Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Devils’ 2012-13 telecast schedule

MSG Network announced today its telecast schedule for Devils games during the 2012-13 regular season.

MSG Networks will carry 41 of the Devils’ 48 games. The other seven will be on NBC or NBCSN. The Devils open the season at 7 p.m. Saturday against the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum. The Devils’ telecast of that game will be carried on MSG Plus2.

Steve Cangialosi returns for his second season as the Devils play-by-play announcer and will be joined by game analyst Glenn ‘Chico’ Resch, who is back for his 17th season in the Devils’ broadcast booth. Deb Placey returns as host and reporter and will be joined during each telecast by analyst Ken Daneyko.

Devils’ game telecasts will be preceded by the 30-minute “Visa Devils Game Night” pregame show and immediately followed by the “Devils Postgame Show.” “Hockey Night Live,” MSG Networks’ weekly comprehensive hockey show, will follow Saturday night games throughout the season.

Click below to see the Devils’ complete telecast schedule.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Josefson enjoyed return to practice; Butler getting a chance; Zubrus taking Matteau under his wing

Devils center Jacob Josefson was excited to practice today after sitting out the first two days of training camp with what he said was a sore foot.

“I felt good,” he said. “It was a lot of fun out there in practice. I enjoyed it.”

Josefson also missed the last two games with Albany in the AHL before he was called up Sunday after the NHL lockout was officially over. He said he was struck in the foot with a shot in practice (I had been told he had a sore knee).

“It was no big deal,” Josefson said. “We just wanted to get the swelling down a little bit.”

Josefson took part in the drills during the first half of today’s practice, but was held out of the 5-on-5 scrimmage in the second half.

“He looked good,” Devils coach Pete DeBoer said. “I think he could have scrimmaged. We just held him out. I’m sure he will (take part in the scrimmage) tomorrow.”

Josefson definitely wants to play in Wednesday’s scrimmage with Albany.

“If I have any say in it, I will,” he said.

When everyone is healthy, it appears Josefson will be slotted as the Devils’ third-line center. He ranked second on Albany with 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) in 30 games.

Josefson, who will turn 22 on March 2, felt it was important for him to get that experience in the AHL after missing much of the last two seasons because of injuries (detached thumb ligament, broken collarbone, fractured wrist).

“I’ve been injured a lot the last few years and I need to play some games,” he said. “For me, it was good to be down there and play a lot of minutes, play in a lot of situations. I feel I got to take a lot of responsibility and be on the ice in important situations, so that helps you to grow as a player.”

Devils looking forward to Kovalchuk’s return; DeBoer “pretty close” to selecting captain

Ilya Kovalchuk was to fly back to New Jersey from Russia and be at Prudential Center Wednesday for the Devils’ scrimmage with Albany.

Devils coach Pete DeBoer wasn’t sure today if Kovalchuk will take part in the scrimmage, which is scheduled for 2 p.m., but is hoping he will.

“I don’t know. I’ll talk to him when he gets here. I don’t see why not as long as he’s here on time.”
Kovalchuk’s return from playing in the KHL during the lockout will spur talk about the Devils naming a captain. DeBoer said Sunday he will “probably” name a captain before Saturday’s regular season opener against the Islanders, but said today again that he’s yet to make a final decision on who will get the C.

“We’ve had some good discussions,” DeBoer said. “I’m pretty close.”

The Devils named Zach Parise as their captain three days before their 2011-12 season opener. With Parise departing for Minnesota via free agency, Kovalchuk is one of the obvious candidates to replace him, but not the only one.

“I think we’ve got a lot of candidates in that room and Kovy’s definitely one of them,” DeBoer said. “Whoever we decide is going to wear C, in my mind, that room is filled with leaders. Even last year, the guys that had the C’s and the A’s on were a small part of the leadership group including the (Martin) Brodeurs of the world and the (Johan) Hedbergs and on and on.”

Other candidates include Patrik Elias, an alternate captain the last five seasons who served as Devils’ captain in 2006-07 before being stripped of the C by then head coach Brent Sutter.

Elias says he’s satisfied being an alternate captain, however, and doesn’t believe he’ll be asked to wear the C again.

