ATD #10, René Lecavalier Quarterfinals. Philadelphia Blazers (7) vs NJ Devils (2)

[MXD]

Where teams will walk for their away games.

Philadelphia Blazers
​

GM: Alan Hoff
Coach: Mike Keenan

Frank Mahovlich - Peter Stastny - Mike Bossy
Mats Naslund - Jeremy Roenick - Rick Tocchet
Woody Dumart - Guy Carrboneau (C) - Trevor Linden (A)
Ilya Kovalchuk - Pit Martin - Scott Mellanby
extras: Mike Ridley, Dave Brown

Jacques Laperierre - Rob Blake (A)
Eric Desjardins - Charlie Huddy
Ken Daneyko - Moose Dupont
extra: Garth Boesch

Ed Belfour
Chris Osgood

Power play units:
PP1: Frank Mahovlich - Peter Stastny - Mike Bossy - Rob Blake - Jacques Laperierre
PP2: Mats Naslund - Jeremy Roenick - Rick Tocchet - Ilya Kovalchuk - Eric Desjardins

Penalty killing units:
PK1: Carbonneau - Linden - Laperierre - Desjardins
PK2: Dumart - Mellanby - Blake - Daneyko

VS

New Jersey Devils
​

GM: BM67
Coach: Tommy Ivan

Bun Cook - Frank Boucher - Bill Cook (A)
Vladimir Krutov - Ted Kennedy (C) - Didier Pitre
Jack Walker - Mickey MacKay - Ace Bailey
Gordon Roberts - Vincent Lecavalier - Eddie Oatman (A)
extras: Ernie Russell, Erich Kühnhackl

Moose Johnson - Harry Cameron
Eddie Gerard - Edward Ivanov
Lloyd Cook - Art Duncan
extra: Bob Dailey

Glenn Hall
Al Rollins

Power play units:
PP1: Cook - Boucher - Cook - Oatman - Cameron
PP2: Krutov - Kennedy - Pitre - Cook - Duncan

Penalty killing units:
PK1: MacKay - Walker - Johnson - Gerard
PK2:Kennedy - Bailey - Ivanov - Cook

Click to read more...

 

[AlanHoff]

I dont know...I know its a 2-7 series but I think my team matches up well with the Devils...we'll see I guess

 

[AlanHoff]

Just a few changes to the PK on my roster...

Philadelphia Blazers
GM: Alan Hoff
Coach: Mike Keenan

Frank Mahovlich - Peter Stastny - Mike Bossy
Mats Naslund - Jeremy Roenick - Rick Tocchet
Woody Dumart - Guy Carrboneau (C) - Trevor Linden (A)
Ilya Kovalchuk - Pit Martin - Scott Mellanby
extras: Mike Ridley, Dave Brown

Jacques Laperierre - Rob Blake (A)
Eric Desjardins - Charlie Huddy
Ken Daneyko - Moose Dupont
extra: Garth Boesch

Ed Belfour
Chris Osgood

Power play units:
PP1: Frank Mahovlich - Peter Stastny - Mike Bossy - Rob Blake - Jacques Laperierre
PP2: Mats Naslund - Jeremy Roenick - Rick Tocchet - Ilya Kovalchuk - Eric Desjardins

Penalty killing units:
PK1: Carbonneau - Linden - Laperierre - Huddy
PK2: Dumart - Mellanby - Dupont - Daneyko

 

[God Bless Canada]

Normally I'd look at the match-up and say to myself: No. 2-seeded New Jersey vs. No. 7-seeded rookie. Wouldn't give much of a look at the series. But I think this is closer than you might think.

Obviously New Jersey should be the favourite. BM has assembled another strong team. But Hoff's team is better than I think some gave him credit for.

A key match-up will be the Bread Line vs. the Carbo line, if that's the match-up that Hoff will try to get. It's a battle between one of the best all-round lines ever (the Bread Line) and one of the best two-way lines in the draft (the Carbonneau line). Carbonneau's line will have to contain the Bread Line (you don't stop the Bread Line) if the Blazers are to have a shot at victory.

Also worth watching is how the Devils cope with the Stastny line. With so many guys who played pre-26, they've never been in a situation in which they've faced the best players in the world. Now they have to go against one of the most dynamic first lines in the draft. A lot of these guys have never faced anything like Frank Mahovlich - with that speed, strength and flair. It will pose a challenge. BM's checking line also has two pre-26 guys.

Teeder Kennedy could score goals in the playoffs with his hair on fire. One of the best clutch players of all-time. I think he's the Devils MVP. Just an awesome two-way player.

Both teams would be wise to get their first liners out there against the opponent's fourth liners whenever possible. Two of the worst fourth lines in the draft. If Hoff tries to put his fourth line out there against BM's second line, that will also be a problem.

Give the Devils the edge in net, but it's not significant. I think Hall is one of the top five goalies ever, but his playoff record is very hit-or-miss. Three poor playoff performances in four years against a good, but not a powerful, Detroit team. Belfour's playoff record is also hit-or-miss.

Give the Devils a very significant edge behind the bench. It's probably the biggest edge in the series. Tommy Ivan is one of the best coaches ever. And he can coach any type of team. Mike Keenan is a good no-nonsense coach, but he's clashed with several players on this Blazers' team. And as good as Keenan is, he's a big step below Ivan.

 

[BM67]

With so many guys who played pre-26, they've never been in a situation in which they've faced the best players in the world.

