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Jagr on Devils: “They have been a little bit stronger and faster than us”

Philadelphia Flyers v New York Rangers

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 23: Carl Hagelin #62 and Brandon Prust #8 of the New York Rangers defends against Jaromir Jagr #68 of the Philadelphia Flyers on December 23, 2011 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Jim McIsaac

CSNPhilly.com’s Tim Panaccio has a simple explanation for why the Philadelphia Flyers are down 2-1 in their semifinals series against the New Jersey Devils: a lack of fire. Most specifically, Panaccio sees a gap in intensity between the way they are performing against the Devils compared to the chaotic series against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Danny Briere agrees.

“As a team, we just haven’t used or played with enough emotion and passion as we had in the first round against Pittsburgh,” Briere said. "“If we thought they were just going to let us win, then we had the wrong mindset and we deserve to lose, there’s no doubt about that.”

Of course, they also aren’t in the same hockey track meet like they were against the Penguins, which Jaromir Jagr points out in his own assessment of the Devils series so far.

“You gotta understand that every series is kinda different,” Jagr said. “It all depends who you play against. They’re a tight checking team that is pretty strong on the boards. They’re stronger than I thought, that is for sure. I thought we’d handle the boards a little better than we have so far. You never know. You just have to keep fighting ... I thought they have been a little bit stronger and faster than us.”

While offense came easily for both the Penguins and Flyers in round one, it’s arguable that Philly was allowed to mask a few weaknesses and maybe grow a little cocky about their scoring prowess. The Devils aren’t likely to yield the same kind of space, so it’s all about being a little stronger and faster going forward.