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Chat Reel: SI's Michael Farber
As usual, goalies will tell the tale in second round
Posted: Thursday April 27, 2000 06:36 PM
Sports Illustrated senior writer Michael Farber joined CNNSI.com users on Thursday, April 27, to discuss the NHL playoffs. A transcript of the chat follows.
CNNSI.com Host: Welcome to our NHL playoffs chat with Sports Illustrated senior writer Michael Farber. Thanks for joining us, Mike.
Michael Farber: My pleasure.
From Guest: Do you think that the Leafs' 3-0-1 record against the Devils during the regular season is bad news for New Jersey, or do you throw that out now?
Michael Farber: Bad news for whom? I don't put much stock in it. Martin Brodeur played poorly in the games against Toronto in the regular season; he is playing at a much higher level now. The Devils were impressive in the first round, not necessarily because they swept, but because they seemed comfortable playing in one-goal games. There is a misconception that the Devils are a trapping, one-dimensional team. In fact, I believe they scored four goals more than the explosive Maple Leafs during the regular season.
From Guest: Is Patrick Elias-Jason Arnott-Petr Sykora the best complete, young line in the NHL right now?
Michael Farber: Not in Round 1. They certainly didn't get the job done against the Panthers, and they need to be far more productive against Toronto for New Jersey to win. Five of the 12 New Jersey goals against Florida came from the back, from defensemen. Arnott certainly has matured in New Jersey, and Elias and Sykora certainly can be dynamic players, but I wouldn't give them that blessing. Until their total flameout in the first round, I would've said Ottawa's Radek Bonk-Magnus Arvedson-Marian Hossa were the young line to watch.
From Guest: The Flyers seem healthy with the exception of Eric Lindros; how are the Pens' Jaromir Jagr and Jan Hrdina?
Michael Farber: The Penguins seem to be fine. In the playoffs we have what I call the "diagonal rule": If a player or team says his right ankle is hurt, it's usually his left shoulder. The groin is the all-purpose injury; if you say you have a bad groin you put the opposition in a dilemma, because you can't spear a guy there. Jagr hasn't practiced much, but he sets his own schedule. I expect we'll see him and Hrdina tonight in Philly. And I expect they will be dancing -- not together.
From Guest: What was the biggest surprise of the first round?
Michael Farber: The biggest surprise was that Sergei Berezin actually passed the puck on the 2-on-1 with Steve Thomas in Toronto's 2-1 OT victory over Ottawa in Game 5. If you had Berezin at your dinner table and asked him to pass the butter, he'd probably shoot it instead. If we're talking about a series, clearly San Jose's victory over St. Louis does it for me. St. Louis, other than in Game 6, never really replicated that smart, punishing, dedicated style it displayed during the regular season. The Sharks deserve a world of credit, however, for taking advantage of some wacky goals and some bounces. That is a good, grinding and growing club.
From Guest: Whom would you pick right now as the Conn Smythe Trophy frontrunners?
Michael Farber: It's early, it's unbelievably early. Traditionally, the Conn Smythe winner comes from the champion; I happen to pick Dallas, but there is no obvious choice on the Stars. If Pittsburgh keeps going, Jagr clearly would be one of the choices. If Philly plays well you have to look at a number of people including Mark Recchi and Brian Boucher. Out West, there's Steve Thomas and Mats Sundin in Toronto. But it's way too early for this kind of speculation. As things progress you'll see the usual suspects, from Ed Belfour, Joe Nieuwendyk and Mike Modano in Dallas; Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy in Colorado; Nicklas Lidstrom and Steve Yzerman in Detroit.
From Guest: Does Claude Lemieux have another big playoff run in him, or are his Conn Smythe days over?
Michael Farber: His Conn Smythe days are over but he can still be an effective playoff performer because he gets to the net, creates traffic and causes trouble. He had only one assist against the Panthers, and it's a tribute to the Devils that they breezed through that series with little from the Arnott line or from Lemieux.
From Guest: You pick Dallas, obviously to win it all, but whom do you like coming out of the East?
Michael Farber: I like New Jersey. I like the balance on that club and I like the Devils a whole lot better now that Martin Brodeur is stopping the puck in the spring once again. Brodeur is the key to the team, and some of the saves he made on Pavel Bure and Ray Whitney, saves in key moments of the game and under pressure, lead me to believe he's going to have an unbelievable playoffs.
From Guest: It's Game 7: Do you take Martin Brodeur or Curtis Joseph in goal?
Michael Farber: Excellent question. ... Wow. ... For one game, if I had to pick a one-game goalie in the second round, history tells me I take Joseph. That said, Joseph was fine but not great against Ottawa, and I think Brodeur has raised his level a notch. We tend to forget how good Brodeur really can be. In a series I would take Brodeur right now, but Joseph in one game is probably as good a goalie as you'll find this side of Dominik Hasek. Good question.