Where are the best players playing pre-26? Mongolia? Jack Walker shutdown and out scored Newsy Lalonde, twice, and Howie Morenz in playoff series. He played in the NHA, PCHA, WCHL/WHL and NHL, so what best player didn't he face?

 

[Sturminator]

Where are the best players playing pre-26? Mongolia? Jack Walker shutdown and out scored Newsy Lalonde, twice, and Howie Morenz in playoff series. He played in the NHA, PCHA, WCHL/WHL and NHL, so what best player didn't he face?

Although I am probably more a Jack Walker fan than all but a few on this board, this is somewhat distorted. Walker and Lalonde faced each other twice in the finals: 1917 and 1919.

1917 stats:

Lalonde: 1-0-1 in 4 games
Walker: 1-2-3 in 4 games

1919 stats:

Lalonde: 6-0-6 in 5 games
Walker: 3-0-3 in 5 games

In fairness to Lalonde, he was most likely injured during the 1917 finals. He mysteriously played only one of Montreal's two NHL playoff games that year, and then laid an egg against Seattle. This is just speculation on my part, but I believe it to be true.

In 1919, although Walker did not outscore Lalonde, judging by the stats, he defended Newsy pretty well. Lalonde was a distant 3rd in scoring for that series, behind Foyston's 10 points and Malone's 9.

Walker faced Morenz once in the finals (1925), and outscored him 4-2-6 to 4-1-5, indeed an impressive performance. Although I felt the need to correct the facts regarding Walker vs. Lalonde, your point stands that Jack Walker most certainly played with and against the best players in the world for the full course of his career, and acquitted himself quite well. Yours is my favorite 3rd line in this draft, to be honest. I'm not entirely sure what GBC meant by that comment, but taken at face value, it seems to be pretty far afield.

 

[God Bless Canada]

I think it's great that BM puts an emphasis on the early era guys. Especially the western league guys. My concern is that these guys were never in a league that was the unquestioned best league in the world. I've said several times that accomplishments in the WCHL, PCHA, NHA and pre-26 NHL should be viewed in the same light as accomplishments from 1942-43 to 1944-45, because the elite talent was spread out over different leagues. It was even more spread out before the First World War.

I believe that the end of the last great western league in 26 is one of the most important events in the history of the game. It brought most of the best players in the world together in one league for the first time ever. It's like the reversal of expansion in 67. Expansion in 67 brought many more players to the NHL, and coupled with the onset of the offensive defenceman, opened up the game in ways not seen since the early 1900s. In 1926, it brought the game to a new level because for the first time, most of the game's best were in one league.

 

[BM67]

Although I am probably more a Jack Walker fan than all but a few on this board, this is somewhat distorted. Walker and Lalonde faced each other twice in the finals: 1917 and 1919.

1917 stats:

Lalonde: 1-0-1 in 4 games
Walker: 1-2-3 in 4 games

1919 stats:

Lalonde: 6-0-6 in 5 games
Walker: 3-0-3 in 5 games

In fairness to Lalonde, he was most likely injured during the 1917 finals. He mysteriously played only one of Montreal's two NHL playoff games that year, and then laid an egg against Seattle. This is just speculation on my part, but I believe it to be true.

In 1919, although Walker did not outscore Lalonde, judging by the stats, he defended Newsy pretty well. Lalonde was a distant 3rd in scoring for that series, behind Foyston's 10 points and Malone's 9.

Walker faced Morenz once in the finals (1925), and outscored him 4-2-6 to 4-1-5, indeed an impressive performance. Although I felt the need to correct the facts regarding Walker vs. Lalonde, your point stands that Jack Walker most certainly played with and against the best players in the world for the full course of his career, and acquitted himself quite well. Yours is my favorite 3rd line in this draft, to be honest. I'm not entirely sure what GBC meant by that comment, but taken at face value, it seems to be pretty far afield.

Not distorted, because I said playoff series not Stanley Cup series.

1914 NHA Playoff stats:

Lalonde: 0-0-0 in 2 games
Walker: 3-0-3 in 2 games

Admittedly Lalonde was dealing with a heavily bandaged shoulder injury in this series.

Lalonde was suspended for the second game in 1917 for but ending Nighbor over the eye. He was also penalized for spearing the ref in one game in the Cup series. Strangely enough he had many more PIM in 1916 when the Canadiens won the Cup.

 

[BM67]

I think it's great that BM puts an emphasis on the early era guys. Especially the western league guys. My concern is that these guys were never in a league that was the unquestioned best league in the world. I've said several times that accomplishments in the WCHL, PCHA, NHA and pre-26 NHL should be viewed in the same light as accomplishments from 1942-43 to 1944-45, because the elite talent was spread out over different leagues. It was even more spread out before the First World War.

I believe that the end of the last great western league in 26 is one of the most important events in the history of the game. It brought most of the best players in the world together in one league for the first time ever. It's like the reversal of expansion in 67. Expansion in 67 brought many more players to the NHL, and coupled with the onset of the offensive defenceman, opened up the game in ways not seen since the early 1900s. In 1926, it brought the game to a new level because for the first time, most of the game's best were in one league.

It's one thing to take the accomplishments of the early guys with a grain of salt, but you give the impression that you think they count for very little at all.

