Devils VS Flyers

[theamazingtiny]

When I look at TicketMaster for tickets to game 2, it appears that basically the entire upper bowl is sold out?? Are other people seeing this?

I'm wondering if they're holding back tickets to try to sell the packages, and trying to make single-gamers buy the expensive lower bowl... anyone have any info?

Or Flyer fans bought them all.

[cubanjd305]

C'mon!...Devils CAN win? If this or that?? NO, Devils HAVE TO win this. Devs are #2, they're barely #7...anything less than a victory in this series is unacceptable and a complete failure.

Is it Wednesday yet??!

[britoon]

Kinda sucks that I'll be out of town for the first 2 games. I'll be keeping up with the score updates on my phone. I will be in NJ for game three so at least I'll be able to watch it on MSG.

GO DEVILS!

[LucifersDog]

Many people posting here are putting this series on the goaltending. To a point I agree but I think Marty does not want this round to go as last season' first round so he has a lot to prove and he will want to show that the players should have picked him in bigger numbers for their choice at the goalie they wanted in a big game and he has a lot to prove about what happened at the Olympics. So I say in the goalie area Marty will be strong. Devils run hot and cold in scoring and the Flyers push the Devils around so it should be a good series with the Devils taking it in 7.

[JesterDevil]

Love this - from the NHLDevils twitter -

RT @NHLDevils: We'll be waiting RT @NHLFlyers: We are. RT @NHLDevils: There's nothing better than playoff hockey. Who's coming Wed night?

[Daniel]

When I look at TicketMaster for tickets to game 2, it appears that basically the entire upper bowl is sold out?? Are other people seeing this?

I'm wondering if they're holding back tickets to try to sell the packages, and trying to make single-gamers buy the expensive lower bowl... anyone have any info?

I was looking for something in the upper bowl last week and couldn't find anything. In the past though I've kept trying and eventually got the tix I wanted.

You can go to stubhub. Upper bowl seats starting at $40.

[PaDevsFan]

C'mon!...Devils CAN win? If this or that?? NO, Devils HAVE TO win this. Devs are #2, they're barely #7...anything less than a victory in this series is unacceptable and a complete failure.

Is it Wednesday yet??!

Hmmm didnt someone say that...

[halfsharkalligatorhalfman]

The Flyers' Offense and toughness worries me.

But they are starting Brian Boucher.

The Devils have a high powered offense now too. They can match up with the Flyers in terms of offensive chances. The only way they lose is if Boucher outplays Broduer.

If that happens, and the Devils fail to get out of the 1st round for the THIRD year in a row cause of a mediocre Broduer performance I may just lose my mind and join up with "The Broken Record".

[Triumph]

brodeur did not have a mediocre performance last season. even with the devils' anti-home cooking policy (brodeur loses around a shot and a half a game), brodeur had a .929 SV% and faced 34 shots a game; he was the only reason there was a game 7.

[BlueSkirt]

Devs in 5, winning 2 of the first three & then the final 2.

Edited April 12, 2010 by BlueSkirt

[puckrock]

The Flyers' Offense and toughness worries me.

But they are starting Brian Boucher.

Right here.

Like many have already stated, this is the ONE match-up I was hoping to avoid. It's not that I don't believe the Devils will beat them, it's the mental aspect of the regular season series. Deny it all you want, but you know it will be in the back of every Devils mind during the series.

The X-factor will be the Devils efficacy on the PP -- Remember, the Flyers lead the NHL in PIMs and I don't see them becoming any more disciplined in the playoffs. However, the fact that the Devils have been making bad teams actually LOOK like bad teams in the last week or so is a little comforting. They're going to have to make Boucher eat it HARD in Game 1 to grab momentum.

I am fully expecting a Game 7 in this one -- and I have no idea who would skate away with that one.

[MantaRay]

This is the only series I expect to sweep. There is nothing about the Flyers that scares me. They are too prone to panic if they get behind. Boucher is not the type of goalie especially now that is going to save them.

If the Devils score the first two goals in game one this series is over. The Flyers have made the playoffs in spite of themselves and will completely collapse once a modicum of doubt gets in there heads.

[DaneykoIsGod]

Devils in six.

[Marv4Life]

Like I said before, this is the series where if the Devils want to win, Marty can not bail them out. One of our forwards(esp. Kovy) might need to literally take a game or 2 over.

