Devils ride surge into playoffs
Tom Gulitti The Record April 13, 2010
The biggest difference, however, is the presence of Ilya Kovalchuk, the two-time 50-goal scorer who Lamoriello acquired in a Feb. 4 trade with Atlanta. The addition of Kovalchuk, who scored 41 regular-season goals, has given the Devils a potent one-two punch with Zach Parise, who scored 38.
They also now have one of the game’s most dynamic and talented players.
“He certainly brings a different dimension to a team and brings you someone capable of breaking a game open at any given time,” Lamoriello said of Kovalchuk. “More importantly, how he’s fit in with the team, how he’s accepted the team, how the team has accepted him with the abilities that he brings, all of that is a factor going into the playoffs.”