SamPWoo.com - It is a Game 5, but it really is a Game 7.
The next three games will be a Game 7 for the New Jersey Devils and I feel that history will repeat itself. It is a matter of time where the "boring" left wing locking Philadelphia Divers, I mean Flyers, will be exposed.
As for the referees, you cannot rely on them to call the game correctly because they have been terrible throughout the series. They haven't been biased, which is somewhat fair, but have been extremely inconsistent to both teams. As Don Cherry pointed out, Dan Carcillo knows how to embellish and his acting has been somewhat effective.
With Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne out, the Flyers' roster is weakening upfront and Chris Pronger and Kimmo Timonen are logging a ton of minutes. They look slower and more fatigued since Game 1 and the Devils need to exploit this early on Game 5. The Devils forwards need to stop playing the perimeter game and take the puck to the net every time. Boucher is looking like a Vezina winner out there because he is seeing the puck well. Moreover, New Jersey needs to cause havoc if they want to put up 5 or more goals.
When asked if Game 5 is his last game as a New Jersey Devil.
"No. Because we're going to win tomorrow," Kovalchuk said.
Is this a Kovalchuk guarantee?
I think so and after Game 4, he called on the Kovalchuk Army and the rest of the New Jersey Devils fans to come out and help support the Devils' comeback. Kovalchuk plays better with an edge and Devils fans have proven before they can come through when it mattered the most. Expect a loud sold out building on Red Alert.
Woo Rant of the Day
There is a parallel between Kovalchuk and Stevens.
The Devils finally have their leader, Ilya Kovalchuk. He reminds me a lot like Scott Stevens when he first came to New Jersey. If you remember, Scott Stevens felt he was going to stay in New Jersey for one year and then bolt. But after starting a family and realizing New Jersey is the best place to raise kids, he resigned with New Jersey and the rest is history. I feel the same way about Kovalchuk. With a newborn and being an unrestricted free agent, you figure that he would want to be part of a winning organization, unlike his previous team, and raise his kids in a place like the Garden State.
To me, Kovalchuk is a leader and he plays with an edge. The same edge and mean streak that Scott Stevens played with and it is a killer instinct to get things done. It will not happen over night, but Kovalchuk is exactly what New Jersey needs if they want to be brought back to the elite Stanley Cup contenders every year. When Stevens came to New Jersey, the Devils had issues getting past the first round. But then, a dynasty was born and the rest is history. If the Devils resign Kovalchuk, make him captain.
The only Devils' forward other than Kovalchuk that has played with the same amount of intensity is Dainus Zubrus. Zach Parise, as talented and hard worker he is, needs to step up his game and the post game cliches are getting old. Stop playing the hockey game like a cub scout and become a nasty beast in front of Boucher's net. And I hope the Devils' current captain gets the same memo.
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