You don't have to treat Walker like Gretzky because he led the NHA in assists in 1913-14, but you should rate that and his other top-5 finishes (Goals: (PCHA) 4th; Assists: (NHA) 1st, 3rd, (PCHA) 3rd, 3rd, 4th; Points: (NHA) 4th, (PCHA) 4th) higher than a guy that finished 10th once in the O6 era. I've seen you praise a guy with a record like the latter as a "great addition to a two-way line". Where's the praise for my third line? It has more 1st place finishes in G, A & Pts than the entire Blazers team, but you single out the Carbonneau line as "one of the best two-way lines in the draft".

For the record Bossy won two goal scoring titles, Mats Naslund won an assist and point title in Sweden, and that is it for the Blazers.

Walker led the NHA in assists. MacKay won 3 goal scoring titles, one assist title, and one scoring title (Internet Hockey Database disagrees with most other sources on the scoring title.) Bailey won one goal, and one point title.

 

[God Bless Canada]

It's one thing to take the accomplishments of the early guys with a grain of salt, but you give the impression that you think they count for very little at all.

You don't have to treat Walker like Gretzky because he led the NHA in assists in 1913-14, but you should rate that and his other top-5 finishes (Goals: (PCHA) 4th; Assists: (NHA) 1st, 3rd, (PCHA) 3rd, 3rd, 4th; Points: (NHA) 4th, (PCHA) 4th) higher than a guy that finished 10th once in the O6 era. I've seen you praise a guy with a record like the latter as a "great addition to a two-way line". Where's the praise for my third line? It has more 1st place finishes in G, A & Pts than the entire Blazers team, but you single out the Carbonneau line as "one of the best two-way lines in the draft".

For the record Bossy won two goal scoring titles, Mats Naslund won an assist and point title in Sweden, and that is it for the Blazers.

Walker led the NHA in assists. MacKay won 3 goal scoring titles, one assist title, and one scoring title (Internet Hockey Database disagrees with most other sources on the scoring title.) Bailey won one goal, and one point title.

For the record, I think MacKay and Walker are good third line forwards for this thing. Just like Blair Russell is a good third line forward for this thing. That is, if you're looking to have the third line as a two-way line, which is how you've usually employed MacKay and Walker. I don't think they're elite for their roles, but I think they're good.

And I think Ace Bailey is a good No. 3 RW. I think he's good enough to be a second line scoring RW with grit. You'll never hear me question the selection of Ace Bailey.

But first place finishes in G, A and P for leagues in the 1910s, or even pre-26? Just doesn't do it for me. I'm more impressed with Mahovlich's five top-three finishes in goals in the O6, or Bossy's nine straight 50-goal seasons (and three straight 17-goal post-seasons), and Stastny's top three finishes in scoring in the 80s.

As a two-way line, though, they'll do fine. It's just that I put as much weight on all-star nods, scoring titles and high scoring race finishes from pre-26 as I do for those accomplishments from 42/43-44/45.

 

[seventieslord]

Where are the best players playing pre-26? Mongolia? ... what best player didn't he face?

Exactly what I've been trying to say since the start of this thing.

Although I am probably more a Jack Walker fan than all but a few on this board, this is somewhat distorted. Walker and Lalonde faced each other twice in the finals: 1917 and 1919.

1917 stats:

Lalonde: 1-0-1 in 4 games
Walker: 1-2-3 in 4 games

1919 stats:

Lalonde: 6-0-6 in 5 games
Walker: 3-0-3 in 5 games

In fairness to Lalonde, he was most likely injured during the 1917 finals. He mysteriously played only one of Montreal's two NHL playoff games that year, and then laid an egg against Seattle. This is just speculation on my part, but I believe it to be true.

In 1919, although Walker did not outscore Lalonde, judging by the stats, he defended Newsy pretty well. Lalonde was a distant 3rd in scoring for that series, behind Foyston's 10 points and Malone's 9.

Walker faced Morenz once in the finals (1925), and outscored him 4-2-6 to 4-1-5, indeed an impressive performance. Although I felt the need to correct the facts regarding Walker vs. Lalonde, your point stands that Jack Walker most certainly played with and against the best players in the world for the full course of his career, and acquitted himself quite well. Yours is my favorite 3rd line in this draft, to be honest. I'm not entirely sure what GBC meant by that comment, but taken at face value, it seems to be pretty far afield.

According to The Trail of the Stanley Cup, Lalonde was suspended for game 2 of the Ottawa series for buttending Nighbor. In the finals, he definitely laid an egg. He scored once in Game 1 and then was held off the sheet. Coleman also mentions he took a bunch of penalties in games 1 and 2.

In 1919, it says Walker was giving the Canadiens lots of trouble with his hook check but does not mention Lalonde in particular. Lalonde gets more press later, though. Game 2: Canadiens came back strong in the second game under eastern rules. Newsy Lalonde was at his usual spot at centre and was easily the best man on the ice, scoring four goals. Game 3: In the third game, the great Canadien star Newsy Lalonde, played center, rover and defense in an effort to master the western rules but failed to score a goal. Game 5: At one stage the Canadiens were behind 3-0 but led by the tireless Newsy Lalonde they fought back and tied the score with four minutes to go. During the overtime, Lalonde and Pitre moved back to defense and proved impregnable.

So, Sturm, your assessment appears about correct. Lalonde broke free enough to score a lot of goals, and at crucial moments too. But Walker was having some effect.

