EC SF: (2) New Jersey vs. (4) Ottawa

Let's do this.

LETS GO BOYS!



anyone have any idea if game 1 is wednesday or thursday? im guessing thursday because the nets play at home on friday night

Go Sens!

Oh hello there! :D

So we meet again, Devils.

This is going to be an awesome series.

They are a tough team. I think the third and fourt lines are close in scoring with the top 6. Bring em on!

Go Sens!

Oh hello there! :D

Trolling :sarcasm:

Expect to win one game at a time. Way to go Devs!:handclap: should be a great series I might go to Ottawa for a game! Let's ROCK THE SWAMP!!!:yo:

Gonna be another tough series. I'm betting it'll get nasty from the start. OK, so we got past Tampa without much of a physical force but we're definitely gonna need it for this series.

Should be a tough series. I think home ice advantage will be key. Devils in 7.

Sabres and Ottawa are both loaded up front have fun stopping Sabres Rags.

LETS GO DEVILS!
:devdance: :devils :devdance:

Should be a really great series.

Not 10 mintues after we defeated Tampa, the Devils are already the underdog. Not that Bret Hull's opinion matters, but he picked Ottawa.

The key here is having the EGG's continue to click with secondary support from the PZL. Marty is starting to get momentum, and our defense has looked great in round one. Whichever team can dictate and control the momentum will have a huge advantage.

Devils in 7.

Good luck guys.

I noticed that the Tampa series wasn't very physical, but don't expect that again. Neil, Fisher, Schubert, Volchenkov and Phillips will look to pound you guys to a pulp like they did to the Pens, so hopefully your guys are man enough to take it... ;)

Ohh, I can't wait. Anyone know when the series begins?

Hello Devils, meet Neil.

;)

Should be a really great series.

Not 10 mintues after we defeated Tampa, the Devils are already the underdog. Not that Bret Hull's opinion matters, but he picked Ottawa.

Ugh, I hope we don't have to get into the "who's the pressure on" discussion again, but I will say this. Devils have home ice, had more points in the regular season, and have the best goalie in the world. You better not lose... :p: ;)

I'm assuming game 2 will be Saturday Night because of Hockey Night in Canada (as NBC isn't going to want this series). I hope so I might come up for the game.

We will get our revenge.

So we get 2 weeks of Sens avatars with the silhoutte of a someones profile!

Time excorcise the Devils. This should be an awesome series.

Well the devils won against the senators 4 games to 1 in the regular season, however as tampa has proved, it meant nothing. So this is a new season basically, the senators have shown they are a tough team against the talented players of pittsburgh but can they beat Brodeur? Look to see both teams play well defensively. This is going to be close. I predict Devils in 7.

I think the Devils play better when the teams they face are more offensivly minded then defensive teams. They seem to focus more and everyone on the team has a significant and defined purpose.

White Matvichuk and Lukowich NEED to stay healthy.

I think the Devils play better when the teams they face are more offensivly minded then defensive teams. They seem to focus more and everyone on the team has a significant and defined purpose.

Agreed. This is a much more balanced and potent offensive threat than Tampa in my opinion. The Devils LOVE playing these teams. There should be no problems with determination in this series. It's gonna be tough and has all the potential to go the distance. Best of luck Ottawa.....GO DEVILS!!!!

Personally I think the Devils matchup better against the Sens than they did against Tampa. Ottawa has never given the Devils problems the way the Lightning did. That said this should be a 7 game series. Hopefully the two teams don't beat each other up too badly because no matter who wins this series I'm going to be rooting for that team in the next series.

This is going to be a great series. I expect it to go the distance.

Lets Go Devils!

Good luck guys, here's hoping for an exciting series....














and an Ottawa victory:D

We need White!

What we need is balanced scoring from the first and second lines. If both lines come through on a game-by-game basis then I think we're in good shape, because despite what Ottawa says about their offense, we're still the Devils and Brodeur is still Brodeur.

Ottawa's offense scares me less than Tampa's did because to break the trap you need star power. No one on the Senators is the equal to Vinny Lecavalier - they're more balanced. It'll be up to the defense to play their game and shut down the neutral zone, and I think they'll be able to do it better against Ottawa than against Tampa.

Hello Devils, meet Neil.

;)

Hello Neil, meet Janssen, Rupp, Ras, Luko, and Matty ;)

Ottawa is going to be a tough opponent. Awesome matchups in the East. the Buf-NYR series is going to be spectacular. NHL better do right by its league and really promote these matchups.

Tampa was 5th in shorthanded goals while Ottawa is 1st.

So we get 2 weeks of Sens avatars with the silhoutte of a someones profile!
It's the cup dude!!
...
I made the same mistake...

Yep, the Devils are going to have to be very careful on the PP against the Sens....the PP looked great against Tampa for the most part but has the tendency to look very sloppy at times. Overall, they had great productivity on the PP against Tampa but they also did give up quite a few chances against.

It's the cup dude!!
...
I made the same mistake...

That's pretty funny. I thought it was someones profile too. :)

wow, looking on both boards, both sets of fans are pretty confident. it scares me that brodeur is getting into shape and im not a fan of the trap but if you guys don't think we're a significant improvement on tampa, you are in for a big surprise. vinny may be a superstar but that team doesn't have remotely close to the depth we have. that an holmqvist doesn't really compare to any other goalie in the playoffs. it'll be a great series. good luck to you guys :handclap:

wow, looking on both boards, both sets of fans are pretty confident. it scares me that brodeur is getting into shape and im not a fan of the trap but if you guys don't think we're a significant improvement on tampa, you are in for a big surprise. vinny may be a superstar but that team doesn't have remotely close to the depth we have. that an holmqvist doesn't really compare to any other goalie in the playoffs. it'll be a great series. good luck to you guys :handclap:

I'm pretty sure no one here is picking the Devils as landslide favorites my friend.

white can keep sitting out for all i care

wow, looking on both boards, both sets of fans are pretty confident. it scares me that brodeur is getting into shape and im not a fan of the trap but if you guys don't think we're a significant improvement on tampa, you are in for a big surprise. vinny may be a superstar but that team doesn't have remotely close to the depth we have. that an holmqvist doesn't really compare to any other goalie in the playoffs. it'll be a great series. good luck to you guys :handclap:
Actually, I'd rather face a team with a deep offense than a team with a top-heavy offense like Tampa Bay's. One super-powerful line was enough to break through our checking unit until they got worn down, but if you guys don't break up your top line those guys are going to find themselves pretty stifled.

I have a lot of faith in our defense and team concept to be able to handle your offensive depth better than they could Tampa's superstars.

You guys seem to believe that your defense can shut down our offense - but we have an uncanny knack for scoring goals when they need to be scored, and have had that knack since 2000, really.

In a lot of ways, this will be a very similar series to the 2003 ECF, neither team has really changed all that much, IMO.

Actually, I'd rather face a team with a deep offense than a team with a top-heavy offense like Tampa Bay's. One super-powerful line was enough to break through our checking unit until they got worn down, but if you guys don't break up your top line those guys are going to find themselves pretty stifled.


That's funny, because our team was referred to as a one-line team pretty much whenever Heatley, Alfredsson and Spezza are put together.

So we get 2 weeks of Sens avatars with the silhoutte of a someones profile!

I liked the one from 2003 "OUR TOWN, OUR TEAM, OUR TIME"

After Friesen's goal in game 7, I wrote "YOUR TOWN, YOUR TEAM, MAYBE NEXT TIME!"

Devils in 5.

Go Devils!:handclap:

This will be huge series, i think this is going to go to 7 games, 6 at least. If we can win all our home games, then there will be no problem, but that will be very hard.
But it's time for Marty to show, who is better :D And not Emery is that one ;)

I expect to see alot of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ht-37-siYko

In a lot of ways, this will be a very similar series to the 2003 ECF, neither team has really changed all that much, IMO.

no scotty n, no nieuwendyk, no stevens, no daneyko
no chara, no lalime, no bonk, no hossa, no havlat
lets not even do the additions

i think the teams have changed quite a bit...we don't have the chokeartist of goalies in nets and the loss of some star players has forced us to adopt a team approach that's, well, influenced by you guys. the sens team you will be facing is a lot better today than it was back then...it's up to you guys to decide whether this devils team is better or worse than back then. all im saying is it won't be 6 games like tampa was.

That's funny, because our team was referred to as a one-line team pretty much whenever Heatley, Alfredsson and Spezza are put together.
Which is fine, because that line, which potent, isn't as scary as Lecavalier and St. Louis to me.

Maybe next this is right!! Nobody in the east is stopping this Senators team when healthy. They're 10x tougher than they've ever been and will physically punish you. Solid goaltending pushes them over the top this year.

That said, best of luck in round 1 Jersey fans I like your team a lot. If you do manage to get by the Sens I hope that you come out of the east. May the best team win.

The team that loses this series will be losing to the Cup champs.

I expect to see alot of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ht-37-siYko
You'll be dissapointed. Cam will never see the ice.

I think this is going to be a good series with it going the full 7 games. According to some the Devils seem to be going into this as the underdogs but that is fine because that puts the pressure on Ottawa instead of us.

But one thing that the Devils will have to do is capitalize on their chances. I noticed in the Tampa series that the Devils had the puck in front on a good scoring chance and either fanned on it or mis-played it. Might not get as many chances with Ottawa so they will have to make the most of the chances that they do get.

Nobody in the east is stopping this Senators team when healthy.

Shades of 2003.

\Heatley, Alfredsson and Spezza

Who are three guys who have never won a Stanley Cup?

Correct

O.K. Alex, I'll take Champs for 400

Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, and Brad Richards were integral to this teams success in the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals.

Who are the Tampa Bay Lightning?

Correct.

We'll go with Choke artists for 300

Ah the daily double

This team minus one trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2003 have been perennial playoff choke artists.

Who are the Ottawa Senators?

Correct, well it is now time for final jeopardy.

This team won the Eastern Conference Semi-Final of the Stanley Cup playoffs in 7 games in 2007

Lets see Devilsfanatic, you had 1000 dollars and you wagered 1000 dollars, what is your answer

Who are the New Jersey Devils?

Well, Devilsfanatic is our winner on HFBoards jeopardy today. And will be seen again as our returning champion in round 3. Until next time, I'm Alex Trebek.


One would ask, hey DF are you having fun being an ass? I would say yes.

Which is fine, because that line, which potent, isn't as scary as Lecavalier and St. Louis to me.

I agree.

You'll be dissapointed. Cam will never see the ice.

That's a damn shame, cause we could use him. On the other hand, his presence alone may cause more chaos than it's worth.

oduya has to sit this series. he'll get overmatched.

We definitely match up better against the Sens than we did against Tampa. That's not to say that it will be an easier series by any means. What I mean is that Tampa was able to perform much better against us than they would against most other teams in the East. I feel that we play our best hockey against teams like Ottawa.

I don't know how you Sens fans feel but ask any Devils fan and they'll tell you that Tampa has given us fits for the last three years, it was always just survival and uninspired play. I'm sure the Sens have teams that they just have trouble with like that too.

I think the keys to the series are going to be Heatley for the Sens, he always seems to score big goals against us since he went to Ottawa, Vermette always seems to score against us as well, if those two, Fisher and Neil up their game for this series the Sens will be successful. The key for NJ is whether the EGG line can cut down on those turnovers at the blue line, and whether the Zajac line can handle Ottawa's second line defensively.

Brodeur needs to be Brodeur and Emery has to match it. This series will be decided by bounces and the ability to roll with those bounces. I hope it's a hard fought close seven game series. May the best team win.

What are the stats for Devils/Senators play this regular season together?

What are the stats for Devils/Senators play this regular season together?
We lost once - the blowout.

Just wanted to stop by and say go Devils :yo:

Second favorite team, should be a great series

We lost once - the blowout.Yeah, I remember that one :(

Just checked, we were 3-1 this regular season.

Yeah, I remember that one :(

Just checked, we were 3-1 this regular season.
Yea but we saw how much that meant with the lightning:sarcasm:

You'll be dissapointed. Cam will never see the ice.

I actually think he might be useful if Neil, McGrattan (does he play?), Fisher and all them start to take runs. If that line plays a minute and a half anyway, could it really hurt that much to dress Cam?

I actually think he might be useful if Neil, McGrattan (does he play?), Fisher and all them start to take runs. If that line plays a minute and a half anyway, could it really hurt that much to dress Cam?

Problem with that is, I don't think Cam Janssen scares Neil or Fisher at all, so he wouldn't be able to stop them from doing anything.

Pittsburgh tried the strategy of "oh, let's dress Laraque and that'll stop players from hitting our stars" and all that happened was one of his giveaways led to a goal in game 1, and then he played again in game 4 and saw about a minute of icetime and didn't record a hit.

