newjerseynewsroom.com

BY SAM HITCHCOCK

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

COMMENTARY

An important ingredient in the recipe for playoff success is the ability to respond when knocked down. Losing in overtime, reflects coming extremely close, but having nothing to show for it (unlike in the regular season where you pick up an important point with an overtime loss). Overtime losses can be demoralizing, but also show a team’s character. The Devils showed that kind of strong, Cup contending character on Monday.

Before discussing some positives for each team, it is important to dispel some myths.

FIRST MYTH: The Devils’ best defensive performance of the postseason coinciding with Adam Larsson’s return to the lineup is a fluke.

I have been pretty harsh on Harrold and Zidlicky for about three weeks now, pointing out that their defensive inadequacies – such as costly turnovers in the defensive and neutral zones, pinching in the offensive attack without recourse, and an inability to stay with their man on the outside – have posed major problems for the Devils.

Finding problems without a solution does little good, so I expressed the rationale that Adam Larsson, their highly-prized 2011 first-round draft pick (fourth pick overall) should be starting in the playoffs given that a) he has the much deeper skill-set and higher upside than Harrold, and b) he played 65 games during the regular season in comparison to Harrold’s 11 games. (Harrold is nine years older so he has a larger body of experience, but he still spent most of the season in the AHL.)

Well, Kovy’s injury forced DeBoer to find another capable forward, moving the versatile Harrold to forward and Larsson into a top-six defenseman spot.

So what happened in Game 2? The Devils played their best defensive game of the playoffs and shut down the most lethal offense of any team remaining in the postseason.  Larsson came in and provided a strong physical presence (using his big frame to separate the man from the puck on several occasions, and winning nearly all board battles), made strong outlet passes out of the defensive zone, and fed some pretty stretch passes leading into the offensive zone. He even defended the goal when his linemates faltered. (In the first period, Jakub Voracek faked Volchenkov out of his pants, and Larsson stepped up and stopped the 2-on-1.)

Larsson even used that very underrated offensive arsenal of his to join the attack and unleash a beautiful top-shelf goal on a gorgeous pass by Zubrus.  Did Larsson have a bit of nerves to begin the game? Of course.  It was his first playoff game ever, and he had been a healthy scratch for far too long.  Credit should be given to assistant coach Larry Robinson for settling him down after his initial nerves.

What Larsson showed in Game 2 is what no other Devils defenseman possesses (and this is not meant as a slight; the Devils have either stay-at-home defensemen or puck-moving offensively-oriented defensemen):  the ability to change the game for 60 minutes on both sides of the ice. The Predators have it in Shea Weber, the Blues have it in Alex Pietrangelo, and the Coyotes have it in Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Those three teams are all still fighting in the playoffs for the Stanley Cup, so this is a highly coveted asset.

Obviously, though, the Devils’ stingy defensive effort did not come solely from Larsson.  Salvador and Volchenkov made their physical presence felt, Greene played possibly his best game of the playoffs, Fayne stepped up in a big way, and Zidlicky had some nice flashes.

As for the newly positioned Harrold:  he played great! Seriously, he is a really, really solid offensive player. He brings high energy, a hard forecheck, and some great looks on passes, and got some really nice offensive opportunities that demonstrated a surprising nose for the net.

When Kovy gets healthy, Harrold should still be kept in the mix as a forward. He showed some great offensive acumen, and his potential at forward will hopefully continue to light a fire under Carter and Gionta so that they keep playing their best hockey and continue to make the fourth line a threat.

SECOND MYTH:  1) Kovy should have played through his injury because it is the playoffs, and 2) Like the Knicks without Amare, the Devils are better without Kovy.

Much like seeing a very lively comedian or actor get old, seeing Kovy in Game 1 was not just sad, but concerning. He was a shell of his former self, and it was clear to anyone who had watched him all season that he was experiencing unbelievable degrees of pain.  There were times this season when Kovy did not register a shot, but in Game 1 he did not even seem to be able to skate with his usual strong bravado, which was a very telling sign.

He has reportedly been experiencing this lower-body injury since the Florida series, and it is a true testament to his toughness and desire to win that he has fought through it so nobly.