“I don’t think they will,” he said. “And it’s not even on my mind. I’m fine with whatever position I’m in.”

Bryce Salvador is the clear leader on the defense, but also believes he’ll “probably not” be captain.

“I think either Patty or Kovy would be good choices,” Salvador said. “They’ve both had the C in the past and have both led teams. So, I think it will probably be either one of those two guys.”

Josefson practicing today after sitting out the first two days of Devils’ training camp

Devils center Jacob Josefson is on the ice for practice today after sitting out the first two days of training camp with a lower-body injury (believed to be a sore knee).

The Devils have been playing it safe with Josefson, who played for Albany in the AHL during the lockout and doesn’t have to worry about getting in game shape.

Josefson. 21, ranked second on Albany with 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) in 30 AHL games. He is skating on the “fifth line” today with Krys Barch, Tim Sestito and Harri Pesonen.

Otherwise, the line combinations are the same as the first two days of camp.

Ilya Kovalchuk (flying back from Russia today and Adam Henrique (recovering from thumb surgery) are the only players on the Devils’ camp roster not practicing today.

As on the first two days of camp, the Devils did drills for about 40-45 minutes, had the Zamboni resurface and then came back to do some 5-on-5 scrimmaging. They are the scrimmaging will help them get up to game speed in time for Saturday’s opener against the Islanders. The team is bringing in the team from Albany Wednesday for a scrimmage.

Josefson took part in the first half of the practice with the drills, but did not scrimmage.

After scrimmaging, the Devils did some work on the power play for the first time in camp. With Kovalchuk not here, Marek Zidlicky and Peter Harrold manned the points on the first power-play unit with Patrik Elias, David Clarkson and Bobby Butler up front.

The second unit had Henrik Tallinder and Andy Greene on the points with Travis Zajac, Dainius Zubrus and Steve Bernier up front.

New assistant coach Matt Shaw (formerly with San Jose) is in charge of the power play this season after Adam Oates (now head coach in Washington) ran it the last two seasons.

Here is the breakdown of players on the ice today

Forwards: Mathieu Darche-Travis Zajac-Bobby Butler; Mattias Tedenby-Patrik Elias-Steve Bernier; Stefan Matteau-Dainius Zubrus -David Clarkson; Ryan Carter-Stephen Gionta-Cam Janssen; Krys Barch-Jacob Josefson/Tim Sestito-Harri Pesonen.

Defensemen: Bryce Salvador-Marek Zidlicky; Anton Volchenkov-Peter Harrold;  Henrik Tallinder-Adam Larsson, Andy Greene-Mark Fayne.

Goaltenders: Martin Brodeur, Johan Hedberg.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Devils play it safe with Josefson; AHL experience good for Larsson; Seamless transition for coaches

Devils coach Pete DeBoer and general manager Lou Lamoriello said they held center Jacob Josefson out of practice today as a precaution, but he will likely be back on the ice Tuesday.

Josefson has been nursing a lower-body injury (believed to be a sore knee) that kept him out of his final two games with Albany before he was recalled on Sunday after the NHL lockout officially ended.

“I expect he will probably be on the ice tomorrow,” DeBoer said.

The Devils know they can play it safe with Josefson this week because he has been playing in Albany all season and doesn’t need to worry about getting in game shape before Saturday’s opener against the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum.

DeBoer said he has no doubt Josefson will be able to play Saturday.

“He probably could have (skated today), but no sense rushing it right now,” DeBoer said. “He’s a guy that’s been playing all year, so we’re just being a little safe.”

***
As a rookie in 2011-12, defenseman Adam Larsson spent the entire season in the NHL, learning the ropes and putting up two goals and 16 assists in 65 regular season games. Although the NHL was locked out until Sunday, Larsson was able to continue his development playing with Albany in the AHL. The 20-year-old defenseman had four goals (two on the power play) and 15 assists with 24 penalty minutes and a minus-1 defensive rating in 33 games with Albany.

Larsson believes he gained “a lot” playing regularly and playing a lot of minutes in all situations for Albany.

