Royal Flush: New Jersey Devils OFFENSIVE OUTBURST Outlasts Los Angeles Kings

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Guys, guys, settle down with all this goal scoring.

I didn't know you were allowed to do that.

It's almost as if you're supposed to be putting the puck behind the opposing gold tender

to win hockey games.

It's only they'd figure that out before the Olympics.

Your Lockdown Devils, your daily podcast on the New Jersey Devils, part of the Lockdown

Podcast Network, your team every day.

This is Lockdown Devils, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network now with the number one sports

podcast network in the world.

My name is Zach Berman, today we're recapping a surprisingly fun game.

I feel like there's been a lot of these surprisingly fun games that the New Jersey Devils have played

in recently, post-Olympics for some reason, but the Devils win again, against the L.I.

King, 6'4", they actually scored 6 times, 6 w's.

And that does precisely nothing for their playoff chances, but wins are fun and we like

to celebrate them.

The Kings are bad and yet the Kings are in a playoff spot.

The Devils are also bad with a very similar record and are nowhere near a playoff spot.

But we'll break down what was...

If you notice a trend from a lot of these games, they are frustrating yet fun at the same

time.

That's been a lot of what the New Jersey Devils wins have looked like, so we'll break

that down.

We'll break down what happened in net today because shockingly, Jake Allen was rusty.

You're telling me that the guy that you sat for seven consecutive games was rusty.

He said he had to shake off a little bit of rust.

Well, geez Louise, you don't say.

We'll talk about that.

We'll talk about in particular the Gritziak hominahoe goal because that was just absolutely

vile washer hands levels, filthy.

But I also...

I'm going to get a little off topic from Devils stuff because I have been, if you don't

know if you can't tell, I'm going to hotel room again.

My Wi-Fi back home does not work and I couldn't get a hotspot today again, so we're here in

Mizzoula, Montana, a beautiful town.

But I didn't get to talk about my thoughts on the Rad Coguda stuff from last night and

how I think it may impact the Devils going forth and you're thinking, what do you mean?

That's Devils Leafs.

That was the Leafs.

I'm going to start planting the seeds on something and you'll see where I'm going with this.

But for starters, Saturday night at the Prudential Center, Polish Heritage Night, one of the most

fun nights to get out to the building, go enjoy a hockey game, even though the team is bad

as we like to call them.

And the Devils hosted the Los Angeles Kings on a night where Kings legend Anze Kopitar,

who surely has never scored a crucial, crucial goal in the Prudential Center before, came

in with a chance to tire potentially past Marcel Dion for the all-time point total leader

for the L.A. Kings.

Of course, Kopitar is retiring after this season, a great career, a great man, someone who

will almost certainly be a Hall of Famer, a guy that is just a very positive representation

of the sport as a whole.

So sticked apps to Kopi, but Devils came in, I mean, it's so tough because I'm like, yeah,

they had to win this game, but like, I don't know, it's like, I can't believe they're

this far out.

But at least, you know, they gave me something, they gave us something to cheer about because

the Devils started off with a solid first period.

They out-shoot the L.A. Kings 14-11 and Cody Glass, Dallas's 15th of the year on a one-timer

from the right circle, set up by Arseny Gritziuk, he beats Anton Forsberg, who had a bad hockey

game.

Forsberg was, oh, no bueno tonight.

Nothing, New Jersey, how about a couple of minutes later?

Nico, he's sure the captain of these New Jersey Devils, the Belieger captain, had a great

day of four point night, gets his first point of the night on a rebound goal assisted by

his countryman team All-Mire and Luke Hughes, who's since coming back from injury, has

been amazing.

Devils would go into the break up to Zip.

And if you know, if you've kept track of this season, the Devils don't take big leads

very often, but when they do, they tend to hold on to them.

So it was a big surprise to see the New Jersey Devils come out in the second period and

just blow the lead instantly.

The Devils would give up three goals in the second period.

They're outshot 13 to four.

It was one of the worst periods of New Jersey Devils hockey dare I say all season long.