Edited April 12, 2010 by Marv4Life

[Motorcity Devil]

It may be a contrarian opinion, but I think the Flyers are the perfect opponent for the Devils in round 1. One criticism that I have had about NJ all season is their failure to match the intensity of their opponents. I think this is the cause for many of their losses. Playing a team like the Flyers that we know will "bring it" in the first round will hopefully motivate the Devs emotionally for future rounds. If we played Ottawa or Montreal in the first round, it's conceivable that NJ would get out of the first round with out any emotional investment by any of the players... That's a recipe for a huge let down later.

Regardless of what people may say out of fear; the Devils outclass the Flyers at every position (at least on paper). Marty is playing very well, and the Devils seem to have found their scoring touch. If our power-play catches fire like it did in the last few games, we are a tough team to beat in a 7 game series. The Flyers have proven in the past to be very fragile emotionally, which leads me to believe that this will be a very short (but intense) series.

Let's go Devils!

[devlman]

It may be a contrarian opinion, but I think the Flyers are the perfect opponent for the Devils in round 1. One criticism that I have had about NJ all season is their failure to match the intensity of their opponents. I think this is the cause for many of their losses. Playing a team like the Flyers that we know will "bring it" in the first round will hopefully motivate the Devs emotionally for future rounds. If we played Ottawa or Montreal in the first round, it's conceivable that NJ would get out of the first round with out any emotional investment by any of the players... That's a recipe for a huge let down later.

Was thinking this too.

On a side note, can we please quiet any moron Phailure fan going 'booouch'

[ZeroGravityFat]

no need, any puck going towards boucher will go through him.

[yort44]

Forgot to add. We're going to win. Because we're not playing Carolina.

[PhuckinKillAvery]

the Devils have to win the first 2 at home in order for them to win this series IMO. we should be able to do it..it's an even match up but we obviously have a better goaltender and there is a reason why we won the Atlantic and the Flyers just made it by a shootout to get into the playoffs.

[Jerrydevil]

It may be a contrarian opinion, but I think the Flyers are the perfect opponent for the Devils in round 1. One criticism that I have had about NJ all season is their failure to match the intensity of their opponents. I think this is the cause for many of their losses. Playing a team like the Flyers that we know will "bring it" in the first round will hopefully motivate the Devs emotionally for future rounds. If we played Ottawa or Montreal in the first round, it's conceivable that NJ would get out of the first round with out any emotional investment by any of the players... That's a recipe for a huge let down later.

Regardless of what people may say out of fear; the Devils outclass the Flyers at every position (at least on paper). Marty is playing very well, and the Devils seem to have found their scoring touch. If our power-play catches fire like it did in the last few games, we are a tough team to beat in a 7 game series. The Flyers have proven in the past to be very fragile emotionally, which leads me to believe that this will be a very short (but intense) series.

Let's go Devils!

I think you present a good argument, but I think the Devils are fragile, too. They have past first-round failures and a bad record against Philly this season weighing on them. So they have some adversity before the puck drops in Game 1. That last Philly game is certainly fresh in my mind. That was one of the worst games of the year.

On paper, the Devils should get it done. Like others have mentioned, the Devils better connect on the PP. I want Clarkson stepping up and making things ugly in front of the net.

Edited April 12, 2010 by Jerrydevil

[Motorcity Devil]

Was thinking this too.

On a side note, can we please quiet any moron Phailure fan going 'booouch'

One other thought I forgot to add... I really think that this play-off season (and the next one or two) are break out situations for Zach, Travis, and Paul Martin. I've watched a great deal of hockey this year, and those three players are exceptional by any standard across the league. They are unstoppable at times, and I think this year will be the year that people outside of the Devil's Fandom learn that.

Paul Martin and Zach Parise really have the right stuff, and are "Cup worthy". I can't picture their careers with out a Cup, and I think that these next 2 or 3 are as good a shot as any. I also think it always bodes well when other teams have to plan their games around your players - this will open the door for guys like Jamie and Zub to step up and score (they are capable).

Here's why the Flyers stand no chance:

1) Strong goaltending (Marty has been lights out for almost a month)

2) Consistent scoring across 2 lines (do you really think Boucher and Pronger can stop Zach and Ilya? the Flyers are probably terrified of Kovalchuk)

3) It's been a long time since the Devils had a player that other teams were scared of - Zach and Ilya are those players...

4) As much as we dog our d-men, Martin's injury gave important ice time to some key guys. In the play-offs when teams go to no more than 6 d-men, I think we stack up just fine. (White, Martin, Salvador, Skoula, Greene, and Mottau will be fine).