 

[seventieslord]

I think it's great that BM puts an emphasis on the early era guys. Especially the western league guys. My concern is that these guys were never in a league that was the unquestioned best league in the world. I've said several times that accomplishments in the WCHL, PCHA, NHA and pre-26 NHL should be viewed in the same light as accomplishments from 1942-43 to 1944-45, because the elite talent was spread out over different leagues. It was even more spread out before the First World War.

Your concern is not valid. These players were in leagues that contained the best players in the world. there were no better players. Look at today's NHL. Suppose they decided to abandon all inter-conference play. This would in essence make it two leagues. Would you then have to discount all accomplishments going forward? if so, why? All the best players are in those two leagues and those two leagues only, and close to proportionally distributed across the two.

 

[seventieslord]

(Internet Hockey Database disagrees with most other sources on the scoring title.)

Hockeydb is behind the times. hockey-reference is where it's at, plus sihrhockey.org. Everything available in Total Hockey appears correct as well.

But first place finishes in G, A and P for leagues in the 1910s, or even pre-26? Just doesn't do it for me. I'm more impressed with Mahovlich's five top-three finishes in goals in the O6, or Bossy's nine straight 50-goal seasons (and three straight 17-goal post-seasons), and Stastny's top three finishes in scoring in the 80s.

As a two-way line, though, they'll do fine. It's just that I put as much weight on all-star nods, scoring titles and high scoring race finishes from pre-26 as I do for those accomplishments from 42/43-44/45.

Sorry, but that's bogus. In the war years, we discount those accomplishments because the best players weren't there - we know for a fact that players who proved that they were much better than the remaining players, were off at war and not playing hockey in the NHL. In the pre-1926 leagues, there was no such issue with the competition.

Just pretend the two leagues were like two conferences and you'll start to get it. A top-10 in a consolidated NHL is the same as a top-5 in the pre-26 PCHA/NHA/NHL.

 

[BM67]

For the record, I think MacKay and Walker are good third line forwards for this thing. Just like Blair Russell is a good third line forward for this thing. That is, if you're looking to have the third line as a two-way line, which is how you've usually employed MacKay and Walker. I don't think they're elite for their roles, but I think they're good.

Strange how you can think over a decade of elite play pre-26 is good, but one or two good years in the O6 is elite.

And I think Ace Bailey is a good No. 3 RW. I think he's good enough to be a second line scoring RW with grit. You'll never hear me question the selection of Ace Bailey.

So, you're saying you would question the selection of Walker and MacKay? I think you tend to over identify physical play with good defense as well. Bailey was an elite puck-ragger, who was masterfully killing a two man short situation when Eddie Shore ended his career.

But first place finishes in G, A and P for leagues in the 1910s, or even pre-26? Just doesn't do it for me. I'm more impressed with Mahovlich's five top-three finishes in goals in the O6, or Bossy's nine straight 50-goal seasons (and three straight 17-goal post-seasons), and Stastny's top three finishes in scoring in the 80s.

I'm not asking you compare Mahovlich's or Bossy's goal scoring to MacKay's, but to rate it below that of Dumart, Carbonneau or Linden, is pretty insulting.

As a two-way line, though, they'll do fine. It's just that I put as much weight on all-star nods, scoring titles and high scoring race finishes from pre-26 as I do for those accomplishments from 42/43-44/45.

Yet you have no problem singing the praises of the Bentleys, who had their biggest years during the War years.

Mickey MacKay is listed in The Hockey Compendium as the 7th highest scorer from 1909-26, and 14th from 1909-40. He out pointed Frank Nighbor all 5 years that they played in the same league (1914-15 in the PCHA, and 1926-27 to 1929-30 in the NHL). He was considered by some to be a better all-around player than Cyclone Taylor. I guess none of that is better than good.

 

[Sturminator]

I remain deeply jealous that you two own the Trail of the Stanley Cup. I should probably ask the wife to buy it for me for Christmas.

 

[MXD]

Man... I had the Blazers 7th, but honestly, this is no typical 7th team, nor a typical rookie team.

 

[God Bless Canada]

Strange how you can think over a decade of elite play pre-26 is good, but one or two good years in the O6 is elite.



So, you're saying you would question the selection of Walker and MacKay? I think you tend to over identify physical play with good defense as well. Bailey was an elite puck-ragger, who was masterfully killing a two man short situation when Eddie Shore ended his career.



I'm not asking you compare Mahovlich's or Bossy's goal scoring to MacKay's, but to rate it below that of Dumart, Carbonneau or Linden, is pretty insulting.



Yet you have no problem singing the praises of the Bentleys, who had their biggest years during the War years.

Mickey MacKay is listed in The Hockey Compendium as the 7th highest scorer from 1909-26, and 14th from 1909-40. He out pointed Frank Nighbor all 5 years that they played in the same league (1914-15 in the PCHA, and 1926-27 to 1929-30 in the NHL). He was considered by some to be a better all-around player than Cyclone Taylor. I guess none of that is better than good.

The Bentley's had tremendous seasons outside of the war years. Why am I so high on Doug Bentley? Well, he was named Chicago's greatest hockey player of the first half century. He was a tremendous two-way player who had three point-per-game seasons between 45 and 55 - when scoring was very tough. He led the league in assists back-to-back years AFTER the war years. Very impressive.

