Philadelphia Flyers Will Have To Exorcise the Devils To Win the East

As we hit the stretch drive of the NHL season, the Flyers appear to be in a good spot. 

They are solidly within the playoff picture but have been flying under the radar in the Eastern Conference thanks to the surprising success of the Boston Bruins and the continued strong play of Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals.

But while these are formidable foes, the Flyers’ focus should rest on their old nemeses up the turnpike, the New Jersey Devils. Who could have predicted that it would be the Devils leading the Atlantic Division at this point in the season? 

Not the powerful Penguins, fresh off a Stanley Cup Finals appearance and sporting the two best centermen in the game. 

Not the Rangers, with all of their offseason acquisitions and the omnipresent world-class goaltending of Henrik Lundqvist. 

Not the Islanders...ok, that part is a joke.

The point is, it would not have been a stretch just a few months ago to have the Devils pegged as the fourth-best team in this division and struggling to make the playoffs. 

After all, for years they have seemed to be doing it with smoke and mirrors. Smoke, mirrors, and a lot of Martin Brodeur. So when Brodeur went down very early this season with the first serious injury of his stellar 15-year career, the Devils were quickly written off.

But lest we forget the man who runs the show, the best general manager in the NHL, Lou Lamoriello. Don’t give me Ken Holland in Detroit. Or Doug Wilson in San Jose. Or Glen Sather...sorry, another joke.

When Lou signed former Devils Bobby Holik and Brian Rolston this past summer, everyone thought he was just giving us his best Jake Blues impression by “getting the band back together.”

Apparently Randy McKay and Neal Broten were unavailable. But Holik and Rolston have played a part in turning the Devils into serious contenders this spring.

The resurgence of Patrik Elias hasn’t hurt, either. On the cusp of stardom after a 96-point season in 2000-'01, Elias had settled into the 65-point range in subsequent years.  But this year he is back with a vengeance and should return to the 90-point level.

Still, the biggest story for the Devils among the forward ranks has been the blossoming of fourth-year wing Zach Parise, who will threaten the 50-goal and 100-point marks.  No one expected him to be this good this soon.

When it comes to defense, the Devils are their usual stingy selves, currently allowing the fifth fewest goals per game in the league. The corps itself plays well as a unit, but is unspectacular. Long gone is the intimidating physical presence of Scott Stevens and Ken Daneyko and the offensive skills of Scott Niedermayer and Brian Rafalski.

Colin White, in the mold of Daneyko, is now the veteran leader of the group. Of the rest of the blueliners, Paul Martin and Johnny Oduya are the most offensively gifted, although I use that term loosely, as neither are serious threats to score or are particularly skilled at running the point on a power play.

The remainder of the crew (Bryce Salvador, Mike Mottau, Andy Greene, etc.) are good depth players who have been surprisingly effective this year. Then again, anonymous defensemen have always seemed to thrive in the Devils’ system.

This brings us to the Devils’ scariest component: goaltending.  With Brodeur missing over half the year, Scott Clemmensen has been lights-out in his place, winning 25 games so far. Kevin Weekes, who was initially the choice to replace Brodeur, struggled at first but has now won his last five starts when he spells Clemmensen.

When Brodeur returns, look out.  Having been worked like a mule for his entire career, Brodeur has appeared to have been worn down several times in the playoffs. That will not be the case this year.

A fresh Brodeur. A backup goaltender that has proved himself to be capable. A defensive unit that lacks flair but gets the job done night after night. A breakout star leading the offense. A solid supporting cast.

A coach that has his team playing its best hockey.  The best GM in the league, probably with a trick or two still up his sleeve for the trading deadline.  Add it all up and the Devils could very well be back in the Stanley Cup Finals this year.

The rest of the conference is well aware of the facts. Since 1995, the Devils have won three Stanley Cups and made four trips to the Finals. Of the rest of the conference, only Carolina has made it there twice since then, with seven other teams making one trip apiece.

But it’s the Flyers who have been the most directly impacted by the Devils’ success.

Even though the Flyers emerged victorious in 2004, the last time they met the Devils in the playoffs, the memories of Conference Final losses in 1995 and 2000 will always weigh on the minds of the fans until the Flyers are able to beat the Devils en route to the Stanley Cup, or at least an appearance in the Finals.

So here’s to the eternal hope that this is the year. The Devils, however, will have a lot to say about whether or not it is.