Devils Weekly #26
Playoff Hopes Come to an End for Lowell
Big win in Hartford cannot save Devils' postseason chances  

Last Week:
Wed, 4/1 – Devils @ MANCHESTER MONARCHS – SOL, 3-2
Fri, 4/3 – DEVILS vs. Portland Pirates – L, 3-1
Sat, 4/4 – DEVILS vs. Springfield Falcons – L, 4-3
Sun, 4/5  – Devils @ HARTFORD WOLF PACK – W, 4-3
 
This Week:
Wed, 4/8 – DEVILS vs. Providence Bruins, 7:00 p.m.
Fri, 4/10 – DEVILS vs. Hartford Wolf Pack, 7:00 p.m.
Sat, 4/11 – Devils @ BRIDGEPORT SOUND TIGERS, 7:00 p.m.

The Devils went 1-2-0-1 in their second consecutive four-game week and were mathematically eliminated from postseason contention.  Third period woes for Lowell led to a shootout loss on Wednesday versus Manchester and losses to Portland and Springfield to open the weekend.  Lowell rebounded with a victory at Hartford on Sunday, but saw their playoff chances end with a Portland victory over Springfield.  The Devils wrap up the regular season with home games versus Providence on Wednesday and Hartford on Friday before playing their final contest of the 2008-09 regular season in Bridgeport on Saturday. 

Rewind:
Wednesday, Devils 2 vs. MONARCHS 3 (SO)
The Monarchs came from behind in the third period to skate to an eventual 3-2 shootout win over the Devils at the Verizon Wireless Arena.  Ryan Murphy gave the Devils a 2-1 lead at 3:07 of the third, but Kevin Westgarth would knot the contest less than six minutes later for Manchester.   Lowell had a chance to go ahead again on a penalty shot at 13:03 by Matt Halischuk, but was denied by goalie Jonathan Bernier.  Bernier then stopped three of four Devils in the shootout, while three shooters converted for Manchester.  Matt Corrente registered his sixth goal of the season in the match. 

Friday, DEVILS 1 vs. Pirates 3
Mathieu Darche potted two goals for the Pirates as the Lowell Devils fell to Portland, 3-1, at the Tsongas Arena.  Darche’s power play goal late in the first would hold as the game’s only goal until Pascal Rheaume tipped in his 10th of the season at 3:13 of the third period.  The Pirates took back the lead only 1:27 later as Scott Clemmensen’s clearing attempt ricocheted off of Darche and back into the net.  Marek Zagrapan completed the scoring with an empty-net goal. 

Saturday, DEVILS 3 vs. Falcons 4
The Falcons scored three straight goals, including two on the power play in the third period, to rally from behind and defeat the Devils, 4-3, at the Tsongas Arena.  Tied 1-1 in the opening minutes of the second period, goals by Matt Halischuk and Nicklas Bergfors over a span of 1:43 put Lowell up by two.  Ryan Potulny pulled Springfield within one late in the second and Jordan Eberley later tied it on the man-advantage at 12:32 of the third.  Charles Linglet completed the comeback for the Falcons with his power play tally with 1:23 left in regulation.  Barry Tallackson also scored in the game for the Devils. 

Sunday, Devils 4 vs. WOLF PACK 3
The Devils went 3-for-8 on the power play to score a 4-3 decision over the Wolf Pack at the XL Center. Jon DiSalvatore’s goal on the man-advantage at 3:51 of the third period proved to be the game-winner for Lowell.  With the score even at 1-1 in the second period, the Devils sandwiched power play markers by Rosario Ruggeri and Pascal Rheaume around Patrick Rismiller’s 5-on-4 goal to take the lead for good.  Jeff Frazee stopped 30 shots to record his 27th win of the season.

Playoff Picture
With two playoff spots still remaining in the Atlantic Division, the third-place Portland Pirates (37-30-3-7) have 84 points and can clinch a berth with a win and a loss of any kind by the Manchester Monarchs (36-33-0-8) or a regulation loss by Manchester and an overtime or shootout loss by the Worcester Sharks. Worcester (40-34-1-2) can also sure up a spot in the postseason with a win and a loss of any kind by the Monarchs or a regulation loss by Manchester and an overtime or shootout loss by Portland.  At 94 points, the Hartford Wolf Pack (44-27-3-3) can clinch the division crown with a victory and a regulation loss by the Providence Bruins (42-27-2-6) who trail by two points. 

Around the Horns
Saturday’s loss to Springfield was the Devils’ first in regulation this season when leading after two periods…Lowell improved to 29-4-2-3 this year when scoring three or more goals…The Devils have a team-record 10 players with double-digit goal totals this season…Jon DiSalvatore gathered his team-leading 11th multi-point game on Sunday with a goal and an assist versus Hartford…Twenty-six of DiSalvatore's 48 points have come on the man-advantage, including a team-leading 21 power play assists…Vladimir Zharkov has seven points (2g-5a) in his last six games and is second among rookies with a +24 plus/minus rating. 
    
Coming Up
The Devils look to put a hold on the Bruins’ division title aspirations when they face off on Wednesday at the Tsongas Arena.  Lowell holds a 5-3-0-1 lead in the season-series, while Jon DiSalvatore is the top scorer head-to-head with nine points (4g-5a) in nine games.  Bruins blueliner Johnny Boychuk last week won the Eddie Shore Award as the league’s top defenseman.

Having already won the season-series against Hartford with a victory over the Wolf Pack on Sunday, the Devils will try and add to that win total on Friday on home ice.  On Sunday, Lowell’s 4-3 decision ended Hartford’s four-game win streak and a stretch of seven straight home wins.  Artem Anisimov has tallied seven goals and four assists in his last seven games. 

Lowell wraps up its 2008-09 schedule on Saturday in Bridgeport.  The Devils notched their first win of the season versus the Sound Tigers, 5-3, in their last meeting on March 29.   Bridgeport is still in the hunt for the crown in the East Division, trailing the Hershey Bears by only two points with two games left to play. 
The Sound Tigers have won three in a row with Sean Bentivoglio scoring two of the game-winning goals. 

Upcoming Promotions/In the Community

• Wednesday, April 8  - Devils vs. Providence Bruins, 7:00 p.m.
• Dollar Dawg Night – Hot dogs for all in attendance that night will be just $1.

• Two-For-One Special!!
• Get tickets to two games for the price of one.  Purchase a ticket to either one of these games against the Devils’ Atlantic Division rivals and receive a free ticket to the other game.   
  
  Wednesday, April 8 @ 7:00 p.m. vs. Providence Bruins
  –or-
  Friday, April 10 @ 7:00 p.m. vs. Hartford Wolf Pack
         
  For more information, click here or call (978) 458-PUCK.

Leaders for Lowell

• Goals:                   Nicklas Bergfors (22)
• Assists:                Jon DiSalvatore (33)
• Points:                  Jon DiSalvatore (53)
• PIM:                       Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond (216)
• Plus/Minus:         Vladimir Zharkov (+24)
• Wins:                    Jeff Frazee (27)
• G.A.A.:                  Jeff Frazee (2.59)
• Save %:                Jeff Frazee (.922)