Sources: NHL.com and TSN.ca
The Skinny
The Devils and Senators have been consistently good for the better part of a decade. The Senators have finished with at least 90 points in every season since 1998-99 and have made the playoffs nine-straight seasons. The Devils also have made the playoffs nine-straight years and have won two Stanley Cups since 2000.
Not surprisingly, these teams have a healthy respect for each other and have built their teams along similar foundations of defense and accountability to fundamental hockey. As a result, this series will most likely be played close to the vest with every inch of ice furiously contested.
The teams already have met twice in the postseason -- 1998, 2003 -- and both series were long, and, for the most part, low-scoring. Don’t expect this one to deviate too far from that norm.
Ottawa, however, plays with the added pressure of knowing it must get by its nemesis if the franchise hopes to get to the Stanley Cup Final before its current core is deemed past its prime. New Jersey, though, will counter Ottawa’s urgency with the experience it has earned in playing more than 100 playoff games since the turn of the century.
New Jersey Devils
Team Page | Roster | Stats
Regular Season Record: 49-24-9, 106 pts
Head-to-Head Record: 3-1
Last Stanley Cup Win: 2003
Last Stanley Cup Final Appearance: 2003
Last Postseason Appearance: 2006
Players with Stanley Cup Rings: Patrik Elias (2), Scott Gomez (2), Brian Gionta, Sergei Brylin (3), Jamie Langenbrunner (2), Jim Dowd, Jay Pandolfo (2), John Madden (2), Brian Rafalski (2), Colin White (2), Brad Lukowich, Martin Brodeur (3)
Team Analysis: The Devils - as expected - played tight defensive hockey in the opening round, as four of their six games against the Tampa Bay Lightning were decided by one goal. Brodeur's performance in the first three games raised questions about his vulnerability, but the future Hall of Famer rebounded from squandering a two-goal lead in the second period of Game 4, which New Jersey won in overtime, then stopped 31 shots for his 22nd career playoff shutout in Game 5. Brodeur's 93rd postseason win in Game 6 moved him ahead of Grant Fuhr and into second place on the career playoff list behind Patrick Roy's 151. Up front, the offense has been solid with Zach Parise leading all playoff scorers with six goals. The foursome of Jamie Langenbrunner, Patrik Elias, Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta has also been effective, especially on the power play. Defenceman Brian Rafalski is also a big part of the power play, with two goals and five assists in six games. Defensively, shutdown specialists John Madden and Jay Pandolfo have also been workhorses up front, logging in more than 20 minutes of ice-time in four of their first six games. Paul Martin, Brad Lukowich and Johnny Oduya keep the team's commitment to solid play in the back end, while rookie Andy Greene led all Devils blueliners in plus-minus (+4).
New Jersey Game Breakers
Zach Parise: The 2006-07 season has been a coming-out party for the Devils' super sophomore. That has continued in the postseason as Parise potted a tournament-leading six goals in the six-game victory against Tampa Bay in the first round. That mark tied Claude Lemieux’s franchise record for goals in a series, set in New Jersey’s run to its first Stanley Cup back in 1995. His emergence makes New Jersey a more dangerous team with two offensive lines to counter.
Brian Gionta: After missing 20 of the final 25 games in the regular season, Gionta seems to be once again finding the form that saw him score 48 goals in the regular season last year. Gionta has scored four goals in his past three games, including the series-winning goal Sunday afternoon, to make New Jersey’s top line the legitimate threat it was for long stretches last season. Gionta’s center, Scott Gomez, has a playoff-best nine points so far.
Martin Brodeur: By his own lofty standards, the Devils’ all-everything goalie was not very good in the early going of the Tampa Bay series. He allowed 12 goals in the first four games as the Devils struggled to find answers to Tampa Bay’s top-heavy offense. That all changed in the last two games, however, as Brodeur stopped 63 of 65 shots to help his club pull away. In his last three regular-season meting with the offensively diverse Senators, Brodeur has stopped 70 of the 75 shots he has faced.
