The Devils' doctrine

New Jersey's clockwork system produced a familiar result

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New Jersey Devils won Game 1 on home ice in a manner they used so successfully during the regular season. It starts with dogged determination all over the ice -- an adherence to a smothering system in the neutral zone that keeps the puck to the outside at all times. It ends with goaltender Martin Brodeur making an array of acrobatic saves at pivotal junctures, especially when the game hangs in the balance.

And while individuals ultimately decided the outcome -- Jamie Langenbrunner opportunistically scoring both goals -- the effort and attention to the system by all involved is what strikes you when you watch the Devils play.

They are seldom out of position and they rarely forsake the obvious for the complicated. They stared down the Bruins and dared them to make a mistake. To their credit, the B's didn't make many, but the winning goal was a direct result of Michal Grosek's miscalculation when under mild pressure in his end of the rink.

The physical play, too, stood out on the part of the Devs. Big hits by Turner Stevenson rocked Bruins backliner Bryan Berard three times, and Grant Marshall threw his weight around to mostly good effect, save for the collision with teammate Scott Gomez in the first period that sidelined Gomez with whiplash. In the end, it was a total team effort.

Not that the Bruins didn't have their chances. They finally got their forecheck going in the third period. And goaltender Steve Shields was rock solid in his own right, with no fault on either goal. And the Devils power play went O-fer again, unable to establish a 3-0 cushion on two occasions. The Bruins seemingly were one big play away all night long, often looking like their were waiting for something from their main man, Joe Thornton. As a result, the game remained close, but was ultimately just out of reach.

And that is just the way of the Devils -- on this night, like most others.

Darren Eliot, a former NHL goaltender, is a hockey analyst for SI.com. Eliot will provide Stanley Cup Playoffs commentary throughout the postseason and is also broadcasting games for NHL Radio.

 

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