So... I don't think Janssen would serve any purpose by stepping onto the ice.

i think the teams have changed quite a bit...we don't have the chokeartist of goalies in nets and the loss of some star players has forced us to adopt a team approach that's, well, influenced by you guys. the sens team you will be facing is a lot better today than it was back then...it's up to you guys to decide whether this devils team is better or worse than back then. all im saying is it won't be 6 games like tampa was.

I have to agree, Ottawa has transformed from prancing President Trophy favorites to smash-mouth playoff warriors. Tampa's big three are wicked good, but the rest of the team is pretty much a joke; Ottawa's depth is frightening, particularly their sexy third-line. If Ottawa can play physical without taking too many penalties they will eventually wear down the smallish Devils.

When the teams met for the last time they had the exact same record even though Ottawa's goal differential was significantly better. During the regular season the Devils were overachieving and leaning on Brodeur, while the Senators were underachieving and hindered by Gerber's bad start. The big question is can Ottawa play at a high level with some consistently, because if they don't a veteran Devils team will break their hearts again.

I'm not too optimistic about the Devils' chances of winning; Marty is going to have carry this team to the ECF on his back. Luckily he is certainly capable of doing just that.

Should be a good series. I'd love to broker a deal with the Sens fans; we don't use the word "choke" if they don't use the word "boring", but I'm a dreamer.

Should be a good series. I'd love to broker a deal with the Sens fans; we don't use the word "choke" if they don't use the word "boring", but I'm a dreamer.

LOL. Damn, I would be all for that!

Problem with that is, I don't think Cam Janssen scares Neil or Fisher at all, so he wouldn't be able to stop them from doing anything.

Pittsburgh tried the strategy of "oh, let's dress Laraque and that'll stop players from hitting our stars" and all that happened was one of his giveaways led to a goal in game 1, and then he played again in game 4 and saw about a minute of icetime and didn't record a hit.

So... I don't think Janssen would serve any purpose by stepping onto the ice.

He doesn't need to 'scare' them. He just needs to counteract their physicality with his own. And if anything gets out of hand (i.e. Tampa's thuggery), he'd be there.

This will be a hard fought series that I hope goes seven and the Devs winning at home.

Well from the look of it most of HF wants us to lose, and Ottawa fans are very confident. We may be the higher seed, but it looks as though we will be the underdogs.

Ah, yes...

http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/topstory/sports/friesen_jeff0513.jpg

He doesn't need to 'scare' them. He just needs to counteract their physicality with his own. And if anything gets out of hand (i.e. Tampa's thuggery), he'd be there.

Problem with that theory is that Fisher and Neil take regular shifts. Are you willing to give that much icetime to Janssen?

I'd love to broker a deal with the Sens fans; we don't use the word "choke" if they don't use the word "boring", but I'm a dreamer.

Why would we make a deal of not calling your team boring or saying you choked if you lost? We have nothing to gain from this deal. I mean you're the #2 seed with the best goalie in the league, how could we choke? We're also one of the top offensive teams in the league so we're far from boring.

No deal.

Why would we make a deal of not calling your team boring or saying you choked if you lost? We have nothing to gain from this deal. I mean you're the #2 seed with the best goalie in the league, how could we choke? We're also one of the top offensive teams in the league so we're far from boring.

No deal.


Against us you are...boring that is.

We definitely match up better against the Sens than we did against Tampa. That's not to say that it will be an easier series by any means. What I mean is that Tampa was able to perform much better against us than they would against most other teams in the East. I feel that we play our best hockey against teams like Ottawa.

I don't know how you Sens fans feel but ask any Devils fan and they'll tell you that Tampa has given us fits for the last three years, it was always just survival and uninspired play. I'm sure the Sens have teams that they just have trouble with like that too.

I think the keys to the series are going to be Heatley for the Sens, he always seems to score big goals against us since he went to Ottawa, Vermette always seems to score against us as well, if those two, Fisher and Neil up their game for this series the Sens will be successful. The key for NJ is whether the EGG line can cut down on those turnovers at the blue line, and whether the Zajac line can handle Ottawa's second line defensively.

Brodeur needs to be Brodeur and Emery has to match it. This series will be decided by bounces and the ability to roll with those bounces. I hope it's a hard fought close seven game series. May the best team win.

Boston Bruins :madfire:

He doesn't need to 'scare' them. He just needs to counteract their physicality with his own. And if anything gets out of hand (i.e. Tampa's thuggery), he'd be there.

And that would suggest having him out on the ice for a regular/semi regular shift. I don't think the Devils would be wise to do that.

And that would suggest having him out on the ice for a regular/semi regular shift. I don't think the Devils would be wise to do that.

Not really. Like I said, the 4th line is only playing about 2 minutes anyway. So he would be able to pick his spots.

Round 2 home schedule..

We'll play on Thursday (not sure of time) and then on Sunday at 1pm.

Champions on Ice is at 3pm on Saturday and they won't be playing after that disaster!!

So, there's our first 2 home games!

ah thats sweet then...i have a test friday but ill get most of my studying done wednesday now so i can still go to the game

and i was gonna be home saturday night/sunday anyways so now i can head to the game! sweeeeeet

Round 2 home schedule..

We'll play on Thursday (not sure of time) and then on Sunday at 1pm.

Champions on Ice is at 3pm on Saturday and they won't be playing after that disaster!!

So, there's our first 2 home games!

Haha, the Nets play at home on Sunday (night).

Would be great if that particular game went into overtime.

haha yeah i wonder what the heck that would do if our game went into like 4 overtimes and didnt end til like 8

haha yeah i wonder what the heck that would do if our game went into like 4 overtimes and didnt end til like 8


That would rock!! Screw the NJSEA for scheduling both games on the same days!

Alot of Ottawa fans seem to think that this could be more or less a cakewalk for the Senators. I certainly like it when we are considered an afterthought. We just gotta play our game and let it fall where it may. Go Devils.

I am much more confident in the Devils ability to check Heatley and Spezza than Lecavalier and St. Louis. Lecavalier was physically domininating and St. Louis was making our defense look like traffic cones. While Heatley and Spezza are no doubt very talented, I would take the Tampa boys every time.

The Devils offense will be truly tested with a good goalie this time around. Emery is not pushover and lets not kid ourselves, Tampa lost a couple games on some bad goals by Holmqvist. This series should be much more low scoring as I don't see Ottawa's offense having the same ability Tampa had with our defense.

Elias, Gomez and Gionta are really going to have to earn their money in the next probable 7 games. This team is too deep for our top line to disappear in stretches. Parise will have to continue to contribute also, his production seemed to fade as the series went on. Like the last, I think this series will lay more on the Devils offense.

i was talking to my friend about this, the sens look like a well oiled machine right now, if they win a quick 2, we lost i think, but if this goes 7 (or hopfully 6) i see this going the devils way

Actually, I'd rather face a team with a deep offense than a team with a top-heavy offense like Tampa Bay's. One super-powerful line was enough to break through our checking unit until they got worn down, but if you guys don't break up your top line those guys are going to find themselves pretty stifled.

I have a lot of faith in our defense and team concept to be able to handle your offensive depth better than they could Tampa's superstars.

You guys seem to believe that your defense can shut down our offense - but we have an uncanny knack for scoring goals when they need to be scored, and have had that knack since 2000, really.

In a lot of ways, this will be a very similar series to the 2003 ECF, neither team has really changed all that much, IMO.

i agree completely, lecaviler/st.louis/richards completely murdered us, and not to take away from alf/spez/heater but the lightning arent that deep so they saw each teams toughest d all year long and had the seasons they did, the sens are more balanced so theyre more like us, they have a line 1 and a line 1a, one line steps up when the other is shut down, none the less, i cant imagine this series not going the distance

Alot of Ottawa fans seem to think that this could be more or less a cakewalk for the Senators. I certainly like it when we are considered an afterthought. We just gotta play our game and let it fall where it may. Go Devils.

I don't know where you are getting those ideas from. Some may think that way, the majority do not. The Devils are not considered an afterthought and the Sens, as well as the vast majority of the knowledgable fans, see it going the distance with plenty of nailbiting moments.

Haha, the Nets play at home on Sunday (night).

Would be great if that particular game went into overtime.

I won't believe it until I see it. That's retarded scheduling. Go into 2 or 3 OT's
and it's going to cause a cluster of biblical proportions. And I don't think the NJSEA
is going to do them any favors. Unless there's something going on in Ottawa, which
keeps them from playing a home game Sunday, it's gotta be Wed/Thurs.

Wait. They scheduled a matinee Devils game with an evening Nets game in the same arena? When are they going to reset the seats? Cover the ice? Where are they going to find parking?

That's just stupid. At least we're first, I suppose.

Sens in 5

The more I criticize, the better we do. ;)

Round 2 home schedule..

We'll play on Thursday (not sure of time) and then on Sunday at 1pm.

Champions on Ice is at 3pm on Saturday and they won't be playing after that disaster!!

So, there's our first 2 home games!

Great ****ing schedule by the NJSEA. Did they not think the Devils were going to advance past the first round. They new well in advance when the NBA and NHL playoffs would be.

How long is Champions of ice? They may be forced to play after that (I don't want to imagine the ice). CBC is going to do whatever they can to get that game at 7 pm on Saturday.

I don't think they schedules anything yet. That was just guessing by looking at CAA schedule. They have done 2 games in one day before. Hell I've gone to a NEts and Devils game in one day before. Only Nets game I've ever been to.

Wasn't there an issue with Dora the Explorer Live at an arena for the playoffs a couple of years ago?

I'm still guessing the games are Wednesday -Thursday....back to back

I am sure they can move the time up to 1:00 for that Champions on Ice if they have to. I cannot imagine a scenario in which we play at 1:00 on Sunday and have a Nets game scheduled for that night. Hell, they may even make it an 8:00 start for us Saturday night.

While I understand Ottawa is more physical, I don't think Ottawa has a Lecavalier-St. Louis-Boyle heavy-offense to throw at the Devils for 25+ minutes a night. They have much more depth and their defense is considerbly more formidable.

Not that it'll be impossible for the Devils - they did beat Ottawa 3 times this season. It'll just be close...like the three wins the Devils got on Ottawa this season.

I'm still guessing the games are Wednesday -Thursday....back to back

That would be a travesty...and just like something the NHL would do.

Just refund the tickets for the 17 people who want to go see that stupid ice dancing. Better yet, just give them passes to go see Blades of Glory.

Wasn't there an issue with Dora the Explorer Live at an arena for the playoffs a couple of years ago?

Yes last year in Ottawa I believe.

1 more thing to consider 1pm Sunday is the NBC slot.

Good luck guys.

I noticed that the Tampa series wasn't very physical, but don't expect that again. Neil, Fisher, Schubert, Volchenkov and Phillips will look to pound you guys to a pulp like they did to the Pens, so hopefully your guys are man enough to take it... ;)

this guy is a major ******:dunce:

Yes last year in Ottawa I believe.

1 more thing to consider 1pm Sunday is the NBC slot.

And Game 3 at MSG would fit right in that slot, leaving the Sat
slot to Game 2 Wings/Sharks-Stars.

It's alot of idle speculation. I think some people jumped the gun
because "Eklund's" Devil blogger said something. As if the employees
are more credible than the employer.

And Game 3 at MSG would fit right in that slot, leaving the Sat
slot to Game 2 Wings/Sharks-Stars.

It's alot of idle speculation. I think some people jumped the gun
because "Eklund's" Devil blogger said something. As if the employees
are more credible than the employer.

I think the plan is to have Game 2 Slugs/Rags on NBC (Probably on Saturday due to the length of the Wings series). That's what they said on todays telecast.

So looking forward to this series (*thinks back to 2003*)

hmmm..no Stevens, no Neidermeyer, and no Friesen!!!!
I like our chances..Good Luck Boys

hmmm..no Stevens, no Neidermeyer, and no Friesen!!!!
I like our chances..Good Luck Boys

We still have Langenbrunner though.

We still have Langenbrunner though.
and, more importantly, Jay Pandolfo.

I am sure they can move the time up to 1:00 for that Champions on Ice if they have to. I cannot imagine a scenario in which we play at 1:00 on Sunday and have a Nets game scheduled for that night. Hell, they may even make it an 8:00 start for us Saturday night.

They've done 1pm devils games before 7:30 nets games plenty of times. The only problem there is if the game goes into 4 overtimes, but I think they will take their chances.

Hey Devils Fans!

Really excited about another Sens/Devils matchup and I think it's going to be a great series. The Devils really picked up their game at the end of the Tampa series and they are a pretty dangerous team right now. Broduer always scares me and has me worried but I feel pretty confident that the Sens can get to him.
You guys are going to see a totally different Sens team than what you guys are used to from the past. This is not the same Sens team the Devils beat back in 03.....no Lalime , No Arvedson , No Bonk , No White , No Havlat. The Sens have finally learned what it takes to win in the playoffs and are playing like a team for once instead of the stats trying to win games on their own.

