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Then again, it is not like Zidlicky exactly set the world on fire. Saying that the Devils’ defense is suspect is being kind. It is the elephant in the room. That is why it makes so little sense when people get on Marty when he allows the occasional soft goal or makes a stickhandling goof like he did on the second Panthers goal in Game 5. Really? Can you blame him for feeling like he needs to be the third defenseman?

The Devils routinely struggle to move the puck out of their zone during breakouts. They lose most defensive zone faceoffs. And they can’t clear out any opponent who hovers around the blue paint. Yeah, Marty is almost 40, but the guy has been money for the Devils all season, and in every game, he saves the Devils defense on multiple breakdowns.

Marty outplays Bryz.

One of the many bizarre subplots of the Pens-Flyers series was that Bryz was okaaay. He let in some very soft goals, and his performance could best be characterized as streaky. He had stretches of very good play, but anyone who denies he is still a big question mark is kidding themselves. With that said, the Flyers just added James Van Riemsdyk in the mix, giving them so much depth that their emerging star, Sean Couturier, was moved to their fourth line (Couturier was extraordinary in the Pens series as he simultaneously shut down Malkin and contributed offensively). If the Devils have any hope of winning this series, they are going to need Marty to basically stand on his head because all four Flyers lines are very dangerous offensively.

The Devils core outplays the Flyers sum.

New Jersey needs Kovy and Parise to play their very best hockey and produce big offensive numbers. Elias needs to get some production from his line and contribute in a more impactful way. Clarkson needs to rekindle his scoring touch, and Henrique needs to do exactly what he did in Game 7. Quicker tangent: how good was Henrique in Game 7? Henrique had two breakaways, one that he forced in the first period on Dmitry Kulikov, and another that he got on a pretty stretch pass by Greene. Amazingly, he still got two goals in spite of that. He also had an opportunity where he almost went coast-to-coast when the Panthers power play ended with 30 seconds left in the first. The third line has been in the Bermuda Triangle all series -- good for Henrique for elevating his game when it matters most.

The Devils learn to lockdown defensively when leading.

This raises two big questions: How the hell do they stop Giroux’s line? And, since the Flyers like their big bodies gutting out pucks in the crease, what will prevent Wayne Simmonds, JVR, and Hartnell from crushing them with rebound opportunities?

First, Giroux obviously needs to be shadowed. The entire game he needs to be feeling a Devils player breathing down his neck. Since the Devils third line typically matches up against opponents’ first line, how about nominating Henrique? His speed, size, fresh legs, and drive make him the best candidate to try to do what Sean Couturier did to Evgeni Malkin. Giroux is so smooth skating, so cagey with and without the puck, that Henrique should completely dismiss offense in this series. If Giroux is stopped that first line pretty much does not go; he is undoubtedly the straw that stirs the drink.

Second issue: how do the Devils clear out the Flyers’ ugly-goal scorers? This is tricky because it means walking a fine line, but the player whose physicality was the most evident in the first round was Bryce Salvador. He was by no means a shutdown defenseman, but the fact that he was pushing the Panthers out of Brodeur’s crease, and roughing them up a bit, was an important message to send. For some odd reason, the Devils’ best defenseman all season long, Anton Volchenkov, seemed to decide to completely do the opposite of what he has been doing all season, and he did not fare well.

The Devils need the regular season Volchenkov back. The one who punished bodies, blocked shots, and crushed guys when they got too close to Marty. For the Devils, this new series will be all about walking the tightrope of matching physicality to a point where they aren’t getting outfought for loose pucks, but stay the hell out of the penalty box. If they commit a few penalties a game, they will get crushed.

Keep feeding Ryan Carter, Steve Bernier, and Stephen Gionta whatever they are feeding them.

It takes a big man to admit when he is wrong, so I’m not exactly going to do that. But after crushing Peter DeBoer for playing his fourth line too much in my playoff recap, he kept giving them big minutes, and they did great! I’m not exactly sure who this Ryan Carter is, or who this Steve Bernier is, or where the players from the regular season went, but their line was instrumental in the series victory.

