The Fifth Liners

The great state of New Jersey maybe have brought us the music of Bruce Springsteen but right now the New Jersey Devils are starting to dwindle! After a glorious period from 1995 to 2003 which included 3 cup wins, the Devils have only been the finals once since in 2012 when they lost in six games to the LA Kings. Last season they finished only 11th in the Eastern conference and the seasons only real highlight was Martin Brodeur being selected for the new NHL 14 cover! Problem with this team is the key elements that them such a threat are either long gone or about to leave, missing are the days of the tough defensive pair of Scott Stevens and Scott Neidermeyer. Right now NJ doesn't have that back line that makes a difference and with Brodeur now 40 and seemingly on the verge of ending his great career, it seems that their fail safe options are thinning out! So should this team look to the future? Well right those options are looking scarce, kid wonder Zach Parise bolted to Minnes...

Alex's question this week is " Anaheim are always a threat but have fallen short in recent years. What do they have to do in order to bring another cup home?" Since bringing home their first and only cup at the end of the 06/07 season, Ducks fans have been eager to lift the cup again, especially with close neighbours the LA Kings winning it so recently. A lot of the cup winning team have moved on, Chris Kunitz found further success with the Penguins, Rob and Scott Niedermayer have both retired from playing and Chris Pronger is currently signed to the Flyers. Although to be fair, he spent most of that winning postseason suspended for repeatedly elbowing people. The one thing that the Ducks don't have is consistency. Although the team has made appearances in five of the last seven postseasons, their performances have been variable at best. Offensively the team has been good. Scoring goals has never been an issue and Viktor Fasth and Jonas Hiller ...

There's a tradition that comes with the playoffs: beards. The playoff beard, like me has been around since the 80s and now traditional in many sports. It's even become a charity event. As a proud owner of facial foliage I appreciate a good playoff beard. Here's some of the best: Mike Commodore No beard list is complete with the Commodore. Scott Hartnell Love him or hate him, he brought a mighty fine beard to the playoffs. Scott Niedermeyer Some men fear gray hairs. Scott embraced it. Shea Weber Shea's beard looks like it's trying to escape. Zdeno Chara The Bruins captain looks like he's had a beard all his life. Maxime Talbot This beard/hair combo works beautifully. Henrik Zetterberg Just because.