Rock Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 Devils notes http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=e...2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2 Friday, May 5, 2006 Eye on Eric Although Devils general manager and coach Lou Lamoriello wouldn't commit to it Thursday, it's likely that checking center John Madden will be on the ice a lot against Carolina's 6-foot-4, 205-pound center Eric Staal, who finished seventh in the NHL with 100 points. It will be more difficult for the Devils to match in the first two games, however, because, as the home team, the 'Canes will have the last line change. Plus, 'Canes coach Peter Laviolette does a good job of mixing his lines and moving his players around. "We'll try to match lines as much as we can against whichever line is the hottest, I guess," Madden said. Idol chatter Martin Brodeur will celebrate his 34th birthday Saturday, which hardly qualifies him as over the hill. But he started to feel his age when he heard that Hurricanes' 22-year-old rookie goalie Cam Ward said Brodeur was his idol as a kid. "I was like, 'Oh my God, I'm old now,' " Brodeur said. Ward has been spectacular since replacing Martin Gerber in the first round, stopping 105 of 110 shots to lead Carolina to four consecutive one-goal wins over Montreal. "He [brodeur] was definitely someone that I looked up to growing up," Ward told the Raleigh News and Observer. "You can learn some things just by watching him. I have a lot of respect for the way he battles. The way he plays in the playoffs is something he thrives on." Another Vezina? Late in the regular season, Brodeur thought he had no shot at winning another Vezina Trophy. When the NHL announced its award finalists Thursday, however, Brodeur was again among the three for the league's top goalie award as voted by the 30 general managers. Calgary's Miikka Kiprusoff and the Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist were the other finalists. This is the sixth time Brodeur is a finalist for the Vezina, which he won in 2002-03 and 2003-04. "I'm pleasantly surprised," said Brodeur, who is the Devils' only award finalist. "A lot of goalies had great seasons and definitely it was a rocky first half of the season for myself. I didn't expect to get in on the voting, especially in the top three, but it's nice to get that kind of recognition." White probably out Although Lamoriello wouldn't say that defenseman Colin White is definitely out of Saturday's game because of a groin strain, he did admit that White was not about to play without practicing. "I don't think so," Lamoriello said. "We'll just see how he is and we'll go from there."... Rookie right wing Cam Janssen was back on the ice Thursday after missing Wednesday's practice with the stomach flu. -- Tom Gulitti Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefiestygoat Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 Geez, White must have pulled his groin badly, it seems like he has been injured for a while now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cowutopia Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 Guess what though, Lou isn't playing him, is he? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogonjdevil Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 Guess what though, Lou isn't playing him, is he? Maybe he'll show up in a Willis Reed like miracle moment...and scores the game winning goal... hmm...maybe not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4Stevens4 Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 I don't like this. I was really hoping the quick work the Devils made of the Rangers and the long rest was going to help White be ready for the start of this series. It's one thing being able to get away with him not being in the lineup against the Rangers but the Canes are far superior to them. I have a feeling we're going to need him this series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.