Not only did they chip in big goals, but they played two-way hockey and backchecked effectively and tenaciously. Carter, who was infuriating for much of the season for getting so many stupid penalties, played like a changed man, avoiding the sin bin and meshing beautifully with his new linemates. Playoff hockey is called the second season because of its new beginnings, and there is a rhythm that can be found in it. Whatever key DeBoer is playing, keep doing it.

FIVE WAYS THE FLYERS CAN WIN:

The Flyers’ depth obliterates the Devils’ depth

Here are the four lines that Philadelphia used in their Game 6 against Pittsburgh: Hartnell-Giroux,Jagr; Schenn-Briere-Simmonds; Read-Van Riemsdyk-Voracek; Talbot-Couturier-Wellwood. My lord that is some nice offensive depth! Every single one of those players ranges from superstar to at least average. They can all score (this may seem like a stupid point, but Alexei Ponikarovsky is on the Devils’ third line and he does not possess this attribute); they all have a skill that makes them a threat; and they have good chemistry together.

The Flyers’ most understated advantage? Their defense actually played pretty decently in round one. Braydon Coburn, Kimmo Timonen, and Matt Carle are all playing with confidence and poise and have raised their games so that, between the two teams, the Flyers have a better defensive corps. Nicklas Grossmann was very good against Pittsburgh before getting injured. If he can regain his form, New Jersey will have one more very big, solid defenseman in their path.

Giroux Keyser Soze the Devils.

Devils fans need to brace themselves for this because it is a very real possibility. He is a man possessed and his will to win the Stanley Cup seems borderline manic. He is playing the best hockey of anyone in the NHL at this point in the season, and simply put, Giroux could outplay both Kovy and Parise and the series will likely be the Flyers’.

The Flyers are not ambiguous about who they are and what their identity is. Their identity is “We are going to shove you, taunt you, make you race up and down the ice and see if you can keep up with our otherworldly offense.” They know how to instigate, provoke, and walk that line where their physicality is imposing, but not a detriment in that they get too many penalties.

This of course brings us to the big question: how will David Clarkson respond? Clarkson was strangely sedated in the first round, although his ferocity started to rise near the end of the series when his game picked up. But how will he respond when Hartnell does his Hartnell thing? The Devils CANNOT afford to put the Flyers on the penalty kill, at any cost, and Philadelphia will definitely be gunning for him because he is known to lose his temper.

Depth Up the Middle

“You win with depth up the middle!” This was the resounding cry by many hockey pundits, who then went and picked the Penguins’ Crosby, Malkin, and Staal as the trio of centers who would lead them to Stanley Cup glory. You may win with depth up the middle, but it is the middle of another team. Giroux, Schenn, JVR, and Couturier are Philadelphia’s four centers. They will be against Zajac, Elias, Henrique, and Carter. MISMATCH! The Devils got crushed on faceoffs by the Panthers, and this series looks to be no different.

The Flyers were crazy good on the road this season.

This is the playoffs, and the road team has been winning more than the home team, but still. Hypothetically, if the Flyers and Devils split in Philly, would anyone in their right mind bet against the Flyers taking two at Prudential Center? I sure wouldn’t. Oddly, their success and comfort away from home could prove to be a very dangerous weapon for them this postseason.

Parise Rant

With Detroit losing in five games to Nashville, every single person with a voice has been quick to dress Ryan Suter and Zach Parise up as Red Wings for next season. The Red Wings have a lot of cap space, and moving two Americans out of nontraditional markets to “Hockeytown, USA” seems to be fitting justice, right?

Well, here’s a newsflash. Both of those teams advanced further than the Red Wings! The Red Wings are aging, and while they have some good young talent, it does not mean that Parise moving to Detroit would reposition the Wings atop hockey’s throne. Stepping into Parise’s skin for a second, why would Parise want to leave a conference that (sorry but it is the truth) is far weaker than its counterpart, other than because he could get max money? The way the Eastern Conference projects in the future, playing for a Stanley Cup contender is much more reachable by staying in the East than the loaded West.

PREDICTION:

The Flyers have better forwards in a landslide, Philly has better top-six defense, and who plays better in goal is a wash. The Devils can steal this series if they stay out of the penalty box, keep games low scoring, and try to make the most of their offensive opportunities while focusing primarily on stopping the Flyers’ scoring chances. If they can do that, and Marty outplays Bryz, the upset is possible. But it’s a real reach.

FLYERS IN SIX