Devils/Flyers Quarterfinals: Legitimate Causes for Concern

During the course of a playoff series, people make observations of what's going on after three games. They judge a team's chances of winning a playoff series based on getting a feel of what's going on.

It's been three games so far and it's safe to say the Devils are in trouble.

Even if the Devils even the series at two by winning tonight, their issues are not going to go away.

This team can't score. They don't know how to execute their power play.

It's an issue that is haunting the team right now. Patrik Elias admitted it as much after the game on Sunday night.

A team can boast about the defense and the great goaltending all they want, but what matters more is putting the puck in the net. That's the difference between advancing to the next round and staying at home.

People focus more about how many goals are scored in a tight playoff game. That's what it boils down to.

Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise, Travis Zajac, and Elias have done next-to-nothing. Dainius Zubrus does his thing in the postseason, but if he is their best player, something is wrong.

Kovalchuk scored only one goal, and that was an empty-netter in Game Two. While he has done a good job of being an agitator in Game Two, his job is to score goals.

So far, he looks tentative with the puck. He's obviously pressing. He managed to have only one shot on Sunday night.

That's what happens when the superstar is doing too much. It's in his head now. He knows he is not getting it done.

When a struggling player realizes that, he starts to press and be passive. That's the case of the Devils' hired gun.

Parise and Zajac have not done much with the puck other than passing. Would it kill them to actually shoot the puck?

Those two have not done a good job of creating scoring chances or finding the open guy.

Elias is playing as if he is washed up. Did anyone even see him with the puck?

Credit the Flyers defensemen for getting in the Devils' grill by checking them and throwing them down. With that said, those guys need to fight their way through it.

On a four-for-four power play, the Devils forwards should have an easy time of scoring their goals. Yet, they approach their power play opportunity as if it's a Chinese fire drill.

Kovalchuk is supposed to make the power play better, but he's not doing that.

Going two-for-eight in the power play is not going to make the situation any better.

The defense has not been great. Jacques Lemaire's strength is getting the most out of his players on defense.

It hasn't been the case so far. There have been too many second chances not to mention inability to clear the puck out of Martin Brodeur's territory. That game-winning goal in overtime should have been cleared out.

Lemaire changed every pairing out there with no success. It comes down to the team not having depth at defense, not to mention the players are nothing special at defense.

Even if the stars all of sudden show up, it's going to be hard for the defensemen to play any better when one looks at their limitations.

This is one reason why the Devils will have a hard time against the Flyers.

Brodeur can't continue to mask the mistakes of his defense. He can only make that many saves. At some point, he needs that puck to be cleared out.

Look for them to show desperation again tonight, but at some point, that can only go so far.

Once a team plays a series for three or four games, teams know their counterpart's strength and weakness.

The Flyers figured out the Devils'. They know they will score goals against the Devils' defense, and they also know they can rely on their goons to beat up on the Devils' stars.

This can't be encouraging.