 |
| Seriously, how could I not make this the cover picture for the series? |
Here’s the beauty of the playoffs: both the Devils and the
Flyers are coming off emotional, physical and at times crazy series (for many
different reasons), but it’s time to quickly forget the past and get ready for
the next series. Of course, these two
division rivals know each other very well, and they’re about to get even more
familiar with each other. It’s the #5
Flyers and the #6 Devils, and the winner will reach the Eastern Conference
Finals.
First of all, let’s quickly recap what happened between the
Devils and Panthers. Many people thought
this would be a quick series and that the more skilled Devils would blow by the
Panthers. I picked the Devils to win in
5, but everyone who knows either team knew that it would be a tough series, and
it was just that. The Florida Panthers’
first trip to the playoffs since 2000 was a very competitive series. They gave the Devils everything they could
handle, and were one goal in double-overtime of Game 7 away from knocking off
the Devils.
The Devils played one of the best periods of hockey you’ll
ever see in Game 1 against Florida. They
scored three times, had 26 shots on goal and established themselves as a true
force in the series. While they didn’t
score after the first period of Game 1, they held on to win 3-2 and took the
lead in the series. They played a bit of
a lackadaisical Game 2 until the third period, when they attempted to overcome
a 3-0 deficit with two quick goals early in the third, but fell short, 4-2.
