Schwei's Devils Notes: Recent Skid, Blandisi's Hot Streak And More
By John Schweibacher
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The New Jersey Devils have dropped three in a row for the first time since early January as they battle for a playoff spot in the tight Eastern Conference race.
The Devils lost to the Rangers, 2-1, Monday night at Madison Square Garden, as the two rivals split their two games against each other this past week.
Henrik Lundqvist got the win, his first in three games against New Jersey this season. The Elias Sports Bureau notes that Lundqvist now has 34 regular-season wins against the Devils, the highest win total against one team by any active NHL goaltender.
It also matches the most wins that any Rangers goaltender has posted against one team over the last 50 seasons. Ed Giacomin registered 34 wins vs. the Detroit Red Wings during the 11 seasons he played for the Rangers (1965-66 to 1975-76).
New Jersey was beaten by Washington, 3-2, in the shootout Saturday afternoon at the Prudential Center. Joseph Blandisi continued his impressive play, scoring a power play goal early in the third period to tie the game 1-1 and assisting on Adam Henrique's goal, which gave New Jersey a 2-1 lead.
Blandisi collected 10 points in 10 games for the Devils from Jan. 12 through this past Saturday (three goals, seven assists), tying Lee Stempniak for the team scoring lead over that stretch.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Blandisi is the first Devils rookie to average at least one point per game over a 10-game stretch in one season since Adam Henrique did so in December 2011.
The Capitals' shootout victory was their first ever against the Devils in the seven all-time between the two clubs since the tie-breaker was introduced in the NHL for the 2005-06 season. Here are the Devils' best records against opponents they have faced in at least six shootouts:
• Philadelphia 7-1
• Washington 6-1
• Tampa Bay 5-2
• Ottawa 5-3
The Maple Leafs rallied for a 3-2 shootout win over the Devils in Toronto on Thursday. New Jersey has lost each of its last four road shootouts against the Leafs, including the one earlier this season by the same 3-2 score back on Dec. 8.
New Jersey is now 2-9 all-time in shootouts against the Maple Leafs. Here are the Devils' worst records against opponents they have faced in at least six shootouts:
• Toronto 2-9
• NY Islanders 3-7
• Buffalo 5-7
• NY Rangers 5-5
Lee Stempniak and David Schlemko both scored power play goals for the Devils in their 3-2 win over the Rangers in Newark on Feb. 2 as they resumed play following the All-Star Game.
New Jersey also scored a pair of power play goals in its last home game before the break, a 6-3 victory against Ottawa on Jan. 21 with Joseph Blandisi and Kyle Palmieri each scoring with the man advantage.
The Elias Sports Bureau noted that it was only the second time since 2007 that the Devils have scored multiple power play goals in each of two consecutive home games. The other instance was Feb. 7 and Feb. 9, 2013, with two power play goals in their wins over the Lightning and the Penguins at Prudential Center.
Plus/Minus:
Plus: Penalty Killing. New Jersey was 5-for-5 on the penalty kill in Monday night's loss and went 16-for-16 over four games this past week.
Minus: Shootouts. New Jersey's two shootout losses this past week dropped its overall record in the tiebreaker to 9-33 since the start of the 2012-13 season, the worst mark in the NHL over that span.
