The Devils were outworked by the Kings for much of Game 1 on Wednesday night, and it was especially obvious when the trio of Ilya Kovalchuk, Adam Henrique and Alexei Ponikarovsky stepped on the ice. Devils blog In Lou We Trust explains, noting that they expect some changes in Peter DeBoer's lineup come Saturday night.
I'm anticipating DeBoer changing lines for Game 2 because the ones used tonight were just not good. The unit of Adam Henrique, Kovalchuk, and Alexei Ponikarovsky were particularly bad. Henrique was invisible at times, Kovalchuk was just poor with the puck, and Ponikarovsky was either panicking or completely lost on plays.
All three combined for three shots on net tonight and two came from Henrique. Kovalchuk needs to get more than just one shot on net; and Ponikarovsky needs to relax and play anything he resembled during the regular season. It was hard watching them at times.
Stick with SB Nation's dedicated NHL hub for full Stanley Cup finals coverage. For more on the New Jersey Devils, check out Devils blog In Lou We Trust. For more on the Los Angeles Kings, check out Jewels From The Crown and SB Nation Los Angeles.
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