TORONTO – Tie Domi will have to find someone else. Krzysztof Oliwa won’t be back in these playoffs.
The Devils’ 6-foot-5 enforcer underwent season-ending left knee surgery yesterday for a sprain suffered April 2 in Tampa.
Oliwa had hoped that rest and rehabilitation would allow him to return for the playoffs, but that possibility vanished yesterday.
The Devils did not take a fighting major in the first round sweep of Florida.
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Goaltending superiority was a major factor in New Jersey’s triumph over the Panthers, but against Toronto’s Curtis Joseph, they can’t expect the gifts given by Mike Vernon.
So, Jason Arnott has compiled a little scouting report he is giving his teammates on Joseph, his ex-teammate in Edmonton.
“He goes down,” Arnott said. “If you can fake like you’re going to shoot and then go upstairs, that’s your best chance. Even then, he gets a piece of it.
“You always need that extra effort to get in the net. Rebounds, too. Upstairs.”
Joseph had some trouble in Games 3 and 4 against Ottawa, but compiled a solid 1.61 goals-against average in the six-game ouster of the Senators. Martin Brodeur, on the other hand, is 4-0 with a 1.5 GAA, tied for the playoff lead with Detroit’s Chris Osgood.
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Arnott’s right wrist remains sore, while Ken Danyeko is still hurting from his abdominal pull. Sergei Brylin did not skate with the team in practice yesterday, sidelined with a right knee sprain, and is questionable for this series.
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Larry Robinson said his boys should welcome the spotlight that will shine in hockey’s hotbed, the city of Toronto.
“You have to look at it like, ‘This is great. Everybody’s watching, everybody’s talking,'” Robinson said. “If you can’t handle it now, I don’t know what you’re going to do down the road.
“This is a great opportunity for a lot of kids. It’s something they’ll remember all their lives.”
Except that the Leafs’ new home is another homogenized arena, not the majestic Maple Leaf Gardens.
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Robinson lists his 2-for-16 power play as his prime disappointment from the first round. Penalty-killer John Madden, who was centering for the one PPG the Devils scored before four minutes remained in the series, has a suggestion.
“It just needs to be simplified,” Madden said. “Stop making cross-ice passes. Forward to the point, and crash the net for rebounds.
“The hardest thing for a penalty killer to do is find pucks after they’re shot on net, and pick up players after the puck’s been shot. There’s too much passing around the box.”