Interview from Locker Cleanout Day, 4/28/12

From the Miami Herald's George Richards. It was nice to see a few smiles and even a laugh. Let's hope his knee heals up quickly and he can enjoy his off-season with his family. Looking forward to next season!! :D

José Post-Game Interview, 4/26/12

This is not for the faint of heart. He looks incredibly sad, and I'm sure it's partly due to exhaustion. But the pure disappointment is evident on his face and in his voice. I know all players go through this eventually, except those that actually win the Cup. Everyone has an end to the season by loss, but this one is personally painful. I wanted this so badly for him. I have a good feeling about next season though!! The Panthers are only going to get better next season, and I have faith that José will still be their #1, probably with Markstrom learning the ropes of being a #1 from him. No one better for the kid to learn it from. José has been through it all and come out the other side, still being a classy and stand-up guy and teammate. (I'm proud, if you can't tell.)

NHL.com's Recap of Game 7

Here's what NHL.com had to say about last night's game.

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP)

Jose Theodore thought Adam Henrique was going high. The rookie went low. And with that, the New Jersey Devils went to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Henrique scored his second goal of the game at 3:47 of the second overtime to give the Devils a 3-2 victory over the Florida Panthers early Friday, sending New Jersey into a second-round series starting Sunday against the Philadelphia Flyers.

"Got a pretty good bounce," Henrique said. "Found myself alone and tried to get it on net."

He did a lot better than that. Theodore said afterward he didn't have a great look at the final shot.

"I kind of lost it," Theodore said. "I thought he was going high. I didn't really see it through. And he beat me with a good ol' five-hole shot."

Just like that, the Devils were winners of a postseason series for the first time since 2007. And with the game ending in the early hours of April 27, it marked the 20th anniversary of Martin Brodeur's first postseason appearance in goal for New Jersey.

Henrique doesn't remember Brodeur's debut. After all, he was only 2. But this night, that'll be unforgettable.

"Pretty cool, I guess," said Brodeur, who stopped 43 shots.

Stephen Gionta also scored in regulation for New Jersey, which wasted a 2-0 lead in the third period.

Stephen Weiss and Marcel Goc scored third-period goals for the Panthers, and Theodore made 33 saves. The Panthers made a surprising run to the Southeast Division title this season, earning their first postseason berth in 12 years.

"This is not where the hockey people predicted us to be at the start of the year," Weiss said. "We did some good things. We're obviously disappointed not being able to move on. It's been a fun year. It's been a fun playoff in front of our fans."

The Panthers thought they were on the board 1:50 into the third period when Mike Weaver's shot from the right point got past Brodeur. Shawn Matthias was whistled for goaltender interference, nullifying the goal - and further firing up the already desperate Panthers.

"Yeah, they probably missed one on that one," Florida coach Kevin Dineen said. "But what are you going to do?"

Weiss cut the lead in half at 5:02 of the third, burying a one-timer from the right circle after a pass from Brian Campbell. The equalizer nearly came 3 minutes later, when Weiss had another shot blocked, Scottie Upshall nearly got his stick on the rebound - the Devils' Andy Greene tied him up just enough to thwart that chance - and Kris Versteeg's try was batted away.

Didn't matter. The Panthers kept coming, getting the franchise's biggest goal in 16 years.

Shawn Bergenheim made a nifty move to get free for a shot that Brodeur stopped. The rebound rolled left, nearly on the goal line, and Goc knocked it home from an extremely tough angle to tie it at 2 with 3:28 left.

And to overtime they went.

"Exhausting," Devils coach Pete DeBoer said. "A fitting end to the series."

The Devils and Panthers played 11 games this season. New Jersey won six, Florida won five, and the Devils outscored the Panthers 29-28.

As close as could be, all the way to the end.

"Just a bounce here or there," Versteeg said. "That's what happens."

The first 2 minutes of regulation - probably long forgotten by the time the game ended - went about as badly as could be for Florida, which quickly found itself down both a goal and a center.

Henrique opened the scoring when he tipped the puck past Theodore to get New Jersey on the board and silence an anxious crowd. Anton Volchenkov camped out at the left point, waited for a pass from behind the net to bounce off the boards and carom his way, then fired a one-timer that Henrique - considered by many to be the league's best rookie - directed into the net.

