Jim Robson Divisional Quarterfinals: New Jersey vs. Toronto

[Sturminator]

New Jersey Swamp Devils

Head Coach: Lester Patrick
Assistant Coach: Roger Neilson

Ted Lindsay (C) - Duke Keats - Teemu Selanne
Bruce Stuart (A) - Russell Bowie - Martin St. Louis*
Gaye Stewart - Edgar Laprade - Don Marcotte
Ray Getliffe - Pete Mahovlich - Brian Rolston
*Bruce Stuart will take most of the faceoffs for the second line.

Jack Stewart - Brad Park
Hod Stuart - Jack Crawford (A)
Vasili Pervukhin - Bob Armstrong

Georges Vezina
John Ross Roach

Vs.

Toronto Maple Leafs


Coach: Scotty Bowman

Assistant coach: Dan Bylsma

Bobby Hull-Max Bentley-Cam Neely
Wendel Clark-Darryl Sittler-Tod Sloan
Ray Whitney-Brent Sutter-Paul Henderson
Scott Hartnell--Doug Jarvis-Tomas Holmstrom
Ray Ferraro

Carl Brewer-Nikolai Sologubov
Brian Rafalski-Charlie Huddy
Stefan Persson-Bill Barilko
Al Iafrate

Turk Broda
Marc Andre Fleury
Kelly Hurdey​

Click to read more...

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Good luck, LL. I'll try to get this party started tonight.

Special teams:

New Jersey
PP1: Ted Lindsay - Duke Keats - Teemu Selanne - Hod Stuart - Brad Park
PP2: Gaye Stewart - Russell Bowie - Martin St Louis - Vasili Pervukhin - Brian Rolston
PK1: Edgar Laprade - Don Marcotte- Jack Stewart - Jack Crawford
PK2: Pete Mahovlich - Brian Rolston - Hod Stuart - Brad Park
PKX: Ray Getliffe, Martin St. Louis

Toronto
PP1
Hull-Bentley-Neely
Brewer-Rafalski

PP2
Clark-Sittler-Sloan
Sologubov-Barilko

PK1
Jarvis-Holmstrom
Brewer-Pearson


PK2
Sutter-Henderson
Barilko -Huddy

 

[Leaf Lander]

i wasn't even notified that there was a vote determining divisional seating

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

containing Bobby Hull

Hull can never totally be stopped, but we can limit the damage. The strategy to containing Bobby Hull is fairly straightforward - have a wing shadow him and have a center fore check his defensemen hard to prevent clean breakout passes. This is what Montreal did with Provost and then Houle, both centered by Henri Richard, and it was fairly effective - Hull still scored (he was too good not to), but he usually didn't score quite as often against Montreal.

In this series, Don Marcotte will shadow Hull all over the ice. Marcotte is physical enough to not just be knocked on his butt every time he goes near Hull. Edgar Laprade was a relentless puck hound, a strong forechecker, and an excellent puck possession player. Stylistically, Laprade appears similar to Henri Richard, though he lacks most of Henri's offensive talents and he's not quite as fast as Henri (very few players were), which makes him not quite as effective in the forechecking game. Nonetheless, Laprade's ability to rag the puck, to play "keep away," should be very useful against Max Bentley - Max is one of the best puck handlers of all time and really needs to puck on his stick to be most effective.

I'm fine with keeping Gaye Stewart on the line. The Bentley line lacks a defensive conscience and Stewart will be very useful on the counterattack. And I don't think Cam Neely needs to be defended in open ice - Cam's value is as a power forward in the offensive zone, where he'll mainly be handled by my defensemen. If I need more defense, Gaye Stewart and Ray Getliffe can switch places, but I don't know of that will be needed.

The second option against the Bentley line is my own first line. I can see Keats manhandling Bentley off the faceoff and my line flat out out scoring his at times due to the superior offensive support from Brad Park and Hod Stuart.

Obviously Park-Stewart is the first option on D, but Stuart-Crawford is a very nice secondary option.

 

[Sturminator]

Devil, are you planning a hard match of Marcotte vs. Hull or a full line match? Some coaches implement systems under which the first available forward changes out for the shadow as soon as the marked player steps on the ice, even if a full line change is not possible. I'm sure you know this well from Pat Burns' time in New Jersey.