No doubt this will be a very close and competative series and every game will be a battle. The regular season series could not have been closer , especially the last game in the first week of April that the Devils won in a shootout. Another thing that many Sens fans should take notice of is not only Gomez and Elias picking it up big time but Parise...that guy was a beast in the first round.


Anyway , here's to a great series and some great hockey. Sens in 6!

They've done 1pm devils games before 7:30 nets games plenty of times. The only problem there is if the game goes into 4 overtimes, but I think they will take their chances.

Seems like a big hastle and something that hopefully could be avoided. This was just done last week for the Stars/Canucks series at American Airlines Arena , there was a Mav's game in the afternoon and than they had a couple hours to get the ice ready for the Stars game.

Really don't like the idea of an afternoon game. Strongly dislike afternoon playoff hockey , and I don't know if I can handle the Sens and Raps back to back like that.
Also the Sens will have already had a week off by Thursday , would rather there not be an extra day off in between games. Would love for a Saturday game if that was somehow possible.

We'll see when the schedule comes out.

here's a Pens fan hoping you guys sweep this series in 4.

here's a Pens fan hoping you guys sweep this series in 4.

Still a little bitter are ya? If you're going to cheer for the Devils ....at least be realistic!

Still a little bitter are ya? If you're going to cheer for the Devils ....at least be realistic!

I'm not so much bitter as I am a fan for Brodeur. And I'm looking forward to the Sens meeting a team with a real defense.

I'm not so much bitter as I am a fan for Brodeur. And I'm looking forward to the Sens meeting a team with a real defense.

I respect the Devils and am looking forward to a great series. I am curious to know where this strong defense comes from.....they got Rafalski , White and that's about it. They do play a solid defensive game , that has always been the Devils style.

I respect the Devils and am looking forward to a great series. I am curious to know where this strong defense comes from.....they got Rafalski , White and that's about it. They do play a solid defensive game , that has always been the Devils style.

Martin is no slouch (played over 30 minutes in game 6) and Matvichuk has been amazing after spending the regular season on IR. But yes, the defense as a whole isn't nearly as good as in the past.

Martin is no slouch (played over 30 minutes in game 6) and Matvichuk has been amazing after spending the regular season on IR. But yes, the defense as a whole isn't nearly as good as in the past.

I am not worried about the Devils defence. Martin has been good you are right , I forgot about him for a moment. It's nice to see the Sens have the advantage on defense after all the years the Devils has the D hands down. The Devils defense back when they had Stevens and Niedermayer when the Sens/Devils last met was downright intimidating.

Martin is no slouch (played over 30 minutes in game 6) and Matvichuk has been amazing after spending the regular season on IR. But yes, the defense as a whole isn't nearly as good as in the past.

Hence the reason Sens fans may seem a tad overconfident. This year's Sens actually have all 4 lines rolling and we're getting legit secondary scoring now. People can say they'd rather have the Tampa trio but as far as I'm concerned Spezza is still the best playmaker of the 6, Heatley is still the best sniper of the 6 and Alfredsson is the hardest worker of the 6. Add in Fisher/Comrie/Schaefer/Vermette/Kelly and your D will get all they can handle.

I think it'll be interesting to see if the top line is broken up the first two games to avoid the Madden line.

Hence the reason Sens fans may seem a tad overconfident. This year's Sens actually have all 4 lines rolling and we're getting legit secondary scoring now. People can say they'd rather have the Tampa trio but as far as I'm concerned Spezza is still the best playmaker of the 6, Heatley is still the best sniper of the 6 and Alfredsson is the hardest worker of the 6. Add in Fisher/Comrie/Schaefer/Vermette/Kelly and your D will get all they can handle.

I think it'll be interesting to see if the top line is broken up the first two games to avoid the Madden line.

Exactly. NJ couldn't stop Tampa's big 3 and they were the only ones who did anything for Tampa. That is exactly why they lost , because no matter how could they were 3 players cannot win you a series, you must have the depth and secondary scoring to rely on. The Sens are dangerous on all 4 lines and everyone plays their roll on the team perfectly. For the first time the Sens are getting scoring from everywhere and guys like Comrie , Fisher , Vermette , Kelly , Schafer are contributing with some offence.

[QUOTE=MissionHockey;9037996]I am much more confident in the Devils ability to check Heatley and Spezza than Lecavalier and St. Louis. Lecavalier was physically domininating and St. Louis was making our defense look like traffic cones. While Heatley and Spezza are no doubt very talented, I would take the Tampa boys every time.

The Devils offense will be truly tested with a good goalie this time around. Emery is not pushover and lets not kid ourselves, Tampa lost a couple games on some bad goals by Holmqvist. This series should be much more low scoring as I don't see Ottawa's offense having the same ability Tampa had with our defense.[QUOTE]

Are you nuts? Ottawa offense not having same ability that Tampa had against your defence? I think you will be in for a shock.

Tampa had ZERO depth other than Lecavalier, StLuis, Richards and Boyle on D. Ottawa has their own version of the the top 3 up front in Heatley (50g 105 pts), Spezza (on pace for 40 g, 100+ pts over full season), and Alfredsson (28 g 90 pts in 75 games)...BUT the true difference is the secondary scoring Ottawa has. My god, their freakin 4th line against us played 10 mins a night and did damamge :shakehead

Tampa comes no close to secondary players like Comrie, Fisher, Vermette, Kelly, McCamond, Eaves...and the highest secoring and I beleive the most mobile D core in the NHL. They had 20 pts against us in 5 games! they dont just shut you down.

Ottawa is a DEEPER and more physical Tampa bay team with a bit better goaltending, although not as good as Brodeur level. He is the key stealing the series if Jersey is to have much of a chance. Otherwise I see Ottawa in 6.

Brodeur admitted to Tampa exposing them in teh first 3 games before the thin Tampa teams stars got tired and worn out from playing so many minutes and double shifted in the later games. They just could not recover from that game 4 overtime loss and the # of minutes their top 5 players were eating Lecavlier, St.luis, Richards, and Boyle.

I think Ottawa will exploit what Tampa exposed unless Martin can do something about it.

I have to agree, Ottawa has transformed from prancing President Trophy favorites to smash-mouth playoff warriors. Tampa's big three are wicked good, but the rest of the team is pretty much a joke; Ottawa's depth is frightening, particularly their sexy third-line. If Ottawa can play physical without taking too many penalties they will eventually wear down the smallish Devils.

When the teams met for the last time they had the exact same record even though Ottawa's goal differential was significantly better. During the regular season the Devils were overachieving and leaning on Brodeur, while the Senators were underachieving and hindered by Gerber's bad start. The big question is can Ottawa play at a high level with some consistently, because if they don't a veteran Devils team will break their hearts again.

I'm not too optimistic about the Devils' chances of winning; Marty is going to have carry this team to the ECF on his back. Luckily he is certainly capable of doing just that.

Should be a good series. I'd love to broker a deal with the Sens fans; we don't use the word "choke" if they don't use the word "boring", but I'm a dreamer.

C'mon, Gutter, get a grip. The Sens are bigger, but slower. We play a similar game, but execute it better. And have the superior, more experienced goalie in Marty (and this is his time of year...) It very well could be a low scoring, stifling series for both squads, but I'd take our veteran leadership, and their multiple Stanley Cup rings, over the perennial bridesmaids on the other side any day.

If the Sens think they can roll over this Devils team like they did the under-prepared mish-mash of teenagers (in their first NHL playoff hockey) and over-the-hill geriatrics on the Penguins roster they are in for a very rude awakening. Smash mouth, defense first hockey we can do and do well...

Like the season series between these two teams, the Sens may get one blow-out victory over us (where their skills guys all explode at once), but we will continually frustrate them over the course of a long series with our smothering "system" and they will ultimately fold like a tent. They may be chippy as hell, but they will lose out in the end. I like our chances with this match-up.

Devils in 6. (As we love to celebrate in the other guy's building...;) )

I don't have any inside knowledge but I really don't see game 2 being on Sunday afternoon. There's no way they'll risk having a multiple overtime game interfere with an NBA playoff game. I say game 2 will be Saturday night at 8. First of all, we're playing a canadian team, so this would benefit the Canadian TV market (even though HNIC usually starts earlier). Secondly, how long could that Champions on Ice thing go, two hours? If it's over by 5, they basically have to empty out the arena and put the glass up. That probably takes 90 minutes, tops. They could have it ready to open the doors by 7. The ice will already be down and no seats have to be reconfigured. I thought I heard Doc say during the game today on NBC that BOTH Ranger games will be on NBC next weekend. If that's the case, there's no way we play Sunday afternoon because no other games can be played at the same time of NBC games. Just my thoughts.....Can't wait till Newark, where we won't have to deal with this nonsense.

I like our chances with this match-up.

This is a great matchup for both teams.

The Devils did not play great hockey in round 1. Far too sloppy, far too many turnovers. Against the Sens that will cost them the series. They need to tighten up and play Devils hockey if they want to advance. The Sens will be the Devils' wakeup call.

The Sens played amazing hockey in the first round. They now face the most consistent playoff threat in the league. The New Jersey Devils are winners. Brodeur is the best playoff goaltender and can never be underestimated. If the Sens can beat the Devils, they will have an excellent shot at the Stanley Cup. This series will determine if the Sens have what it takes to win.

I believe because of Hockey night in Canada it will be saturday night for game 2.

Anyone else notice the stats from Versus that showed that Elias, Gomez, Gionta and Rafalski outscored Tampa's big three and Boyle. Wow, I was a bit surprised and to top it off we scored 7 powerplay goals, Holy wow. Plus I believe Gomez was the leading point scorer in the series. And for those Tampa fans that called Gionta a Martin St. Louie wanna be, Gio tied Marty with 5 golas and seems to have his timimg back as well as getting hot at the right time.

We just need Elias to star burying the puck and we should have a chance in beating the Sens. I also expect Langenbrunner to score some big goals in this series as well.

Umm, win?

Lou's not out of the woods yet. They NEED to win this series, even if it takes 7 games. Can't turn the puck over in your own zone, can't take stupid penalties. And shoot the puck!

If White comes back, do we sit Oduya?

This will be an extremely entertaining and hard fought series. Due to the Sens' toughness, dressing Clarkson is an absolute must and maybe even Janssen. Once White's healthy, Oduya must sit in favor of Colin. In the end, I think Marty and Elias are gonna carry this team. Devils in 6. We match up better against Ottawa than we did against Tampa.

This will be an extremely entertaining and hard fought series. Due to the Sens' toughness, dressing Clarkson is an absolute must and maybe even Janssen. Once White's healthy, Oduya must sit in favor of Colin. In the end, I think Marty and Elias are gonna carry this team. Devils in 6. We match up better against Ottawa than we did against Tampa.

The thing with tampa is they have really only 4 forwards that can burn you.Ottawa has 12 forwards that can burn you at any time.

I am curious to know where this strong defense comes from.....they got Rafalski , White and that's about it.

It comes from the whole team, actually. Once you get to the defensemen you've had to have gone through the forwards playing defense. Then when you get through the forwards and the d-men, you still have to beat Brodeur.

It's a team defense concept. They play like a machine. And by playing that way they make it easier for each player to do his job. It's kind of like looking at an army platoon and asking how they are so effective when they only have one or two good shots in the unit. Well, they're effective because they work as a team supporting each other. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

I think this series all comes down to goaltending, if Emery is solid, Ottawa wins, otherwise NJ wins.

Exactly. NJ couldn't stop Tampa's big 3 and they were the only ones who did anything for Tampa. That is exactly why they lost , because no matter how could they were 3 players cannot win you a series, you must have the depth and secondary scoring to rely on. The Sens are dangerous on all 4 lines and everyone plays their roll on the team perfectly. For the first time the Sens are getting scoring from everywhere and guys like Comrie , Fisher , Vermette , Kelly , Schafer are contributing with some offence.

actually, we did end up stopping the big 3. It took Richard Matchavik to do it. We also have a very talented rooky named andy greene which has put some bite to the defense. Don't count our defense out.

I think this series all comes down to goaltending, if Emery is solid, Ottawa wins, otherwise NJ wins.

Goaltending and defence. I give Ottawa a slight edge in the D-department. I haven't been impressed with the Devils D for much of this season.

I never predict any series the Devils are in and I won't this time either!!

I see and hear that a lot of people are picking the Sens and are saying how much better the Senators are. That's fine with me, but I also believe that they are in for a rude awakening. The Devils are a pretty good team too and have showed that they can play against anybody.