And Magic Max? There were those back-to-back Art Ross seasons. And a couple other top five finishes in scoring after the war. 45 points in 51 games in the playoffs in the late 40s and early 50s is an absolutely incredible number. He was a tremendous clutch producer. Led a Cup champ in scoring. Finished second and tied for second on other Cup champions. Behind Kennedy who, as I said earlier, could score playoff goals with his hair on fire.

I never said Dumart was a better offensive player than MacKay and Walker. I merely said that as a line, I thought Dumart-Carbonneau-Linden was one of the best two-way lines in the draft. I have Dumart and Carbonneau in my top five for their respective positions in terms of guys best suited to third line, two-way line duty. And I know I'm not the only one. I don't have Carbo has high as some (some guys have him No. 1), but he is high on my list. I probably have Dumart higher than a lot of guys.

Also, I've noted lots of guys who play tough or physical, but weren't good defensively.

 

[AlanHoff]

I have to go to work now but tonite I will be posting my thoughts on why the Blazers should win this series...I wasnt happy to be a 7th seed in my division but I think out of the teams I could have played, this was the best chance for an upset by far

 

[BM67]

The Bentley's had tremendous seasons outside of the war years. Why am I so high on Doug Bentley? Well, he was named Chicago's greatest hockey player of the first half century. He was a tremendous two-way player who had three point-per-game seasons between 45 and 55 - when scoring was very tough. He led the league in assists back-to-back years AFTER the war years. Very impressive.

And Magic Max? There were those back-to-back Art Ross seasons. And a couple other top five finishes in scoring after the war. 45 points in 51 games in the playoffs in the late 40s and early 50s is an absolutely incredible number. He was a tremendous clutch producer. Led a Cup champ in scoring. Finished second and tied for second on other Cup champions. Behind Kennedy who, as I said earlier, could score playoff goals with his hair on fire.

I'm certainly not claiming that the Bentleys weren't terrific hockey players (I had both in my top 100), but saying they had success outside of the "war years" is entirely dependent on how you define the length of the "war years".

The NHL goals per game average never hit 5 at any time during the 30s.

Year|GPGA
1937-38|4.88
1938-39|4.91
1939-40|4.84
1940-41|5.12
1941-42|6.05
1942-43|7.20
1943-44|8.17
1944-45|7.35
1945-46|6.69
1946-47|6.32
1947-48|5.86
1948-49|5.43
1949-50|5.47
1950-51|5.42
1951-52|5.19
1952-53|4.79
1953-54|4.80

As you can see, just about the entire career of the Bentley's was played during a period of elevated scoring. Max's scoring title years fall in the 4th and 5th highest scoring years of the period.

You have however made my point for me, by praising the Bentleys without once mentioning the war years.

 

[The Mighty Duck Man]

Game 1 started out with a bang in the Meadowlands. After finishing the regular season 2nd in their division and scoring almost at will along the way, the fans were almost literally hanging from the rafters, and were expected to play a big factor in each of the Devils' home games. On this night, however, they were silenced almost immediately. Right off the opening faceoff, Rob Blake sent Frank Mahovlich in with the puck on an odd-man rush, where he started truly a magnificent tic-tac-toe play. Mahovlich, to Bossy, to Statsny, back to Bossy, who merely had to tip the puck into the yawning cage to make it 1-0 Blazers just 8 second into the series. The crowd was silenced immediately. From then on out it was all Blazers, who seemed to dominate the play for all of the first period, peppering Glenn Hall with an incredible 25 shots in the first frame.

In the second period, while Hall continued his spectacular play, including stopping a nifty Mats Naslund move on a breakaway, the only other Devil to show up was captain Teeder Kennedy. With the Bread line seemingly being shut down but the Blazer's very strong checking line of Dumart-Carbonneau-Linden, it was up to Kennedy to get the Devils back into the mix of things, which he did, taking a Vladimir Krutov pass into the offensive zone after Krutov intercepted a lazy Jeremy Roenick pass to Rick Tocchet. Kennedy then proceeded to completely undress Eric Desjardins and Charlie Huddy, finally tucking the puck five-hole while Ed Belfour sprawled to make the save, and knotting the game up at 1. Just as the Bread line began to come to life and apply enourmous amounts of pressure on Belfour, threatening to take the lead at any moment, Mike Bossy decided to show just why he is the best player in this series, jumping over the boards in place of a very tired Trevor Linden, picking the pocket of Harry Cameron and then wiring simply a perfect shot over Hall's right shoulder, and giving the Blazers back the lead. The Devils continued to pour on the pressue to end the second, but Belfour stood his ground, and the Blazers yet again went into the dressing room clinging to a 1-goal lead.

The Devils, however, reverted right back to their first period play in the final frame. For what seemed like forever, it was all Blazers. Even when Ken Daneyko took an elbowing penalty, surprisingly the first of the game, it was the Blazers on the attack. What could have been a 5 goal game was kept just a 1 goal game thanks solely to the play of one Glenn Hall, stopping all 12 shots fired on him in the first 12 minutes of the third stanza. The Devils then came back to life, finally creating pressue of their own, however you could tell frustration had set in, and they could not capitalize on their chances, including yet another powerplay off yet another Daneyko minor penalty, this time for holding. Getting a favorable match-up with 2 minutes to go, the Bread line against the Bossy line, the Devils decided to pull Hall in favor of Kennedy, hoping to knot the game up once again. However, it was not to be, as Bossy sent a 180 ft. shot down the length of the ice into the open net, sealing the deal on a game 1 hat-trick. The buzzer sounded, and the Blazers had stole game 1 in the meadowlands, final score 3-1.

