One team's disaster is another's opportunity. The fall of the NHL's western giants - first the Red Wings, then the Avalanche and Stars - has thrown the Stanley Cup race wide open. The anticipation must be especially palpable in the East, where the Devils and Senators know they can win the Stanley Cup without having to go through Detroit, Colorado or Dallas. Who would have thought it?
The 2003 final four includes just one member of the NHL's old guard. The New Jersey Devils have changed a lot in the last couple of years, but the core group - Scott Stevens, Ken Daneyko, Scott Niedermayer, Martin Brodeur - remains intact. Those players have more playoff experience and more Stanley Cup rings than the other three teams combined. With the NHL's eighth-highest payroll, the Devils are also the only big-budget team still standing. Anaheim (17th), Ottawa (25th) and Minnesota (30th, dead last) all rank in the lower reaches of the salary scale.
The Eastern Conference Final:
(1) Ottawa Senators vs. (2) New Jersey Devils
On the blueline, this is a nicely scripted clash of generations. The Devils still lean on wily old coots like Stevens and Daneyko - and a somewhat younger coot in Niedermayer - while most of the Senators' defensemen are in virgin territory. A similar match-up unfolds behind the bench, where New Jersey's Pat (Chuckles) Burns is a 14-year NHL vet, while Ottawa's Jacques (Inspector Clouseau) Martin is of a more recent vintage.
Up front, this looks like a mismatch. New Jersey gets full value from a decent group of forwards, but most of them wouldn't even crack the Ottawa lineup, which boasts three of the fastest, most talented lines in hockey. Can New Jersey's legendary checking game slow them down? If the score stays within a goal and the Senators' deadly power play gets few opportunities, you have to like the Devils' chances going into the third period or overtime. Martin Brodeur gives them the upper hand in the goaltending department.
But Ottawa has developed discipline and patience to accompany its renowned speed and agility. The Senators can break a game open, but they also know how to squeeze out a close one - they can, in other words, out-Devil the Devils. The guess here is that New Jersey is too slow in the back and too small up front, and Brodeur can't save them every night.
Senators win in six games.
Next page: The Western Final: Underdogs Unite!
