The New Jersey Devils were able to slip two goals by goalie Tim Thomas, the go-ahead score with just over a minute to play for them to battle over the Boston Bruins 2-1 last night at the TD Garden. Despite collecting 25 saves, the only moments in Thomas’s mind were the two that got by. “I was pretty sure I didn’t have the first one,” said Thomas. “The second one I thought maybe I did for a second and by the time I could check, there was nothing I could do.”

Patrice Bergeron scored the only goal for Boston on a rebound from Marco Sturm’s hard backhand attempt. The B’s had their share of chances in the final stretch of the game with a few shots on goal (one of which was denied by the post). “We are never happy with losing games,” said defenseman Derek Morris. “It was one bounce that went the wrong way, but I thought we had a hard effort tonight.” The Bruins are now 5-5-1 heading into Saturday’s game in Boston against the Edmonton Oilers. The following day they will travel to New York to meet up with the Rangers before the Redwings host them in Detroit on Tuesday.

Boston Bruins tickets are available now!

New York Rangers defensemen Matt Gilroy scored the games final goal at the end of the second period as New York held on to win over the New Jersey Devils 3-2 yesterday in Newark, New Jersey.  The Devils for the first time since 2002 have lost their intitial two regular season contests.  The Rangers were down 2-1 early on but rallied back before both teams were eventually shut down throughout the entire third period. 

“We didn’t come out ready,” captain Chris Drury said. “It was pretty obvious at the start of the game and he let us know. From that point on I thought we responded very well. You’re not always going to get away with bad starts like that.”

The biggest game changer for the Rangers was their ability to score in power-play opportunities.  Before their matchup against the Devils, New York was 0-for-9 in all of their previous power-play attempts for the season.  The Rangers will next face off against the Washington Capitals while New Jersey heads to Tampa Bay to take on the Lightning.

Tickets for New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils games are available right here with us at AceTicket.com!

In the midst of the final week of the regular season, teams are preparing for the tough playoff road ahead in a tight Eastern Conference.  The Boston Bruins hold the best record in the league at 51-18 with three games to go before the opening rounds.  After making an early exit in the quarterfinals last season, the Bruins are eager to go back and make a better run for the Stanley Cup.

The Bruins might run into the Pittsburg Penguins later in the playoffs, which would make for an outstanding series.  Pittsburg went all the way to the Stanley Cup finals last year but failed to beat out the Detroit Redwings.  Team GM Ray Shero has made moves within the last month to assure his team is back in contention.  He recently acquired forwards Bill Guerin and Chris Kunitz, who have been able to fit right into the lineup along with Sidney Crosby.

The Atlantic Division is packed this season with contenders who have goals to make it far in the playoffs.  Along with the Penguins the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers are teams to watch out for.  The Devils are known for their high power offense lead by Zach Parise and Patrick Elias.  The Rangers are on a roll as of late with Sean Avery, Nik Antropov, and Derek Morris taking control.  New York is still fighting to make the playoffs but if they do clinch, they can compete with any team.

Eastern Conference Playoffs - 1st Round Matchups

(1) Boston Bruins vs (8) Montreal Canadiens
(2) Washington Capitals vs (7) New York Rangers
(3) New Jersey Devils vs (6) Carolina Hurricanes
(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs (5) Philadelphia Flyers

Look for one of the most exciting Eastern Conference post-seasons to date.  NHL Eastern Conference Playoff Tickets are now available with us at Aceticket.com!

The Boston Bruins clinched the Northeast Division title after beating the New Jersey Devils 4-1 last Sunday in Boston. Michael Ryder scored the opening goal 16 minutes into the first period and from there the Bruins were on cruise control.  In the second period they dominated in goals 3-1, and both teams were left scoreless in the final period.

This was a big win for the Bruins after coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings last Thursday night. “We really wanted this game,” said Bruins Marc Savard. “The biggest game of the year for us, the way we’ve been going, and we certainly proved we can do it.”  The Bruins will try to keep the winning alive for the remainder of the season and head into the post-season stronger than ever.  Next they  will match up against the Maple Leafs Saturday, March 18th at 7 p.m.

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The Eastern Conference leading Boston Bruins won a tough matchup with the Eastern Conference’s other hot team the New Jersey Devils last night with a 2-0 win in Jersey.  The win was the 6th in a row for the Bruins who now have 54 points trailing only the San Jose Sharks for the NHL lead.  The shutout was the third on the year for goalie Tim Thomas and came on a 25 save night.  Milan Lucic scored the 1st goal of the game 49 seconds into the 3rd period.  David Krejci would add an empty net goal in the final minute of the game.  The very defensive game had a playoff like feel to it with two potential Eastern Conference heavyweights facing off.

The Boston Bruins will play their next three games on the road against the Hurricanes, Thrashers and Penguins before hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston on New Year’s Day. Great Bruins tickets are available for this New Year’s day matchup as well as for all 2009 Boston Bruins games.

Forget about summer, it’s free-agent signing season in the NHL. Over the past few days, rumors have been flying around about what market will land the big names out there like Jaromir Jagr and Mats Sundin.

