Briere line vs Henrique could be one of the keys, and it makes me a bit nervous.
Henrique was the best skater for the Devils in their last game. And Poni who I thought was a dud when he played in Toronto has looked good for them also.

The biggest factor is Bryz.
If he doesn't allow any softies, and plays his A game the Flyers should be fine.
- Marc D

Henrique will be out vs. Couterier primarily, don't mind a match-up with Briere line.. I consider Henrique a non-factor in this series if Couterier play's him as effectively as he did Malkin.

Kovy line sees an insane amount of ice. They will be out against either Roo or Couterier.

Devil's dont have the depth this series to compete with us IMO. Flyer's just need to remain healthy. Getting Grossman and Mez back is huge.

I fully expect Bryz to out-duel Brodeur. He looks a shell of his former self.

I would like to see Schenn have a big series. I think Briere's line can have a big series.
The most important part will be Bryz regaining his March form.
The consensus seems to paint him as the weak link. Consensus being fans other than rationale Flyer's fans.
Brodeur doesn't concern me. While he may still be able to play very good but I don't him stealing the series.

I would like to see Schenn have a big series. I think Briere's line can have a big series.
The most important part will be Bryz regaining his March form.
The consensus seems to paint him as the weak link. Consensus being fans other than rationale Flyer's fans.
Brodeur doesn't concern me. While he may still be able to play very good but I don't him stealing the series.
- bird_dog

He was average in the Panthers series, and that's being incredibly generous.

That would suggest that as long as Grossmann is able to play tomorrow, Kubina will be a scratch for Game 1 while Gustafsson (who had the best game of his career in Game 6 vs Pittsburgh) will stay in the lineup to start the Devils' series.
- bmeltzer

I am not at all unhappy with these pairings until Meszaros and Kubina can heal properly. Great experience for Gustafsson.

TSN was just analysing the series and.. I think itwas mckenzie said that NJ will try to counter Giroux's line with Parise's
- Hextall271

They might very well do that, and I don't the Flyers would mind going line 1 vs. line 1 but I think the plan when they have the last change will be to have Couturier's line out there on the same basis they played against Malkin's line.

They might very well do that, and I don't the Flyers would mind going line 1 vs. line 1 but I think the plan when they have the last change will be to have Couturier's line out there on the same basis they played against Malkin's line.
- bmeltzer

Kovy Parise and Zajac vs. Jagr Hartnell and Giroux?

I will take that match-up every day of the week. Twice.

Henrique will be out vs. Couterier primarily, don't mind a match-up with Briere line.. I consider Henrique a non-factor in this series if Couterier play's him as effectively as he did Malkin.

Kovy line sees an insane amount of ice. They will be out against either Roo or Couterier.

Devil's dont have the depth this series to compete with us IMO. Flyer's just need to remain healthy. Getting Grossman and Mez back is huge.

I fully expect Bryz to out-duel Brodeur. He looks a shell of his former self.
- mochoson

Kovy plays the full two minutes on the point for the PP as well.
Maybe Giroux and Talbot can keep their short handed goal scoring going.

From what I've read Mezsaros won't be back playing this series, unless its towards the very end, like game 7.

I think Jvr will be super motivated against NJ, I hope he goes into his beast mode.

Is NJ pretty much entirely healthy (ie; no one is out of the lineup)? I haven't been following them closely. Thanks
- Hextall271

A NJ fan told me Tallinder has been out with a blood clot.

Kovy plays the full two minutes on the point for the PP as well.
Maybe Giroux and Talbot can keep their short handed goal scoring going.

From what I've read Mezsaros won't be back playing this series, unless its towards the very end, like game 7.

I think Jvr will be super motivated against NJ, I hope he goes into his beast mode.
- Marc D

jvr always seems to enjoy scoring against the devils. would love to see him get going here.

Kovy plays the full two minutes on the point for the PP as well.
Maybe Giroux and Talbot can keep their short handed goal scoring going.

From what I've read Mezsaros won't be back playing this series, unless its towards the very end, like game 7.

