us immensely.

Whether losing so much of our goal-scoring will hurt us remains to be seen.

Here is an article, from tsn.ca, talking more about the trades.

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FLAMES TRADE D PHANEUF TO MAPLE LEAFS IN SEVEN-PLAYER DEAL

Two teams in dire need of a shakeup have done just that.

The Calgary Flames have traded defenceman Dion Phaneuf, forward Fredrik Sjostrom, and prospect defenceman Keith Aulie to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for forwards Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman, Jamal Mayers and defenceman Ian White.

The Maple Leafs and Flames have been working on the components of this blockbuster for a week to ten days, but sources say the details of the deal didn't fall into place until late last night.

"[Phaneuf] is a warrior. He's got a cannon for a shot," explained Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke on Sunday. "He plays the game hard and I want players who play the game hard because they're hard to play against."

The former all-star defenceman was emotional when he told reporters that he was caught off guard by news of the trade.

"It was definitely a shock, but I'm very excited about going to Toronto and being a Maple Leaf.

''The toughest part is saying goodbye to your buddies,'' he said. ''It was a great four-and-a-half years in Calgary. But it's part of the business.

''It's a cliche, if Wayne Gretzky can get traded anyone can get traded," he said. "I was very surprised, but on the other hand I'm very excited to be going to the biggest hockey market in the world.''

Phaneuf and Sjostrom will arrive in Toronto on Sunday night and will skate with the team on Monday. Aulie will join the AHL Toronto Marlies on Monday.

''It's a fresh start for me now, and I'm looking forward to going to Toronto and hopefully making an impact there,'' Sjostrom said.

Flames general manager Brent Sutter said that seeing both Phaneuf and Sjostrom leave town was tough, but he was looking forward to the players that were coming in.

''I have a lot of respect for Dion, but this is part of the business,'' Sutter said. ''It happens at times, and it's happened here.

''It's tough to see Freddy leaving too because he had a roll on our team, but we're getting some established players right now that bring us some needs that we can use.''

Phaneuf has two goals over his last three games and is signed through the 2013-14 season ($6.5 million per). He had 18:49 TOI last night, only the third time this month he's been under 20 minutes in a game. The big defenceman has 10 goals and 12 assists to go with a minus-3 rating over his 55 games.

Sjostrom has played 46 games with one goal and five assists for Calgary this season. Aulie was drafted in the fourth round, 116th overall of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. The six-foot-six defenceman had spent this season with the Abbotsford Heat of the AHL.

Hagman has 20 goals and 13 assists, while Stajan has 16 goals and 25 assists, each over 55 games this season. Both players have a minus-3 rating. Mayers had expressed interest in being traded earlier in January. He had two goals, six assists and 78 penalty minutes over his 44 games with the Maple Leafs this season. White had nine goals, 17 assists and a plus-1 rating over his 56 games.

Burke admitted the loss of Stajan and Hagman would leave a hole in the Maple Leaf attack, but explained that acquiring Phaneuf was too good an opportunity to pass up.

"It takes some offence out of our lineup and that's the next question ... who replaces that offence we lost today, but it puts a major weapon on the blueline and makes us much more difficult to play."

Since he entered the NHL in the 2005-06 season Phaneuf is tops among defenceman with 75 goals (2nd Sheldon Souray - 68), power-play goals with 48 (2nd Zdeno Chara - 41), game-winning goals with 21 (2nd Dan Boyle - 15) and shots at 1,150 (2nd Chara - 992) over that span.

In addition, Phaneuf (48) ranks second to Paul Coffey (50) in power-play goals by a defenceman over the first five seasons of their career and he is tied with Denis Potvin for game-winning goals (21) over the same span.

The Flames were mired in their worst slump (0-6-3) since an 11-game losing streak in 1986 before getting on the winning side of the tracks on Saturday night with a 6-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in the Battle of Alberta.

The Maple Leafs are coming off a dramatic loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday evening, giving up a three-goal first period lead before falling 5-3. With the loss, coupled with Carolina's 4-2 victory over Chicago, Toronto now sits 29th in the NHL standings. The Hurricanes and Leafs are tied in points with 45 but Carolina is ahead because of more wins.

The Maple Leafs also acquired veteran goaltender Jean-Sebastien from the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday. In exchange, the Leafs shipped netminder Vesa Toskala and veteran forward Jason Blake to the Ducks.

[dauls]

Originally Posted by shadows

...scores from Jan 29th's games:

1. Oh, what new level of Hell am I witnessing now? New Jersey beat Toronto 5-4 in overtime. Toronto came back from down 4-2 and looked to have the momentum going into overtime(New Jersey totally outplayed the Leafs in the first and second period and then it was all Toronto in the third), but they decided to fall flat on their face...again. Luke Schenn took a stupid hooking penalty and that was all she wrote(since we all know that the Leaf's Penalty Kill is a freaking joke!). Zach Parise had 2 goals and 2 assists.

I am sure that dauls cannot be too happy with the way his team played tonight even with them winning.

shadows, this game was just typical for the way the Devils had been playing in 2010. Little did I know worse was yet to come.
I'm glad ESPN-UK haven't been showing them.

Originally Posted by shadows

...scores from Jan 31st's games:

4. LA beat New Jersey 3-2. The Devils, as they have done so many times in recent games, blew the lead. They had a 2-0 lead in this one and coughed it up in the last two minutes of the game(it actually reminded me of the playoff game last season against Carolina that eliminated the Devils). LA tied it up at 18:14 of the third and won it at 19:32 of the third(on a Power Play, no less!). Andy Greene is the one wearing goat-horns for this loss.

...scores from Feb 2nd's games:

2. Toronto beat New Jersey 3-0. A pretty good debut for Giguere, especially since the Devils are a very good team(recent struggles notwithstanding)! He made 30 saves for the shutout, and Phaneuf was +1 for the night, with a fight against Colin White to add to his total. While dauls is no doubt rightfully pissed off that his team lost, I am glad that Toronto played so well. They have had so many crap moments the past couple of weeks that I was getting sick and tired of it all. I am glad they made me happy again! Happy dance for ME!

Giving up a 2-0 lead to the Kings and then being blanked by the Leafs. Looks like February is going to be as bad for the Devils as January was.

A record of 3-6-1 in the last 10 games. Unless they improve it looks like the Devils are going to have a short postseason this year.