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Stoned cold Game 5 was all about goaltending
Posted: Friday June 09, 2000 04:47 PM
By Pierre McGuire, CNNSI.com
It was a privilege to just be in the building for Game 5. The chance to watch hockey players compete like the Devils and Stars did Thursday night was a real treat. The contest was all about passion, commitment and amazing goaltending. New Jersey's Martin Brodeur and Ed Belfour of the Stars played their best games of the series. And while the score may not indicate it, this game had plenty of exciting moments. In the end, however, it was all about the goaltending. Looking ahead, both coaches must be concerned about the many defensive breakdowns in Game 5. Those miscues were a major reason the goalies had to be so great. The goalies also had to be on top of their games because no one from either team wanted to leave their best effort in the dressing room. Mike Modano excelled for the Stars, as did Bobby Holik for the Devils. Holik created his chances by playing strong on the puck and moving quickly in transition. Modano, on the other hand, showed us why he is one of the top players in the NHL. The Dallas centerman, a target of Devils defensemen throughout the game, logged more minutes then any other Stars player (43:37). Credit the Stars coaching staff for recognizing that they were not getting enough offensive support through the neutral zone and for switching the defensive parings behind the Modano line (with Brett Hull and Jere Lehtinen on the wings). Defensemen Sergei Zubov and Darryl Sydor played behind the Modano line, and while they may not have done a lot offensively, they did a great job of supporting the attack. Dallas also did well on faceoffs. This was the first game in the series where the Stars were able to improve their offensive-zone faceoff play to the level they needed to. Center Joe Nieuwendyk won 70% of his faceoffs and Modano won 60%. If the Devils want to avoid a Game 7, they will have to come up with a way to improve their faceoff numbers. If not, Dallas will dictate the pace of Game 6 with puck possession. New Jersey would be wise to scramble a lot of draws, especially in its own end, and get wing and defensive support to recover the puck. The big question for the Stars is: How much do they have left in the tank? The Devils need to take a deep breath and keep from changing too much. New Jersey didn't play badly and the Devils were able to use most of their bench. Larry Robinson spread his ice time around -- only right wing Randy McKay saw spot duty (8:27). In Game 6 the Devils must be more aware when the Dallas defensemen jump into the rush and the cycle. Devils forwards were beaten to the net too many times Thursday night. And too often New Jersey was saved by poor Dallas passes. Game 6 should be a dandy. Let's just hope that the players didn't leave all
their jam in Game 5.
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