From Guest: Can Patrick Roy outduel Chris Osgood and the deep Red Wings defense?
Michael Farber: Patrick's played very well in the playoffs; I think this was a real issue with Colorado. But he's not going against Osgood; he's going against the deepest team in the playoffs. Detroit can hurt you with any line, which is what makes them so dangerous. They also have Nicklas Lidstrom, who, with Chris Pronger eliminated, is the best defenseman left in the tournament. Roy's problem won't be Osgood; Osgood doesn't try to score nearly as much as Brodeur does. That's the most intriguing series out there.
From Guest: What is your take on the Islanders sale? Is this good news for the franchise?
Michael Farber: Any time you have someone who can pay the bills, you're probably in better shape. Things couldn't have gotten worse. And it's nice to have an owner who, when you ask him about his "record," unlike John Spanos it won't be a criminal record. Nothing could hurt them worse than they've already been hurt.
From Guest: How do you think the Devils will try to deal with Mats Sundin? Will they have Scott Stevens targeting him, or perhaps stick someone like Jay Pandolfo out there to get on him?
Michael Farber: I suspect they will go with their No. 1 defense pair, or their toughest pair -- Stevens and Brian Rafalski -- against the Sundin-Steve Thomas-Jonas Hoglund line. It worked against Bure, and I suspect they'll worry more about the defensive matchups than the forwards. The Devils do have several good forwards who can help shut players down, and both Pandolfo and John Madden are adept defensively.
From Guest: Do you think Alexei Yashin should be allowed to play in the World Championships?
Michael Farber: If I had to guess, no. The reason is the NHL has been allowed to appoint the arbitrator, and the arbitration is in New York. And my sense is he probably would've been better off if the IIHF had won the coin toss and gotten the arbitrator. The hearing is Saturday in New York at 9 a.m., and the World Championships start later that day.
From Guest: How do you evaluate the two deals the Devils made late in the year, for Alex Mogilny and for Vladimir Malakhov?
Michael Farber: Malakhov is Winston Churchill's definition of Russia: a riddle wrapped in an enigma. He hasn't played that well yet for New Jersey, but in terms of raw skills he's one of the top 10 defenseman in the league, so you have to like that. Mogilny showed flashes against Florida, but I think he needs to do more. The feeling of competitiveness that the Devils usually show is going to rub off on Mogilny, and I look for him to have a big second round against Toronto.
From Guest: Do you see any teams storming through this round and getting some rest for the conference finals?
Michael Farber: The quickest series out there that I can see would be Philly over Pittsburgh. I am constantly underestimating the Pens; I seem to have a blind spot where they're concerned. That series could go five. The key will be Boucher, who did well in goal the first round but left some fat, juicy rebounds. The Sabres never got to those rebounds, but Pittsburgh has a better group of forwards. If the Flyers can tighten up defensively, Philadelphia should win that series in five. I see the others going longer. Dallas is more talented than San Jose but the Stars never do anything easy, and you know the Sharks are going to make it hard.
From Guest: Is Toronto being underestimated against the Devils?
Michael Farber: I think a lot of people like Toronto for a couple reasons: Mats Sundin seems to have become a playoff player, shaking a reputation that has haunted him since Game 6 of the first round of 1993, when Pierre Page went ballistic behind the Quebec Nordiques bench and blamed Sundin for everything bad that had befallen his team. Also, Curtis Joseph has been a very good playoff goalie, and the Leafs do have a dynamic attack.
From Guest: What, in your opinion, is the state of hockey now? For the first time in a while, most of the "best teams" are through the first round ... is this good or bad?
Michael Farber: I think it's great that the so-called best teams are through, although the President's Trophy winner in St. Louis probably doesn't feel that way. I think the playoffs enable the NHL to erase the bad taste the last weeks of the regular season left. There were some problems in the first round -- with stick fouls and Philadelphia's John LeClair going six-hole against the Sabres -- but I think the playoffs themselves have been compelling and the hockey is going to get better. The problem is the NHL playoffs are the one sport in which more people seem to lose interest when their team is out.
From Guest: What was St. Louis's downfall in the first round?
Michael Farber: St. Louis just seemed to lose its sense of purpose and its sense of style. The Blues didn't play the way they've played all year. And like a metronome, they kept repeating that game night in and night out. Roman Turek was also below par, letting in some terrible goals.
From Guest: Is it too bad that we have to get a Colorado-Detroit series out of the way so soon?
Michael Farber: We can't stagemanage this. This is the best rivalry in the NHL -- almost an instant rivalry. Just add water, or in this case Claude Lemieux rearranging Kris Draper's face. There were four superb teams out West; three are still in it. We take our great hockey where we can find it.
CNNSI.com Host: That's all we have time for today. Thanks for chatting with us, Mike.
Michael Farber: O.K., any time.
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