Scoring Summary
0:08 1st - Bossy (Statsny, Mahovlich)
4:53 2nd - Kennedy (Krutov)
17:32 2nd - Bossy (unassisted)
19:29 3rd - Bossy (Laperriere) EN

Hall - 47 saves
Belfour - 26 saves

Philadelphia Blazers lead series 1-0

 

[The Mighty Duck Man]

After a disappointing defeat in game 1, the Devils vowed revenge in game 2. Right from the beginning it looked as if that vow would become a reality. In the first five minutes alone the pepper Blazers goaltender Ed Belfour with ten shots, but would not get on the board until just past the midway mark, with Bill Cook roofing a simply fantastic Frank Boucher pass to make it 1-0. The Devils then found themselves get into quite a bit of penalty trouble, starting with Vincent Lecavalier taking a unnecessary holding penalty, and followed by Mickey Mackay tripping up Blazers sniper Mike Bossy, putting the Devils down two men. However, after Glenn Hall sustained yet another attack from the Blazers, Teeder Kennedy was able to spring Vincent Lecavalier, who had just gotten out of the penalty box, on a completely uncontested breakaway, where he proceeded to dangle Ed Belfour right out of his jockstrap and put the Devils up by two. Blazers coach Mike Keenan was livid that no one had been covering Lecavalier, and this seemed to spark his team, as they peppered Hall with even more shots than before. However, the buzzer sounded and the Devils went into the dressing room with a two-goal lead.

Where the Devils had shown the dominance they were capable of in the first, the Blazers showed more of their's in the second. Similar to game 1, the Devils simply had no answer to the Blazers offensive prowess, and if not for Mr.Goalie in net, it could have been a wide open game. The Devils attempted to get the Blazers off their game by starting a parade to the penalty box and attempting to get the Blazers off of their game, so to speak. Mackay, followed by Rick Tocchet. Then Art Duncan and Trevor Linden traded minors. It finally culminated with two simultaneous fights: Scott Mellanby and Eddie Gerard, followed by the shocking battle of Lecavalier and Ilya Kovalchuk. Even this, though, would not disturb the Blazers' torrid pace. Finally, after another penalty on Mackay, the Blazers would get within one, with the Big M deflecting a Mike Bossy shot. Hall, however, would shut the door for the rest of the period, keeping the Devils up ahead by one.

The third period saw more balanced play, yet it was still the Blazers who received the better of the chances. They continued to fire at will, and Hall continued to stop every shot along the way. Bossy would come close to netting his fourth of the series on multiple occasions, but if he wasn't cranking shots off the post, they ended up being swallowed in by Hall. Despite the Blazers pressure, the Devils would be the ones to regain their two goal lead, where two unlikely occurances would happen. Kennedy would start the play out by passing to Harry Cameron and going off for a change, while Lecavalier came to replace him. Cameron sent it back to Lecavalier, who broke into the zone with the puck . Lecavalier would then go behind the net and set up a wide open Cameron to make the score 3-1. Not only did this complete Lecavalier's Gordie Howe hat-trick, but it also gave Kennedy an assist despite not being on the ice. Incredible! The Blazers would continue to pressure, but as it was with the Devils last game, frustration had set in. Not because they were being outplayed, as was with the Devils just two nights earlier, but that Hall refused to give them anything. In the final seconds Kennedy would spring Didier Pitre for an empty net goal, closing the game with a final score of 4-1. They may have won by three goals, but they knew it was solely because of Hall, and they would need to play much better as the series shifted to Pennsylvania.


Scoring Summary
11:03 1st - Bill Cook (Boucher, Bun Cook)
17:58 1st - Lecavalier (Kennedy, Lloyd Cook) SH
15:15 2nd - Mahovlich (Bossy, Blake) PP
7:42 3rd - Cameron (Lecavalier, Kennedy)
19:54 3rd - Pitre (Kennedy, Cameron) EN

Hall - 44 saves
Belfour - 21 saves

Series tied 1-1

 

[The Mighty Duck Man]

Right from the get-go Philadelphia was considered a major underdog in this series, and even though they were only tied 1-1, they not only stole a game from the heavy favorites in their own barn, but they also completely outplayed them in the first two games. The anticipation of Blazers fans everywhere was at it's highest, and with the series coming back to Philadelphia, the Blazers would not let their crowd down. Right from the opening faceoff it was more of the same from the first two games, with the Blazers simply taking it to the Devils. Just five minutes in, and with 6 shots already on Glenn Hall, Mike Bossy was able to deflect a Peter Stasny slap-pass into the open net and give the Blazers a 1 goal lead. All throughout the first frame the Blazers continued to apply the pressure, and after their 21st shot of the night, they jumped out to a 2-0 lead with Jeremy Roenick snapping a shot past a screened Hall. While the Devils mustered only two shots all period, both from Bill Cook, the Blazers would get 30 shots in on Hall, with shot #30 being a Rob Blake laser from the point.