Ottawa Senators
Team Page | Roster | Stats
Regular Season Record: 48-25-9, 105 pts
Head-to-Head Record: 1-2-1
Last Stanley Cup Win: -
Last Stanley Cup Final Appearance: -
Last Postseason Appearance: 2006
Players with Stanley Cup Rings: Martin Gerber
Team Analysis: With the exception of the third period of Game 2 of their first round series, the Senators never really faced any adversity from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Bryan Murray's squad dominated the first five games with a solid effort from to bottom. Anyone left wondering whether the Senators should have acquired some leadership in Gary Roberts should take a longer look at captain Daniel Alfredsson, who led by example with three goals and six points. Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza also tallied it up on the scoreboard, fueling a lethal power play that scored once in every four opportunities. But the offense was a lot more than their top trio. In each game, the Senators were able to roll our all four lines and spread out their scoring effectively. Defensively, the team also got a great two-way game from players like Dean McAmmond, Peter Schaefer and Chris Kelly. On the blueline, the tandem of Chris Phillips and Anton Volchenkov were arguably the best in the playoffs - effectively shutting down the league's best player in Sidney Crosby. Unlike past playoff campaigns, goaltending doesn't seem to be a sensitive issue in the nation's capital. Ray Emery has been as cool and confident as a seasoned veteran.
Ottawa Game Breakers
Daniel Alfredsson -- The Ottawa captain says this is as good as he has felt in the postseason and it is showing with his play on the ice. In the five-game series win against Pittsburgh, Alfredsson had three goals and three assists and played inspired hockey. Generally, Alfredsson has been effective against New Jersey. He had two goals and two assists in four regular-season games to share the team lead in points for the series.
Anton Volchenkov -- The big Russian is developing into a No. 1 defenseman right before our eyes. In the first round, no Senator received more ice time than Volchenkov, who is Bryan Murray’s primary option in both even-strength and shorthanded situations. His physical presence (17 hits against Pittsburgh) and shot-blocking ability (14 blocked shots in first round) will be in demand as the Senators try to blunt New Jersey’s suddenly resurgent attack.
Ray Emery -- Most likely, the Ottawa goalie will have to steal at least one game if the Sens hope to advance to the Eastern Conference Final for the second time in four seasons. Despite having just 15 games of postseason experience, there are suggestions that Emery is poised to be the difference maker. He held Pittsburgh’s potent offense to just 10 goals in five games in the first round and was brilliant against the Devils in the regular season, playing to 1.98 GAA and .930 save percentage in four outings.
X Factors
Richard Matvichuk -- The veteran defenseman missed the first 81 games of the regular season while rehabbing from off-season back surgery and then sat out the first two games of the playoffs because of New Jersey’s depth on the blue line. But a back injury suffered by Colin White before Game 3 thrust Matvichuk back into the picture. He has been outstanding in emergency duty, blocking 24 shots in four games and averaging almost 23 minutes per game. Can he maintain that pace in this series?
Chris Neil -- The Devils have few answers on the back line -- especially with the absence of Colin White -- for the physical questions Neil asks with his buzz saw-like work on both the forecheck and the cycle in the attacking zone. Neil led the League in hits during the regular season and delivered 12 more in the first-round ouster of the Penguins. If he plays up to his physical capabilities, there is a good chance he can help wear down some of New Jersey’s smaller, skilled defenders during a long series.
SERIES SCHEDULE
GM 1: Senators @ Devils
Thu. 4/26 7:00 pm, CBC, RDS
GM 2: Senators @ Devils
Sat. 4/28 8:00 pm, VERSUS, CBC
GM 3: Devils @ Senators
Mon. 4/30 7:00 pm, VERSUS, CBC
GM 4: Devils @ Senators
Wed. 5/2 7:00 pm, VERSUS, CBC
*GM 5: Senators @ Devils
Sat. 5/5 8:00 pm, VERSUS, CBC
*GM 6: Devils @ Senators
Mon. 5/7 7:00 pm, VERSUS, CBC
*GM 7: Senators @ Devils
Wed. 5/9 7:00 pm, CBC, RDS
* if necessary
- ALL TIMES EASTERN
FIVE FAST FACTS
1. Power Outage -- These two teams combined for 22 goals in their four-game series during the regular season, but only two came on the power play. Ottawa was 1-for-11 with Jason Spezza scoring its only man-advantage goal. New Jersey was 1-for-10 with Jamie Langenbrunner claiming honors for the Devils.
2. Whitewash King -- Martin Brodeur owns 22 of New Jersey's 23 playoff shutouts, including one against Ottawa back in 2003. Sean Burke, back in 1998, owns the other shutout.
3. Tip of the Hat -- New Jersey has allowed just one playoff hat trick since Mark Messier’s famous three-goal game in the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals. The owner of the only post-1994 hat trick? Ottawa’s Daniel Alfredsson during the seven-game series these teams played in 2003.
4. Too Close to Call -- The two teams have played in a pair of playoff series, totaling 13 games. Seven of those 13 games have been decided by a one-goal margin. Another four have been two-goal decisions.