Like this was just vile puck, absolutely disgusting.

It starts on a power play for the L.A. King's four minutes and 15 seconds into the second

period after the requisite Dougie Hamilton penalty.

Copatar would tie Marcel Dionne as the all time point getter in King's franchise history

on this goal assisted by Brent Clark and Artemi Penerin, nice play by Clark to set it up

in front of this one slant home.

Penerin who I'm very thankful is out of our division recently traded to the Kings

would then tie the game a few minutes later, working his way into the slot and firing

it at home.

This was just an absolute howitzer of a shot to two in the blink of an eye.

Couple minutes later, Taylor Ward, not the outfielder for he used to be a Los Angeles

Angel, now a Baltimore Oriole, but an L.A. King, one timer from Clark and Holenius, this

could not go in like everyone gets on me, oh, you criticize Mark Strip, but not Alan.

Like I know that Jake Allen was rusty coming into this game, and why was he rusty?

Well, we can get to that, but this pop just cannot go in like, good God, man, like that's

a point blank shot.

And it wasn't a particularly hard shot either like, geez, Louise, what are we doing here?

And the snap of a finger that Devils gave up three goals, second period to a bad Los

Angeles King's team, yikes, like just yikes all the way through yikes.

So the question now becomes, well, they respond.

This team has not been particularly good at responding.

And once they're down in the third, they tend to stay down in the third.

So why would anybody expect any different?

Here, the New Jersey Devils, tonight, but you didn't see this one coming.

The Devils scored three goals in the third period, out shoot the King's 10-7.

And it all starts 25 seconds into the third period on a nice place, set up in the neutral

zone by Dougie Hamilton, it would start a give and go from Arseny Gritziak back to Lenny

hominahoe, Lenny would be charging down the wing, makes an absolutely sick move.

Like, oh my God would have moved by a kid too, like, oh my goodness, absolutely file move

to get past Mikey Andersen and standing right across the crease is his line mate, Arseny

Gritziak, hominahoe, throws it across, past a little bit high, Arseny Gritziak, maybe

he's trying out for the Russian baseball team, I know Russia doesn't have a team in the

World Baseball Classic, maybe they should rethink that because Arseny Gritziak would

make a damn good baseball player, bats the puck out of mid-air, this was absolutely absurd.

One of the nicest goals I've seen scored by a New Jersey Devil in quite some time.

And even in as downer of a season as this is, and this is a terrible season, a sucky

season all the way through, that one got me out of my seat, that one made me go, oh my

God, like, that was awesome. Like, I know it's been so, so bad. And yet, those two, those

two guys, that's where your optimism comes from. Those are the source of my, maybe not

all hope is lost. Those are the two guys you build around for the foreseeable future.

What a goal. What a goal. About 12 minutes later, not wanting to be outdone. Niko, the captain,

gives the Devils the lead on the power play, crashing the net front from Connor Brown

and Jesper Brat, his 23rd of the year, could Niko get 30 goals this season, maybe? Devils

take the lead back, but it would only take a minute for them to relinquish it, bad penalty

by the kid, hominahoe, and Anze Kopitar gets the all-time LA King's point record on again,

a puck that can't go in. Oh, another stinker by Jake Allen there, that one, I'll just

be straight up, like if Jacob Markström gave that goal up, I think we'd all be losing

our minds. So, I get it, Allen's got a bit of an excuse tonight because of how his situation

has been handled, but that was just ghastly. Like, I feel like I'm such a broken record

this season, that can't go in, that can't go in, that can't go in. Why is David Galsky

still here? Oh my god, like, he has been called to go cheer for so long, and I don't think

a single goalie has ever actually flourished his part of this organization since he came

here. So, you know, my change, thanks, right? Who needs change? Who needs change? So,

4-4, until LA takes a bad penalty, 17-24, the third, sets up a late New Jersey Devils

Powerplay, the Powerplay has been clicking as of late. They had already scored once

on the advantage in the period. And this time, it would be the captain across to Team

USA's Golden Boy, Jack Hughes, the one-timer, Jack Hughes, who doesn't rip the puck enough,

but perhaps could rip it a little bit more. He rips it there, and Beat Santon Forsberg Devils

take the lead 5-4, they would not relinquish it as Timo Meyer pops the empty netter.