I also really believe that we'll see Clarkson in this series. Ottawa is a gritty team and they have the likes of Neil and Fisher who like to get under people's skin. Clarkson is a pretty good Chris Neil in the making.

Rupp and Rasmussen are great guys and they're pretty gritty too, but their 1-2 minutes of icetime won't get much done. Clarkson is capable of playing 8-10 minutes a game and can be very effective during that period. He's also another scoring threat, something that will be needed much more than against the Lightning.

Ottawa has a great D and we'll have to get goals from all kinds of sources. Clarkson is a guy that I think could bring that extra element.

Here's to a great series!!:handclap:

Ok...First, I will admit I was wrong with my schedule report before, but not totally wrong! :shakehead

Originally the games were supposed to be Thursday and Sunday, but because NBC has the game time slotted for 2pm, no other games can be played while that game is going on.

So, the new schedule is Thursday and Saturday (not 100% sure on start time, but they think it'll be 8pm). Champions on Ice will either be at 1pm or it will be postponed!

So, go get your tickets guys...

Ok...First, I will admit I was wrong with my schedule report before, but not totally wrong! :shakehead

Originally the games were supposed to be Thursday and Sunday, but because NBC has the game time slotted for 2pm, no other games can be played while that game is going on.

So, the new schedule is Thursday and Saturday (not 100% sure on start time, but they think it'll be 8pm). Champions on Ice will either be at 1pm or it will be postponed!

So, go get your tickets guys...

Not confirmed until a link can be provided.... I hope this is right, and I believe this will be the scheduele. But when posting news and information on internet forums, the resource needs to be posted along with it........I dont go by who someone talked to, or who called who. I rely on official press releases and news articles......No offense, ;)..

It's a team defense concept. They play like a machine. And by playing that way they make it easier for each player to do his job. It's kind of like looking at an army platoon and asking how they are so effective when they only have one or two good shots in the unit. Well, they're effective because they work as a team supporting each other. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

Well, these are the kinds of teams that beat Ottawa....

Ok...First, I will admit I was wrong with my schedule report before, but not totally wrong! :shakehead

Originally the games were supposed to be Thursday and Sunday, but because NBC has the game time slotted for 2pm, no other games can be played while that game is going on.

So, the new schedule is Thursday and Saturday (not 100% sure on start time, but they think it'll be 8pm). Champions on Ice will either be at 1pm or it will be postponed!

So, go get your tickets guys...

The rumours in Ottawa are as follows:

Wed
Thur
Sat
Mon

OR

Thur
Sat

IF their is a Saturday night game in NJ after a figure skating show, the most god awful hockey game will be played as the ice will be horrifically bad.

The rumours in Ottawa are as follows:

Wed
Thur
Sat
Mon

OR

Thur
Sat

IF their is a Saturday night game in NJ after a figure skating show, the most god awful hockey game will be played as the ice will be horrifically bad.

I doubt we play back to back games...Lou is strongly against it!

I doubt we play back to back games...Lou is strongly against it!

No offence but it's not what Lou wants. He cannot cry to the league and expect to get his way. They may try to accomodate him but they will not bend over backwards for him. They would already be doing Lou and the Devils a favour by not starting tomorrow and giving the Devils a bit more rest , but the back-to-back games could very well happen.... and I hope they do.

im pretty sure that the champions on ice thing has a clause in their contract that it can be moved beacuse of other events. i may be wrong though

im pretty sure that the champions on ice thing has a clause in their contract that it can be moved beacuse of other events. i may be wrong though

...and theres no way there is alot of ticekts for this event. I never even heard it was going on until now! LOL

I won't make any predictions on this series, because I honestly don't know who will win. What I will say is that after reading this and the Ottawa board's thread, I think Sens fans are in for a bit of a surprise.

-Brodeur is not the rebound machine Fleury is.
-Gonchar, Whitney, Orpik ect.. is not anywhere close to the Devils D
-The Devils first 2 lines are more dangerous as a whole than the Penguins top 2 lines.

On the flip side,

-Emery is a better goaltender than Holmqvist.
-Ottawa will roll 4 lines instead of Tampa's 2.5 lines.
-Ottawa's D is much faster and has better offensive skill than Tampa's.

In other words, what happened in both series does little to measure how well these teams will play against each other. This series I feel will come down to team depth. How the 4th line and the 3rd defence pairing plays will be a big factor.

As someone on the Ottawa board said, Marty is the X factor.

No offence but it's not what Lou wants. He cannot cry to the league and expect to get his way. They may try to accomodate him but they will not bend over backwards for him. They would already be doing Lou and the Devils a favour by not starting tomorrow and giving the Devils a bit more rest , but the back-to-back games could very well happen.... and I hope they do.

Yeah. I don't think Lou has quite the influence on the NHL that people think he does. If they want to schedule back to back games, they will. And it won't be because Lou told them (not) to.

It's because NBC did. :sarcasm:

No offence but it's not what Lou wants. He cannot cry to the league and expect to get his way. They may try to accomodate him but they will not bend over backwards for him. They would already be doing Lou and the Devils a favour by not starting tomorrow and giving the Devils a bit more rest , but the back-to-back games could very well happen.... and I hope they do.

They can't start tomorrow, prior to the playoffs they already plan when the rounds begin and the 2nd doesn't until Wednesday. They can't start tomorrow becasue it was possible that some teams would have game 7.

I won't make any predictions on this series, because I honestly don't know who will win. What I will say is that after reading this and the Ottawa board's thread, I think Sens fans are in for a bit of a surprise.

-Brodeur is not the rebound machine Fleury is.
-Gonchar, Whitney, Orpik ect.. is not anywhere close to the Devils D
-The Devils first 2 lines are more dangerous as a whole than the Penguins top 2 lines.
On the flip side,

-Emery is a better goaltender than Holmqvist.
-Ottawa will roll 4 lines instead of Tampa's 2.5 lines.
-Ottawa's D is much faster and has better offensive skill than Tampa's.

In other words, what happened in both series does little to measure how well these teams will play against each other. This series I feel will come down to team depth. How the 4th line and the 3rd defence pairing plays will be a big factor.

As someone on the Ottawa board said, Marty is the X factor.

I'd only disagree with one aspect of your post. I don't think the Devils come very close to being the offensive threat that the Penguins did, and this is probably why the Pens were the 4th highest scoring team while the Devils were the 4th lowest scoring team. In my opinion, the Penguins were the scariest offensive team in the East next to Buffalo, as they had 4 guys who would've ranked #1 on the Devils in scoring.

With that said, I don't think Ottawa will have much of a problem shutting your forwards down if they play like they did against the Pens. The problem will come in trying to score goals, as the Devils are far far better defensively than the Penguins, and since Emery won't be able to post a shutout every game, this will be the biggest obstacle for Ottawa.

I won't make any predictions on this series, because I honestly don't know who will win. What I will say is that after reading this and the Ottawa board's thread, I think Sens fans are in for a bit of a surprise.

-Brodeur is not the rebound machine Fleury is.

Sure, but Ottawa didn't really score any rebound goals. Its tough to judge a goalie off a series like that as Ottawa was able to generate primo scoring chances almost at will, which we will certainly not be able to do against NJ. I would say that Fleury played well (besides the first 5 minutes of game 1).

-Gonchar, Whitney, Orpik ect.. is not anywhere close to the Devils D

6 Pylons would be better than the Pens D, so no possible way to argue this. Ottawa was ableto cause problems on the forcheck with 1 skater while the rest of the players did a line change against Pittsburgh. I don't see that happening against you guys

-The Devils first 2 lines are more dangerous as a whole than the Penguins top 2 lines.

I don't think so. Pittsburghs team went 2 lines deep with Staal, Crosby, Malkin, Roberts, Rechhi. Elias is good, but he isn't Crosby.

On the flip side,

-Emery is a better goaltender than Holmqvist.

Yes

-Ottawa will roll 4 lines instead of Tampa's 2.5 lines.

Yes, but every single one of Ottawa's lines are better than TB's, and we don't need to over-play our top players like TB did in round 1. It will be interesting to see how well NJ handles Ottawa's forecheck


-Ottawa's D is much faster and has better offensive skill than Tampa's.

Faster, better offensive skill and better defensive skill. TB had nothing to put against Elias, whereas we have Volchenkov-Phillips to slow them down. Ottawa's defense blows TB's out of the water.

Remeber, we easily handled TB last year (in a similar fasion as you guys did). TB is not built properly as they resemble a basketball team (4 really players, no bench) more than a hockey team.

Hello my Devils people.

According to www.newjerseydevils.com, the first two games are:

Thursday at 7 or 7:30

Saturday at 8PM

Oh yeah!

http://www.newjerseydevils.com/njd/index.php

Game 1 and 2 CONFIRMED

8pm saturday night....

I'd only disagree with one aspect of your post. I don't think the Devils come very close to being the offensive threat that the Penguins did, and this is probably why the Pens were the 4th highest scoring team while the Devils were the 4th lowest scoring team. In my opinion, the Penguins were the scariest offensive team in the East next to Buffalo, as they had 4 guys who would've ranked #1 on the Devils in scoring.

In the regular season the Devils did not score alot of goals, and I believe that to be entirely on Julien's shoulders. I said it the day he was fired, and I'll say it again: Lou gives them alot more freedom on offence (specifically the EGG line).

I think the 1st lines of both teams are nearly identical: We both have a left wingers who are skilled, complete players. Top notch playmakers at center, and snipers on the right wing. The only difference to me is that Gionta is faster than Heatley, and Heatley is stronger/more physical than Gionta.

I find the bigger threat offensively on Ottawa to be their defence. I get the feeling we'll see alot of dangerous shots from the point.

It'll be a good series. I think the Devils will come out on top, but it's not going to be an easy series for either club.

Sure, but Ottawa didn't really score any rebound goals. Its tough to judge a goalie off a series like that as Ottawa was able to generate primo scoring chances almost at will, which we will certainly not be able to do against NJ. I would say that Fleury played well (besides the first 5 minutes of game 1).

Rebounds don't necessarily have to lead to goals, they also let the team keep posession of the puck in the offensive zone. I also don't think Fleury played poorly, but when this series starts I think you'll see a big difference in the way Marty controls the puck when making saves.

6 Pylons would be better than the Pens D, so no possible way to argue this. Ottawa was ableto cause problems on the forcheck with 1 skater while the rest of the players did a line change against Pittsburgh. I don't see that happening against you guys

True, they are poor defensively, but you won't see as many goals/rushes coming from our defence.

I don't think so. Pittsburghs team went 2 lines deep with Staal, Crosby, Malkin, Roberts, Rechhi. Elias is good, but he isn't Crosby.

Elias isn't crosby, thats for sure, but I would argue that Staal isn't Parise, Malkin isn't Gomez (yet) and Recchi isnt Gionta. Thats why I said as a whole, this year, the Devils are a better 2 line package.

Yes, but every single one of Ottawa's lines are better than TB's, and we don't need to over-play our top players like TB did in round 1. It will be interesting to see how well NJ handles Ottawa's forecheck

I would argue that you do not have a player as skilled as Lecavalier. Prospal-Lecavalier-St Louis is as good a line as there is in the NHL, with your top line being in that same category, and when their "on" the EGG line can be up there as well. After that, yeah, there's no comparing Ottawa's lines to Tampa's.

Faster, better offensive skill and better defensive skill. TB had nothing to put against Elias, whereas we have Volchenkov-Phillips to slow them down. Ottawa's defense blows TB's out of the water.

Absolutely. One of the keys to victory for Ottawa will be for their defence to outmuscle the smaller Devil forwards. The key to victory for the Devils will be to captialize on turnovers in order to outskate those defencemen and create odd man rushes.


Remeber, we easily handled TB last year (in a similar fasion as you guys did). TB is not built properly as they resemble a basketball team (4 really players, no bench) more than a hockey team.

Which is why I said in my first post that the first round is meaningless. Your not Tampa Bay and we're not Pittsburgh.

Good luck in the series. It's going 6-7 games for sure.

Posted on the Sens board:

It's a trap
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sYlnq3Hlj4

Pretty funny vid. Except for the ending.. it sucked ;)

Posted on the Sens board:

It's a trap
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sYlnq3Hlj4

Pretty funny vid. Except for the ending.. it sucked ;)

Were the martians supposed to represent some form of comedy???

http://www.newjerseydevils.com/njd/index.php

Game 1 and 2 CONFIRMED

8pm saturday night....

nice, a ton of time to tailgate and no excuses for not having 19,040 in the house.
With lots of help from the thousands of Ottawa fans who will come down to Jersey.

Were the martians supposed to represent some form of comedy???

Although i've never seen it (or have and don't remember it), years of being a user at Fark.com have taught me that the alien is an admiral from one of the Star Wars movies who has gained cult status from saying "its a trap".

Pfft... Star Wars... captain Kirk sux.