A half-minute later, things got worse for Florida.

Panthers center John Madden and winger Tomas Kopecky collided near center ice, and Madden took the brunt of the big hit. He writhed in agony for several seconds before trying to crawl to the Florida bench, the blood pouring from his face leaving a blotchy red trail along the ice. Two workers emerged to scrape up the mess.

New Jersey dominated the opening minutes, taking eight of the first 10 shots. Eventually, the Panthers settled down - getting 10 shots on Brodeur in the final 10-plus minutes of the first period, yet still heading into the first intermission trailing 1-0.

"They got one lucky tip," Kopecky said in a televised interview between periods. "You know, we weren't in a lane and we were kind of cruising around in our zone and it ended up in our net."

Lucky or not, it was enough to get the Devils going.

And fittingly, Henrique not only got his team started, but then he finished the job.

"I think I blacked out when I heard the thud of the back of the net," Henrique said. "It was a great feeling."

Gameday, GAME 7!! Panthers vs. Devils, L 3-2 in 2OT

José had a "healthy" workout on the ice during morning skate and "looked good." He was in the "starter's net." We'll see what happens.

After one period the Panthers trail 1-0. Unfortunately the first shot on goal went in against José less than 2 minutes into the period. He stopped all the other 8 shots he faced. That first looked to be a deflection. :( At least the Panthers are getting more shots on goal than last game so hopefully they'll eventually start going in the net.

We're going to OT, folks!! The Panthers were down 2-0 going into the 3rd but got 2 goals!! One with less than 5 minutes left in the game. Wow, my heart has stopped!! José had some big saves in that period. He's holding down the fort for them, let's just hope the Panthers get a score and fast in OT. I can't handle a long OT. I will be dead for sure. Haha.

The D and the goalies stood strong, and it's now going into a 2nd OT. I want this win so badly for José!!! He deserves it so much.

Unfortunately the Panthers didn't pull this one out, so their season is over. They lost in the 2nd OT after a turnover squeaked between José's legs. But what a great game he had, and what a great season. He ended up saving 33 of 36 shots. I'll write more tomorrow. I'm drained and sad.

Post-practice Interview (4/25/12)

José Skated Today (4/25/12)

José was on the ice for the Panthers' optional skate this afternoon. He did talk to the media afterwards, but I haven't seen video of that yet. All I know from the skate is that Dineen said "If he's available, he will play", referring to Game 7 tomorrow. Harvey and George were both en route back to Florida, so didn't make it to the skate, so they didn't have much to say. Harvey said he would be a "game time decision." So it sounds like we won't know anything until they take the ice a half hour before the game tomorrow. And it's been announced that Game 7 will be at 8:30 EST. It will be carried on NHL Network in its entirety, and on NBC Sports Network (following the conclusion of the Rangers/Sens game.) Here was José meeting with the media after practice today.

The Panthers twitter account posted that with the comment: Theodore: "There's nothing like a Game 7." And wow, that's a lot of cameras. ;o) I will post more as soon as I have it (hoping for video of that interview later.)

Gameday (Playoffs Game 6) Panthers @ Devils, L, 2-3 (OT) (Clemmensen in goal due to injured José)

Jacob Markstrom was recalled from San Antonio. He and Clemmensen were the goalies on the ice for morning skate. José is with the team, but not on the ice. It's being reports as a "not serious" injury. I wonder if it's still related to the knee problems he had earlier in the season. Hopefully a few days rest will make him good as new. Rooting for a big win tonight, so he can rest and get ready for the 2nd round!

Media reported "Theodore is with team. Injury not serious. Had it before." So that would definitely make it seem like it's his knee, and let's hope it really isn't serious. ******************************************************************************************** Unfortunately the Panthers couldn't pull out a win tonight, so the series heads back to Sunrise for Game 7 on Thursday (time not determined yet.) The Panthers only put 16 shots on goal. That's not a good way to win a game. Let's hope there is more offense on Thursday. By the way, Blogger just changed their site tonight, so everything is new to me. I might struggle for a bit. Bear with me.