Are you planning on this kind of system vis-á-vis Marcotte/Hull, or will you simply seek to match the lines?

 

[Leaf Lander]

In the line upadvice thread I changed my line up look...

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Devil, are you planning a hard match of Marcotte vs. Hull or a full line match? Some coaches implement systems under which the first available forward changes out for the shadow as soon as the marked player steps on the ice, even if a full line change is not possible. I'm sure you know this well from Pat Burns' time in New Jersey.

Are you planning on this kind of system vis-á-vis Marcotte/Hull, or will you simply seek to match the lines?

The short answer is that I'll leave it up to Lester Patrick and Roger Neilson, based off of analyzing Hull's tendencies.

The long answer of what I think will probably happen:

1) When Patrick has last change, the checking line comes out against Bentley and Hull. If the Bentley line comes off, the checking line comes off.

2) If my first line is out and Hull comes out, they stay out. I don't want to screw up the rhythm of the first line by shorting their shifts. As I said, I'm comfortable with my first line out there against his - mine will be backed up by superior defensemen and Keats will be there to give support to the defensemen in the neutral zone. His first line doesn't have a defensive presence.

3. If my second line is out there and Hull comes out, full line change in favor of the checking line. The first forward to come off the ice is replaced by Marcotte, regardless of position.

4. If the 4th line is out and Hull comes out (which should be very rare), Rolston should change off for Marcotte.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

In the line upadvice thread I changed my line up look...

Post the updated lineup here and I'll edit the original post

 

[Leaf Lander]

Post the updated lineup here and I'll edit the original post

Can't I'm on a. Phone

 

[Sturminator]

I AM oN a. Boat

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Only 10 players have averaged over a point per game in the playoffs for more than 30 games since 1995

1. Alexander Ovechkin 1.35 over 37 games
2. Sidney Crosby 1.32 over 62 games
3. Jaromir Jagr 1.22 over 106 games
4. Mario Lemieux 1.22 over 41 games
5. Evgeni Malkin 1.18 over 68 games
6. Peter Forsberg 1.13 over 151 games
7. Joe Sakic 1.10 over 166 games
8. Eric Lindros 1.08 over 53 games
9. Martin St Louis 1.08 over 63 games
10. Patrick Kane 1.07 over 45 games

http://www.hockey-reference.com/pla...at=&c4comp=gt&c4val=&order_by=points_per_game

Somehow five players managed to be at exactly 1 PPG over the time frame - Michael Cammalleri (32 games), Mark Messier (36), Jason Spezza (46), Eric Staal (43), and Jonathan Toews (46).

This is obviously not an ordered list of the best playoff players of the era but it does show how excellent St Louis has been in the postseason.

St Louis has never had a bad playoff year

St. Louis has been over a PPG in 4 out of 5 playoff runs. In the only one where he wasn't, he scored 4 goals but 0 assists in 5 games in 2006.

St Louis did this while playing a solid two-way game.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Attacking Toronto's defense

1. Lindsay/Selanne against Sologubov

I imagine Bowman wants Brewer out there against my first line as much as possible. Brewer's a fine defenseman, but he can't do it himself. Ted Lindsay flying down the left side against Sologubov at RD is a huge mismatch, possibly the biggest mismatch of the first round. I actually do buy that the early Soviet adds some offense at this level, but defensively, he's unproven at best against competition of this magnitude. I would imagine Bowman will have them switch sides to give Brewer a chance against Lindsay, but that opens Sologubov to abuse by Selanne. And with Brewer Toronto's only defenseman close to being a star at this level, you know he's going to be hit by Lindsay and Keats whenever possible.

