What the Devils take into game two

The Devils beat the Lightning 5-3 on Thursday night for the first game of the series. The Devils took an early lead in the first period on goals by Zach Parise after a Lightning turnover and Patrick Elias on a beautiful one-timer. Martin St. Louis got the Lightning on the scoreboard at 15:55 of the first with a power-play goal on a 2-man advantage.

Brian Rafalski made it 3-1 with a power play tally early in the second. What appeared to be a comfortable 3-1 lead vanished on two goals by Lecavalier midway through the second on a wraparound and early in the third. The scored was tied at 3-3 for a minute and three seconds. Zach Parise scored his second goal of the game to retake the lead. Brian Gionta added an insurance goal with 1:22 remaining in the third period after Holmqvist release the puck too fast.

The Lightning had a 26-24 advantage for shots on goal. Tampa was 1 for 6 on the power play while the Devils went 2 for 3.


The win has to be the positive thing that came out that first game. It is always good to get that first win especially at home. It sets a momentum for the series.

The Devils offense and the power play did well on Thursday night. The EGG line (Elias, Gionta) and the second line (Parise, 2) each had two goals. The Devils' offense has been an issue all season long and it was nice to see the EGG line producing like that. Two of the Devils goals came on turnovers. Turnovers come from extra pressure and good fore-check which means the Devils worked hard.

Zach Parise had an incredible game, scoring two goals. His attitude was unbelievable and if he keeps it up he could become a clutch playoff performer.

The confidence. The Devils have not been panicking when Tampa tied the score early in the third. After being up 3-1, the second Lecavalier goal could have been a change for the momentum. The Devils didn't panic and just retook the lead a little while later.


Johny Oduya. The rookie has emerged as a solid defenseman over the regular season. He did not have a good first playoff game in terms of penalties. He took two holding penalties in the first period, giving each time Tampa Bay a 2-man advantage (21 seconds and 29 seconds). You can't get away with that in the playoffs especially with an offensive force like the Lightning. They made the Devils pay on the second 2-man advantage when St Louis scored to cut the Devils lead to 2-1.

The Checking line. John Madden and Jay Pandolfo each finished the game with -2 rating. Obviously when the top guns like Lecavalier and St Louis account for three goals, the checking line has failed. If the Devils want to win, Lecavalier, St Louis and Brad Richards have to be shut down. Knowing how competitive Madden and Pandolfo are, I am sure they will bounce back for game two and shut them down.


The ugly goes to Tampa. We have been blessed having Martin Brodeur playing in net for so many years. The goalie situation in Tampa is a disaster. They are not the only team who goes into the playoffs with no experience, but it is a big challenge to go into the playoff with such a goalie tandem. The Devils need to take advantage of that goalie mess. For instance Brodeur gave up a goal on thirteen shots in the third period; Holmqvist gave up 2 on seven shots.


Tonight's game is the second of the series. Expect some tinkering in attitudes to respond to things that didn't go well in the first game. Tinkering for the Devils would be a better or more efficient effort from the checking line. I am sure Madden and Pandolfo will respond.

Oduya has to forget about holding penalties if he doesn't want to forget about the playoffs. Matvichuk is back stage waiting to get into the lineup. If he gets in, either Oduya or Greene would be scratched. Although Matvichuk hasn't played much and might be a little rusty, he has the experience and reliability that a rookie might lack.

Forget about taking penalties. The Devils took too many penalties on Thursday night and they can be grateful the Lightning didn't take too much advantage. The Devils must be aware that games will be called a little tighter especially early in the playoffs to set a tone.

For the Lightning, the first game gave them confidence that the top line could score against the Devils. Their main concern is in net and defense. The Devils took advantage of turnovers on two goals. The Lightning need to give more support to their goalie and cut down on turnovers if they want a better chance to win the game.