Devils Weekly #21
Lowell Ends Skid, Remains in Fourth
Devils get ready for visits to Manchester and Adirondack

Last Week:
Wed., 2/17 - Devils @ BRIDGEPORT SOUND TIGERS – SOL 2-3
Fri., 2/19 - DEVILS vs. Manchester Monarchs – W 5-0
Sat., 2/20 - DEVILS vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins – L 0-1

This Week:
Fri., 2/26 - Devils @ MANCHESTER MONARCHS, 7:30 PM
Sat., 2/27 - Devils @ ADIRONDACK PHANTOMS, 7:00 PM
Sun., 2/28 - DEVILS vs. Hartford Wolf Pack, 5:00 PM

The Devils went 1-1-0-1 this week and were able to put an end to a seven-game winless streak.  Lowell finished its four-game road trip with a 3-2 shootout loss to Bridgeport on Wednesday.  The Devils return to the Tsongas Center brought back-to-back shutouts – a 5-0 win over Manchester on Friday and a 1-0 loss on Saturday to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. 

Lowell’s record goes to 30-22-4-3 for a fourth-place standing in the Atlantic Division.  The Devils will take to the ice this week for their sixth three-day, three-game stretch of the season.  The team hits the road to face Manchester on Friday and Adirondack on Saturday and returns to Lowell on Sunday to host Hartford. 

Rewind:
Wednesday, Devils 2 vs. SOUND TIGERS 3 (SO)
Bridgeport rallied from a two-goal deficit to defeat the Devils in the shootout, 3-2, at the Arena at Harbor Yard.  Michael Swift’s power play goal at 8:01 of the first gave Lowell the early lead, while Brad Mills added his ninth of the season three minutes into the second to make it 2-0 for the Devils.  Greg Mauldin would score later in the period for Bridgeport and Greg Moore would even the match with a power play goal at 6:08 of the third.  Rob Figren clinched the victory for the Sound Tigers with the deciding goal in round five of the shootout.  

Friday, DEVILS 5 vs. Monarchs 0
The Devils gathered their fourth shutout of the season in a 5-0 drubbing of the Monarchs at the Tsongas Center.  Alexander Vasyunov started the scoring just 35 seconds into the contest with Stephen Gionta adding one less than four minutes later.  Lowell’s next three markers would come via the power play with Matt Taormina chipping in three helpers and Ben Walter contributing a goal and an assist on the man-advantage.  Mike McKenna needed only 27 saves for his 17th win and third shutout of the season.

Saturday, DEVILS 0 vs. Penguins 1
Despite eight power play opportunities, Lowell could not find the back of the net in a 1-0 loss to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.   The Devils were only able to muster 24 shots on Brad Thiessen who recorded his second shutout of the year.  Luca Caputi’s 5-on-4 goal at 5:49 of the third would prove to be the decisive tally for the Penguins.  Mike McKenna stopped 20-of-21 shots for Lowell. 

Around the Horns
The Devils have a 35.3% success rate on the power play (12-for-34) versus Manchester’s second-ranked penalty kill unit.  They are responsible for over 37% of the 32 power play goals allowed by the Monarchs this season. Lowell has posted five goals in five of its seven contests against Manchester…Lowell’s five goals on Friday were the most the team has scored in over a month. The last time it happened was also against the Monarchs on January 15th in a 5-2 win. The Devils averaged 2.07 goals per game during the span (27 goals in 13 games)…In recording three power play assists on Friday, Matt Taormina pulled into a tie for the rookie lead with 24 points on the man-advantage…Devils goaltender Mike McKenna ranks fifth in the AHL with a GAA of 2.23 after allowing three goals in three games.  All three of his shutouts have come on home ice.   

Coming Up
Lowell will complete its road portion of the season series versus the Monarchs with a visit to Manchester on Friday.   The Devils took a 5-2-0-0 lead head-to-head against the Monarchs by virtue of their 5-0 win last Friday in Lowell.  Lowell has won three out of four in Manchester this year.  The lone win in that stretch for the Monarchs was goaltender Jonathan Bernier’s league-leading eighth shutout of the season.  Manchester has gone 5-5-0-1 in its last 11 games at the Verizon Wireless Arena after starting the year 14-3-0-1 on its home ice.

Lowell then heads to upstate New York to take on the Adirondack Phantoms on Saturday. The Phantoms and the Devils have only played once this season with Lowell coming away a 5-3 winner on Dec. 2.  Brad Mills scored twice for Lowell in the contest. Offensively, Adirondack ranks last in the AHL in goals scored (2.39 per game) and power play percentage (11.9%). The Phantoms are fifth in the East Division with a record of 26-27-2-2, but are 9-5-0-0 versus Atlantic Division teams.

Lowell ends the weekend with a match-up against the Hartford Wolf Pack at the Tsongas Center. The Devils are 2-2-1-0 against the Wolf Pack this season after a 3-2 overtime loss at Prudential Center on Feb. 3. The Wolf Pack beat the division-leading Worcester Sharks on Saturday to end a five-game losing streak, but are 4-11-3-0 overall in their last 17 games.  Corey Locke ranks third in the AHL with 66 points (24g-42a).

Upcoming Promotions/In the Community

  • Tuesday, February 23
    • Nick Palmieri and Myles Stoesz will appear on the Sports Forum, hosted by Paul Cardello, on WCTV-Wilmington, from 8:00PM – 9:00PM.
  • Thursday, February 25
    • Devil Dawg will be in attendance at Hanscom Air Force Base from 12:00PM – 1:00PM for the Team Lean Challenge.  
  • Friday, February 26
    • Devil Dawg will be at the Devils/Monarchs game in Manchester at 7:00PM to help celebrate the birthday of their mascot, Max.
  • Sunday, February 28 – Devils vs. Hartford Wolf Pack, 5:00PM.
    • CVS Celebrity All-Star Game at 2:30PM, featuring NHL Alumni and a special guest coach appearance by Milan Lucic.
    • Free admission with a ticket to the Devils/Wolf Pack game. 
    • The first 1,000 adult fans in attendance will receive a special gift bag containing $100 worth of merchandise from CVS.
    • The first 2,000 fans in attendance will receive a Matt Corrente Bobblehead, courtesy of RTN.
    • Autographs with the CVS Celebrity All-Stars and Lucic during the first intermission of the Devils/Wolf Pack game for a $10 donation to the YMCA of Lowell. 
    • Free post-game skate after the Devils game.

Transactions
Feb. 21, 2010 –    F Jeff Prough returned on loan to Trenton (ECHL).
Feb. 19, 2010 –    G Anthony Felice signed to a professional try-out agreement.
Feb. 17, 2010 –    F Jeff Prough recalled on loan from Trenton (ECHL).

Leaders for Lowell
  • Goals:                    Nick Palmieri (18)
  • Assists:                 Cory Murphy (28)
  • Points:                   Ben Walter (38)
  • PIM:                       Louis Robitaille (245)
  • Plus/Minus:       Tyler Eckford (+12)
  • Wins:                     Mike McKenna (17)
  • GAA:                     Mike McKenna (2.23)
  • Save %:                 Mike McKenna (.928)

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Leaders for Lowell
  • Goals: Nick Palmieri (17)
  • Assists: Cory Murphy (27)
  • Points: Ben Walter (35)
  • PIM: Louis Robitaille (225)
  • Plus/Minus: Tyler Eckford (+15)
  • Wins: Mike McKenna (16)
  • GAA: Mike McKenna (2.29)
  • Save %: Mike McKenna (.927)
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