Should be a really great series.

Not 10 mintues after we defeated Tampa, the Devils are already the underdog. Not that Bret Hull's opinion matters, but he picked Ottawa.

I'm pretty sure Brett Hull picked Pittsburgh too. He's wise. :sarcasm:

I'm pretty sure Brett Hull picked Pittsburgh too. He's wise. :sarcasm:

I wouldn't let Brett Hull pick his nose without adult supervision.

League calls Lou and tells him that they want the Devs/Sens series to start tomorrow, Lou says let the Ranger/Sabres series get under way, they've been off for almost week. League says we have our TV schedule all set up for that series, Lou says take a hike and hangs up.


League sources say Devils president/GM/coach Lou Lamoriello balked at a suggestion by the NHL that the series should open tomorrow.

The indication is Lamoriello wants his team to get some rest after a tough series against the Lightning.

http://www.torontosun.com/Sports/Hockey/2007/04/23/4113393-sun.html

League calls Lou and tells him that they want the Devs/Sens series to start tomorrow, Lou says let the Raanger/Sabres series get under way, they've been off for almost week. League says we have our TV schedule all set up for that series, Lou says take a hike and hangs up.




http://www.torontosun.com/Sports/Hockey/2007/04/23/4113393-sun.html

This is all total BS.

The league would not have wanted this game on Tuesday until the Wings won. EARLY this morning. Which means they would not have suggested this to Lou until
LATER THIS MORNING. Which meant if Lou decided "Yes, that's a good idea.", it would have taken some time. So, the Sens would have been notified *this afternoon* they were playing a game the next evening, and no matter what anyone
suggests, they would have been mucho PO'ed about this. It's not like you pack a
backpack and hop in a car and drive 3 blocks to go to the game. There's logistics
involved.

This never happened. The hockey media is an embarassment and continues to be.
They didn't know the second round starts on Wednesday, this isn't the NBA.

LETS GO DEVILS! :handclap: :towel: :devdance:

hmmm apparently I've stumbled into the Ottawa fan forums...

can someone point me to the Devils threads?

:razz:

This is all total BS.

The league would not have wanted this game on Tuesday until the Wings won. EARLY this morning. Which means they would not have suggested this to Lou until
LATER THIS MORNING. Which meant if Lou decided "Yes, that's a good idea.", it would have taken some time. So, the Sens would have been notified *this afternoon* they were playing a game the next evening, and no matter what anyone
suggests, they would have been mucho PO'ed about this. It's not like you pack a
backpack and hop in a car and drive 3 blocks to go to the game. There's logistics
involved.

This never happened. The hockey media is an embarassment and continues to be.
They didn't know the second round starts on Wednesday, this isn't the NBA.

I hope you're right, because that would have been really unfair to ask that of the Devils.

I'm pretty sure Brett Hull picked Pittsburgh too. He's wise. :sarcasm:

Ottawa should not dog hull, after all you both have something in common, you BOTH lost to the Devils, Remember, what ottawa calls HELL... The DEVILS call HOME !!!

Bring it !!!!!!!:teach:

hmmm apparently I've stumbled into the Ottawa fan forums...

can someone point me to the Devils threads?

This is not our fault. See, Devils fans are decent folk. Very inviting, friendly, knowledgeable, and quite willing to crush the spirits of opposing fans.

It's much like the Devils defense. They say, "Look, no more Neidermeyer! No more Stevens! Come on in, you can score at will! Oh, did we forget to mention.....MARTIN BRODEUR! OkayIluvyoubuhbye."

This is not our fault. See, Devils fans are decent folk. Very inviting, friendly, knowledgeable, and quite willing to crush the spirits of opposing fans.

It's much like the Devils defense. They say, "Look, no more Neidermeyer! No more Stevens! Come on in, you can score at will! Oh, did we forget to mention.....MARTIN BRODEUR! OkayIluvyoubuhbye."
That cracked me up.

I can't wait till Thursday!

Which is fine, because that line, which potent, isn't as scary as Lecavalier and St. Louis to me.

You should cause not only can they score at will.... They can play defensively sound without the puck. Something that Lecavalier/St Louis could not.

You should cause not only can they score at will.... They can play defensively sound without the puck. Something that Lecavalier/St Louis could not.

:handclap: Way to have no clue what you're talking about.

God all these Sens fans are so damn cocky.

This is not our fault. See, Devils fans are decent folk. Very inviting, friendly, knowledgeable, and quite willing to crush the spirits of opposing fans.

I hate to "turn" on us Devils fans, but some of us are obnoxious. Not all of us, but some. But every team has their awesome fans, and their fans that need to get a life and realize that every team has their good qualaties and their bad. I have no problem admitting that players like Ray Emery and Sidney Crosby are talented (although I'm not a big fan of either) and that if it wasn't for Brodeur, we most likely wouldn't have even made it anywhere near the playoffs.

You should cause not only can they score at will.... They can play defensively sound without the puck. Something that Lecavalier/St Louis could not.

You clearly do not know what your talking about. St. Louis and Lecavalier play in all situations, including the penalty kill. Thats partly why they get so much damn ice time.

Can't wait for this series to begin.

Actually, I'd rather face a team with a deep offense than a team with a top-heavy offense like Tampa Bay's. One super-powerful line was enough to break through our checking unit until they got worn down, but if you guys don't break up your top line those guys are going to find themselves pretty stifled.

I have a lot of faith in our defense and team concept to be able to handle your offensive depth better than they could Tampa's superstars.

You guys seem to believe that your defense can shut down our offense - but we have an uncanny knack for scoring goals when they need to be scored, and have had that knack since 2000, really.

In a lot of ways, this will be a very similar series to the 2003 ECF, neither team has really changed all that much, IMO.

That exactly what I think too. And Lecavalier's physicality can't really be matched by any of the Senators 3 big scorers. That being said, that line is really good when it's on, and will be tough to contain regardless.

I do like this match-up better than the TB match-up too, but that's no disrespect to the Senators at all. Aside from the goaltending edge that the Devils have, this is a very evenly matched series. And like others have said, it's the secondary scoring for both teams that I think will be the major swing factor in the series.

I'm really looking forward to this series, and expect it to go the full 7 games, with the Devils just coming out on top. Can't wait for Thursday!!!:yo:

That exactly what I think too. And Lecavalier's physicality can't really be matched by any of the Senators 3 big scorers. That being said, that line is really good when it's on, and will be tough to contain regardless.

I do like this match-up better than the TB match-up too, but that's no disrespect to the Senators at all. Aside from the goaltending edge that the Devils have, this is a very evenly matched series. And like others have said, it's the secondary scoring for both teams that I think will be the major swing factor in the series.

I'm really looking forward to this series, and expect it to go the full 7 games, with the Devils just coming out on top. Can't wait for Thursday!!!:yo:

Ok, Ok, this is going to be a tight series. The team's match up pretty well. Now stretching that to TB being a tougher matchup :biglaugh: :biglaugh:

This is the Bolts team that sucked the yazoo the last quarter of the season and almost fell out of the playoffs, that was a league 25th -9 during 5 on 5 play compared to the Sens 3rd at +37, and has little defensive depth. After the first couple of games the Devils worked out the hiccups and the series wasn't even close. The Bolts matched up to the Devils like a hammer to a nail.

This series will be a tight matchup with victory going to the best specialty teams and whoever makes the least mistakes.

Ok, Ok, this is going to be a tight series. The team's match up pretty well. Now stretching that to TB being a tougher matchup :biglaugh: :biglaugh:

This is the Bolts team that sucked the yazoo the last quarter of the season and almost fell out of the playoffs, that was a league 25th -9 during 5 on 5 play compared to the Sens 3rd at +37, and has little defensive depth. After the first couple of games the Devils worked out the hiccups and the series wasn't even close. The Bolts matched up to the Devils like a hammer to a nail.

This series will be a tight matchup with victory going to the best specialty teams and whoever makes the least mistakes.

Yeah. Pretty much agree with that statement.

Yeah. Pretty much agree with that statement.

That scares me a lil. Our specialty squad is not up to par IMO. Watching our PP can sometimes be like watching a really bad movie.

Ok, Ok, this is going to be a tight series. The team's match up pretty well. Now stretching that to TB being a tougher matchup :biglaugh: :biglaugh:

This is the Bolts team that sucked the yazoo the last quarter of the season and almost fell out of the playoffs, that was a league 25th -9 during 5 on 5 play compared to the Sens 3rd at +37, and has little defensive depth. After the first couple of games the Devils worked out the hiccups and the series wasn't even close. The Bolts matched up to the Devils like a hammer to a nail.

This series will be a tight matchup with victory going to the best specialty teams and whoever makes the least mistakes.
Someone doesn't understand the meaning of "matchup."

actually, the bolts were like our achilles heel. Their play style kind of defeated our system to a point. We sort of had to adopt our system so they couldn't get through those holes.

Against the Senators, who play a little more defensively, we're going to fare a little better. Throughout the season, the teams we've had the most problems with were the run and gun offensive teams.

the Senators are a good team. Different team than 2003. then again so are us.

Senators season relys on Emery, can he be a BIG playoff performer?.... We know Marty can. I expect to have a strong physical series. It will go 6 and probably 7.

Devils need a really productive series out of Jamie Langenbrunner and Paul Martin. If these two raise their game, I like the devils' chances.

the Senators are a good team. Different team than 2003. then again so are us.

Senators season relys on Emery, can he be a BIG playoff performer?.... We know Marty can. I expect to have a strong physical series. It will go 6 and probably 7.

I think it is going to be a very close and tight series and could go either way. BUT .....when you say both teams are different from 2003 , the Sens have improved big time and have now learned to play in the playoffs. While the Devils are a weaker team than the powerhouse that beat Ottawa in 03. Gone are Stevens , Niedermayer , Danyko and while not great players also Friesen and Marshall.
The players the Sens lost from that series make the Sens a better team today. Gone is Bonk , Arvedson , White , Havlat , Lalime , De Vries.

The best players will have to be the best players for both teams , that goes without saying. Alfie/Spezza/Heatley all have to be huge for the Sens and likewise for Gomez/
Elias/Parise. What the Devils may not be used to from the Sens is the depth and contribution the Sens are getting from the secondary players that will come at you from anywhere.....Comrie ,Fisher , Schafer , Kelly , Vermette , Neil.

Also , the last time the Sens and Devils met in the playoffs , or even in the regular season.....Volchenkov and Phillips were not the dominant force they are now. Those guys are scary and I see them getting stronger and better and not letting Gomez and Elias even breath on the ice.
On the flip side the Devils have some guys who CAN move the puck with Rafalski and Martin but no real shutdown force.

I think it is going to be a very close and tight series and could go either way. BUT .....when you say both teams are different from 2003 , the Sens have improved big time and have now learned to play in the playoffs. While the Devils are a weaker team than the powerhouse that beat Ottawa in 03. Gone are Stevens , Niedermayer , Danyko and while not great players also Friesen and Marshall.
The players the Sens lost from that series make the Sens a better team today. Gone is Bonk , Arvedson , White , Havlat , Lalime , De Vries.

The best players will have to be the best players for both teams , that goes without saying. Alfie/Spezza/Heatley all have to be huge for the Sens and likewise for Gomez/
Elias/Parise. What the Devils may not be used to from the Sens is the depth and contribution the Sens are getting from the secondary players that will come at you from anywhere.....Comrie ,Fisher , Schafer , Kelly , Vermette , Neil.

Also , the last time the Sens and Devils met in the playoffs , or even in the regular season.....Volchenkov and Phillips were not the dominant force they are now. Those guys are scary and I see them getting stronger and better and not letting Gomez and Elias even breath on the ice.
On the flip side the Devils have some guys who CAN move the puck with Rafalski and Martin but no real shutdown force.

Likewise, Martin Brodeur is playing at an otherworldly level this year. Better than he was in 2003. I think its save to assume that Martin Brodeur 02-03<Martin Brodeur 06-07.

Then theres that pesky Jamie Langenbrunner. You should definately keep an eye on him, because he's the one that will be scoring those clutch 3rd period goals with the addition of Zach Parise. I also think its safe to say Parise>Friesen, no?

I think it is going to be a very close and tight series and could go either way. BUT .....when you say both teams are different from 2003 , the Sens have improved big time and have now learned to play in the playoffs. While the Devils are a weaker team than the powerhouse that beat Ottawa in 03. Gone are Stevens , Niedermayer , Danyko and while not great players also Friesen and Marshall.
The players the Sens lost from that series make the Sens a better team today. Gone is Bonk , Arvedson , White , Havlat , Lalime , De Vries.

The best players will have to be the best players for both teams , that goes without saying. Alfie/Spezza/Heatley all have to be huge for the Sens and likewise for Gomez/
Elias/Parise. What the Devils may not be used to from the Sens is the depth and contribution the Sens are getting from the secondary players that will come at you from anywhere.....Comrie ,Fisher , Schafer , Kelly , Vermette , Neil.

