The Matchup: New Jersey Devils vs. Dallas Stars

The Question: Who has a better chance of making the finals?

Jason Arnott

Mike Modano

Devils better on paper
It's hard to say if either the New Jersey Devils or the Dallas Stars, who meet Wednesday night, are closer to returning to the Stanley Cup finals. While the Devils may appear to be a bit stronger than the Stars, the Devils also have to deal with the pressure of being the defending champions, a feeling very familiar to the Stars, who won in '99.

Everybody is out to beat the Devils this season. Plus, one of the biggest stumbling blocks is the defending champion's ability to return to the emotional level at which it thrived the previous year. There is no doubt the Devils are still one of the league's elite teams. They have great balance, depth, defense and goaltending.

On paper, New Jersey has all the elements for another championship run.

The Devils are playing much better hockey since Jason Arnott and Scott Niedermayer returned from their holdouts. They are now a complete team. Arnott completes the first line, which was the best in last year's playoffs. A lot of centers can't handle Arnott because he's so big and strong and can score goals. Arnott, Patrik Elias and Petr Sykora are really tough to handle and have great chemistry. Niedermayer will play 20-25 minutes and he quarterbacks everything.

New Jersey's balance really showed throughout the playoffs, but what surprised everybody was how good and solid the Devils were from top to bottom and how well they used their depth. Some people may have underestimated them last season, but that won't happen again. They almost have to play at an extra notch above last season because everybody knows how good they are and what a great job they did last year.

Meanwhile, Dallas has less pressure than New Jersey. The Stars have the extra hunger to get back to their championship form of two years ago. It was a long fight for Stars to get back to the finals last year, and they came up short. The Stars understand how great a toll it takes to repeat.

Even if the Stars aren't as good as New Jersey player-for-player, they still have excellent goaltending. Ed Belfour is having another terrific season and is good enough to compensate for any inadequacies.

Brett Hull is scoring goals and having a great season. Along with Hull, the Stars have the usual cast of great offensive players like Mike Modano, Joe Nieuwendyk and Jere Lehtinen. Their main four defensemen are still there. The Stars also have a few new contributing players such as 20-year-old Tyler Bouck and defenseman Sami Helenius.

Don't read into Dallas' 6-0 road loss at Minnesota. There was a lot of emotion and hype surrounding the Stars' return to Minnesota. Everything went the Wild's way. For Dallas, it was a wake-up call to remember how tough it is to play every single team and not to take any nights off. It's not a reflection on their Cup chances. Sometimes teams need an attention-getting game.

It would appear the Stars would have the tougher road to the finals, having to go through teams like St. Louis and Colorado in the Western Conference. But who the Stars play will make a big difference. The Western Conference playoffs will have a stronger group of teams, but the Stars might play better against some teams than others -- such as Colorado, a team they've beaten the last two years. It all depends on the luck of the draw and matchups in the playoffs.

St. Louis and Colorado are the two best teams I've seen this year. In terms of depth, New Jersey matches up with the Blues and the Avalanche better than the Stars and look better on paper than Dallas. But Belfour is the ultimate X-factor. If he can play as well as he is capable, the Stars have as good a chance as the Devils or any other team in hockey.

Brian Engblom is a color commentator and analyst for ESPN's NHL coverage. He played 11 seasons in the NHL.