Devils & Penguins rivals
or just great Play-Off Game?
After sweeping the season series,
6-0 Over the Penguin"s,
You might question whether the New Jersey Devils
Look @ the Pittsburgh Penguins as "REAL" Rivals?
Devils' Captain Jamie Langenbrunner;
"There needs to be a few Playoff wars before 2 teams should even be considered archrivals. I think you need to have a playoff series against each other to build a rivalry. In the regular season, you develop a certain amount of battle. The playoffs magnify that a lot. You're seeing each other, 6-7 nights in a row, and you get that you're-ending-someone's-season mentality. You both have to be competitive and you're battling a team for the ultimate goal
-- a championship."
-Their last Postseason Game was The 01' Eastern Conference Finals.
Penguins Captain Sidney Crosby;
"I think our games with the Devils this season have built a rivalry. I don't think it's @ that point with the way it's with Philadelphia or Washington because history kind of allows for those things to develop. But I think with New Jersey, just over the course of the year, you could sense that the games have gotten more intense, more emotional, & that's not a bad thing."
Devils' Captain Jamie Langenbrunner;
"When you're matching yourself up against The Champion, it's a Big Game. I've been fortunate enough to be on teams gunning for you all year, & it's tough because you're getting the best game from everybody every night. We've had a great focus against the Penguins every time & I think we were fortunate to catch them on back-to-back nights on three occasions, but the biggest thing is we've shown good intensity and focus against them."
Devils Forward David Clarkson;
"I think it's always been a rivalry, but it's becoming more & more of an intense, Play-Off like game. Every time you play The Penguin's, you have to play your best because of what they're bringing & I think this year we've done that. You watch rivalries like us against the Rangers or against Philly or the Islanders & Pittsburgh & you can tell it's building around the League."
Devils Coach Jacques Lemaire;
"We got some breaks & guys work well & year after year it's changing. Some years you play certain teams & beat them & then you come to another season & Can't. I do know that it gets harder for the team that Wins the Cup because it's not only us, but everyone else shooting for them. It's a measuring stick for any team that plays them."
Pittsburgh's Jordan Staal;
"I thought it was critical to leave an impression on them, that we're a Team to be reckoned with & a tough Team to play against. Still, whether we won or not, we wanted to give them a hard game so that if we do meet in the playoffs,
They'll remember."
Penguins Defenseman Brooks Orpik;
"It seems like Marty Brodeur has played well every time we've faced him. It seems like a lot of the games we've had 35-40 shots & He's played really, really well for them. I'd say the last few games seemed more like a rivalry game or a game that was a
potentially exciting matchup for playoffs."
The victory over the Penguins enabled the Devils to move into 2nd place in the Eastern Conference.
Devils Center Dainius Zubrus;
"It's a good team & a good rivalry & We've had good games against them. They have a lot of skilled players so you have to play well. Guys get up for those games; it's kind of a measuring stick for us."
-J.GEIDEMAN 2010'
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