2. St Louis/Bowie against Rafalski/Huddy

I think Martin St Louis (and Russell Bowie) will really abuse Toronto's depth defensemen. St Louis is in a rare situation for the ATD where the defensemen checking him here are no better than the average defensemen who went against him in real life in the playoffs. Rafalski was something of a failure as a #1 defenseman in real life, but was an excellent #2 who adapted his game to complement his superstar partners. Here his partner his Charlie Huddy, who I don't think was ever more than the third most important defenseman in Edmonton behind Coffey and Lowe (he did get some Norris votes in 1983 as Coffey's babysitter who had a good plus minus, but that's it). As a guy who spent basically his entire playoff career as a first liner (when Lecavalier and Richards were Tampa's two centers, whichever one had St Louis was the first line), St Louis often faced defensemen pairings better than Rafalski-Huddy in the playoffs. And you see how well he did in the playoffs; St Louis and Bowie are going to tear Rafalski-Huddy apart.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Good luck LL, hope you have time to make some comments. It really sucks that your computer broke in the middle (towards the beginning?) of the draft

 

[Leaf Lander]

I wont be getting a computer anytime soon i buy them a yr after they break.Got other bills like 2 kids lol

Good luck ...

it is funny last yr i was vs nyld who made no comments but he still won lol

That infuriated me lol

 

[seventieslord]

I wont be getting a computer anytime soon i buy them a yr after they break.Got other bills like 2 kids lol

Good luck ...

it is funny last yr i was vs nyld who made no comments but he still won lol

That infuriated me lol

that almost makes it sound like you take these things seriously...

 

[Leaf Lander]

that almost makes it sound like you take these things seriously...

i never made it through rnd 1yet lol

 

[markrander87]

that almost makes it sound like you take these things seriously...

What's that suppose to mean?

 

[Hobnobs]

that almost makes it sound like you take these things seriously...

You think a gm who wont even bother argue for his team should win a series? It has nothign to do with being serious but I would be pissed off too if I took the time it takes to draft and argue for my team and the other gms gets a free ride.

 

[seventieslord]

You think a gm who wont even bother argue for his team should win a series? It has nothign to do with being serious but I would be pissed off too if I took the time it takes to draft and argue for my team and the other gms gets a free ride.

it depends. If a team is better, it's just better. If they are close then the arguments can and will make a huge difference.

Think about it, there has to be a couple of series that were "open and shut" in your mind heading into the arguments, and there was nothing anyone could say to change your mind. There's nothing wrong with that...

 

[Hobnobs]

it depends. If a team is better, it's just better. If they are close then the arguments can and will make a huge difference.

Think about it, there has to be a couple of series that were "open and shut" in your mind heading into the arguments, and there was nothing anyone could say to change your mind. There's nothing wrong with that...

Well if we are talking about the 70's habs vs early 90s Sens then I agree but I havent seen much of that this year. I dont know how it looked last year though. I believe in a fresh perspective. I see what you mean though. I checked the thread now though and it was LeafLanders team getting picked apart by other gms while no one really said anyhting critical about Nalyds team. I think Nalyds team was stronger but I dont think its fair that one gm should get hit from every direction from all other gms but the one he is facing. That can lead to the "they are out to get me"-syndrome and make the lone gm panic and make bad arguments. Wrong kind of pressure if you ask me.

 

[seventieslord]

New Jersey wins in game 4 OT.

stars of the series:

Lindsay
Park
Selanne
Hull
St. Louis

 

[Leaf Lander]

See if no one kniws it yet there is avoting block/aliance

It is why votes are not public ...also why there is no pms anymore about voting.

It is why 70's is still here even though he is no longer a part of the atd.

I only say this because I don't take things seriously

 

[vecens24]

See if no one kniws it yet there is avoting block/aliance

It is why votes are not public ...also why there is no pms anymore about voting.

It is why 70's is still here even though he is no longer a part of the atd.

I only say this because I don't take things seriously

I'm fully willing to make my vote public.

I voted NJ in four. Their offense would have torn your defense to shreds. I can only imagine Ted Lindsay coming down the wing against Sologubov and Huddy. He would have gone off. Plus NJ's defense is one of the ones very capable of holding your offense in check.

It has nothing to do with there being this mythical "block" of people who vote together. seventies was allowed to vote because he followed along with the draft more than over 50% of the participants. Why should we not let him vote? Same goes for Sturm.

Honestly I will never understand this thought process. And honestly if you don't take it seriously then why participate? What's the point? Is your goal not to make the best team possible?

 

[Leaf Lander]

I have no ascess to a computer I do the best I can by voting off the top of my head

 

[monster_bertuzzi]

There was no shame in losing to Nalyd's team last year LL (and didn't you win the 1st round series?).