NEWARK, N.J. -- The New Jersey Devils are sticking with the same lineup for Game 5 that earned them a win in Game 4.Coach Pete DeBoer announced on Saturday morning that there will be no lineup changes for the Devils on Saturday night, meaning defenseman Henrik Tallinder and forward Petr Sykora will remain in the lineup.
Both players were added before Game 4, with Sykora playing his first game since the Eastern Conference Final and Tallinder making his return to the ice after missing nearly four months due to a blood clot in his left leg.
Both players -- and especially Tallinder -- played strong games in their return.
"I knew he was ready to go," said DeBoer on Friday regarding his decision to put Tallinder into the lineup after missing such an extended period of time. "He had made that clear. I'd explained to him I felt that Peter Harrold and [Anton] Volchenkov had done a real good job for us. It was going to be tough to take those guys out of the lineup. Really, where I had a change of heart was just in his reaction. It wasn't negative. He was just adamant that he was ready, really thought he could help. When a player puts his neck on the line like that, I get a real comfort level knowing he was a veteran guy and knowing how good he was at the top of his game for us as a top-two guy, that he could help us. Little bit of a risk. But he basically talked me into that. Thought he was outstanding. Big boost for us."
DeBoer also wasted no time in putting Tallinder into big situations.
The veteran defenseman played over 19 minutes on Wednesday and saw his playing time increase as the game went on. It's also not just a matter of how much he played, but also who he had to play against taking 15 of his 29 shifts (including seven of his 11 third period shifts) against the top Los Angeles line of Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown.
Game 4 turned out to be one of the quietest games Kopitar and Brown have played this postseason as the two combined for just two shots on goal (both coming from Brown). Kopitar attempted just one shot, missing the net.
"I felt pretty comfortable," said Tallinder on Friday. "I've been skating for three weeks. Felt better and better and better. Once you start practicing with the team again, you know, you get to feel a little bit. It's not the same, but you get the feel a little bit if you lost something or not, something like that."
On Saturday morning DeBoer was asked if the second game back could actually prove to be an even bigger challenge for the two veterans than the first game back.
"I don't see that as an issue," said DeBoer. "I don't have to talk to those guys. Between them they've got decades of experience at the NHL level and in the playoffs. They know their bodies. I don't buy that the second game is going to be tougher. You're in the Stanley Cup Final. They're ready to go."
Photo: Getty Images
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