Also , the last time the Sens and Devils met in the playoffs , or even in the regular season.....Volchenkov and Phillips were not the dominant force they are now. Those guys are scary and I see them getting stronger and better and not letting Gomez and Elias even breath on the ice.
On the flip side the Devils have some guys who CAN move the puck with Rafalski and Martin but no real shutdown force.


I agree us not having Stevens, Niedermayer, and Daneyko are big changes in our club from 2003. they were our leaders and niedermayer our best defensman..... As long as our two lines (EGG and ZZ POP) can score and Madden and Pandolfo can play there usual defense against spezza alfie and heatley we can match up...... you guys might see Clarkson and/or janssen, depends on how Niel plays. ;) for added toughness.

it will be a close series, tough series!.... Im just glad you beat Pittsburgh so I dont have to see crosby whine this round!

Likewise, Martin Brodeur is playing at an otherworldly level this year. Better than he was in 2003. I think its save to assume that Martin Brodeur 02-03<Martin Brodeur 06-07.

Then theres that pesky Jamie Langenbrunner. You should definately keep an eye on him, because he's the one that will be scoring those clutch 3rd period goals with the addition of Zach Parise. I also think its safe to say Parise>Friesen, no?

I am always scared of Brodeur and he has always been pretty intimidating to Sens fans. But.....was watching alot of the first round and he had a pretty average series. He has yet to hit his stride and get in a groove and I am afraid that will happen against Ottawa. Although it does seem the Sens have always found a way to figure him out , he definilty has the ability to steal a game or two on his own ....but I don't think the Sens are intimidated by him.

As for Lagenbrunner...you are right the guy does have a knack for scoring those timley goals but he isn't really a dangerous player. The key for the Sens will be to stick Volchenkov/Phillips on Gomez/Elias/Gionta and then have Redden/Corvo/Preissing/Mezaros take care of the secondary scoring. I don't think the Devils secondary scoring or depth comes anywhere close to marching the energy the Sens depth brings. Guys like Comrie , Fisher and Kelly play with some much energy and play so hard. Ottawa is finally getting the grit and desire that it takes to win the playoffs....not the Sens you know from the past.

And as for Parise>Friesen.....definitly but you should remember how clutch Mr.Friesen was back in 03. He did that infamous goal but he was consistant the whole playoffs. Parise is still young and should be interesting to see if he can duplicate his Round 1 performance.

Devils need a really productive series out of Jamie Langenbrunner and Paul Martin. If these two raise their game, I like the devils' chances.

I agree. Martin wasn't too bad, but Jamie..He wasn't bad, but he wasn't as good as he usually is. He started slacking towrds the end of the season.

I agree us not having Stevens, Niedermayer, and Daneyko are big changes in our club from 2003. they were our leaders and niedermayer our best defensman..... As long as our two lines (EGG and ZZ POP) can score and Madden and Pandolfo can play there usual defense against spezza alfie and heatley we can match up...... you guys might see Clarkson and/or janssen, depends on how Niel plays. ;) for added toughness.

it will be a close series, tough series!.... Im just glad you beat Pittsburgh so I dont have to see crosby whine this round!

Damn straight....the crosby whining has been taken care of. No more whining for a loooong time. But you're right Madden and Pandolfo are dangerous shutdown guys and will be all over the Sens big line. But as for Clarkson and Janssen....not intimidating...not at all , I don't see those two matching up to Neil.

Oh also don't know if you guys saw any highlights, but good luck trying to take the puck off Corvo's stick....daaaamn can that guy dangle! Joe Corvo Is A God! Although he has the flash and had 4 assists in the first round....get used to him missing the net quite a bit :teach:

I think it is going to be a very close and tight series and could go either way. BUT .....when you say both teams are different from 2003 , the Sens have improved big time and have now learned to play in the playoffs. While the Devils are a weaker team than the powerhouse that beat Ottawa in 03. Gone are Stevens , Niedermayer , Danyko and while not great players also Friesen and Marshall.
The players the Sens lost from that series make the Sens a better team today. Gone is Bonk , Arvedson , White , Havlat , Lalime , De Vries.

The best players will have to be the best players for both teams , that goes without saying. Alfie/Spezza/Heatley all have to be huge for the Sens and likewise for Gomez/
Elias/Parise. What the Devils may not be used to from the Sens is the depth and contribution the Sens are getting from the secondary players that will come at you from anywhere.....Comrie ,Fisher , Schafer , Kelly , Vermette , Neil.

Also , the last time the Sens and Devils met in the playoffs , or even in the regular season.....Volchenkov and Phillips were not the dominant force they are now. Those guys are scary and I see them getting stronger and better and not letting Gomez and Elias even breath on the ice.
On the flip side the Devils have some guys who CAN move the puck with Rafalski and Martin but no real shutdown force.

Wasen't Chara on that 03 team? Also regarding Marshall, he could have been called up if Lou wanted him, so i bet Lou feels like we have someone on our roster thats better than him right now :)

Damn straight....the crosby whining has been taken care of. No more whining for a loooong time. But you're right Madden and Pandolfo are dangerous shutdown guys and will be all over the Sens big line. But as for Clarkson and Janssen....not intimidating...not at all , I don't see those two matching up to Neil.

Oh also don't know if you guys saw any highlights, but good luck trying to take the puck off Corvo's stick....daaaamn can that guy dangle! Joe Corvo Is A God! Although he has the flash and had 4 assists in the first round....get used to him missing the net quite a bit :teach:

Just a question, have you seen Clarkson play?

I think you (most Devils fans) are deluding yourselves in comparing us in any way, shape or form to TB. The ONLY similarity is having 3 big offensive guns (Lecavalier, St. Louis and Richards) vs (Spezza, Alfredsson and Heatley). Those 3 are fairly comparable (I would call it even, you guys may feel its ane dge to the TB trio, but whatever).

But, you didn't win the last series by beating the big 3, you won the last series by beeting the terrible 9. Ottawa puts out a similar "big 3", and backs it up with 3 solid lines behind them, along with more than 1 defenseman.

In fact, during the regular season, Ottawa scored 43 more goals than TB while giving up 43 fewer goals. That is a MASSIVE, MASSIVE difference. TB was the WORST playoff team in terms of goal differential by 14 goals, Ottawa is the best playoff team in that respect at +70.

Thursday night can't come fast enough for me.

I think you (most Devils fans) are deluding yourselves in comparing us in any way, shape or form to TB. The ONLY similarity is having 3 big offensive guns (Lecavalier, St. Louis and Richards) vs (Spezza, Alfredsson and Heatley). Those 3 are fairly comparable (I would call it even, you guys may feel its ane dge to the TB trio, but whatever).

But, you didn't win the last series by beating the big 3, you won the last series by beeting the terrible 9. Ottawa puts out a similar "big 3", and backs it up with 3 solid lines behind them, along with more than 1 defenseman.

In fact, during the regular season, Ottawa scored 43 more goals than TB while giving up 43 fewer goals. That is a MASSIVE, MASSIVE difference. TB was the WORST playoff team in terms of goal differential by 14 goals, Ottawa is the best playoff team in that respect at +70.

The regular season doesn't mean that much anymore. Everyone turns up the intensity come playoff time, while during the reg season im sure sometimes people were half/assing it

Those 3 are fairly comparable (I would call it even, you guys may feel its ane dge to the TB trio, but whatever).
Trust me, it's not even.

I heard on XM earlier that Emery injured his catching hand in practice yesterday. He'll probably still play but we'll see how it affects him.

Trust me, it's not even.

I heard on XM earlier that Emery injured his catching hand in practice yesterday. He'll probably still play but we'll see how it affects him.

TB trio > ours because they play so much and basically carry that team.

The Emery glove problem has been a nagging injury all year.

Ottawa is a well-balanced team, but they are vulnerable in a few areas.
They play a similar style to us, the key is to frustrate Alfredson and Heatly, which is no easy task.
Their defense is good, goaltending good too.
I think if the Devs play their game and we see the real Marty we should be in good shape.

Trust me, it's not even.

I heard on XM earlier that Emery injured his catching hand in practice yesterday. He'll probably still play but we'll see how it affects him.

Trust me, it is. Ottawa's trio scored 279 points in 226 games. Tampa's trio scored 280 in 246.

Seeing as how all of these guys are judged on offense, Ottawa's guys are just as good, if not better, than Tampa Bay's.

St. Louis = Heatley
Lecavalier >> Spezza
Richards > Alfredsson

St. Louis = Heatley
Lecavalier >> Spezza
Richards > Alfredsson

Our offense never gets any credit.

St. Louis = Heatley
Lecavalier >> Spezza
Richards > Alfredsson

I would say Richards and Alfredsson are not even comparable players. Richards is more like Gomez was last year.

Our offense never gets any credit.
Sorry, you just have to give credit to Lecavalier and St. Louis. THEY ARE THAT DAMN GOOD.

I had my doubts before the last series but they are dominant. We can handle your big three, we couldn't handle them.

I would say Richards and Alfredsson are not even comparable players. Richards is more like Gomez was last year.
Why not? They're the most defensively responsible of the three, both can play the point on the PP, both can create and score.

Trust me, it is. Ottawa's trio scored 279 points in 226 games. Tampa's trio scored 280 in 246.

Seeing as how all of these guys are judged on offense, Ottawa's guys are just as good, if not better, than Tampa Bay's.
I don't think you guys realize just how scary Tampa's 3 guys were. Lecavalier especially, he was a force in every way possible, and he brought much more of a physical game than any of the Ottawa trio.

I think your top line is extremely good, definitely one of the top five in the league, but Tampa's was better. Stats are nice, but they don't tell the whole story.

St. Louis = Heatley
Lecavalier >> Spezza
Richards > Alfredsson

Lecavalier was 4th in the league in points per game.
Spezza was 5th.

Heatley was 6th in the league in points per game.
Martin St. Louis was 7th.

Alfredsson was 15th in the league in points per game.
Richards was 65th.

Did I mention that the Ottawa trio scored just 1 less point than the Tampa trio despite playing 20 less games?

And did I mention that the Ottawa trio was a combined +92 while the Tampa trio was -10.

Right...

I don't think you guys realize just how scary Tampa's 3 guys were. Lecavalier especially, he was a force in every way possible, and he brought much more of a physical game than any of the Ottawa trio.

I think your top line is extremely good, definitely one of the top five in the league, but Tampa's was better. Stats are nice, but they don't tell the whole story.

I remind you that we played that very same Vincent Lecavalier in the playoffs last year, so we do know how good he is. Same with St. Louis and Richards.

Why not? They're the most defensively responsible of the three, both can play the point on the PP, both can create and score.

Except that Brad Richards ended the year as a -19 (2nd worst on the Lightning) while Daniel Alfredsson finished as a +42 (best on the Senators).

Alfredsson is easily better than Richards. He scores more, he's better defensively, he kills more penalties, etc.

The other 2 guys are very comparable, but Alfredsson >> Richards.

Lecavalier was 4th in the league in points per game.
Spezza was 5th.

Heatley was 6th in the league in points per game.
Martin St. Louis was 7th.

Alfredsson was 15th in the league in points per game.
Richards was 65th.

Did I mention that the Ottawa trio scored just 1 less point than the Tampa trio despite playing 20 less games?

And did I mention that the Ottawa trio was a combined +92 while the Tampa trio was -10.

Right...
Stats is the refuge of those unfamiliar with their play.

Lecavalier and St. Louis are DOMINANT on the ice. Who cares about points during the season when you're comparing their styles of play?

Everyone laughed when Burns said Vinny was the best player in the league, I think he's right. That guys scares me a hell of a lot more than Crosby does.

e: And are you seriously using +/- as a valuable stat?

But as for Clarkson and Janssen....not intimidating...not at all , I don't see those two matching up to Neil.

Clarkson may not be intimidating yet but he looks like he can be a player teams hate to play against. Hopefully he can be a factor if he plays. Tough to expect much from a rookie but hopefully he can provide a spark.

Janssen I would definitely say is intimidating. He may not be a scary fighter but he is tough to beat. And his hits and recklessness are definitely scary, I think he is the most dangerous guy on either team.

Those two should provide a good physical presence. Its a shame they can't produce like Phillips, Volchenkov and Neil but they will serve their role well.

I remind you that we played that very same Vincent Lecavalier in the playoffs last year, so we do know how good he is. Same with St. Louis and Richards.
This year was Vinny's coming out party. He's a much, much better player this year than he was last.

Lecavalier was 4th in the league in points per game.
Spezza was 5th.

Heatley was 6th in the league in points per game.
Martin St. Louis was 7th.