In need of some sort of a change, the Devils pulled Hall in favor of Al Rollins. Hall had played brilliantly all period, but clearly the Devils needed to do something. And it worked. Right off the get-go the Devils gained tons of momentum and began to fire at will at Ed Belfour. The goals began to come in bunches, as first Frank Boucher would complete a very nice passing play that involved the Cook brothers, then Teeder Kennedy would deflect a Moose Johnson point shot, and then finally Bun Cook would net his first of the postseason off of a very nice Frank Boucher pass while on the powerplay. The Blazers, who to this point were absolutely dominated, would get some life towards the end of the period, but could not capitalize and allowed the Devils to escape the second period with a 3-2 lead.

Despite blowing a 2-0 lead and allowing the Devils to gain momentum on the road and take the lead, the Philadelphia crowd was still roaring, and it sparked some life back into the Blazers. While they did not dominate as they had done earlier in the game and series, they did not need to, as it was no longer Glenn Hall they were facing. Mike Bossy would score in the first two minutes, one-timing a Jacques Laperriere pass top shelf, and then would assist on a nice Peter Stasny goal just a minute later. Even with the Blazers somewhat contained, Rollins could not sustain them. Frank Mahovlich would add another after tipping in a Charlie Huddy shot, and then after Vincent Lecavalier took a penalty for roughing Ilya Kovalchuk, Kovalchuk would score on the ensuing powerplay, where he would point to Lecavalier right after, nearly starting their second fight of the series. Hall was put back in net, but even with the Devils attacking fiercly, Ed Belfour shut the door, and it was too little too late, giving the Blazers a 7-3 victory.


Scoring Summary
5:14 1st - Bossy (Stasny, Desjardins)
14:02 1st - Roenick (Naslund, Tocchet)
19:33 1st - Blake (Carbonneau)
11:46 2nd - Boucher (Bill Cook, Bun Cook)
12:12 2nd - Kennedy (Johnson, Cameron)
14:57 2nd - Bun Cook (Boucher, Oatman) PP
2:06 3rd - Bossy (Laperriere)
3:29 3rd - Stasny (Bossy, Mahovlich)
11:04 3rd - Mahovlich (Huddy, Desjardins)
15:00 3rd - Kovalchuk (unassisted) PP

Hall-27 saves
Rollins-12 saves
Belfour-18 saves

Philadelphia Blazers lead series 2-1

 

[The Mighty Duck Man]

With his team down 2-1, and outplayed thus far in the series, Devils captain Teeder Kennedy called out his teammates for lackluster effort, and made it clear that everyone needed to elevate their game to get out of this hole. Needless to say, it was just the motivation New Jersey needed for game 4 in Philadelphia. Again a fiery crowd was behind the Blazers, and although the Blazers came out flying, so did Kennedy's Devils. It was a back and forth affair right from the get-go, but Kennedy himself would strike first, taking a Vladimir Krutov pass into the zone and beating Ed Belfour five-hole. Later on in the same shift, Kennedy fed a wide-open Krutov a pass into the slot where he would beat Belfour in the exact same spot to make it 2-0. Needing a swing of momentum, Philadelphia's Ken Daneyko would challenge New Jersey's Eddie Gerard to a fight, which he would win soundly. If that wasn't enough, New Jersey then began to play a low-pressure tight defensive game, despite it being early, and the Blazers would capitalize. As the final seconds of the first frame ticked down, a mad scramble in front of Glenn Hall would ensue after a Jeremy Roenick shot, and Rick Tocchet would finally bury the puck into the empty net. The green light had come on, though, and the Devils protested that he scored after the period had ended. Video replay showed that the puck had indeed crossed the line before time had officially expired, if only by milliseconds, and the crowd went wild, giving the Blazers some life.

With momentum finally back on their side, the Blazers came out in the second period on fire. Like it had been throughout the rest of the series, Hall was the only line of defense for the Devils, yet he still continued to keep them in it, no matter how much the Blazers dominated. They again fired shot after shot at him, and he would not back down. Mike Bossy would even get off four shots in a single shift, all of whcih came oh so close to going in, yet Hall would swallow them up as he had done all series. No matter how hard they tried, the Devils' defensemen continued to be punished by the Blazers' forwards, and could just not get the puck out of there. After Bill Cook took a tripping penalty, the straw that would finally break the camel's back would come near the end of the second, with Bossy burying his fifth of the series off of a Peter Stasny pass. As the second died down, the Blazers would again score a goal in the final minute, this time Stasny tipping in a Bossy shot, and giving them a crucial lead going into the third.

Tommy Ivan had enough by this point, and whatever he said in the locker room clearly motivated his boys, as they were back to playing their style of hockey. However, Ed Belfour would be just as sharp, stopping every shot the Devils could muster. Even after the Blazer's best two checkers, Woody Dumart and Guy Carbonneau, were sent off for back-to-back hooking calls, Belfour continued to shine, stopping an onslaught from the Bread line. With just under a minute remaining, however, Dumart would take yet another minor penalty, this time for high-sticking, and Ivan would pull Hall in favor of his captain, Mr.Kennedy. With just thirty seconds remaining, Kennedy would send a slap pass the way of Bun Cook, who immediately passed it to his brother Bill for a nifty deflection into the open net, tying the game up. The Blazers had scored two goals in the final minute of a period, but it was the Devils this time who came up with the late goal. Both teams played fairly relaxed in the final thirty seconds. However, this night was to be no normal night. In the final seconds, Krutov's seemingly harmless shot from the center line would hit an uneven bump in the Philadelphia ice, and it would take an odd hop right over Belfour's left shoulder and in the net for the winner! If not for the Devils celebrating, you could hear a pin drop throughout the arena, as the Devils knotted the series up with a 3-2 win.