5) Intangibles - in the end, teams that win the Cup always have an unexpected player contribute in a big way (Kunitz for Pit, Cleary or Franzen for Det recently). The Devils have three or four candidates that fit this description (Clarkson, McAmmond, Neidermayer are all three guys that I could picture contributing at key - unexpected - times).

6) It's the Flyers, and Carcillo is no Avery... (I just don't think he bothers Marty like Avery did, and the Devil's PP can really hurt Philly).

Anyway - if the above reasons don't work, there's always "Lou". You just gotta believe.

[Risky]

I think we will see a different Devils team than we've seen the past few years in the playoffs. I'm giving Lemaire the benefit of the doubt and saying that he's had a method to his madness over the last 10 or so games and was looking for the right combinations to use in the playoffs.

I think we see the offensive combos that we saw success with over the last 10 and the Devils come out offensively-minded looking to exploit the Flyers D and Bobby Boucher.

What was that thing Triumph said long ago about slope-browed Philadelphia fans needing a player on all their teams with the sound "oooo" in their names so that they could keep their reptilian brains focused on the game at hand? This was in the day of Handzooooos.

This will not be easy, but I think we have an angry Brodeur on our hands and a team with more players that remember what it's like to lose a playoff round in 80 seconds than who remember what it's like to win a Stanley Cup. Look for Parise and Elias to step up and carry this series offensively while Kovalchuk gets his sea legs under him.

Devils in 6.

Addendum: for those who don't think Brodeur is ready for the postseason, his GAA in the last 10 games is 1.70. And that includes that 5-1 debacling to the Flyers.

I think he's ready for the playoffs.

Edited April 12, 2010 by Risky

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

I think you present a good argument, but I think the Devils are fragile, too. They have past first-round failures and a bad record against Philly this season weighing on them. So they have some adversity before the puck drops in Game 1. That last Philly game is certainly fresh in my mind. That was one of the worst games of the year.

On paper, the Devils should get it done. Like others have mentioned, the Devils better connect on the PP. I want Clarkson stepping up and making things ugly in front of the net.

Special teams are going to be key, especially with the Flyers' PP...Kovalchuk is a big key as far as I'm concerned as well...I know people will point to his point-per-game pace, but 10 goals in 27 GP (as a Devil) aren't nearly enough. And his decision-making with the puck still baffles me quite a bit...he'll pass when he has an open shot, he'll try to Kovalev his way around three or four guys to make a play, and he can be sloppy at other times...no player is perfect, but I rarely find myself questioning a guy like, say, Parise's on-ice smarts. At any rate, the Devils are going to need Kovy to produce, and put pucks in the net at a better rate than 1 per 2.7 GP.

[Triumph]

What was that thing Triumph said long ago about slope-browed Philadelphia fans needing a player on all their teams with the sound "oooo" in their names so that they could keep their reptilian brains focused on the game at hand? This was in the day of Handzooooos.

yeah, this was in the days of zubrus, luke richardson, boucher and duce staley on the eagles. lol @ 'slope-browed'.

76, that's because kovalchuk's shooting percentage is off his career norm. normally in 111 shots, kovalchuk would have 16 goals. he's just that good.

[Motorcity Devil]

I think you present a good argument, but I think the Devils are fragile, too. They have past first-round failures and a bad record against Philly this season weighing on them. So they have some adversity before the puck drops in Game 1. That last Philly game is certainly fresh in my mind. That was one of the worst games of the year.

On paper, the Devils should get it done. Like others have mentioned, the Devils better connect on the PP. I want Clarkson stepping up and making things ugly in front of the net.

Good point, but I don't think the recent Flyers game is on the Devil's minds. They are playing exceptional hockey right now. Think of what they had to overcome this season - and what that means now. Martin going out opens the door for Andy Greene to get 40+ assists. He's no longer a liability - and our top 4 d-men now are really playing strong.

Many of the losses to Philly came at a period where NJ could not play 60 consecutive minutes of hockey if their lives depended on it. More recently, they are playing lights out. I would also point out that last fall, the Devils were the best team in hockey by a wide margin. This lasted for 6 weeks, maybe longer... Why couldn't that happen again this spring? Moreover, the Devils have improved their team since that period - Kovalchuk is going to be a major problem for other teams in the play-offs.

One never knows what will happen. The Devils could get shelled in the first minutes of the first game and never recover - but 50 some hours away from Game 1 of the series I can't help but think that this is a special year.