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Step right up Top-seeded Senators present Devils with first major testPosted: Wednesday May 07, 2003 1:09 AMOTTAWA (AP) -- The New Jersey Devils have enjoyed a relatively easy run so far in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Now comes the hard part -- a showdown with the Ottawa Senators in the Eastern Conference finals. The best-of-seven series, which starts Saturday in Ottawa, will feature the top two seeds in the conference. The Devils ousted the Boston Bruins and the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first two rounds, eliminating both in only five games. They don't expect a similar waltz past Ottawa, which compiled 113 points in the regular season, tops in the NHL and five more than the Devils. The Senators beat the New York Islanders in five games and the Philadelphia Flyers in six. "I've been impressed with them all year long," Devils coach Pat Burns said. "They have a pretty good team, and they proved that to be where they are today." The Senators are in the conference semifinals for the first time in their 11-year history. "When you get past the second round, people all of a sudden start to take you seriously," general manager John Muckler said. "We're no longer the little boy on the block; we're the big boy now." The Devils' playoff success has been built on a solid defensive foundation. Burns matched center John Madden and defensemen Scott Stevens and Brian Rafalski against the opposition's top offensive threats. They neutralized Boston's Joe Thornton and Tampa Bay's duo of Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier. The Senators pose a challenge to that strategy because their talent runs deeper. They have a trio of gifted right wings in Marian Hossa, Martin Havlat and Daniel Alfredsson. "Contrary to the guys we played before in the other series, where we only had to worry about one or two guys, they have a guy on each line who can really hurt you," Burns said. "There are a lot of guys to worry about. Who is the No. 1 line on the Ottawa Senators?" That balance could add pressure on Martin Brodeur. The goaltender has been superb in the playoffs, compiling an 8-2 record with a 1.51 goals-against average. "I think our game is more refined than it was in the regular season," Brodeur said. "I think everybody knows what to do. We'll see who we match up against. There are so many of their players that we have to worry about." The Devils also have to worry about reversing their regular-season fortunes against the Senators. New Jersey won on opening night before Ottawa rebounded to take the next three matchups. The Senators outscored the Devils 13-8 and outshot them 109-97. "We can't turn the puck over," Madden said. "They are a team that thrives on turnovers. We've got to play simple hockey and do the little things that made us successful." The Devils, appearing in the conference finals for the third time in the last four years, will be well-rested. New Jersey wrapped up its series with the Lightning on Friday. Ottawa, making its debut in the conference finals, finished off the Flyers on Monday night. The Devils and Senators met once in the playoffs, in 1998. Ottawa, the eighth seed, upset top-ranked New Jersey in six games. "I have a great feeling about this team," said team captain Daniel Alfredsson. "I really like what we have here." But had the top-seeded, financially troubled Senators failed to get past either the eighth-seeded New York Islanders or the Flyers, it likely would have spelled the end of Jacque Martin's stint as coach. Since taking over midway through the 1995-96 season, Martin has 298 wins in the regular season. However, postseason flops are what his teams have been remembered for -- most notably losses to the Toronto Maple Leafs that ended each of the Senators' past three springs. Even after the Senators lost Game 1 of the opening round at home to the Islanders, it was suggested locally that Martin be fired and replaced by Muckler for the remainder of the playoffs. That wasn't the first time there were calls for Martin's job. "You can't listen ... as much as you want to appease and cater to the fans," Senators president Roy Mlakar said Tuesday. "Far too often, teams blame coaches instead of crediting them." Martin is a nominee for the Jack Adams Trophy as NHL coach of the year -- for the fourth time. "I've always appreciated the fact I've been given this opportunity here," Martin said. "When I came here, I had a goal in mind and, hopefully, I can achieve that. We've been battered and bashed in other years. You learn a lot from those bashings." Muckler was hired last summer when Marshall Johnston retired. When Johnston resurfaced as a director of player evaluation for the Chicago Blackhawks not long after, it fueled speculation things weren't all blissful in Ottawa. But the results can be seen in the team's most successful campaign, both in the regular season and the playoffs. "I wanted the best man and the man who was going to win for
us," Muckler said. "A lot of people look at [Martin's] playoff
record and say he wasn't successful, but I think he was with a team
that was going through growing pains. Now he has a group of men."
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