As the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal series between the Tampa Bay Lightning and New Jersey Devils shifts to the Prudential Center for Game 3 Monday night http://www.dolphinsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-albert-wilson-jersey , one team espouses change while the other is quite fine with the status quo.
It is not hard to determine which team is which after the Lightning held serve on home ice, winning the first two games. Now it’s up to the Devils to change the narrative as the series shifts to Newark, but that may be easier said than done.
The Lightning took Game 1 by a 5-2 score and then ran out to a four-goal lead in the second game on Saturday before finishing the Devils off 5-3. Over 120 minutes of playoff hockey, the Lightning have not trailed for a single second.
“You approach every game at a time, and we’re just focused on the next one right now,” said the Lightning’s Tyler Johnson, who scored a goal in each of the first two games. “We’re not focused on what we did the first two games. It’s what we’re going to do in the next one.”
That business-like approach is echoed throughout the experienced Lightning dressing room. Not only did this team finish first in the Eastern Conference this season, but the roster swells with players that played in recent Stanley Cup and conference finals games.
That experience showed in the first two games as the Lightning handled momentum swings in a smoother fashion that far-less experienced Devils. And it could be a big advantage as the Lightning look to put a stranglehold on the series with a win Monday night.
“Just because you won the first two games at home, that’s not a paved path saying you’re going to win Game 3,” said Lightning coach Jon Cooper. “The best we played (Saturday), we’re going to go five percent better to win on the road.”
While the Devils had surges in the opening two games in Tampa, there is much room for improvement up and down their lineup. In fact, the lineup deployed by Devils coach John Hynes in the first two games, will be shaken up Monday night.
Hynes told reporters on a conference call Sunday that there will be changes made, though he declined to specify which players might be in or out.
“There are some guys who just haven’t performed well enough to warrant staying in the lineup,” explained Hynes. “We’re a team, we need to play as a group. We can’t have passengers. We can’t have guys not necessarily playing as hard as they need to in the competitive areas of the game.”
Veterans Ben Lovejoy and Michael Grabner might be in danger of watching from the press box in Game 3. Both have struggled Youth Trent Brown Jersey , and Grabner logged only 8:56 worth of ice time on Saturday.
Adding some intrigue to who may, or may not, play in Game 3 is that the Devils signed 2016 third-round pick Joey Anderson to an entry-level contract on Sunday. He will skate with the team Monday after recently helping the University of Minnesota-Duluth win the NCAA Championship.
Another area of question is in goal. Keith Kinkaid went 7-0-1 down the stretch between the pipes, helping the Devils secure their first playoff berth in six years, after Cory Schneider was sidelined with a hip injury in January and then failed to win any of his starts upon his return more than a month later.
However, Kinkaid was blitzed by the high-powered Lightning offense in the first two games of this series and was pulled in favor of Schneider after allowing five goals on 15 shots in only 33:12 on Saturday.
Hynes said Sunday he decided on his starting goalie for Game 3 but was not ready to publicly divulge his choice.
“I feel confident in both goalies,” Devils alternate captain Taylor Hall told reporters Sunday. “That’s the least of our worries. Keith down the stretch was great and Cory’s had his times this year, as well.”
No matter who starts in goal, the Devils need to tighten up their overall defensive game and find ways to slow down the potent Lightning power play, which converted on three of its four opportunities in Games 1 and 2.
Despite the daunting task ahead of his team, Hall is excited for Monday night.
“It’s going to be really fun to have our fans behind us,” said Hall, who has one goal and one assist in the series. “Home ice is a huge advantage and using the fans can give is the push we need for Game 3.”
Nick Mangold was the anchor of the New York Jets' offensive line for 11 seasons, a smart, reliable and tough dude who was one of the franchise's most consistently good players.His sharp wit and sarcasm made him a favorite of teammates and fans. Mangold also rocked a big, bushy beard and long blond hair that made him look more like he belonged on a Viking ship than a football field.
But from 2006 until through 2016, Mangold was one of the NFL's best players at his position. On Tuesday Adidas Patrice Bergeron Jersey , he was again the center of attention as he signed a one-day contract with the Jets to officially retire as a member of the team.
"I've had the good fortune of signing three contracts with the New York Jets," Mangold said while holding his 3-year-old daughter Eloise. "This was the first one I signed with a child on my lap."
Nick Mangold signs a one-day contract to officially retire as a member of the Jets @DWAZ73 s://t.co/McNlKjOK3C pic.m4Ufg5EHcq
鈥?AP NFL (@AP_NFL) April 24, 2018
The 34-year-old Mangold, wearing his Jets cap backward as he always did during his playing days, was honored during a ceremony that included a framed No. 74 jersey displayed on the podium, a video featuring career highlights and some music from Dave Matthews Band 鈥?one of his favorites 鈥?playing over the speakers as guests arrived.
The team feted the seven-time Pro Bowl selection, who announced his retirement last week , with his wife Jennifer and their three children in attendance, along with several other members of his family, including his sister Holley, a member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic weightlifting team. Former teammates D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brandon Moore and Willie Colon were there, too, as was former Jets center John Schmitt from the 1969 Super Bowl-winning team, and current coach Todd Bowles and general manager Mike Maccagnan.
Mangold was a first-round draft pick out of Ohio State in 2006 and immediately became a starter for New York. He made his first Pro Bowl in 2008, and finished with the second-most all-star honors in franchise history. Only offensive tackle Winston Hill with eight AFL/NFL selections has more.
"We knew he was smart Youth Armani Watts Jersey , we knew he was tough and we knew he would give us everything he had on the field," acting owner Christopher Johnson said of the team drafting Mangold.
"What we didn't know was how much he would embrace our organization and this community. My vivid memories of him are running out of the tunnel wearing a first responders' hat, carrying the American flag or serving as Santa Claus for a charity event.
"Best Santa Claus ever, by the way."
Mangold played in only eight games in 2016 because of ankle and foot injuries that landed him on the injured reserve list for the final month. He didn't play last season after being released by New York in February 2017.
"Going through the injury was difficult," Mangold said. "But then as I was rehabbing and realized that I probably wouldn't be able to play at the level I wanted to play at and going through the (2017) season, I always thought that I was going to miss it. Like, something was going to happen where I'd miss it and be like, 'I need to be out there. I need to be on the field.' And that never came.
"That's kind of where I knew: I'm in a good spot."
Mangold added that spending increased time with his kids has helped keep him busy, keeping his mind off football. There were, however, some things he has missed.
"The hot and cold tubs," he said, drawing laughs. "It's really difficult to do that at home."
There was also the camaraderie of being with teammates, trying to deliver wins for the Jets.
"But, as far as football, I did what I could do," Mangold said. "And I was done."
Mangold Vikings Elite Jerseys , who grew up in Centerville, Ohio, plans to remain in the New Jersey area with his family, although he's unsure what's next for him.
"Well, my golf game has really suffered because of football," he said with a straight face.
"So, I'm looking forward to improving on that. Beyond that, I don't know. It's funny being retired at 34 and your career's over at 34 when there's still so much left to do."
Maybe Mangold will eventually find his way into the political game. A report earlier this year linked him to a potential seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
"I found it funny when that came out because that was based off of a five-minute conversation," Mangold said with a laugh. "And next thing I know I was getting phone calls and headlines and stuff and I got a good chuckle out of that, especially because technically I haven't graduated college yet. So, I don't think I'm qualified."
Speaking of which, Mangold plans to take care of that one class to complete his degree. Until then, though, he'll enjoy celebrating one of the best careers in Jets history.
"To play in this city and be a part of it for 11 years," Mangold said, "has been one of the greatest things I could have ever asked for."
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