Scoring Summary
8:53 1st - Kennedy (Krutov, Ivanov)
9:21 1st - Krutov (Kennedy)
19:59 1st - Tocchet (Roenick, Naslund)
16:02 2nd - Bossy (Stasny, Blake) PP
19:33 2nd - Stasny (Bossy)
19:30 3rd - Bill Cook (Bun Cook, Kennedy)
19:58 3rd - Krutov (Kennedy, Pitre)

Hall-37 saves
Belfour-31 saves

Series tied 2-2

 

[The Mighty Duck Man]

Sorry to leave you hanging here fellas, but I'm due for some wings right about now. I'll be sure to finish up either late tonight or tomorrow sometime. Game 5 will likely be done tonight regardless, just not sure about the rest.

 

[The Mighty Duck Man]

Knowing they could very easily be down 3-1 in this series, or worse yet, swept out in just four games, the Devils knew they needed to turn this ship around and fast. The crowd was again thunderous in the meadowlands, and this time the Devils would refuse to disappoint. From the outset, gone was the one-sided dominance the fans saw in the first four games, typically from the Philadelphia Blazers. Instead it was a relentless, all-out attack from both sides, with neither team seemingly playing defense, believing that their offensive attack would be their best defense. For the Blazers, however, this may have been a mistake. With the ferocious checking line forgetting about their defensive responsibilities and trying to go on the attack, and Bread line would capitalize, rushing the puck for an early 3-on-1, with Frank Boucher finally tucking the puck in past Ed Belfour to strike first. After more balanced offensive play, it was the Bread line at work again, this time Boucher sending a very nifty behind-the-back pass to Bill Cook, who easily desposited the puck into the empty net, giving the Devils a 2-0 lead. The Blazers tried to come back, with Mike Bossy playing like a man possessed, but Glenn Hall denied and denied him again and again, right up until the buzzer went, allowing the Devils to leave period one with a 2-0 lead.

While the main story in the first was the Bread line finally dominating like they could, the forgotten story was the marvelous play of Teeder Kennedy. He was by far the Devils' best skater throughout the series, and even though he did not rack up any points in the first frame, he was a beast every time he stepped on the ice, clearly dominating the play. And he would not let himself go unnoticed on the scoresheet in the second. Just three minutes in, his first shift of the period, he would steal the puck from Mats Naslund in the neutral ice, and proceed to power his way through the Blazers defense, finally roofing a backhand on Ed Belfour. Off the ensuing faceoff, the Kennedy line would immediately go on the attack, with Vladimir Krutov sending Didier Pitre a nice cross-ice saucer pass, immediately followed by a Pitre shot that Kennedy deflected in for his second of the shift, giving the Devils a 4-0 lead. Kennedy was not done there. The Blazers would win the faceoff following Kennedy's goal, but Didier Pitre would intercept a Eric Desjardins pass, leading to he and Kennedy being sprung on a 2-on-1 against Charlie Huddy. Pitre would show off his passing ability, feeding Kennedy as he surged toward the net, where Kennedy would again make Belfour look foolish, potting a natural hattrick in just 22 seconds, 1 shy of the record. The Blazers had enough with the Eagle, and pulled him in favour of Chris Osgood. This seemed to spark the Blazers, as they would regain their offensive composure, but as it had been all series long, Mr.Goalie refused to give them anything. Bun Cook would take a double-minor for high sticking, drawing blood on Trevor Linden, giving the Blazers a prime opportunity to get back into this five-goal game. However, once again, Hall shut the door, and the period would end, giving the Devils a 5-0 lead heading into the third.

Any momentum the Blazers had gained from the goaltending change in the second seemed to fade away in the third, as again it was an all-out Devils attack. After Osgood seemed to shut the door quite well to start the stanza, the Bread line would score their third of the night, this time Bun Cook wristing a shot glove-side on Osgood to give the Devils a 6-0 lead. While the confidence of the Blazers skaters was clearly shaken, Osgood's was not, as he continued to deny the surging Devils attack. A back-up can only do so much, though, as the Devils would again solve him, this time Krutov tapping in a nice Kennedy pass, making it 7-0. Now the fourth line would even get into it, as Eddie Oatman's weak wrister would be Osgood five-hole, making it 8-0. And it would be far from over, as in the final minute Jack Walker would complete a nice tic-tac-toe passing play, making the score 9-0. Blazers coach Mike Keenan was outraged that the Devils continued to run up the score, and attempted to have his boys mix it up. However, the Devils refused to play that game, and the final buzzer would go to give the Devils their first lead of the series with a 9-0 final score.


Scoring Summary
7:41 1st - Boucher (Bun Cook, Bill Cook)
12:44 1st - Bill Cook (Boucher, Bun Cook)
3:02 2nd - Kennedy (unassisted)
3:10 2nd - Kennedy (Pitre, Krutov)
3:24 2nd - Kennedy (Pitre)
6:23 3rd - Bun Cook (Bill Cook, Frank Boucher)
10:10 3rd - Krutov (Kennedy, Gerard)
15:56 3rd - Oatman (Roberts, Cameron)
19:02 3rd - Walker (Mackay, Bailey)

Hall-35 saves
Belfour-29 saves
Osgood-15 saves

New Jersey Devils lead series 3-2