Alfredsson was 15th in the league in points per game.
Richards was 65th.

Did I mention that the Ottawa trio scored just 1 less point than the Tampa trio despite playing 20 less games?

And did I mention that the Ottawa trio was a combined +92 while the Tampa trio was -10.

Right...

You know numbers don't always tell the whole story, I think too many people these days rely too much on stats then the actually matchups and what you see on the ice, no one is is trying to say your trio isn't dangerous hence the fact that most Devils fans feel we are the underdogs and it's not because of Ray Emery we think this, it's because of your top players.

But like I have said before Tampa's trio by themselves almost beat us in that series, we were this close to falling behind three games to one to them, and it was because of those three it almost happened.

Tampa's three is better than your three, but that doesn't mean that they aren't dangerous by any means at all, I think that's what most people are trying to tell you guys.

I remind you that we played that very same Vincent Lecavalier in the playoffs last year, so we do know how good he is. Same with St. Louis and Richards.
I know that, but I would argue that Lecavalier is playing better this year than he was last year. Put it this way, a very respected coach who has won the Jack Adams trophy three times called him the best player in the league this year. Spezza, Heatley, and Alfredsson are good, but they're not that good. I think crashlanding said it best here:

Sorry, you just have to give credit to Lecavalier and St. Louis. THEY ARE THAT DAMN GOOD.

I had my doubts before the last series but they are dominant. We can handle your big three, we couldn't handle them.
I expected those three to be good, really really good, but they completely blew away my expectations.

Lecavalier was 4th in the league in points per game.
Spezza was 5th.

Heatley was 6th in the league in points per game.
Martin St. Louis was 7th.

Alfredsson was 15th in the league in points per game.
Richards was 65th.

Did I mention that the Ottawa trio scored just 1 less point than the Tampa trio despite playing 20 less games?

And did I mention that the Ottawa trio was a combined +92 while the Tampa trio was -10.

Right...

That's because Ottawa is the better team. Better defense, better goaltending, of course you're gonna get more points. Swap the 3 (put Richards, Lecavalier, St. Louis) on Ottawa and they'd get good stats too......

Lecavalier is the single most dominant center in the NHL. He's a younger version of Sundin/Thornton (who can outmuscle almost anyone to the front of the net at will) who can score GOALS AND PASS. Hell this guy probably has a slap shot harder than Heatley. The point is, Lecavalier had the size and strength advantage against our small team and we had no one that could match him. The only thing we could do was CONTAIN him and play with smart positioning and skillful stick work. Even then, there's no way of shutting them down 100%. The same could be said about St. Louis. He's deceptively strong for a 5 footer, he's one of the fastest skaters in the NHL and he's SKILLED. We have no fast, strong defenseman to crush Lecavalier/St. Louis.

But hey, the same cannot be said about Alfie/Spezza/Heater. Yes, they are skilled, yes they are top 10 players in their respective positions, but we will definitely have a much easier job guarding them then guarding against behemoths like Lecavalier and speedsters like St. Louis. Look at it this way, your top line is comparable to Briere/Afinogenov, Crosby/Malkin/Rechhi, Datsyuk/Zetterberg, Kariya/Forsberg/Radulov, Sedins, Huselius/Langkow/Iginla, Nylander/Straka/Jagr....the similarity between all lines is pure skill with very little size, strength, and grit....these are teams that we strive against....

St. Louis > Alfie (very close)
Lecavalier > Spezza
Richards < Heater

The only thing I am afraid of is Heater's shot. It's deadly and it has eyes. He's not much of a threat elsewhere. I haven't seen him drive to the net with will, he's the type of guy that will take shots from the slot or one timers. I'm not afraid of Spezza either. Isn't he the guy that got a back injury by lifting groceries :biglaugh: :biglaugh: ? Check this guy often and force him to make turnovers in the neutral zone. The only player I'm afraid of is Alfie. He must be the most skilled and determined player out of the trio. He is the heart and soul of Ottawa.

Yeah, Lecavalier, St. Louis, and Richards are a bigger force than Alfie, Heatley, and Spezza. The kind of line that wins games on their own on a regular basis (by design. Flawed as that approach may be.)

I don't know why that other guy keeps harping on it. Give it up dude.

Vinny IS the best player in the game at the moment. That line has a special chemistry.

Anyways...kind of moot now, isn't it?

We will see how Aflie-Spez-Heater match up against the EGG line shortly.

Trust me, it is. Ottawa's trio scored 279 points in 226 games. Tampa's trio scored 280 in 246.

Points are points. I'm sure those points came off of dishing to each other and/or defensemen. It's the goals vs. goals that I judge the Tampa duo/trio vs. the Sens duo/trio - that and amount of time they are on the ice.

Lecavalier and St. Louis had more goals than Heatley and Spezza, often got double shifted onto other lines in that series, and played 25 minutes a game.

And if you want to discard the regular season stats, look at the first round: Lecavalier-St. Louis-Richards scored 11 goals in 6 games - out of 14 goals that Tampa scored. Heatley-Spezza-Alfie scored 7 goals in 5 games - out of 17 goals that the Sens scored in the forst series.

Again, that means that Ottawa is more dangerous because they have better scoring depth and team defense. But I think the performances so far indicate that Tampa's trio were a bit more potent.

That's because Ottawa is the better team. Better defense, better goaltending, of course you're gonna get more points. Swap the 3 (put Richards, Lecavalier, St. Louis) on Ottawa and they'd get good stats too......

Lecavalier is the single most dominant center in the NHL. He's a younger version of Sundin/Thornton (who can outmuscle almost anyone to the front of the net at will) who can score GOALS AND PASS. Hell this guy probably has a slap shot harder than Heatley. The point is, Lecavalier had the size and strength advantage against our small team and we had no one that could match him. The only thing we could do was CONTAIN him and play with smart positioning and skillful stick work. Even then, there's no way of shutting them down 100%. The same could be said about St. Louis. He's deceptively strong for a 5 footer, he's one of the fastest skaters in the NHL and he's SKILLED. We have no fast, strong defenseman to crush Lecavalier/St. Louis.

We played TB in the playoffs last year. We watched the same 3 guy show that almost did you in this year.

Look at it this way, your top line is comparable to Briere/Afinogenov, Crosby/Malkin/Rechhi, Datsyuk/Zetterberg, Kariya/Forsberg/Radulov, Sedins, Huselius/Langkow/Iginla, Nylander/Straka/Jagr....the similarity between all lines is pure skill with very little size, strength, and grit....these are teams that we strive against....



You guys are delusional. Heatley is 6'3", 215 lbs, Spezza is 6'2". 205 lbs, Alfie is the shrimp at 5'11", 202 lbs. These guys arn't tiny, arn't weak, and arn't knocked off the puck. These guys can dump and chase effectively, these guys can cycle the puck like nobody's business. Good luck in thinking that they are just another pansy assed scoring line, cause your going to need it.



The only thing I am afraid of is Heater's shot. It's deadly and it has eyes. He's not much of a threat elsewhere. I haven't seen him drive to the net with will, he's the type of guy that will take shots from the slot or one timers. I'm not afraid of Spezza either. Isn't he the guy that got a back injury by lifting groceries :biglaugh: :biglaugh: ? Check this guy often and force him to make turnovers in the neutral zone. The only player I'm afraid of is Alfie. He must be the most skilled and determined player out of the trio. He is the heart and soul of Ottawa.

Heatley and Spezza are soft nobody's who suck. Got it.

Ok, I guess we were wrong. Spezza is Gretzky, Heatley is Bobby Hull, and Alfredsson is Jesus on skates. How dare us for believing anybody was better.

Move along guys, we should be discussing this on the Playoffs board, not ours.

I don't understand why NJ fans are so adamant in trying to convince everyone that St. Louis, LeCavalier and Richards are that much better than our top 3???

Whats the point? Regardless who has a better top 3 between Ottawa and TB (its close), the Sens clearly have a better bottom 9. Light years better.

Ottawa fans are delusional.

They take things WAY out of context.

For ex:

We say Tamps trio is better, and now they assume we think Ottawa's top line are pansy's.

for the last time MOST DEVIL FANS FEEL LIKE OTTAWA IS ALOT MORE BALANCED THAN TAMPA, AND WILL BE EXTREMELY TOUGH TO BEAT.

All we are saying is we think Tampa's trio is the best in the league. and Ottawa fans are so pissed. geesh:shakehead

I don't understand why NJ fans are so adamant in trying to convince everyone that St. Louis, LeCavalier and Richards are that much better than our top 3???


That is so funny because I was wondering why Sens fans are so adamant in trying to convince us that they are aren't, seriously.


Whats the point? Regardless who has a better top 3 between Ottawa and TB (its close), the Sens clearly have a better bottom 9. Light years better

Couldn't agree with you more.

Ottawa fans are delusional.

They take things WAY out of context.

For ex:

We say Tamps trio is better, and now they assume we think Ottawa's top line are pansy's.

for the last time MOST DEVIL FANS FEEL LIKE OTTAWA IS ALOT MORE BALANCED THAN TAMPA, AND WILL BE EXTREMELY TOUGH TO BEAT.

All we are saying is we think Tampa's trio is the best in the league. and Ottawa fans are so pissed. geesh:shakehead


That comment about Tampa's 3 being the best trio in the league is not accurate at all. They have the best TWO in the league with Lecavalier/St.Louis....if I recall Richards did not have the best regular season and he was never the dominant part of the third line he was expected to be.
What's great about Ottawa's top 3 is they DO NOT have to be together and depend on eachother to have success. They are great playing together but if needed Alfie can jump down to the second line while another winger jumps up to play with Heater and Spezza.
It's simple....there is no way in hell that Tampa's trio is better than Ottawa's.
Heatley is equal to Lecavalier in every way , St.Louis is equal to Spezza (Spezza missed 15 games) and Alfie is definitly equal to Richards if not better in the season and in the playoffs right now.

Bottom line....Ottawa's offence will give the Devils defense fits. The secondary scoring is deadly like mentioned many times.

We played TB in the playoffs last year. We watched the same 3 guy show that almost did you in this year.

No you did not. You played a ****** TB team last year. We played a hungry TB team this year with a much more lethal top line.

05-06 Stats
St. Louis 31G 30A 61PTS 221SOG
Lecavalier 35G 40A 75PTS 309SOG

06-07 Stats
St. Louis 43G 59A 102PTS 273SOG, 67% increased production
Lecavalier 52G 56A 108PTS 339SOG, 44% increased production

Now think real hard, analyze those stats, and tell me St. Louis and Lecavalier were the same ****** players as last year? :shakehead :shakehead :shakehead

Give credit where credit is due and stop ******** on good players.

You guys are delusional. Heatley is 6'3", 215 lbs, Spezza is 6'2". 205 lbs, Alfie is the shrimp at 5'11", 202 lbs. These guys arn't tiny, arn't weak, and arn't knocked off the puck. These guys can dump and chase effectively, these guys can cycle the puck like nobody's business. Good luck in thinking that they are just another pansy assed scoring line, cause your going to need it.

Again, if you want to compare specs, then look at this:

Lecavalier 6'4", 223lbs
St. Louis 5'9", 185lbs

Lecavalier > Heatley in height and weight. Lecavalier also plays centre, playmaker, and sniper. Heatley plays sniper most of the time. Lecavalier is a young man's version of Sundin/Thornton/Lindros in their prime. The same could not be said about Heatley. Lecavalier is one of the toughest 1on1 players to hold WHEN YOU HAVE SMALL, ******, INEXPERIENCED, LIGHTWEIGHT DEFENSEMAN like NJ. We didn't have Colin White (injured), Scott Stevens, or Ken Daneyko to cover Lecavalier. We had to use grandpa Matvichuk and his broken back to take care of Lecavalier. You had CHARA, REDDEN, PHILIPS, and VOLCHENKOV to cover Vinny last year. Obviously you will have a much easier time defending him.

St. Louis < Alfie in height and weight BY A LOT. Hence St. Louis is smaller, faster, and more agile than Alfie. Don't need to say anymore here.

I'm not going to include Richards because he's not important. He doesn't play on the top line with St. Louis or Vinny unless TB is on the PP or they are losing. Richards plays on the 2nd/3rd line with ****** AHL players. To accumulate 70pts playing with ****** players is quite an accomplishment.

And oh yeah, did I mention you played against Jon Grahame last year :amazed: :amazed: ? Holmqvist is better than Grahame by MILES. 'Nuff said.

Heatley and Spezza are soft nobody's who suck. Got it.

If I thought Ottawa was a ****** team, I'd say Devils in 4. But I am giving you tons of respect and saying Devils in 7. DON'T put words in my mouth. I never said Ottawa's top line was " pansy, soft, or weak ". I'm just saying that it is easier for NJ to contain and defend against smaller, lighter players. So face the facts and admit that 2/3rd of TB's top line is bigger and faster than OTT's top line. That's the only argument here.

