Alright sports fans, it was a wild one in steel city tonight as the Devils took their frustrations out on the struggling Penguins.
Losing to the Minnesota Wild a few nights earlier didn't sit well with the 2005 champs. The loss was unacceptable considering the tight playoff race they are in and they were an angry bunch when they took the ice Thursday night. 12 minutes into the opening frame they were up 5 - 0, Kolzig was headed for the showers and home town fans were heading for the parking lot. New Jersey scored 4 more goals to win the game 9 - 1.
"We weren't trying to embarrass them" Scott Neidermayer said."Pittsburgh is still in the race and we were expecting a war from them. They just weren't prepared for us and after we scored a few early goals they quit. There wasn't much fight left in them."
It may have been Pittsburgh's worst performance of the season but make no mistake, the Devils were awesome. They victimized the Pens at every turn and never gave them a chance. Rising star Zach Parise had his first OTHL hat trick, getting all three goals in the first period.
New Jersey's management has been rumoured to be hunting for a scoring centerman but after tonight's 9 goal explosion, they may change their minds.