“I’ve been stronger, I’ve been faster,” he said. “It’s a different type of play down there. There’s not a lot of system and it can be hard some games. You never know. You can get three guys on you. That’s probably the biggest difference compared to here and I think that’s a good experience to have. It’s been very helpful for me. It’s been fun

Matteau hopes to impress Devils; DeBoer: “He looks to me like he’s going to be an NHL player”

Stefan Matteau didn’t know he’d be attending training camp with the Devils until Friday night after his QMJHL game with Blainville-Boisbriand in Halifax.

It was, obviously, welcome news for the Devils’ 2012 first-round draft pick but also a bit of a surprise.

“I was surprised a little bit,” he said today.  “It was such last second. They don’t have a lot of guys here, but I’m going to make the most of it.”

So far, through the first two days of this lockout-shortened camp, Matteau is holding his own skating at left wing on a line with Dainius Zubrus and David Clarkson.

“He looks to me like he’s going to be an NHL player and it’s just a matter of when,” Devils coach Pete DeBoer said today.

Devils GM Lou Lamoriello hinted Sunday that Matteau, the son of former Ranger Stephane Matteau, is here more so the coaches and management can see how far he’s progressed as a player since they last saw him at the team’s prospects camp in July. That opportunity might include getting in a few games at the start of the season before returning him to Blainville-Boisbriand, though.

Underage junior players can play as many of five NHL regular season games this season before it counts as a full year against their contract. The Devils can’t keep Matteau around beyond Friday, however, unless they put him on their roster at least to start the season.

So, a decision must be made in the coming days.

“I don’t know,” DeBoer said when asked if it was possible Matteau will start the season with the Devils.  “Lou and I, I imagine at the end of the week, we’ll sit down and discuss roster and play. He hasn’t looked out of place.”

Devils back at work for second day of training camp; Josefson not practicing again

The Devils are back on the ice this morning for their second day of training camp.

The line combinations are the same as Sunday’s practice. Although Devils GM Lou Lamoriello said Sunday that center Jacob Josefson (lower-body injury) would skate today, he is not out there for this practice. I’ll try to find out if he skated on his own earlier today, but indications are Josefson will practice Tuesday.

Of course, Ilya Kovalchuk (flying back from Russia Tuesday) and Adam Henrique (recovering from left thumb surgery) are not practicing either.

Again, there are two goalies, eight defensemen and 15 forwards participating in practice.

They practiced for about 50 minutes before breaking to let the Zamboni resurface and then returning for more.

Here is the breakdown of players on the ice:

Forwards: Mathieu Darche-Travis Zajac-Bobby Butler; Matttias Tedenby-Patrik Elias-Steve Bernier; Stefan Matteau-Dainius Zubrus-David Clarkson; Ryan Carter-Stephen Gionta-Cam Janssen; Krys Barch-Tim Sestito-Harri Pesonen.

Defensemen: Bryce Salvador-Marek Zidlicky; Anton Volchenkov-Peter Harrold, Henrik Tallinder-Adam Larsson, Andy Greene-Mark Fayne.

Goaltenders: Martin Brodeur, Johan Hedberg.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Darche hoping to prove he can help Devils; Brodeur would like to “play a lot of games” this season

As a Montreal native, Mathieu Darche was disappointed to see his time with the Canadiens come to an end.

The 36-year-old left wing is grateful, however, that the Devils are giving him a chance to attend training camp as an unsigned tryout. He said he had “discussions with a bunch of teams” and he would have signed with one of them if he had been offered a contract, but Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello was the only one to invite him to camp.

He won’t have much time, though, to make an impression. The Devils have only six days of practice before playing their season opener Saturday against the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum.

“Lou called my agent and talked to me and asked me if I was willing to come in and practice and see where I’m at shape-wise because it’s been a long layoff and I’m not 24 either,” Darche said. “I said, ‘Fine.’ It was unfortunate it didn’t work out in Montreal. It’s my hometown. I was disappointed with that, but I’m real excited to be here. I got a few days to prove to him that I’m in good shape and I can help this team. I still feel I can help the team and, hopefully, I’ll be able to do that in the next few days.”

