The Devils-Rangers Eastern Conference quarterfinal that opens on Wednesday has all that markings of likely going the full seven games - despite New York's regular-season dominance.
New Jersey is a playoff-tested team, as this is the Devils' 11th straight year in the postseason.
And the Devils still have Martin Brodeur. He extended his NHL record by notching 30 wins for the 12 th straight year. He also posted a sparkling 2.18 goals-against average and .920 save percentage while playing in 76 games. Brodeur could be in line for his fourth Vezina Trophy.
He has three Stanley Cup titles to his credit and is the active leader in playoff wins (94) and games played (164). Brodeur has 22 career shutouts in the postseason and needs just one more to tie Patrick Roy for the all-time playoff mark.
That's the good news. The bad? New Jersey scored only 10 goals in losing the season series to New York 7-0-1 (at least that one victory came in the season finale).
Plus, the Devils are 3-for-41 in their last 13 games on the man-advantage and have scored just 13 goals in their last eight games at the Prudential Center. Among the snakebitten are center Travis Zajac (1 goal in 22 games), right winger David Clarkson (1 in 15) and linemates John Madden and Jay Pandolfo, who have combined for one in their last 10.The Devils were shut out a franchise-record 11 times this season and their leading scorer, Zach Parise, had only 65 points. In 20 career playoff contests, Parise has notched eight goals and five assists.
The Rangers picked up at least a point in nine of their last 10 games, but managed just five wins in that span. The Devils won four of their last five her team is very hot right now.
Meanwhile, former Devil Scott Gomez finished first on the Rangers in assists (54) and second in points, wile Chris Drury was tied for the club with 25 goals and third with 58 points. Between the two of them, Gomez and Drury have won three Stanley Cup titles and played in 211 playoff games.
And Jaromir Jagr seemed to find his game late in the season, with 22 points in his last 21 games. He reached the 20-goal plateau for the 17th straight season and notched 70 points for the 15th year in a row.
Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was a workhorse for the Rangers this year, playing in 72 games and posting a 37-24-10 record. He had a 2.23 GAA, .912 save percentage and led the league with 10 shutouts.
The Devils rank fourth in total goals against (197) and the Rangers are right behind them with 199.
The teams have played four series in the postseason, most recently in the first round in 2006, when the Devils won, 4-0.
The Rangers expect to have all but one of their players healthy and available for the first round. The one exception is forward Colton Orr, who recently broke a toe.
The Devils may have defenseman Bryce Salvador back for the series, although Coach Brent Sutter has not committed to playing him Wednesday. Salvador, who was acquired by the Devils at the trade deadline, has been out since March 15 with a sore foot, but he skated Monday.
Bet on the Stanley Cup playoffs at WagerWeb.com
No comments:
Post a Comment