Series Matchups
- STANLEY CUP FINAL
- Carolina vs Edmonton
- ROUND THREE
- Western Conference
- Anaheim vs Edmonton
- Eastern Conference
- Carolina vs Buffalo
- ROUND TWO
- Western Conference
- San Jose vs Edmonton
- Anaheim vs Colorado
- Eastern Conference
- Ottawa vs Buffalo
- Carolina vs New Jersey
- ROUND ONE
- Western Conference
- Detroit vs Edmonton
- Dallas vs Colorado
- Calgary vs Anaheim
- Nashville vs San Jose
- Eastern Conference
- Ottawa vs Tampa Bay
- Carolina vs Montreal
- New Jersey vs NY Rangers
- Buffalo vs Philadelphia
|
VS |
|
| New Jersey wins the best-of-seven series 4-0 | ||
New Jersey (3)
NY Rangers (6)
Elias a determined Devil
A year ago, when many of his locked-out NHL brethren were reflecting on their experience with European club teams, Patrik Elias was fighting to get his hockey life back. » FULL STORY
Past Stories
TEAM ANALYSIS
| Strengths | Weaknesses | Key Player | |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey Devils |
The NHL's new rules were supposed to spell the end of the Jersey-pioneered neutral zone trap, but the Devils' hallmark remains defence. This season New Jersey gave up the third-fewest goals and fifth-fewest shots per game in the East, despite a slow start by goalie Martin Brodeur and the retirement of Scott Stevens. The Devils were also extremely adept at staying out of the penalty box, surrendering, by a wide margin, the fewest power-play chances in the NHL. |
In the East, only the lowly Capitals, Bruins and Islanders scored fewer goals. Special teams haven't been a strong suit, either. While the Devils didn't get called for a lot of penalties, they didn't draw many either, earning the fourth-fewest power-play opportunities in the league. Meanwhile, New Jersey defined special-teams mediocrity, hovering near the middle of the pack in both power-play and penalty-killing efficiency. |
Patrik Elias: After missing the first 39 games of the season while battling hepatitis-A, Elias made an immediate impact upon his return, recording 16 points in his first 10 games. The 30-year-old later missed four games due to bruised ribs suffered at the Olympics and another due to illness, but still amassed 45 points in 38 games. A healthy Elias is just what the doctor ordered for the offence-starved Devils in the postseason. |
| New York Rangers |
The Rangers can take the ice against most opponents knowing they have the best player at both ends of the rink. Jaromir Jagr, 34, had one of the finest seasons of his illustrious career, piling up 54 goals and 123 points and barely missing out on his sixth scoring title. In the net, 24-year-old rookie Henrik Lundqvist remedied the goaltending ills that have plagued the Rangers in recent years, finishing in the league's top five in both goals-against average and save percentage as the Blue Shirts allowed the second-fewest goals in the East. |
After its stellar top line of Jagr, Michael Nylander and Martin Straka, which combined for 278 points and a plus-82 rating in the regular season, New York doesn't have much forward depth. Outside of the Big Three, only Martin Rucinsky's 55 points cracked the half-century plateau. There's also some concern about the health of Lundqvist, who missed seven games with a lower-body injury before surrendering five goals in the Rangers' regular-season finale against Ottawa. |
Petr Prucha: Thanks in part to an early-December hot streak during which he racked up nine goals in six games, the 5'10", 162-lb. Prucha made a big splash with an impressive 30 goals in his rookie season, second on the team to Jagr. But the 23-year-old ended the season with a whimper, scoring just once in his final nine games. The Rangers will need Prucha to recapture his midseason form and help fellow Czech Jagr shoulder the postseason scoring load. |
STATISTICS
| NEW JERSEY DEVILS GOALIES | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | W | L | GA | SV% | GAA | ||||
| Martin Brodeur | 8 | 5 | 3 | 17 | .926 | 2.15 | |||
| Scott Clemmensen | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 1.00 | |||
| NEW JERSEY DEVILS TOP SCORERS | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PP | GW | |
| Patrik Elias | 9 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Jamie Langenbrunner | 9 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 5 | 16 | 1 | 1 |
| Scott Gomez | 9 | 5 | 4 | 9 | -1 | 6 | 4 | 1 |
| Brian Rafalski | 9 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Brian Gionta | 9 | 3 | 4 | 7 | -1 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| NEW JERSEY DEVILS INJURIES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Darren Langdon | groin | indefinitely |
| NEW YORK RANGERS GOALIES | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | W | L | GA | SV% | GAA | ||||
| Henrik Lundqvist | 3 | 0 | 3 | 13 | .835 | 4.41 | |||
| Kevin Weekes | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .840 | 4.00 | |||
| NEW YORK RANGERS TOP SCORERS | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PP | GW | |
| Blair Betts | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Steve Rucchin | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jed Ortmeyer | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Petr Prucha | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Martin Rucinsky | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| NEW YORK RANGERS INJURIES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Jaromir Jagr | shoulder | indefinitely |
Goalie statistics: GP=Games played, W=Wins, L=Losses, GA=Goals against, SV=Saves, SH=Shutouts, SV%=Save percentage, GAA=Goals-against average
Player statistics: GP=Games played, G=Goals, A=Assists, P=Points, +/-=Plus/Minus, PIM=Penalty Minutes, PP= Power-play goals, GW=Game-winning goals
Team statistics: GF=Goals for, GA=Goals against, PP= Power-play efficiency, PK= Penalty-killing efficiency. NB: Team statistics are from the 82-game regular season. Ranking is out of 30 teams.
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