Darche didn’t previously know any of the Devils’ players very well. He just met Martin Brodeur this weekend and knew Stephen Gionta a little from playing with his brother, Brian, in Montreal. He skated some with Steve Bernier this summer and in the fall during the players’ tour held in Quebec during that lockout, but that’s about it.

But he did call two former Devils – and former Canadiens’ teammates – to get their take on what was in store for him in New Jersey.

“I talked to Gio (Brian Gionta) and Scott Gomez about this place as soon as I hung up with Lou yesterday,” Darche said. “Both of those guys said if there’s a place you should go when somebody calls you it’s this place because this organization they won’t jerk you around and they’ll be honest. The style of play they play here suits my game. It’s a simple game and from what they told me they like players who do the little details to have success. That’s what wins and I think that’s what I’ve been (doing) in Montreal.”

Devils’ players OK with Kovalchuk missing start of camp; Volchenkov finally back in U.S.

When Patrik Elias questioned Thursday why Ilya Kovalchuk would miss the start of training camp to play in the KHL All-Star Game today in Chelyabinsk, Russia when the rest of the players would have to report on time, the longtime Devil also said, “If he has permission, that’s fine.”

So, after hearing that Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello had given Kovalchuk his blessing to play in the game today and miss the first three days of practice, Elias was consistent with his answer.

“If he didn’t get permission, he would be here,” Elias said. “We don’t know exactly the reasons why he stayed there and I’m sure he talked to Lou. If it’s OK with management, then it’s OK with us. He’s going to be a huge part of our team and we’ll be happy that he comes back.”

Like head coach Pete DeBoer, Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur said Kovalchuk’s absence today was a non-issue in the locker room.

“I think circumstances happen a certain way and I don’t think it’s a big deal,” Brodeur said. “It’s something that he wanted to do and I think he sacrificed himself to go overseas and do what he did and he felt he needed to finish up what he started and they let him do it or he did it – whatever happened – and it’s fine. Kovy’s the type of player that he’s a dominant player. He doesn’t need to be here for seven days. If it was important for him and he stays happy, good.”

The Devils have only six practice days before their opener Saturday against the Islanders and Kovalchuk will miss three of them, but he also has been playing most of the season already with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL, so getting in game shape will not be an issue for him.

“We’ve talked about it,” Elias said. “We’re here. He’ll be here before the season starts. Everyone might have a different opinion, but we’re starting a new season and this is all about the team. He’ll be back in enough time for us to get back together every one of us. No question he played a lot of games over there. Management was fine with it and our job is not really to comment on that. We’re fine with it. We’re just happy to be back on the ice, every one of us.”

DeBoer “excited”; Kovalchuk’s absence a “non-issue”; “Probably” will name captain before opener

Pete DeBoer had to wait through a long lockout to get to work with his Devils’ players again, so he was understandably excited for the first practice of training camp today.

“It’s exciting to be back,” he said. “The coaching staff was just talking in there about how nice it is to get on the ice and run a practice. The only practices I’ve run recently are my 11 and 12-year-old sons and the pace is a little quicker out here. It was nice.”

And they looked better than his sons, too.

“They were moving a little quicker, a little crisper,” he said. “They come back and they look like they’re in great shape. They’re excited to be here and excited to get started.”

DeBoer said he did not watch any of the players’ informal skates at Prudential Center, but did see them coming and going and could tell their conditioning was good.

“We’ve got a veteran group and a real professional group and it never really cross my mind that there were going to be any issues with that,” DeBoer said.

DeBoer said Ilya Kovalchuk missing the first three practices of camp (he’s flying back from Russia on Tuesday and will practice Wednesday) is a “non-issue for me and the team.”

“I can’t wait to get him back here,” DeBoer said. “He’s been playing and I have no issues about his conditioning or anything that he’ll miss here in the first 48 hours because he’s ahead of curve here. He’s played (36) games (18 goals, 24 assists).”

When asked about naming a captain, DeBoer said he has had “internal discussions” with the staff and management on the subject, but hasn’t picked one yet. He said he “probably” would name one before the team opens the season Saturday against the Islanders.

DeBoer said Kovalchuk will continue to play right wing this season, though Zach Parise is now gone. Kovalchuk has been playing on the left side in the KHL.