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What, us worry? Devils aren't going to get hung up on Lindros
Posted: Wednesday May 24, 2000 01:15 AM
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- The return of star center Eric Lindros to the Philadelphia Flyers' lineup for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference final evoked a so-what response from the New Jersey Devils. "We can't worry about if Lindros is in the lineup or whether he's on the first line, second line or third line," Devils coach Larry Robinson said Tuesday. "They have control over that. All we have control over is our first shift and last shift. We have to approach this no differently than we did the last game. This is do-or-die situation for us." The Devils kept their season and their hopes of a second Stanley Cup since 1995 alive by beating the Flyers 4-1 on Monday night, cutting Philadelphia's lead in the best-of-seven series to 3-2. Lindros, who has been sidelined since March 12 with a concussion, practiced for the first time Tuesday. After the workout, coach Craig Ramsay said Lindros will be in the Flyers' lineup at the Continental Airlines Arena on Wednesday night. "You have to respect his abilities because he is one of the best players in the league," center Bobby Holik said. "But I think we can play against their team with whoever they have in the lineup, whether they miss two or three of their top players or they have them all." Robinson isn't sure how much Lindros will be able to contribute after being sidelined more than two months. To emphasize that point, Robinson noted that when he inserted Steve Brule into the Devils' lineup for Game 4, the rookie struggled after having not played in a game for three weeks. "He [Brule] couldn't go for the fourth shift because he was out of breath," Robinson said. "You can practice all you want, but practice and games are different, totally different." Going against Lindros might cause the Devils to make adjustments. They want to have a big center going up against him. However, the Devils' overall game plan would not change much. They want to play smart, positional hockey, keep the puck on the outside and prevent opponents from crashing the net. "It won't disrupt us at all," goaltender Martin Brodeur said. "We'll just go out and play the same way whether he's in there or not. We never look at one player to make a big difference. But if there is one player who could make a big different, it's Eric. He's a talented guy, but it's been a while since he played. We'll see." Whenever Lindros has played against New Jersey, the Devils have always put defenseman Scott Stevens out against him. However, if Lindros doesn't skate on the Flyers' top line that could change. "They are not a one-line team. They've proved that," Stevens said. "You can't cover everyone out there. My job is going to cover whichever line presents the biggest challenge or has the most depth. We'll go from there after that, but we have people who can handle the other guys."
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