Lieutenant Dan

As Ottawa's captain, Alfredsson's impact must be felt

Ottawa staved off elimination from the NHL's Eastern Conference finals Monday night with a 3-1 win over the Devils. New Jersey now leads the series 3-2. SI.com spoke to Sports Illustrated senior writer Michael Farber about his expectations for Game 6.

SI.com: Despite their loss in Game 5, what has New Jersey done to knock the Senators off their game?

Farber: The Devils have forced Ottawa into changing its style. The Senators have played more conservatively than they’d like to; they haven’t been able to show their fabulous talent yet. Marian Hossa hasn’t put on a show, as he’s capable of doing. Daniel Alfredsson’s been a subpar player and Martin Havlat has been too easily pushed off the puck. The Devils, for the most part, have dictated the way the series has been played.

SI.com: Were the Senators able to do anything differently in Game 5?

Farber: Well, it was really only in the third period that the Senators turned that game around. The Devils were in the penalty box, which caused some trouble, but they were just where they wanted to be after two periods. Ottawa, with some terrific individual efforts, got back into the series. There was the snazzy goal by Jason Spezza, but even it evolved out of hard work and forechecking,

SI.com: It's unlikely we've seen the last of Spezza, but what took Ottawa so long to send him out for his playoff debut?

Farber: Ottawa is a good, deep team. And there was no guarantee that a 19-year-old -- albeit a very talented 19-year-old, one who had been up and down throughout the season -- was going to come in and give the Senators a double-espresso jolt. He came back to the lineup because the Senators were in desperate straits. Everyone can say "I told you so" now, but there was no guarantee we’d see what happened Monday night.

It also has to do with the basic conservative nature of Jacques Martin, who wasn’t going to make a move such as playing Spezza until he was cornered. It’s not in his nature to bring in a 19-year-old when there’s already a great deal of talent offensively.

SI.com: How much of the momentum swings in Ottawa’s direction after its Game 5 win?

Farber: That win boils down to the fact that there were a couple of New Jersey turnovers, and Ottawa capitalized on them. The Devils play with almost metronomic consistency, so the Game 5 loss was certainly not a mortal blow to them. What would have been shocking is if they had put out the Presidents’ Trophy winners in five games. A New Jersey victory in Game 5 would have been more surprising than the fact we’re seeing Game 6 Wednesday night.

SI.com: What do you expect to be the keys to Game 6?

Farber: We know what to expect from New Jersey. We’ll see that third line play a lot and Martin Brodeur will play well in goal. How well the Devils can bottle up Ottawa is, again, the key. I think Game 4, with the breakout scoring, was an anomaly. I doubt it will happen in Game 6. And we’ll see if Ottawa’s skill players can produce.

New Jersey’s game has remained constant. There’s not a lot to get back to because they don’t stray too far from the way they play. The Devils are the most predictable team remaining.

Coming into the series I thought Ottawa’s skill and renewed commitment would test the Devils’ defense. And, in fact, Burns has had to make changes to that defensive personnel. The Senators have made their mark, certainly, but New Jersey, while not necessarily being able to drag you into the muck, can certainly shrink the ice and make it difficult for skill players to operate.

SI.com: With New Jersey’s ability to wring the scoring out of an attack hard at work again, should we consider this a triumph of personnel?

Farber: Other than Patrik Elias, New Jersey is a team of, essentially, third-line players. Even Joe Nieuwendyk at this point in his career is a third-line talent. Scott Gomez, as much as we love him, is a third-line player. The Devils are very well coached, they have their identity and they know what suits them. Coach Pat Burns, St. Patrick, is Patron Saint of the Third Liners. He had the thirtysomething line in Montreal. He made a folk hero of Bill Berg in Toronto, and he had Tim Taylor in Boston. In New Jersey he has the perfect third-line guys in John Madden and Jay Pandolfo.

SI.com: Have you been disappointed in Patrick Lalime’s play?

Farber: He’s been up and down, but he has had two terrible games. The difference between Lalime and Jean-Sebastien Giguere is that Giguere raises his stick to give the five-hole, only to take it away with his pads. Giguere does this to keep his arms up so that the holes are smaller on the sides. Many of the New Jersey goals in this series have beaten Lalime in that same space between the arms, where Giguere hasn’t been letting them up.

SI.com: Alfredsson’s contributions, though, have been spotty. Is he capable of, or will he have to take over in Game 6?

Farber: Alfredsson’s been a big disappointment. He doesn’t have to win a game, but he hasn’t provided much of an impact. Alfredsson is a first-rank player, and this is the time of year when his reputation is made. He played well in last year’s playoffs but his reputation has taken a hit. I think he’s capable of more. This series presents a bigger challenge and this is the time for the captain not necessarily to win a game by himself but to lead his team. He’s a better player than he’s shown.

SI.com: Will home-ice help the Devils in Game 6?

Farber: I don’t know. In the past I’ve seen New Jersey play dynamite hockey at home. But the Devils have also had chances to put teams away and played like dolts, though it happens quite infrequently. Still, they’re in a situation were they don’t want to chance a Game 7 in Ottawa.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Michael Farber covers the NHL for the magazine and is a regular contributor to SI.com.

 

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