Devils On Brink of Ending Flyers' Season

HAPPY 40th MARTY!

On the night of Martin Brodeur's 40th birthday, not only did the Los angeles Kings defeat of the St. Louis Blues, bringing them to the Western Conference Finals, but the Devils inched one win closer to the Eastern Conference Finals. With a 1-1 series score between Philadelphia and New Jersey, the teams traveled the small distance to Newark, NJ from Philadelphia, PA. The distance may be small on a map, but could not have been larger in the heated Eastern Conference Semi-Final series. The Devils took both games at home with authority, giving themselves control of the series and forcing the Flyers' backs to the walls.

In game four at the Prudential Center in Newark, the Flyers seemed as though they had set the pace of the game early once again. The Devils, just like every other early scare this series, did not back down. The 2-0 Philly lead late in the first period was met with two goals from Jersey. Both teams had scored both of their goals within three minutes apart from their last. At the end of one period, the crowd was satisfied once again, and the game was even at two goals a piece.

The Devils' Forecheck came alive and was at it's best in the second period. New Jersey's forecheck, led by Zach Parise, had given them a controlling pace of the game, more offensive pressure, and a leading 32-12 in shots after two periods of play. In doing so, Devils' Dainius Zubrus scored with under four minutes to play in the period. As the twenty minutes winded down, Flyers' superstar Claude Giroux took a penalty for an illegal hit to the head of Zubrus. Not only did that induce a penalty, but after the game he received a one-game ban by NHL Senior Vice President of Player Safety, Brendan Shanahan. The Devils led 3-2 after two.


The Third period was comfortable for Devils' fans for the most part, but for a time the Devils were playing back and giving too much room for the Flyers' offense to work. That has been a Devils' killer this year. Sitting back has been more deadly than helpful for the team in the 2011-2012 season. Although, with that being said, New Jersey did a great job staying out of the penalty box during the second and third periods, with no visits. With 45 seconds left in the game, it was only suiting for the Devils that Dainius Zubrus netted the empty netter, crushing Giroux's and the Flyers' hopes of tying the series at two games.

The Devils fired a blistering 43 shots, unmatched by the Flyers' 22. All Brodeur needed to do was play his game. Allowing only two goals, Brodeur once again put the Devils in a good position to win the game, where they did 4-2. The Devils have been FIRE ON ICE!