5. Century Man -- With his seven-point showing in the first round, New Jersey captain Patrik Elias becomes the first player in Devil history to score more than 100 points in the playoffs. He now has 101 points in 117 games. Current assistant coach John MacLean is second on the all-time list with 75 points in 88 appearances.
QUOTABLE
"We know this is one step to move further into the playoffs. The next step will be Ottawa for us and it will be another tough team that walked through Pittsburgh like it was nothing, so it will be quite a challenge." -- New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur.
"You can see the difference in this hockey club from the previous hockey clubs that I've been with. This hockey club seems to have something special. The leadership is great, they all get along together, they compete every night, they have the skill level and the physical strength - so we'll see where that takes us." -- Senators GM John Muckler.
CRYSTAL BALL
The Devils will win if: They find some auxiliary scoring. Ottawa is a far better defensive team than Tampa Bay and Ray Emery is a more accomplished goalie than Johan Holmstrom, so New Jersey can’t count on its top two lines to run amok like they did against Tampa Bay. That means checkers like John Madden and Jay Pandolfo will have to chip in and the team’s defense, which had three goals and nine points in the first round, will have to continue to generate offense from the blue line.
The Senators will win if: They can spread out their scoring. Against the Penguins, a dozen players scored three or more points. But it was a different story in the regular season when Dany Heatley (105), Jason Spezza (87) and Alfredsson (87) scored more points than the points’ total of Ottawa’s next six highest-scoring forwards. New Jersey showed last round it can find ways to shut down even the best one-line team.
STATISTICAL KEYS
- New Jersey ranked 16th in the league on the power play, with a 17.7% success rate. Ottawa ranked 14th at 17.9%.
- New Jersey ranked fourth in the league in penalty killing, with an 85.2% success rate. Ottawa ranked ninth at 84.5%.
- Colin White (168), Erik Rasmussen (120) and Brad Lukowich (119) are the Devils' leading hitters.
- Chris Neil (288), Anton Volchenkov (205) and Mike Fisher (195) are the Senators' leading hitters.
- Scott Gomez is the Devils' top face-off man -- 52.2%.
- Antoine Vermette and Jason Spezza are the Senators' top face-off men -- 53.0%.
- Ottawa's Chris Neil ranked third in the league with 177 penalty minutes.
- Ottawa's Dany Heatley ranked second in the league with 50 goals.
- Ottawa's Dany Heatley tied for the league lead with 10 game-winning goals.
- Ottawa's Anton Volchenkov led the league with 273 blocked shots.
- Ottawa's Jason Spezza ranked second in the league with a 21.0% shooting percentage.
- Ottawa's Daniel Alfredsson and Tom Preissing ranked second and third in the league, with a plus-42 and plus-40, respectively.
- Zach Parise led the Devils with five points in four games against the Senators this year.
- Daniel Alfredsson and Dean McAmmond led the Senators with four points in four games against the Devils this year.
- Scott Gomez led the league with nine points in Round One.
- Scott Gomez, Andy Greene and Travis Zajac led the Devils with a plus-4 in Round One.
- Chris Kelly led the Senators with a plus-5 in Round One.
- Paul Martin led the Devils in ice time with 25:38 per game in Round One.
- Anton Volchenkov led the Senators in ice time with 21:15 per game in Round One.
- New Jersey's leaders in power play ice time (per game/regular season):
Brian Rafalski 4:44
Scott Gomez 4:28
Brian Gionta 4:26
Patrik Elias 4:21
Jamie Langenbrunner 4:13
Paul Martin 3:06
- Tampa Bay's leaders in power play ice time (per game/regular season):
Dan Boyle 6:25
Brad Richards 5:11
Martin St. Louis 4:50
Vincent Lecavalier 4:44
Ryan Craig 3:40
Filip Kuba 3:00
- New Jersey's leaders in penalty killing ice time (per game/regular season):
Colin White 3:15
John Madden 3:13
Jay Pandolfo 3:03
Brad Lukowich 2:57
Paul Martin 2:43
Jim Dowd 1:51
- Tampa Bay's leaders in penalty killing ice time (per game/regular season):
Cory Sarich 3:08
Nolan Pratt 2:57
Jason Ward 2:21
Filip Kuba 2:15
Brad Richards 2:12
Eric Perrin 1:52
* Ward's totals include games with the Rangers and Kings.
My prediction:
Ottawa Senators in 6.
*NOTE: TSN has Tampa stats instead of Ottawa. Apparently there is an editor strike.
