EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

By HELENE ELLIOTT

May 13, 2000 12 AM PT

* Season series: New Jersey, 4-1-0.

* Leading scorers: Flyers--Mark Recchi 28-63--91. Devils--Patrik Elias 35-37--72.

* Leading playoff scorers: Flyers--Recchi 2-9--11. Devils--Elias 3-7--10.

* Team goals-against average: Flyers 2.14 (second in NHL). Devils 2.45 (eighth).

* Playoff goals-against average: Flyers 1.72 (second). Devils 1.50 (first).

* Power play: Flyers 20.3% (second). Devils 20.1% (third).

* Playoff power play: Flyers 25% (first). Devils 17.1% (fifth).

* Penalty killing: Flyers 86.7% (sixth). Devils 87.5% (fourth).

* Playoff penalty killing: Flyers 88.9% (fifth). Devils 97.1% (first).

* Keys: The Flyers defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round after losing the first two games at home, displaying resilience, good faceoff skills and a surprising amount of speed up front. Rookie goalie Brian Boucher (1.73 goals-against average, .926 save percentage) continued to excel, and rookie defenseman Andy Delmore scored five goals against the Penguins to supplement big scorers John LeClair (six goals) and Recchi. Their defensemen have taken some offensive chances--Eric Desjardins leads defensemen with nine points--but they’ll probably be more conservative against the Devils. Center Daymond Langkow was a revelation against Pittsburgh, winning faceoffs and scoring four goals. Center Keith Primeau, valuable for his size and muscle, is questionable after suffering a neck injury in the finale against Pittsburgh. The Devils suffocated the Florida Panthers in a first-round sweep and took six games to stifle the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Devils don’t win style points, but they’re fast, big and well-schooled defensively and tough to catch if they get a lead. Rookie-of-the-year favorite Scott Gomez awakened from a lull to score two goals against Toronto and used his playmaking skills well with Alexander Mogilny and Sergei Nemchinov. Jason Arnott, Elias and Petr Sykora did considerable damage against Toronto, but they must withstand hits from the bigger Flyers. Defensemen Scott Stevens and Brian Rafalski will see a lot of LeClair, and the series may hinge on who prevails around the net.

* Prediction: New Jersey in seven.

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Helene Elliott

Helene Elliott was with the Los Angeles Times’ Sports department from 1989 to 2024, first as a staff writer and then, starting in 2006, as a columnist. She became the first female journalist to be honored with a plaque in the Hall of Fame of a major professional sport as the 2005 winner of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Elmer Ferguson Award, awarded to writers “who have brought honor to journalism and to hockey.” A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., and graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, she has covered 18 Olympics.

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

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