That comment about Tampa's 3 being the best trio in the league is not accurate at all. They have the best TWO in the league with Lecavalier/St.Louis....if I recall Richards did not have the best regular season and he was never the dominant part of the third line he was expected to be.
What's great about Ottawa's top 3 is they DO NOT have to be together and depend on eachother to have success. They are great playing together but if needed Alfie can jump down to the second line while another winger jumps up to play with Heater and Spezza.
It's simple....there is no way in hell that Tampa's trio is better than Ottawa's.
Heatley is equal to Lecavalier in every way , St.Louis is equal to Spezza (Spezza missed 15 games) and Alfie is definitly equal to Richards if not better in the season and in the playoffs right now.

Bottom line....Ottawa's offence will give the Devils defense fits. The secondary scoring is deadly like mentioned many times.

Umm. No.

Umm. No.

Um Yes! Don't even try this man.....


06/07:

Heatley: 50G , 55A , 105 PTS , 17 PPG , 22 PPA , 39 PPP , 3 SHG , 10 GWG , 310 SOG , S% .161 +31

Lecavalier: 52G , 56A , 108 PTS , 16 PPG , 20 PPA , 36 PPP , 5 SHG, 7 GWG, 339 SOG, S% .153 , +2

Heatley wins more categories and he became the first player in 5 years to have back-to-back 50 goal seasons. HEALTEY IS EQUAL TO LECAVALIER IN EVERY WAY!!! That point in not very debateable ....the stats show it.

I think someone is underrating Heatley here. Finishing 2 goals and 3 pts behind the guy puts Heatley in the exact same class as Lecavalier.


So shall I post the comparisson between St.Louis/Spezza and Alfie/Richards or have I made my point clear??

Um Yes! Don't even try this man.....


06/07:

Heatley: 50G , 55A , 105 PTS , 17 PPG , 22 PPA , 39 PPP , 3 SHG , 10 GWG , 310 SOG , S% .161 +31

Lecavalier: 52G , 56A , 108 PTS , 16 PPG , 20 PPA , 36 PPP , 5 SHG, 7 GWG, 339 SOG, S% .153 , +2

Heatley wins more categories and he became the first player in 5 years to have back-to-back 50 goal seasons. HEALTEY IS EQUAL TO LECAVALIER IN EVERY WAY!!! That point in not very debateable ....the stats show it.

I think someone is underrating Heatley here. Finishing 2 goals and 3 pts behind the guy puts Heatley in the exact same class as Lecavalier.


So shall I post the comparisson between St.Louis/Spezza and Alfie/Richards or have I made my point clear??

Dude, I could care less what the numbers say, Lecavlier is the best hockey player in the NHL today.

Um Yes! Don't even try this man.....


If you're right, Ottawa's trio will prove it on the ice.

Nothing you can do or say will influence any opinions at this point in time.

Um Yes! Don't even try this man.....


06/07:

Heatley: 50G , 55A , 105 PTS , 17 PPG , 22 PPA , 39 PPP , 3 SHG , 10 GWG , 310 SOG , S% .161 +31

Lecavalier: 52G , 56A , 108 PTS , 16 PPG , 20 PPA , 36 PPP , 5 SHG, 7 GWG, 339 SOG, S% .153 , +2

Heatley wins more categories and he became the first player in 5 years to have back-to-back 50 goal seasons. HEALTEY IS EQUAL TO LECAVALIER IN EVERY WAY!!! That point in not very debateable ....the stats show it.

I think someone is underrating Heatley here. Finishing 2 goals and 3 pts behind the guy puts Heatley in the exact same class as Lecavalier.


So shall I post the comparisson between St.Louis/Spezza and Alfie/Richards or have I made my point clear??

And yet Heatley needs Spezza while Lecavalier can take over the game by himself through pure brute force and determination. Lecavalier will beat Heatley in a 1on1 just because of size and strength. And don't forget, Heatley plays on a stacked team with good dman and goaltending, Lecavalier plays on a 2-man team, Boyle, and ****** goaltending. Swap Vinny for Dany and Vinny will be even better.

Read my previous post.

Devils defense and Brodeur > Ottawa's offense

Devils defense and Brodeur > Ottawa's offense

Yeah and we faced off against Buffalo pretty well (arguably faster and better than Ottawa), so I don't see how we don't have a chance against Ottawa WITH HOME ICE ADVANTAGE..:shakehead :shakehead

And yet Heatley needs Spezza while Lecavalier can take over the game by himself through pure brute force and determination. Lecavalier will beat Heatley in a 1on1 just because of size and strength. And don't forget, Heatley plays on a stacked team with good dman and goaltending, Lecavalier plays on a 2-line team, Boyle, and ****** goaltending. Swap Vinny for Dany and Vinny will be even better.

Read my previous post.

And yet again you are wrong. Fact is Heatley played his best hockey of the season and matured as a player WITHOUT Spezza when he was injured for over a month. Heatley became much more of a complete player this season and is not as dependant on Spezza as alot of people think , in fact it would probably be other way around. And No swap Vinny and Danny and the results would be very similar....

Dude, I could care less what the numbers say, Lecavlier is the best hockey player in the NHL today.

And Dude...you are not giving Dany Heatley nearly enough credit than he deserves.
And Crosby was the best player throughout the season , and I agree Lecavalier is better than Heatley but not by much at all. To say Heatley isin't in the same class as Lecavalier is just ridiculious....when in fact they are in the exact same class.
Also this whole Lecavalier doesn't need anyone and can take over games himself....that's total crap yah like Lecavlier doesn't rely on St.Louis.

And Dude...you are not giving Dany Heatley nearly enough credit than he deserves.
And Crosby was the best player throughout the season , and I agree Lecavalier is better than Heatley but not by much at all. To say Heatley isin't in the same class as Lecavalier is just ridiculious....when in fact they are in the exact same class.
Also this whole Lecavalier doesn't need anyone and can take over games himself....that's total crap yah like Lecavlier doesn't rely on St.Louis.

I have to agree with this. Sorry.

Is it Thursday yet?

And Dude...you are not giving Dany Heatley nearly enough credit than he deserves.
And Crosby was the best player throughout the season , and I agree Lecavalier is better than Heatley but not by much at all. To say Heatley isin't in the same class as Lecavalier is just ridiculious....when in fact they are in the exact same class.
Also this whole Lecavalier doesn't need anyone and can take over games himself....that's total crap yah like Lecavlier doesn't rely on St.Louis.

St. Louis relies on Lecavalier more than Lecavalier relies on St. Louis.

Lecavalier is the only reason why TB even got into the playoffs. He's undoubtedly been the hottest player since the All Star Break.

Ottawa would be in the playoffs without Heatley.

I never said they weren't in the same class, but Lecavalier is better than Heatley.

End of story!

And Dude...you are not giving Dany Heatley nearly enough credit than he deserves.
And Crosby was the best player throughout the season , and I agree Lecavalier is better than Heatley but not by much at all. To say Heatley isin't in the same class as Lecavalier is just ridiculious....when in fact they are in the exact same class.
Also this whole Lecavalier doesn't need anyone and can take over games himself....that's total crap yah like Lecavlier doesn't rely on St.Louis.

I don't recall ever suggesting this or not giving Heatley his credit due, I just think Lecavalier is a better player, that's it.

I can't wait until this starts. I can't wait until tomorrow so at least I can be watching some form of hockey.

Wow.. things sure heated up in here since yesterday.

this is sick, I need game 1 now !!!!!

I think that Madden and Jay and Brylin will slow down Spezza, Heatly and Alfredson. I think they have a tough series and I believe Marty is the deciding factor ultimately. I think the EGG line will challenge Emery and get off more shots then the experienceless Pens. Devils in 6.

wow, I know I'm new and all, but I ' SHORE" find it hard to talk to Devils fans here :help: ????

wow, I know I'm new and all, but I ' SHORE" find it hard to talk to Devils fans here :help: ????
We're around. Preparing for Game 1. :)

We're around. Preparing for Game 1. :)

I am sooooo lost with this switching topics LOL, I say something and hit refresh and I am on a new topic ??? LOL, whats up with that???

No point arguing whether Tampa's trio is better than Ottawa's or not. Let's just see what happens on the ice. The play will tell the story.

No point arguing whether Tampa's trio is better than Ottawa's or not. Let's just see what happens on the ice. The play will tell the story.

That's a good idea.

Damn this waiting is just brutal! Wish the game was tomorrow.

Im hoping were in store for 4 great series. But my stomach is in knots thinking about the Ott-NJ series. Throughout the day I catch myself thinking "no way we can beat them" to "We got Marty, its a done deal". Im really excited for this series, going to be awesome!!!

i said this eariler and i guess ill say it again, ill be the 1st to tell anyone the spezza/alfie/heater line is one of the top 5 in the league, but u have to take in context the team, i know you guys are going to defend them till you die, its in a fans nature - but think about it, tampa is a big 3 team, ottawa is a 4 line team, if you shut down ottawa's #1, line 1a comes out, so then u swap out the checking line to that line, and viola now ur #1 line avoids the teams best defence, hence theyre going to get more points....so i hope that explains why we all think tampa's big 3 is better than yours, they see the checking line all game, every nite while we credit your depth and checking lines have to move

and for the +/-, like ppl have said its a stat, but unless you want to concede that tampa is that better of a defensive team, your going to have to accept that the +/- is a moot point, your a better d team and therefore your plus minus is going to be better

thank you

and i dont know about any other devils fans, but ive been like oh these guys are a force, but everytime lecaviler touched the puck, i was afraid for what was going to happen, ive never felt that way about a player before, ill be at the front of the line to admit this, hes the next morozov or barnes, he owns us now

I don't know why everyone is still talking about Tampa. They're done and swept under the rug. We need to start thinking about what the Devils should do about Ottawa.

This'll be a pretty interesting series, me thinks. Marty and Matvichuk I know will come up huge for us. All of our lines to bring their A game and our checking line (which should be all of our lines) should be able to shut down Ottawa if, like I said, they bring their A game.

"we know what we did."

"we know what we did."

lol

Good luck boys and girls. Hopefully Rangers vs Devils in the ECF to show those other divisions how the Atlantic does things. :handclap:

Good luck boys and girls. Hopefully Rangers vs Devils in the ECF to show those other divisions how the Atlantic does things. :handclap:

Rangers/Devils eh....yah sure NBC and the NHL would just love that. It's all about Sens/Sabers re-match!!

Rangers/Devils eh....yah sure NBC and the NHL would just love that. It's all about Sens/Sabers re-match!!

Meh America likes to see two teams trap each other to death. No one likes offensive teams with a lot of speed. Get out of here! :rant: :sarcasm:

Meh America likes to see two teams trap each other to death. No one likes offensive teams with a lot of speed. Get out of here! :rant: :sarcasm:

:biglaugh: :biglaugh:

Good Luck though against those pesky Sabers , I'll be cheering for the Rangers. Jagar vs Briere , Nylander vs Drury , Shanny vs Vanek and best of all Lundqvist vs Miller. Should be a good series , and I think closer than alot of people think.

burnside and mulletrose both picked ottawa


thank god!

Captain Patrik Elias did not take part in practice yesterday at Codey Arena in West Orange, but general manager/coach Lou Lamoriello said he was not in jeopardy of missing Game 1 against the Ottawa Senators tomorrow night.

"He had a cold (Monday), so we told him to stay home," Lamoriello said. "He should be ready to practice (today)."

The same cannot be said for defenseman Colin White, who sat out the past four games against Tampa Bay with what the team is calling a stiff back.

"He skated (on his own) prior to our skate," Lamoriello noted. "We'll see how he feels. He's day-to-day."

If White is ready for Round 2, it would force Lamoriello to make a tough decision on which defenseman to take out of the lineup. It won't be Brian Rafalski, Paul Martin or Brad Lukowich. That would leave Johnny Oduya, Andy Greene and Richard Matvichuk.

http://www.nj.com/devils/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1177475230321070.xml&coll=1

Marty's thoughts (http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hockey/devils/2007/04/25/2007-04-25_after_lightning_dev_thunder.html) on the goalie matchup:

Asked how he would fare in a goalie fight against Ottawa's notoriously combative netminder Ray Emery, Brodeur nodded toward his Devils goaltending partner Scott Clemmensen and said, "I've talked to him already. Clemmer's taking him. I'm taking the other Marty."

The 6-2, 202-pound Emery, a boxing fan, has had his masks decorated with paintings of Jack Johnson, Marvin Hagler and - controversially - Mike Tyson. The "other Marty" is Sens backup goalie Martin Gerber. He's only 6-0, 185. And he's Swiss.
Nice! Let Clemmer get some action :biglaugh: