Continuing the trend of alternating wins, Eric Staal and the Carolina Hurricanes demolished Zach Parise's Devils in Game Six of this Eastern Conference Quaterfinal Match-up.Eric Staal's recently formed line, featuring Ray Whitney and Chad Larose flanking him on the wings, combined to score nine points, as the Canes punished New Jersey 4-0.
Kudos to coach Paul Maurice, who noticed that his line combinations seemed to be running a little stale during Game Five, and flipped centers Matt Cullen and Eric Staal. Cullen centered Erik Cole and Tuomo Ruutu, Staal's usual wingers.
Throughout the game Staal's line was a force. Staal was a bull in a china shop around the net, Whitney's vision was on full display, and Larose was excellent down low and on puck retrieval.
The Devils offense was invisible in this one. They were never able to establish a forecheck, and all of their offensive chances were of the "one and done" variety. When you are opposing a goalie like Cam Ward you need to get second chance opportunities.
Perhaps the most surprising occurrence for the Devils was the invisibility of Zach Parise. Usually one of the most noticeable players on the ice, he had little affect on the outcome of this one, despite the return of his linemate and Devils' Captain Jamie Langenbrunner.
Carolina played an excellent game, forced the play offensively, and smothered New Jersey defensively. If the Devils want to take Game Seven they will need to be more persistent both offensively and defensively.
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