6-4 New Jersey, a fun game, a back-and-forth game, a rollercoaster of a game. You know,

they're in the spot, they're in, might as well make whatever wins you get. Fun and exciting,

right? We're going to take a quick break when we return. I want to talk about this Austin

Matthews thing, and you might be wondering, well, how does it impact the Devils? We'll get there.

I promise you. Next, unlocked on Devils. Today's episode is brought to you by Game Time. There's

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Happy selection someday. I know you guys are two hours in front of me. So you're probably waking up

to selection someday, whereas it is still 957 mountain time here in Montana, but

I have two quibbles, one quibble, and then something that I'm going to try and wheel into existence.

Yesterday in Toronto in the, what do you call them? The Ducks Leafs game.

Radco Goudus laid a pretty terrible neon knee hit on Austin Matthews, who has a grade three MCL

spring. He's done for the remainder of the year. It was a, it was a disgusting hit, like no place

for that in the league. No place for a guy like Radco Goudus, who has been such a notorious

goon for the longest time. I certainly don't miss having him in the Metropolitan Division. Of

course, he was a flyer for a hot minute. This was just pathetic. And I was so disgusted,

just as a hockey fan, to see there be like no response from the main beliefs.

Like your captain was just cheap shot and do something about it. Like what the hell?

That was really disturbing to me, like as a hockey fan, because I know as a devils fan,

let's say if Nico, he sure got a neon knee collision, I know like we have, we have seen the devils

be cheap shot. Like devils top players be cheap-shotted before being on the receiving ends of those

kinds of hits and not stand up for themselves. That always gets me just absolutely furious.

It shouldn't. Like stand up for your teammates. The Leafs did not do that.

And you might be wondering, well, what does that have to do with New Jersey devils?

I wonder if, because there's so much noise surrounding

Austin Matthews.

I really do wonder if

you're waiting for it, you're waiting for it.

Now with Jack Hughes being the face of USA hockey, scoring one of the biggest goals in the

history of the United States men's hockey program. Austin Matthews, of course, being his teammate

on Team USA. I wonder if, given that Matthews is a free agent after 27-28.

Maybe we were looking at the wrong captain, wrong American captain, of a Canadian team

that wears blue and white to be a New Jersey devils target. I think, and I don't know

if anybody has really started the push on this.

I think there's a chance Austin Matthews could be a New Jersey devils.

I wouldn't even be surprised if we start hearing things this summer.

Like could it wind up like the Quinn thing? Well, it depends who the GM is. I

I mean, they could probably come in second like always if it still has the job, but

with the amount of malcontent that is going on in Toronto,

I'd like to see the devils get aggressive there. I know he has a full

no-move clause. What Austin Matthews be willing to waive that to join his country men in

Jack Hughes? Devils certainly need center depth. They certainly need top line center skill.

They certainly need the goal scoring prowess that Matthews brings. Am I talking crazy? Well,

yeah, maybe, perhaps. Is it a pipe dream? Well, yeah, maybe, perhaps. I think, well,

gotta remember, once upon a time Quinn Hughes was considered a pipe dream.

And a better GM probably gets that done.

So I am going to start the process of willing this guy into a New Jersey devils uniform.

I think you guys should join me. I'm a believer in

even when things are this dire right now.

Let's try and will something positive in doing existence. Let's make Austin Matthews a New Jersey

devil. Because what do we have to lose? You go somewhere else? Oh, well, we came in second again.

On the other side of this next break, we're just going to

talk about a few more housekeeping things, including something that was mentioned on the broadcast

and I thank God my dear and made me raise my eyebrows. Next on locked on devils.

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Few more housekeeping things on locked on devils to start. There was a mention tonight on the

broadcast that change could be coming. Now I would really assume and hope that whoever said it,

I believe it was Ken Danico, but I could be mistaken. I was driving. I had it just in your shot

and I heard, oh, change is coming. I'm like, cool. What change? Because I know that some of my,

well, I don't really want to say some of my old sales rep buddies because a large majority of

the current rep team I didn't overlap with. And of course, unless they're being specifically

instructed to say what I have heard them say, which given my experience is like no chance.

So unless somebody went rogue, I don't really know. But it's worth pointing out that reps have

been telling people that change is coming. Does that mean Tom Fitzgerald is losing his job?

Perhaps. Does that mean Cheldon Keith is losing his job? Perhaps.

My question then is if you're trying, or if you actually intend on making change and I think

we can all agree, changes needed, changes necessary, change could either save or kill whatever is

left of this window if you want to call it that. Why not do it now? Like the best time to sell it.

I know my rep voice is coming out here is while hockey is still being played.

I obviously have not a perspective buyer anymore because I live in great Falls, Montana. But

if I lived home, I think I'd be a lot more intent on potentially buying if I knew that there

was going to be a different GM at them. Like it's not like the trade deadline is still to come.

There's nothing more to do. So guys, what are you waiting for? That's what I want to know.

Like what more do we have to see if you are intent on firing Tom Fitzgerald?

Which I hope and pray that they are because if they are, that's a whole other conversation.

Then what is the hold up? That I am so confused by. Like so unbelievably confused by. Just

rip the bandaid off. I know he's your friend. I know. I mean, the fact that he is considered

friends of the ownership team is like a whole nother problem, but we can get to that

and a later date. Just rip the bandaid off. What do you have to lose?

On the flip side of things, I really do appreciate that despite how terrible Thursday's game was,

playing with enough heart, like they're not going to win every game,

but they're showing up. And I hate that that's where the standards are now. I don't know. He's going to show

it up. I don't know. I'm trying to find some sort of positive here in a season that has produced

so few positives. So I don't know. I just, I don't know. I didn't appreciate how they handled

the Jake Allen thing. I've already, I think I've already made that pretty clear. I'd like to see

him get a good run of starts or if the devils are intent on tanking or not intentionally tanking

even exists. Who knows? Then don't start and then keep running Jacob Markström. Like,

I don't know at this point, like they've, they've dug themselves such a hole where it feels like

we're just waiting for everything to end. And I hate that feeling because we've been here so many

times, like I just, I miss the meaningful hockey games. And I know that that was once Tom Fitzgerald

selling meaningful hockey games, right? Well, tonight was not a meaningful hockey game. It was for

the Kings, who now are in danger of missing the play. I mean, the West is so pathetic. Like, come on.

How, how are they somewhere, somewhere still in a wild card spot? That's a terrible team.

Even with Fenerin.

Yeah, that's a bad loss for LA. I get it. You're across the country, but still,

geez, can't be given up six goals to the best scoring team in the national hockey league.

The New Jersey Devils now. I just wish they didn't wait until

after the Olympics to learn how to score. Oh, everything's just kind of

or just kind of waiting for things to end. And I hate that feeling because we've been here when

in 2021, 2022, 2024. Last year, even though they were, even though they were going to make the playoffs,

like they didn't have Jack. You knew they were going to lose to Caroline around one.

It's just I'm tired of the the spring death march. And we've had so many of those as Devils fans.

It's it's it's just exhausting. And I'm ready to turn the page and get back to

playing meaningful hockey games this time of year because this team, roster wise, I do believe

they're capable of it. Get them a better coach, get them a better GM, clear up the air, maybe move

a piece or two out, but that's not my call. I don't get paid to make those decisions.

Well, preview the Boston game tomorrow. Well, Boston games Monday will preview it tomorrow.

Until then, I don't know about you guys. I'm just going to watch that critical again and again,

again, again, because it was awesome. Thanks for stopping by. As always, make sure to like,

subscribe, but you know where to find me. And if you've never missed an episode, the every

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