Grizzly Adams DID Have A Beard: Devils Win First Shootout In 600 Days

No, that's not an exaggeration. It has been every second of 600 days. Quite honestly, felt like 600 months. It has cause me to age well beyond my years. When people ask me about my hairline, I can simply show them this stat. When I die at 46 I will have the Devils' lack of creativity to blame. Of course it was Josefson. Of course the tying goal was scored by Ryder. There aren't two other players on the team that have that have shorter fuses when it comes to my temper. Finally get a shootout win, and I have to eat my words on both of them. For the time being anyway.

Regardless of the outcome, which is truly all that matters in this situation, the game itself was beyond awful. The two points the Devils absolutely did not earn last night make up for the countless points they earned but did not receive in the last 600 days. A shootout win was the only way to leave Newark happy last night. If they had lucked their way into a 2-1 regulation win in the final minutes I still would have been furious at the pathetic nature of their play. However, all is forgotten. The three periods of elementary hockey I watched are water under the bridge. Shootout champions! Or something like that….

Let's get the negatives out of the way…

Bryce Salvador. 
Cannot catch a pass on his backhand, move it to his forehand and get the puck out of the zone. I take that back. Maybe he can do it. He certainly cannot do it in under 3 seconds. I watched it happen about 45 times last night. Pretty sure it resulted in 46 turnovers. Thank God Deboer finally sat him down in the 3rd. I'd rather play Seversen 40 minutes a night then watch Bryce try to figure out which way is up with the puck in his skates. 

Czeched Out. 
That's the only way I can describe the play of Marek Zidlicky and Patrik Elias the last few games. Elias looks like he has never seen a puck before. He looks like a gorilla trying to disarm a bomb. It's equal parts intriguing and frustrating.  I don't know why anyone thought it would be smart to put him in for the shootout. He has been doing the same backhand move where he doesn't lift the puck for almost a decade now. I swear he is going senile. His shootout percentage would be 75% if he could lift a backhand 12 inches off the ice.

I know Zidlicky is getting up there in age and his bed time is getting earlier and earlier. Someone better lace the smelling salts with some blow, because he has been falling asleep on the ice. The lone Jets' goal is evidence of that. I can accept the risk/reward that comes with Zids' play, but maybe acknowledge that there are two ends to the ice.

Clowe
Clowe looked like he just woke up from a 3 day bender. He had so many turnovers last night that I expected him to come out for the 3rd period in a Jets jersey, Winnipeg or New York. You know that type of hungover where you have limited motor skills? That was Ryan Clowe last night, just giving away pucks like they were condoms at the clinic.

However, last night was all about positives. I'm only half convinced I'm not dreaming. I'm supposed to believe that we won a shootout AND Ryder beat someone with speed. Let me digest one thing at a time. Excellent move by JoJo, and I would be remised if I didn't mention how well he has been playing of late. Welcomed change of pace from Tootoo.

Whatever. Win ugly. Win often. Just Win Baby!!!