I think Jvr will be super motivated against NJ, I hope he goes into his beast mode.
- Marc D

I wasn't sure when exactly Mez was due back, just hoping he can play some in this series. If not, some more rest isn't the worst thing in the world, especially if we can end this one quickly.

Jersey is very top-line heavy. There top line plays over 20 minutes a night, and four of their d play over 20 minutes. Their bottom pairing and 3rd and especially 4th lines are used incredibly sparingly.

MAB should be,I agree. I think Simmons and hartnell are the keys to the series. Get them in front of broader and make him work to see around them.
- the deaninator

Broader
Broad Door
Bloater
etc

Friday news dump had a story on the US govt putting another species on the endangered species list.
The rare new jersey devil fan is extremely reclusive only appearing in times of good weather.

I wasn't sure when exactly Mez was due back, just hoping he can play some in this series. If not, some more rest isn't the worst thing in the world, especially if we can end this one quickly.

Jersey is very top-line heavy. There top line plays over 20 minutes a night, and four of their d play over 20 minutes. Their bottom pairing and 3rd and especially 4th lines are used incredibly sparingly.
- mochoson

I think the Devils have better forward line depth then you give them credit for.
The third line with Henrique centering Poni and Clarkson was pretty good against Florida. Henrique was all over the ice and was getting off a lot of shots.

The fourth line is OK. Bernier and Ryan are capable players and little Gionta plays tough for a small guy.

Flyers have better forward depth I believe, but as seen Danny can be a defensive liability and may give the Devils a match up advantage when in NJ. I guess we'll see, but I am imaging a closer series then most people are expecting.

Harrold looks like a weak spot on their D, otherwise the rest of their D seems decent.

I think the Devils have better forward line depth then you give them credit for.
The third line with Henrique centering Poni and Clarkson was pretty good against Florida. Henrique was all over the ice and was getting off a lot of shots.

The fourth line is OK. Bernier and Ryan are capable players and little Gionta plays tough for a small guy.

Flyers have better forward depth I believe, but as seen Danny can be a defensive liability and may give the Devils a match up advantage when in NJ. I guess we'll see, but I am imaging a closer series then most people are expecting.

Harrold looks like a weak spot on their D, otherwise the rest of their D seems decent.
- Marc D

I consider their depth a weakness, especially on D. Their fourth line is almost a non factor.

They have 3 decent forward lines, my point was they over-play the Kovy line. I think we will see that line against Roo and Cooters line. I can see them switching off between that line and the Elias line, only because the Zajac line is out every other shift.

One of our lines is going to be fortunate enough to play againsts Henriques line, which I consider a plus.

No, Danny is not the best defensive player. But outside of Zajac, the Devils don't have crazy two way centers. Henrique is decent, but he's a rookie, and nowhere close to being as poised as Couterier. Elias is Elias.

Without even looking, I'm almost positive were the better face-off team.

Is NJ pretty much entirely healthy (ie; no one is out of the lineup)? I haven't been following them closely. Thanks
- Hextall271

Kovalchuk is playing with what is suspected to be a groin injury. Volchenkov is also playing hurt, don't remember with what. Both of them don't have the extra step. So our best offensive and defensive weapons are playing hurt.

Their fourth line is almost a non factor.

- mochoson

You're wrong about the fourth line. We have the hottest fourth line of all of the playoff teams. They have 5 goals, one of which was a game winner. For a line that doesn't get much time, that is pretty impressive. Not even looking at the stat sheet, if you watched all 7 games, our fourth line generated the most chances. And that's a lot more than you can ask from a fourth line. Shutting down Parise/Henrique/Kovalchuk won't be enough.

As for the Flyers...Briere and Hartnell have been Devils killers over the past few years. If the Flyers are smart, they'll have Hartnell trying to draw penalties because the Devils' PK has been bad thus far.

I would think the Flyers will try to get Couturier's line against the Parise-Zajac-Kovalchuk line, get Giroux line head-to-head with Sykora-Elias-Zubrus, which leaves the Briere line against Ponikarovsky-Henrique-Clarkson and fourth line vs fourth line.