Sundin was reportedly offered a 2-year, $20 million dollar contract from the Vancouver Canucks, a deal that would make him the leagues highest paid player.

“We put a major offer together to try and attract the player we felt was the best center iceman on the market,” said Canucks GM Mark Gillis. “It’s an indication we are prepared to do what it takes to attract the best players here.”

The big signing of today was by far the Detroit Red Wings landing Marian Hossa to a one-year deal worth reportedly $7.45 million dollars. The high-scoring wingman was one of the top players who propelled the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Stanley Cup finals, which they lost to Detroit in six games. Hossa is 29 years old.

The Chicago Blackhawks made two big signings landing probably the top defensemen on the market in Brian Campbell as well as goalie Cristobal Huet. Campbell signed an eight-year $57.12 million dollar deal and Huet inked a four-year contract worth $22.5 million.

The two other big defensemen to reach deals Tuesday were Michal Rozsival and Wade Redden, who both signed with the New York Rangers.

Rozsival re-signed with the Rangers for a four-year contract worth $20 million while Redden signs a six-year, $39 million dollar deal after skating with Ottawa last season.

Defensemen Jeff Finger, formerly of the Colorado Avalanche, signed a four-year $14 million dollar deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Dallas landed forward Sean Avery to a four-year, $15.5 million dollar deal.

“We are excited about the opportunity to add a player like Sean Avery to our group,” Stars co-general manager Brett Hull said. “His ability to play the game with skill and tenacity makes us a better team and is a great complement to the players we have here.”

The Washington Capitals will say goodbye to longtime goalie Olie Kolzig after he signed a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning after spending 16 seasons in Washington.

The New Jersey Devils got their hands in the mix of the free agent pool by signing Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik to contracts. Rolston agreed to a four-year, $20 million dollar deal while Holik signed a one-year contract worth $2.5 million dollars.

The New York Islanders made a little noise by singing Montreal’s former defensemen Mark Streit to a five-year $20.5 million dollar contract while the Boston Bruins also signed a former Canadien in Michael Ryder to a multi-year deal.

With the NHL salary cap rising up this season, teams have not been shy about dishing out the money to lure top free-agents to their squads. Over the next two weeks, look for almost every free agent out there to receive offers from teams trying to help the players find a new place they can call home.

The NHL Playoff Matchups are set.  The eight top teams in the Eastern Conference are ready to fight for the chance to raise Lord Stanley’s Cup.

1. Montreal Canadiens vs 8. Boston Bruins

The Canadiens have owned the Bruins  recently, sweeping the 8-game season series by a margin of 44-16, and winning the last 11 total games.  The B’s will be getting Patrice Bergeron back in time for game one, which comes at the same time as the Canadiens suffering some pre-playoff injuries.  This may be the edge they need to keep this series competitive.

2. Pittsburgh Penguins vs 7. Ottawa Senators

The tag team of Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby face off against the faltering Senators.  The former Eastern Conference 1st place team has come up lame recently, but is still nearly the same team that made it to the Stanley Cup final a year ago, and went 15-2 to start the year. The Pens are still the heavy favorites in this series.

3. Washington Capitals vs 6. Philadelphia Flyers

The Washington Capitals were essentially dead in the water at midseason.  Alexander Ovechkin led the Caps back into playoff contention, winning nine of the last ten games and locking up the number three seed in the Eastern Conference. The Flyers finished dead last in the East least year.  This year they have been consistent throughoutall season, gaining a number six seed.  The Flyers’ chances looked a bit better against the Hurricanes, who blew their playoff spot in the waning days of the season.  The Caps are the early favorites in this matchup.

4. New Jersey Devils vs 5. New York Rangers

Formidable goaltenders Martin Brodeur and Henrik Lundqvist meet up in this Tri-State series.  The Rangers have had more offensive firepower as of late, but the Devils’ D has been solid in the stretch.  Look for low scores and exhausted top lines in this series.  The Rangers hope that Chris Drury will provide some playoff magic, while the Devils look to season finale hero Patrik Elias to provide an advantage in the shootout.

The NHL Eastern Conference Playoffs are about to start!

Recap: The New Jersey Devils had a very strong first half of the NHL season playing amazing defense throughout their campaign. Led by veteran goaltender, Martin Brodeur, the Devils are holding opponents to an average of 2.29 GPG, the lowest in the NHL. Their strengths on defense were offset at times by their lack of offensive fire power. As a team, the Devils have only netted 115 goals through 47 games, the lowest goal total in the league. In only his third year in the league, left wingman Zach Parise has proven himself to be the teams really only offensive threat netting 16 goals and dishing out 26 assist for a team high total of 42 points.

2nd Half: As long as Brodeur stays healthy the Devils will continue to hold opponents to dismal offensive numbers, but will continue to struggle scoring goals unless a mid-season trade is made for another goal scoring threat to accompany Parise on the front line.

Final Standing Predictions: 2nd in Atlantic Division, 4th in Eastern Conference

Team Name: New Jersey Devils (27-17-4)
Atlantic Division Standing: 3rd place
Conference Standing: T-3rd place