Unfortunately, he ended up being a defensive liability in Game 1, and produced some costly turnovers. However, this was a far cry from the Kovy who played for Atlanta. He has shown a dedication to defense this season that he has never been close to matching before. He logged more minutes this season than any forward in the NHL, and his playmaking and vision for making the right pass have become so proficient that sometimes he has to be told to shoot the puck more.

Kovy is a changed player, a more well-rounded player.  His transformation from trying to go one-on-one with opposing players to incorporating his teammates is a book that Ovechkin would be smart to take a page from.  But the Devils effort in Game 2 came because the entire team exhibited phenomenal energy and won the battles.

Which battles? They won loose puck battles in the defensive, neutral, and offensive zone. They forechecked and produced turnovers from Flyers defensemen who have been playing some very consistently good hockey. Their penalty kill was awesome, and for the first time they dictated the play for the closest to 60 minutes that they have all postseason.

Devils’ Positives:

There is a lot to like about the Devils going forward. Henrique is playing fantastic hockey, possessing the same rangy, deceivingly elusive speed and hands that Jordan Staal has (not to mention he is a force on special teams). He has been creating turnovers and getting great scoring opportunities in front of Bryz.  Now he just needs to convert on them.

Zajac’s fresh legs have been a savior for this Devils team, having played merely 15 games during the regular season due to a nagging Achilles injury. He is leading the Devils in postseason goals, and is winning faceoffs and creating chances for his linemates (Zubrus has been rejuvenated ever since joining Zajac).

Lastly, Parise and Elias seem to be a match made in heaven. Both are extra-effort guys, who fight for every opportunity and will their linemates to scoring chances.  The two also share a crafty, high-intelligence hockey IQ that allows them to apply more pressure on the defense, and their chemistry has been instantaneous (although clearly some of their chemistry developed on the power play during the regular season).

Devils’ Negative:

Kovy’s health, no one knows how healthy he will be or whether he will play in Game 3. Kovy is the team’s best player.

Flyers’ Positives:

Center James Van Riemsdyk seems to be undergoing the same fresh-legs syndrome that Zajac is motoring with, as JVR was the Flyers’ best player other than Bryzgalov on Monday, showing that his size will be an ongoing problem for New Jersey.

The Flyers seem to be very comfortable chipping and dumping the puck into the Devils’ zone where they can forecheck hard, but also if they do not reach it first, forcing Marty to step outside the net and play the puck is not their worst option.

At his best, Marty can swing the possession and transition the Devils onto the offensive in his third-defenseman breakout. But his costly turnover in Game 1 led to a goal.  Remember also that during the Panthers series, he had a stick-handling error that led to an important goal in Game 5. Look for this battle to be key going forward, not just for Marty, but for Bryz as he has had adventures of his own outside the crease.

Lastly, the Flyers’ power play fell flat on its face in Game 2. The good news? They got five power-play opportunities.  (Through two games, the Devils have committed 11 penalties.) The Flyers’ power play is too good and too fast-paced for the Devils to hold it at bay for the entire series (they move the puck and players around from side to side and blue line to goal line extremely fluidly).

Flyers’ Negative:

After the Flyers dismissed the Penguins with relative ease, most of the country (myself included) thought the Devils were toast. The Flyers have so much depth on offense, so much young, explosive talent on both ends, and their team is getting healthier and healthier. Big question mark is, when regular top-six defenseman Andrej Mezaros returns, how will he play, and how will that affect this series and the Flyers defense?

The Flyers squeaked out an overtime victory in Game 1, and got trampled in Game 2. Philadelphia had a long lay-off in-between series so there is rust to be shaken off, but seeds of doubt are surely being planted in the Flyers’ faithful as their goalie and team seem far from a sure thing to reach the Eastern Conference finals. How will Philly fans and players deal with the team’s adversity if they find themselves down? That is a big Flyers’ negative because no one knows the answer right now.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

The Flyers played a stink-bomb of a game on Monday. That will not happen again. That said, the Devils have shown they can score on the Flyers and that their defense and Marty can hold their own with this opponent so far. The five-plus penalties a game for the Devils remain a big issue, as does Kovy’s health. If the Devils can continue to find the scoring chances and win the battles with a strong forecheck and hard backcheck, then it seems very possible the Devils could control their own destiny.