In terms D pairings with the forwards, in this series I might got with Timonen-Carle against the Zajac line and Grossmann-Coburn again Elias line.
- bmeltzer

That's most likely how it will go.

I wasn't sure when exactly Mez was due back, just hoping he can play some in this series. If not, some more rest isn't the worst thing in the world, especially if we can end this one quickly.

Jersey is very top-line heavy. There top line plays over 20 minutes a night, and four of their d play over 20 minutes. Their bottom pairing and 3rd and especially 4th lines are used incredibly sparingly.
- mochoson

Kovalchuk, Parise, and Zajac get a lot of special teams time. They play in all of the situations. Five-on-five, they see just as much ice as the Poni-Henrique-Clarkson line does, as those players are used sparingly in special teams play, as Henrique only plays PK and Clarkson plays the PP.

The fourth line has been getting like 8 minutes or so, with Bernier getting around 10. However, it's been an effective 8 minutes, and they have 5 goals and 4 assists in the Panthers series. The Elias line hasn't played bad, but offensively, there should be more coming from them.

I consider their depth a weakness, especially on D. Their fourth line is almost a non factor.

They have 3 decent forward lines, my point was they over-play the Kovy line. I think we will see that line against Roo and Cooters line. I can see them switching off between that line and the Elias line, only because the Zajac line is out every other shift.

One of our lines is going to be fortunate enough to play againsts Henriques line, which I consider a plus.

No, Danny is not the best defensive player. But outside of Zajac, the Devils don't have crazy two way centers. Henrique is decent, but he's a rookie, and nowhere close to being as poised as Couterier. Elias is Elias.

Without even looking, I'm almost positive were the better face-off team.
- mochoson

You are highly underestimating the Devils centermen. Zajac, Henrique, and Elias are probably all on the same level when it comes to two-way play. They all read the ice very well. Henrique gets a lot of key defensive time, him and ZP are our most effective PK pairing, and he was relied on heavily when Zajac was out. He is used defensively and poised just as much as Couturier was, and for a while, we had the Parise-Henrique-Kovalchuk line going against opposing top lines, and he didn't disappoint.

And I agree, with the exception of Zajac, we suck on faceoffs.

They might very well do that, and I don't the Flyers would mind going line 1 vs. line 1 but I think the plan when they have the last change will be to have Couturier's line out there on the same basis they played against Malkin's line.
- bmeltzer

I agree. Worst case scenario, we have Roo's line out vs Kovy.. I would take that. I think that if it ends up Cooter vs Kovy..he's gonna drive him nuts. All you have to do is go back to 2010's 1st round.. take away the one timer from Kovy on the PP, and he's nullified.. he's also a defensive liabilty IMO.. even though he's gotten better.

I agree. Worst case scenario, we have Roo's line out vs Kovy.. I would take that. I think that if it ends up Cooter vs Kovy..he's gonna drive him nuts. All you have to do is go back to 2010's 1st round.. take away the one timer from Kovy on the PP, and he's nullified.. he's also a defensive liabilty IMO.. even though he's gotten better.
- Hextall271

I hear all this talk of Couturier negating Malkin's effectiveness, but Malkin has 8 points in the series. Is it all from the 10-3 game, or when Couturier wasn't against Malkin, or am I missing something? 8 points is a lot whichever way you twist it.

As for the PP, we don't rely on Kovalchuk as much as we have in the past. The one-timer is not the the only option, and we've done a lot better in the first series at scoring other ways, Zidlicky has done a lot to help that. The difference in Kovalchuk's defensive play is that he's more aware, if he sees it's a 3-on-2, he will skate back and turn it into a 3-on-3, he won't make the smartest play that Parise or Elias would, but at least he is there. The other thing is he is hesitant to tie players up and block shots, which is kind of irritating to watch. However, miles away from what he used to be, which is good.

I hear all this talk of Couturier negating Malkin's effectiveness, but Malkin has 8 points in the series. Is it all from the 10-3 game, or when Couturier wasn't against Malkin, or am I missing something? 8 points is a lot whichever way you twist it.

