Don't expect a lot of goals to be scored in this Eastern Conference series. The teams combined for just 29 in the eight-game series in the regular season.
 |
Zach Parise is stopped late in the third period by Henrik Lundqvist of the Rangers on April 6, 2008.  Highlights |
New York knocked the Devils out of the postseason three times before New Jersey could return the favor the last time the teams met, in the 2006 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.
The Rangers, however, enter this series with the upper hand, despite being the No. 5 seed. New Jersey gained home ice with a shootout victory against the Rangers on the regular season's final day. But that was the only win the Devils managed in the eight-game series.
Amazingly, the Rangers have beaten their cross-river foes by out-Deviling them. New York has received stellar goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist, played a shut-down defensive game and received timely scoring in frustrating the Devils. This season, New Jersey was shut out twice in the series and scored just one goal three other times.
Offensively, it has been new blood that has carried the Blueshirts against Jersey. Rookie Nigel Dawes and free-agent acquisition Chris Drury have four goals each in the series. New Jersey, as a team, had just nine goals in the series and Jamie Langenbrunner and Zach Parise, the team's leading goal scorer, were the only Devils to manage two goals in the series.
The Devils have had trouble scoring all season. They had just 206 goals, the lowest total among the eight Eastern Conference qualifiers. New Jersey still won 46 games, the third-highest total in the East. The main reason, as usual, was veteran goalie Martin Brodeur. Despite playing in front of a patchwork defense throughout the season, Brodeur had one of his best seasons, posting a 2.17 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage.
The security blanket provided by Brodeur surely will be comforting to first-year coach Brent Sutter as he tries to reverse this season's troubling trend against the Rangers.
New Jersey will win if -- It scores goals. That sounds like an easy solution, but not when it comes to the Devils. Not only was this team shut out a team-record 11 times this season, but it has yet to manage to beat the Rangers for three goals in regulation this season. New Jersey will have to make a concerted effort to shoot as often as possible and crash goalie Henrik Lundqvist's crease with regularity.
New York will win if -- The Rangers make Martin Brodeur look human. The Rangers have seen how much confidence Brodeur can give his team when he is on his game. Too often this season, Brodeur has been the difference between his team being blown out early and winning a game late after his heroics have turned the tide. There's a reason this vet has three Stanley Cup rings, and New York knows it cannot let the Devils goalie start to feel good about himself.
NHL.com is the official web site of the National Hockey League. NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup, the Stanley Cup Playoffs logo, the Stanley Cup Final logo, Center Ice name and logo, NHL Conference logos, NHL Winter Classic name, and The Biggest Assist Happens Off The Ice are registered trademarks and Vintage Hockey word mark and logo, The Game Lives Where You Do, NHL Winter Classic logo, NHL Heritage Classic name and logo, NHL Stadium Series name and logo, NHL All-Star logo, NHL Face-Off name and logo, NHL. TV, NHL Premium, NHL After Dark, NHL GameCenter, NHL GameCenter LIVE, NHL Network name and logo, NHL Tonight name and logo, On The Fly, NHL Awards name and logo, NHL Draft name and logo, Hockey Fights Cancer, Because It's The Cup, NHL Green name and logo, NHL Vault, Hockey Is For Everyone, NHL Thanksgiving Showdown name and logo, NHL Centennial Classic name and logo, NHL Centennial Season logo, NHL100 Classic name and logo, NHL Global Series name and logo, NHL China Games name and logo, and Don't Miss A Moment are trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. © NHL 2018. All Rights Reserved. All NHL team jerseys customized with NHL players' names and numbers are officially licensed by the NHL and the NHLPA. The Zamboni word mark and configuration of the Zamboni ice resurfacing machine are registered trademarks of Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. © Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. 2018. All Rights Reserved. Any other third party trademarks or copyrights are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.