On This Day Blog

Game Recaps... and some unnecessary, completely useless, satirist mini blogs of Devils notes new and old.

Devils May be a Wagon?

Devils May be Wagon? provides a hopeful read on the New Jersey Devils’ early 4-1 start, praising a faster, deeper lineup that’s lifting 5v5 scoring and overall play. It highlights key early contributions from Nico, Timo, Mercer, and Brown, notes a strong start to the season for the PK and goaltendin...

That's All Folks

I'm Tired. Tired of losing to Carolina Hurricanes Tired from a draining season on my couch. Tired from a 2nd 2OT game. All we needed to do was get back home, but alas we could not get over these inbreds. Add it to the list of heartbreak against them:  2009 Game 7 2009 Game 4 2006 Game...

Out of Gas, Check Engine Light is on, Tires Are Flat

That was more or less curtains on the 2024-2025 Devils barring some sort of miracle. I'm cold and there are wolves out (extra credit if you know this reference).  We needed a lot more from the team last night and they didn't have enough push, and just seemed out of gas from the h...

I Didn't Hear No Bell

It's not over until you lose at home.  Season on the line, decimated by injuries, pulled most of my hair out, paced around a little bit. The boys showed some pride and resilience and the crowd (you were incredible) willed them to a win in 2 OTs. There hasn't been a lot of joy around these ...

Game 2: Better Effort, Same Result

There are a lot of ways to look at this game, both good and bad.  We went into this with the absolutely lowest of low expectations after the Luke and Dillon news. History will paint this season as one riddled by unsustainable injury issues (and to puck knowers a failure by Fitz) and piling on w...

Act of God Crushes Devils on Easter

Sorry for not writing anything the last three games, if you care. Just didn't see the point with there being nothing on the line.  I was coming into this game with a weird sense of "maybe they can surprise me, but I really have low expectations, but they maybe can do it, but man it hasn't been ...

Penguins Can't Fly, But Neither Can We

Here we are again, 3 steps forward 2 steps back. Again. Points-wise this didn't matter, but vibes continue to be low after they cough up a lead to the bottom feeding Penguins. The audio hadn't even switched over on the NHL Network when Mercer hit Haula on a partial break and 1 shot 1 goal from Uncle...

Eaten by Bears

Anyone who went to that game should get a refund, just a disgusting no-show. I'm not going to get too deep into each play because frankly I could write a Moby Dick length tome about each one. To a man, that was disappointing.  Except for you Daniel Sprong/Cotter/Glass and maybe you Er...

Enjoy the Bus Ride Back to NYC!

Hope you don't hit any cars on the way home, drive safe!  Fucking losers, what a lifeless sad team. You suck as a rival, I want a new one, you're no fun. "No Quit in NY" more like "Nothing but Quit in NY" amirite? Let's review the tape this season against the Rangers so we can gl...

A Shootout Win?! That's WILD!

See what I did there? Please clap. Don't look now, but since the Flyers game they are 7-4-1, a .625 winning percentage. When you start to look longer term, this team has been getting better. Yes, I am tossing out he deadline day dud because I can and I'm creating a narrative here. I really think we'...

Don't Let Mrs. Fields Get Hot!

As the season wears on I tend to catalog my favorite wins in my head. And this comeback, resilient win is right up there... add in a sprinkle of recency bias, I'll put it at the top of the list.  One thing I swear I am never going to do again, is question Keefe's lineup choices. ...

Did It All For The Cookie

Well, well it appears the Devils' demise was greatly exaggerated. There was a lot to like last night, and about 12 minutes not to like. What a first period. Not just the scoreboard, but process, game flow, breakouts, transitions, O-Zone pressure..  Every line was clicking, the PP looked smooth ...

It's So Over, Wait We're So Back!

Got a little busy this weekend, and frankly was so annoyed Friday that I didn't feel like writing anything after the Winnipeg game. Do you care?  Probably not. I was pretty pissed after the deadline, but we have to move forward.  I was good with the addition of Glass and Sprong, guys with ...

Dallas Heartbreak

I haven't gone to sleep that upset about a game in a little while, just an absolutely devastating way to lose a game. Probably going to need to do some dream analysis with my therapist.  That was soul crushing. I see a lot of dooming and vibes are low, but there are some encouraging things the ...

Welp

Things are pretty bleak in Devils-Land, but good thing I have some crisis PR experience, because you, dear readers, are about to get a one-way ticket to the spin zone. Or are we doomed? I'm writing this on the fly, so let's find out.  I was actually encouraged through most o...

UTAH! Get me two!

I was very excited to use this line for a title, and if you don't know what it's from, you should re-evaluate your life.  Nice solid dubya against a sneaky good team that had been playing very well of late.  Reminds me a bit of the younger Devils - tons of promising young players...

Rocky Mountain Murder

These guys stink. Embarrassment is probably the most prevalent feeling I have right now. Basically from puck drop we got bullied out of the building against the Avs with a few minor glimpses in the 2nd period, Jake Allen held on as long as he could, but to full on no-show to a man is ...

Weekend Update: We're finished! Wait, no, we're back!

Welcome back to all 3 of you that read this nonsense, I hope you all had a lovely 4 Nations break. Devils hockey returned with a split against Dallas and Nashville so let's see what your favorite beer league hero saw this weekend. First up was Dallas, a tough matchup to come back...

Vous nous possédez, Montréal

Kind of a quick one today - The gang got back in the win column, and now we sit and wait for two weeks for them to get healthy, get some new pieces, and go on a heater.  Right, guys?  RIGHT??! The juxtaposition of this game vs Vegas was world of difference: just better connected,...

Ground Control to GM Tom

Their circuit's dead, something's wrong Can you hear me GM Tom Can you hear me GM Tom Can you hear me GM Tom Sigh. All I want is for my favorite team to be a good hockey team. To show up when our fans show up for them. A lot is going wrong right now, and not much is going right. This is their x...

Sloppy 2 pts vs. Tuxedo Chickens

At this point, getting a win is really all that matters - it was pretty ugly, they grinded it out, and even though it was just one day, we sit in a much more comfortable standings position with CBJ and Carolina losing. Just a slog of a game - a slow old team vs a slow injured team. Low eve...

Consistently Inconsistent

We waited 4 days for that? In retrospect, and we should all now expect this - no chance we are ever going to have a five game stretch better than 3-2 as currently constructed, we are just an aggressively slightly above average team with Nico, Marky, and Haula out. I can't believe I'm including ...

Energy and Effort and Hits and Goals, Oh My

OK, fellas..   That was a lot of fun, more of that please (well the 2nd period anyway). I am still a little frustrated and I may be just a grumpy grader here but... You guys had that in your bag and have just been sleeping on it?! That game could've gone south early like it ...

{Chuckles} We're in Danger

This blog has an R rating for language, parental advisory. I generally do my best to stay positive and find some redeeming things to point to - but there was nothing redeeming about last night. We went into Philly and got bullied by a group of NPCs: No heart, no effort, no connectivity, no tale...

But At What Cost... Again

Big win for our boys against Montreal, certainly didn't need that level of anxiety for a late January game. These are supposed to be the sleepy dog day games. That was a wild, high-event game and the gang does OT win (finally). I will say Montreal is going to be a problem in short order, t...

But At What Cost?

That was the team we all know and love, it feels good to be able to administer that kind of beatdown. First things first, obviously we come away with a very mixed bag. It will be absolutely devastating if Markstrom's injury is anything longer than a month on the shelf. Intellectually, I wa...

Very Bad, No Good Weekend

First, I will preface this saying I am also a Ravens fan, so how was my weekend?  NOT GREAT, BOB.  Normie: "But Tim, you should be an adult and not let sports teams affect your mood!" Me: "It's 5 fucking degreees outside, My hockey team can't score and my football team lost in a heart...

Canadian Federal Prison Treatment

I did not like that game said Tim-I-am, no way, no ma'am. Nothing like a nice little trip across the border to see our friendly neighbors to the north and OMIGOD THEY WERE MEAN I WAS TOLD THEY WERE NICE. Just an absolute new-guy-in-jail pumping. We got thoroughly beat up and down the ice and th...

Shootouts are Stupid Meow

Tomorrow, we storm the league office and demand the shootout be abolished once and for all.  I don't think there is a single fan who likes it now, the novelty has worn off. Full disclosure - I am cheating a bit since I missed the first two periods and only watched an abbreviated recap...

Ride the Lightning

As in ride the lightning outta town, amirite? Bueller? I got a little bit of playoff vibes last night: tight checking, high energy - back and forth back and forth. There are still some lingering issues that'll I'll get into below, but that was a really strong game against a nemesis that ha...

Not Instagram Worthy

Meh. We got a point I guess, and frankly not entirely sure they deserved it - just a grab bag of a game. We are now in a 1-4-1 slump with a gauntlet of teams coming up: TBL, FLA and TOR, so this would've been a good time to find a strong win in a get right game.  They started out fine, got...

Marky Fries Some Squid

Well holy shit, how 'bout our goalie, eh? That game wasn't exactly how you draw up the game script, but having Simone Biles in goal kind of helps.  I am still trying to process how 6'6" Markstrom made a couple of those saves, especially the last paddle save.  The funniest part of the ...

Shark Bites

Hello darkness my old friend The Devils lost yet again That makes a four game streak 2025 so far isssss bleak  And the scoring.. that fitz loved.. and was elite still remains the sounds of silence I am not having a good time this year so far, and I am letting a hockey team influence my men...

Broken Record

t It was nice of the NHL to feature us in the Winter Class - what's that?  it was just a regular game, and the only one on?  We didn't fucking score again and the other team did. We have really lost our mojo coming out of the break, and the schedule guy at the leag...

New Year's Eve is Dumb

Well, I didn't see a total dud against the Mighty Dukes coming. That game was fucking stupid! The Devils actually looked pretty good in the first, crisp and on the front foot creating chances. Which obviously means the Ducks were going to score first.  Of all the things that were certain after ...

From Our Blog Page

My First Hockey Goal! by a Guest "Junior Pucker"

I was at the net getting ready for someone to pass to me. Then it happened. But before I tell you that story, I have to tell you this one: ...

History of the Devils - Pucker Version

Sometime in 1735:  People started believing in the folklore of a creature said to inhabit the Pine Barrens of Southern NJ.  In 198...

Get Some Grit! by Pucker Chris

The New Jersey Devils season is circling the drain. With 18 games remaining in this forgetful year, fans and management are left with more q...

In a Season of Doubt, Purpose Could yet Emerge! by Pucker Dan

It’s nearly the ides of March and despite Devils’ fans’ hopes and dreams let’s face it, our beloved NJ Devils are sl...