Playoffs 2000:Tracking Lindros' Game 6 performance

Tracking Lindros' Game 6 performance
ESPN.com

Eric Lindros played Wednesday for the first time since March 12. ESPN.com watched his performance closely in Game 6, and here are a few things we saw throughout the game.

First Period
Shifts 6
Time on ice: 4:30
Average time per shift: 45 seconds
Shots on goal: 0
Points: 0

Comment: Coach Craig Ramsay wasted little time getting Lindros on the ice, and he didn't wait for a power play to do it. Within the first few minutes, Lindros skated out at center with Daymond Langkow and Valeri Zelepukin. He played about as much as expected and had a few hits on Devils forward Steve Kelly. When he made a hit, he usually went off the ice -- checking takes a lot of energy out of a player. He played center, mainly because the coaches wanted to keep him in the middle of the ice and away from big hits. Lindros looks quite a few pounds lighter than his listed 235.

Second Period
Shifts 6
Time on ice: 4:11
Average time per shift: 42 seconds
Shots on goal: 1
Points: 0

Comment: Lindros didn't get out until about four minutes into the period, mainly because of a minor penalty against the Flyers. He didn't seem to want to have the puck on his stick for very long. The few times he carried the puck, he looked to move it in a hurry. At the end of the period, he roofed the puck behind goalie Martin Brodeur, but time had expired. It was a good sequence from Lindros because he won the faceoff and then slipped behind the defense and finished the play.

Third Period
Shifts 7
Time on ice: 6:06
Average time per shift: 52 seconds
Shots on goal: 2
Points: 1 goal

Comment: First and foremost, Lindros scored a goal. Unfortunately, it was too late for the Flyers to muster a rally. Other than the goal, he also saw his first time on the power play, where he showed some rust handling -- and losing -- the puck. Lindros' other good offensive opportunity came on a wraparound shot, which got to goalie Martin Brodeur but didn't challenge him too much. There was an interesting moment when Lindros had taken his special mouthpiece out of his mouth, and Devils forward Steve Kelly popped him pretty good in the face during a post-whistle scrum. Lindros did not appear dazed by the blow.