| |
 |
 |
|
Hockey Night in Canada's Harry
Neale:
It will be interesting to see what happens.
New Jersey beat two teams quickly and both of those
teams -- Boston and Tampa Bay -- weren't too deep past
one line. Pat Burns is perhaps the best match-up coach
in the game, but Ottawa will give him much more to think
about than the Bruins or Lightning.
The Sens have a well-balanced line-up. Instead of having
one line to shut down, Burns will have to worry about
three lines. His game plan won't be as easily defined.
Ottawa is also much quicker than any team New Jersey
has faced so far.
Prediction: Ottawa wins series in seven games
»
Harry Neale looks
at the Conference finals
|
|
|
 |
|
Financial
problems and ownership uncertainty did little
to slow the Senators on-ice performance. They
started slowly, going 3-4-1-0 in October, then
picked up the pace in November (10-2-2) and never
looked back.
Month
in, month out, the Senators were one of the league's
most consistent squads, posting only two three-game
losing skids all season. They've also shown that
they can finish, only losing twice all season
when leading after two periods.
Finishing
with a club-record 111 points and 51 wins, the
Senators became the first Canadian team in 14
years to win the President's Trophy. Does that
bode well for the Sens' post-season hopes? The
last two teams to win the Stanley Cup, the Detroit
Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche, also won the
award and three out of the last four teams to
win at least 50 games in a season have gone on
to win the Stanley Cup.
Patrick
Lalime proved this season that he is among the
game's top goaltenders, finishing with 39 wins
and an excellent 2.11 GAA. On offence, Marian
Hossa continued to blossom, breaking Alexei Yashin's
team record for goals (45) and finished with 80
points in 80 games.
|
|
|
Out
of the spotlight for much of the year, the New
Jersey Devils put together an outstanding season
(46-20-9-6). Month in and month out, the Devils
have been one of the league's most consistent
squads, dropping as many as three games in a row
only once all season.
Unfortunately
for the Devils, their sixth 100-point season in
seven years was overshadowed by the Senators.
Under head coach Pat Burns, the Devils are demons
on defence. Netminder Martin Brodeur could finally
win the the first Vezina Trophy of his 10-year
NHL career. Brodeur posted his fourth straight
40-win season (41-23-9) and had a stingy 2.02
GAA with nine shutouts.
The
Devils put the defensive squeeze on opponents
during March and April, giving up three or more
goals just twice.
If
there are any questions surrounding New Jersey,
it is on offence. Just two years ago, Patrik Elias
lit up NHL goalies to the tune of 40 goals and
added 56 assists. This year, he'll finish with
just 27 goals and 56 points.
Unlike
Eastern rivals like Philadelphia and Toronto,
New Jersey did little to boost its offence at
the trade deadline. Their only additions were
the gritty Grant Marshall and Richard Smehlik.
|
|
|
Season Series
Ottawa won the season series 3-1-0
The Senators took three of four encounters with the
Devils in 2002-03. The two clubs opened the regular
season on Oct. 10 with New Jersey squeaking out a 2-1
triumph in a tight-checking affair.
Ottawa then went on to win three straight against coach
Pat Burns' squad by a combined score of 12-6. The Sens
triumphed 4-3 in overtime on Dec. 14, courtesy of Mike
Fisher's winner in the extra frame. The two teams met
again four days later, with Patrick Lalime earning a
shutout in a 3-0 Ottawa win.
The final meeting on Feb. 19 was a thriller. The Sens
nearly squandered a three-goal third-period lead before
Radek Bonk notched the winner with 75 seconds to play,
giving the Sens a 5-3 win.
Ottawa and the Devils have opposed each other just once
before in the playoffs. But the 1997-98 Eastern Conference
quarter-final was an important series in the Senators'
record books. The Sens downed New Jersey in six games
to capture the first playoff series in the club's modern-day
history.
|
|
|
|
Western Conference
» (6) Minnesota
vs (7) Anaheim
Eastern Conference
» (1)
Ottawa vs (2) New Jersey
The Devils
react after winning their third Stanley Cup in the last decade.
» Full
Story
|
|
|
