11 - New Jersey Devils

NEW PLAYERS 7
NEW RULES HURT
BETTER THAN '03-04? NO

Had the NHL 's lockout dragged into a second season, Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur had a backup plan. Last year he invested in La Pizzeria etc., a casual Italian restaurant in Montreal 's north end, and as he told Montreal 's Gazette while at the eatery in August, "On Oct. 1, I would have been making deliveries."

Brodeur still makes his dough--a team-high $5.2 million--as an upper-crust netminder, but his work environment has nevertheless been transformed. The NHL 's new rule restricting goaltender movement behind the net was implemented precisely to limit corner-to-corner roamers such as Brodeur , and he'll see changes when he looks up the ice as well. Brodeur will have neither crease-clearing force Scott Stevens (retired) nor Norris Trophy winner Scott Niedermayer (signed with Anaheim ) to defuse oncoming offenses.

Fear not. Brodeur 's stickhandling ability is so superb that he is the rare goalie who will benefit from the new allowance of two-line passes; he'll be able to fling the puck up-ice to get breakout plays rolling. And Devils G.M. Lou Lamoriello hasn't left Brodeur unsupported. He brought in snarling 6'2", 230-pound Dan McGillis to a defense still rich in skill and know-how. "You don't expect Brodeur 's game to fall off," says Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock . "For all the great talent he has, he's a really tough guy to outwork. He never gives up on a puck or shot. That can be tough to deal with over the course of a game."

With Patrick Roy retired and the Senators' Dominik Hasek seemingly in his dotage at age 40, Brodeur , 33, is in a class of one among the goaltending elite. Winner of back-to-back Vezina trophies, Brodeur is even more daunting in the postseason, during which he has led New Jersey to three Stanley Cups and in 2003 set a record with seven shutouts. That's why when the Devils look at their roster, they derive such optimism from a single source. In the words of forward Sergei Brylin , "We still have Marty." --K.K.

Insider
The Devils never beat themselves.... Watch for center Zach Parise , 21, to break through as an offensive force.

LINEUP

LW
Patrik Elias
Jeff Friesen
Jay Pandolfo

C
Scott Gomez
Zach Parise [rookie]
John Madden

RW
ALEXANDER MOGILNY
Brian Gionta
Jamie Langenbrunner