Series Breakdown: Leafs vs. Devils
By Bill Clement
Special to ESPN.com
New Jersey is hoping that their regular-season results against the Leafs don't carry over into the playoffs. Despite going 0-3-1 against Toronto this year, the Devils are confident heading into their second-round matchup. Check out which team has the edge, and then see what I think the outcome will be.
Matching up 5-on-5
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BREAKDOWN
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EDGE
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This will be a battle of style. If the Leafs are able to run and gun, they will get their big horses loose. Mats Sundin, Jonas Hoglund and Steve Thomas are really in the zone after scoring 10 goals combined against Ottawa. They run and gun as well as anybody in the league. They have size in Sundin and Hoglund and clutch scoring from Thomas. If the Devils reduce the series to a more plodding, defensive game, it will be to their advantage. They are a better defensive team and must play to that strength. Scott Stevens will probably end up playing against the Sundin line. That matchup could become a problem if rookie Brian Rafalski is still Stevens' partner because the much stronger Sundin line could overpower him. Stevens may have to play against the Sundin line with a different partner. Toronto has the advantage because its best forward line is already hot.
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Special teams
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BREAKDOWN
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EDGE
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Neither power play was overwhelming in the first round -- the Leafs were 2-for-23, the Devils 2-for-16. But New Jersey has a dimension on the blue line that Toronto doesn't: Scott Niedermayer. He is creative and fast. This is where the Leafs will miss Bryan Berard the most. With Berard, Toronto would have an edge because he would be the most creative player on either power play. But without him, the Devils get the advantage because of Niedermayer. As for penality killing, the Devils can rely on Stevens, Ken Daneyko, Vladimir Malakhov and Niedermayer as four veteran penalty-killing defensemen. Toronto has young defensemen with great futures, but the Devils' power play may push them to the limit. So the Devils get the edge based on a more experienced blue line.
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Goaltending
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BREAKDOWN
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EDGE
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Martin Brodeur and Curtis Joseph have really contrasting styles, in a sense. Both use the butterfly, but Joseph is a scrambler and a challenger, while Brodeur relies on technique. Brodeur has gone all the way before, and CuJo's track record shows that he drops off the further he goes in the playoffs. This will be a challenge for Joseph to prove that he can match Brodeur. Based on history alone, Brodeur deserves the edge.
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Intangibles
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BREAKDOWN
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EDGE
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Bobby Holik has been unable to produce in the playoffs. That's a negative for the Devils, who need something from him to advance. For the Leafs, they don't have Yanic Perreault, whose face-off ability against Jason Arnott and Holik will be missed. The edge goes to the Devils because there is a possibility that Holik can do something about his slump. Toronto has no chance of getting Perreault back.
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PREDICTION
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Devils in six. The difference will be Brodeur. |
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Bill Clement, a former NHL star with the Flyers, serves as an NHL analyst for ESPN and ABC.
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