As for the PP, we don't rely on Kovalchuk as much as we have in the past. The one-timer is not the the only option, and we've done a lot better in the first series at scoring other ways, Zidlicky has done a lot to help that. The difference in Kovalchuk's defensive play is that he's more aware, if he sees it's a 3-on-2, he will skate back and turn it into a 3-on-3, he won't make the smartest play that Parise or Elias would, but at least he is there. The other thing is he is hesitant to tie players up and block shots, which is kind of irritating to watch. However, miles away from what he used to be, which is good.
- _Zippy_

Malkin had 1 even strength point the entire series when Couturier was on the ice against him. 3 the entire season in 12 games including the playoffs.

This includes the 10-3 game which was the only time Couturier was on the ice for an even strength point for Malkin the entire series. So we are not just making up this he shut down Malkin stuff.

I hear all this talk of Couturier negating Malkin's effectiveness, but Malkin has 8 points in the series. Is it all from the 10-3 game, or when Couturier wasn't against Malkin, or am I missing something? 8 points is a lot whichever way you twist it.

As for the PP, we don't rely on Kovalchuk as much as we have in the past. The one-timer is not the the only option, and we've done a lot better in the first series at scoring other ways, Zidlicky has done a lot to help that. The difference in Kovalchuk's defensive play is that he's more aware, if he sees it's a 3-on-2, he will skate back and turn it into a 3-on-3, he won't make the smartest play that Parise or Elias would, but at least he is there. The other thing is he is hesitant to tie players up and block shots, which is kind of irritating to watch. However, miles away from what he used to be, which is good.
- _Zippy_

Bill had the stats, but it's something like 1 even strength pt he had when Cooter was out there. Someone will have to chime in to confirm, but trust me, he did a great job. 19 yr old rookie vs the league's MVP?? yeah, he did ok.

I hear all this talk of Couturier negating Malkin's effectiveness, but Malkin has 8 points in the series. Is it all from the 10-3 game, or when Couturier wasn't against Malkin, or am I missing something? 8 points is a lot whichever way you twist it.

As for the PP, we don't rely on Kovalchuk as much as we have in the past. The one-timer is not the the only option, and we've done a lot better in the first series at scoring other ways, Zidlicky has done a lot to help that. The difference in Kovalchuk's defensive play is that he's more aware, if he sees it's a 3-on-2, he will skate back and turn it into a 3-on-3, he won't make the smartest play that Parise or Elias would, but at least he is there. The other thing is he is hesitant to tie players up and block shots, which is kind of irritating to watch. However, miles away from what he used to be, which is good.
- _Zippy_

It's all going to have to be decided on the ice.. Even Reg season records mean little IMO. If Bryz plays as well as he had in the Reg season.. I say we can win.. If Brodeur finds his 5 yrs ago form and mojo he always had against the Flyers, we probably lose. I don't think we cna play free wheeling like we did vs pitt and win.

Kovalchuk, Parise, and Zajac get a lot of special teams time. They play in all of the situations. Five-on-five, they see just as much ice as the Poni-Henrique-Clarkson line does, as those players are used sparingly in special teams play, as Henrique only plays PK and Clarkson plays the PP.

The fourth line has been getting like 8 minutes or so, with Bernier getting around 10. However, it's been an effective 8 minutes, and they have 5 goals and 4 assists in the Panthers series. The Elias line hasn't played bad, but offensively, there should be more coming from them.
- _Zippy_

I was simply stating that your top line gets a poop-ton of ice time, and that compared to Philly, your ice team isn't as evenly distributed.

I hear all this talk of Couturier negating Malkin's effectiveness, but Malkin has 8 points in the series. Is it all from the 10-3 game, or when Couturier wasn't against Malkin, or am I missing something? 8 points is a lot whichever way you twist it.

- _Zippy_

Could look up specifics, lots of it is PP points. Interesting stat was something like between regular season and playoffs, Malkin only had like 3 or 4 even strength points against the Flyers in those 12 games. That is all Couterier.

The Devils will be playing on borrowed time. The sooner they realize that, the sooner we can all get to watching four blow-outs in a row.