Carolina (2) |
VS |
New Jersey (3) |
Carolina wins best-of-seven series 4-1 |
The New Jersey Devils failed to take advantage of numerous power-play chances, then watched a special-teams goal eliminate them from the Stanley Cup playoffs Sunday night in Carolina. » FULL STORY
Strengths | Weaknesses | Key Player | |
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Carolina Hurricanes |
The Hurricanes can score, as they showed by piling up the second-most regular-season goals in the East, and they boast a balanced attack. Six Carolina players scored at least 21 goals this season and four hit 30. Despite ranking in the bottom half of the league in special teams efficiency, Carolina showed a knack for staying on the happy side of the special teams battle: the squad led the East in power-play opportunities while surrendering the fourth-fewest such chances in the conference. |
Carolina's run-and-gun style can lead to scoring chances at both ends of the rink. No playoff team allowed more goals in the regular season, and the Hurricanes gave up 11 goals to Montreal in losing their first two games of the playoffs before settling down to win the next four. GM Jim Rutherford's big-name veteran acquisitions haven't helped in that department: Doug Weight and Mark Recchi are a combined minus-17 since joining the Hurricanes. |
Cam Ward: Perhaps no player is more important to the freewheeling Hurricanes than their rookie goaltender. After Carolina was outgunned in the first two games of the Montreal series, Ward, who stepped in for erstwhile No. 1 goalie Martin Gerber during Game 2, performed brilliantly in allowing just five goals over the next four games, all Carolina wins. Now the precocious 22-year-old will go head-to-head with his childhood idol, three-time Stanley Cup winner Martin Brodeur. |
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. Despite a slow start by goalie Martin Brodeur and the retirement of Scott Stevens, the Devils gave up the third-fewest goals and fifth-fewest shots per game in the East in the regular season. The first round of the playoffs was no different, as Jersey allowed just four goals in a four-game sweep of the Rangers. The Devils have also proven extremely adept at staying out of the penalty box, surrendering, by a wide margin, the fewest power-play chances in the NHL this season. |
In the East, only the lowly Capitals, Bruins and Islanders scored fewer regular-season goals than New Jersey. Special teams weren't 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. The listless Rangers couldn't capitalize on any of these shortcomings in the first round, but a better opponent might. |
Patrik Elias: In the East, only the lowly Capitals, Bruins and Islanders scored fewer regular-season goals than New Jersey. Special teams weren't 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. The listless Rangers couldn't capitalize on any of these shortcomings in the first round, but a better opponent might. |
CAROLINA HURRICANES GOALIES | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | W | L | GA | SV% | GAA | ||||
Martin Gerber | 4 | 0 | 1 | 10 | .825 | 4.29 | |||
Cam Ward | 23 | 15 | 8 | 47 | .920 | 2.14 |
CAROLINA HURRICANES TOP SCORERS | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PP | GW | |
Eric Staal | 25 | 9 | 19 | 28 | 0 | 8 | 7 | 1 |
Cory Stillman | 25 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 12 | 14 | 4 | 3 |
Rod Brind`Amour | 25 | 12 | 6 | 18 | 9 | 16 | 6 | 4 |
Justin Williams | 25 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 12 | 34 | 0 | 1 |
Matt Cullen | 25 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 2 | 12 | 2 | 1 |
CAROLINA HURRICANES INJURIES | ||
---|---|---|
No Injuries were reported. |
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 |
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