Here we go again….

Well folks, it’s not only NHL Playoff time … but it’s the Devils vs. the Rangers.  A rematch of two years ago.  In that matchup, the Devils got the best of the Rags, sweeping them right out of Madison Square Garden.  This time around, things are just a tad different.  Let’s recap.

Well, of course Scott Gomez crossed the river from New Jersey to the Big Apple this past offseason to get his big payday.  The Rags also went out and got stud centerman Chris Drury.  Early on, neither move was seeming to pan out as the Rangers were struggling to make the playoffs.  But a switch went on halfway through the year and those two guys really started producing again.  Sean Avery is still a pest, Jaromir Jagr is not the player he once was, but is still a pest to score goals.  Henrik Lundquist is having another stellar year entering the playoffs.  The Rangers also found young keepers in contributors like Brandon Dubinsky and Nigel Dawes.  Rangers have been peaking for a while now and enter the playoffs strong.

The Devils had a tough time getting situated.  Starting the season off on the road for the first 9 games didn’t help.  Losing Gomez and Brian Rafalski on the backline also hurt as Martin Brodeur tried to get situation with his new defensemen’s tendencies.  But once that happened, the Devils hit their normal groove.  Zach Parise is continuing to grow as a star, Patrik Elias has been heating up lately, and Jamie Langenbrunner was named captain midway through the season after his return from a groin injury.  David Clarkson has made himself a mainstay in the lineup and new acquisition Dainius Zubrus has shown flashes of brilliance down the stretch.  Martin Brodeur, per usual, has been splendid.  However, after leading the Eastern Conference for most of the year - the Devils hit a block in the road.  In the last month and a half, the Devils have struggled to produce goals, losing many close games.  They fell out of the conference and the division lead, falling into the 4 spot.

Now between these two teams, it was pretty much a one sided afair.  The Rangers went 7-0-1 against the Devils this year.  Although, three of those wins were in the shootout, which of course, does not happen in the playoffs.  And none of these games were blowouts by any means.  The Devils finally beat the Rangers in the season finale last Sunday, defeating New York in the shootout to seize home ice advantage for this first round matchup.  Well, here I am to break down the matchup between these two rivals.

Rangers offense vs. Devils defense - Obviously, should be a good matchup.  The likes of Jaromir Jagr, Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, and Brendan Shanahan vs. Martin Brodeur and the gang.  The Rangers boast four pretty solid lines that balance very well.  They can score in a moments notice.  We know Marty is going to be good - it’s whether or not they can get quality minutes out of their defensemen.  Paul Martin and Johnny Oduya have been pretty reliable all year.  Colin White has been a big defensive presence in his return.  Bryce Salvador has looked great in red and black since coming over from St. Louis at the trade deadline.  He’s a big guy with some good skating ability and a great hockey mind.  After that it’s question marks galore, starting with Mike Mottau.  In late 2007, Mottau looked like the Hobey Baker award winner he was back in his college years.  Lately, he’s been a bit more spotty.  He needs to steady his play.  Another guy who looked promising early on - Andy Greene.  In his work towards the end of last year, he was a near candidate for Rookie of the Year.  And he looked like he was on his way to becoming a solid defenseman for New Jersey.  However, he has regressed considerably since late 2007 and has become a big liability.  His skating ability and poise seems to have rescinded and his lack of size seems to have caught up with him.  Vitaly Vishnevski and Sheldon Brookbank at times have played very well but have been caught at times missing defensive assignments.  Those two will not start the series.  And of course the oft-injured Karel Rachunek - he’s been great when in the lineup but injuries hit him hard this year.  We’ll see if he can make a return in this series.  That being said, if Mottau, Greene, and the whoever else makes their way into the lineup can give quality icetime with no mental mistakes, this may take a big burden off of Martin Brodeur, who has played incredible despite the sometimes shoddy play in front of him.  If the Devils can get their defenseman to play well, they can really help themselves to limit the Rangers scoring chances.

Devils offense vs. Rangers defense - This comes down to one thing - can the Devils score goals against Henrik Lundquist.  At times they’ve been ok, but more often than not, Henrik has really shut down New Jersey.  They constantly struggled to score goals against the Rangers this year and get that one big goal that can put you over the top in a game.  At times down the stretch, Devils forwards have been nowhere to be found.  Zach Parise disappeared for a long time.  Travis Zajac had a very difficult sophomore campaign.  Brian Gionta is clearly not the same guy he was during his 48 goal year 05-06 season.  The Rangers D has stepped up considerably under head coach Tom Renney.  With parts like Marek Malik, Dan Girardi, Fedor Tyutin, and rookie Marc Staal, they’ve overachieved, but did so for the whole year, making a case as being possibly the best defense in the NHL.  Henrik Lundquist has been phenomenal again this year and is the most important matchup in this intense series.

Coaching - Tom Renney is in his third year as head coach of the Rangers and has led them to three straight playoff appearances after 9 years of missing out on the postseason.  They were swept by New Jersey in 05-06. swept Atlanta the year after, and took Buffalo to six games before bowing out.  This is Brent Sutter’s first year behind the bench and did a pretty good job considering the sole fact that he wasn’t fired right before the season ended.  Sutter has brought a defensive system with a quick counter-attack to New Jersey that has worked pretty well for the majority of the season.

X-Factor - The Zubrus/Rupp/Clarkson line.  We know the Parise/Elias/Langenbrunner line is the most talented and should get its fair share of points.  But the Rupp line has really come along down the stretch and they’ve been a nice surprise.  These guys have used their size well to not only create for themselves but to crash the net and wreak havoc there.  If these can continue to get scoring chances and also finish them, they could definitely give the Devils better chances of taking the series.

Prediction - Ok, we’ve dissected, broken down, and discussed this opening series and now I have to make a pick.  The Devils finally pick up their play just in time for the playoffs, and are able to steal a win or two at MSG.  This series may come down to which goalie blinks first.  And in that case, it’s tough to bet against the Hall of Fame goaltender in Martin Brodeur - Devils in 7.

Well, that’s it for now folks.  I’ll have more soon.