Game 7 showdown at Prudential Center tonight

BIG BIG BIG game tonight in Newark, game 7 between Carolina (boo hiss) and YOUR New Jersey Devils! Winner take all. Johnny will be there as he loves the high drama of a game 7. One bad bounce and you're done, one mistake and you can break out the golf clubs, one bad game and you're---well you're the San Jose Sharks who avoided the embarrassing second round collapse this year by losing in the first round last night to Anaheim.

OK Devils, let's do this thing...

Hurricanes, come out to play-y-y-y-y-y

The Devils are really up against it tonight in Raleigh...

Johnny remembers the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals when Detroit played Carolina for the title and had an amazing 3 OT game at the RBC Center in game 3. It's loud. Not just regular loud but dare we say, hillbillies dranking bur all day loud (Johnny remembers a kid who was 13 at the time being interviewed about his Hurricanes--kid's name was Spanky Creech, like we said a hillbilly paradise). All three overtimes it rocked and rocked and got louder and louder. Of course the Wings won that night on a goal by Igor Larionov but the point is, the Devils will need some extra effort to carry them tonight especially with captain Jamie Langenbrunner out for at least both games in Raleigh with the dreaded 'lower body injury'.

So, who steps up? Who is the Devil that will be THE MAN today? Will it have to be Martin Brodeur? Will Zach Parise show his 40+ goal season was no fluke and put a couple in the back of the onion bag? Will Brendan Shanahan show off that veteran leadership and dent the twine on the powerplay? Hard questions await Devils fans, the answers will be known by bedtime.

Here's the Larionov goal by the way, 1:06 AM

Johnny's most excellent Devils first round primer and prediction

OK here we go, just minutes from the greatest tournament in all of sports. The New Jersey Devils have drawn the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round.

For as similar as these teams are, it's the small differences that will decide the series. Both teams forecheck hard and have great leadership. Langenbrunner and Elias and Shanahan provide excellent leadership for New Jersey. Rod Brind'Amour and Eric Staal provide it for Carolina. Both teams have solid if unspectacular defense corps. Cam Ward, the Carolina netminder, while lacking the career accolades of Devils star goalie Martin Brodeur can and most likely will match him. Do not think if you're a Devils fan just because Ward's name isn't Brodeur he's not a capable netminder.

Johnny thinks this'll break down like this: The Hurricanes will have an advantage in the faceoff circle, that's critical. Brind'Amour is one of the best ever. The Devils will have an advantage in sheer ability to score goals. If Parise gets bottled up, the Devils still have go to guys. Carolina isn't as goal ability strong as New Jersey. The Devils have home ice but Johnny thinks that's something that fans worry more about than players. Carolina got hot at the end of the year to make it in as the 6th seed. The Devils started strong and had a few normal travails that good teams have and still wound up with over 100 points.

Here's the difference; The Devils are better rested, giving them a little more energy to draw on coming in. This is going to be a long hard series. The Devils need to win the first two games at home, that could prove their undoing if they don't. You need those first two at home to really apply pressure on the opposition, forcing them to beat you 4 out of 5 games.

Devils in 7

Other first round matchups

Capitals over the Rangers in 5
Bruins over the Canadiens in 5
Flyers over the Penguins in 7

Western Conference
Sharks over the Ducks in 6
Red Wings (Woo Hoo) over the Blue Jackets in 6
Blues over Canucks in 7
Blackhawks over the Flames in 7