NEWARK, N.J.— If anything, Game 7 could be an interesting chess match between Canes coach Paul Maurice and Devils coach Brent Sutter.
The Canes again will open the game with Eric Staal centering the line with Ray Whitney and Chad LaRose. But the defensive pairs the Devils use against them could result in some changes.
If Colin White and Mike Mottau are the Devils defensemen against the Staal line, the line — so productive in Game 6 — probably will not change. But if the Devils use Paul Martin and Johnny Oduya, look for Tuomo Ruutu or Erik Cole to move onto that line in the LaRose spot during the game.
That didn't come from Maurice, who didn't talk in specifics about game strategy or potential line shuffling after today's morning skate at the Prudential Center.
Maurice, however, did talk for some time about the change that has been made — shifting Staal and the instant production it brought.
"But I think I've used over the last four or five months probably every combination we have up front," he said. "Each line moves the puck a little differently.
"If it hadn't worked defensively, we probably would have changed back. It's not always to generate more (offense)."
Maurice said each of the three players does something a little differently, with the sums of the parts working out well.
"With Ruutu, Staal and Cole it's an all-speed, all-power line, which is very effective at different points of the game, especially if you're not going and you need to get some forechecking going," he said. "Ray Whitney is a real good puck-handler and we know what Eric Staal can do with his skill, size and speed.
"Chad LaRose is ... one of our most consistent performers all season and mostly by intensity and work ethic. He's a very fit guy. He can keep his level up and he likes to hunt the puck.
"And they all have a little different personality, too. Sometimes it's good to hear them barking at each other."
Winger Sergei Samsonov did not skate with the team this morning but said he feels fine and is ready to play.
Sutter has called the series a "cat-and-mouse" series, and it appears that that continue to the end. It's two evenly matched teams with superior goaltending. And both coaches are optimistic about Game 7.
Why?
"Because we're here," Maurice said. "We faced the end of our season last game and responded well. So we hope to see the exact same thing tonight."
A Raleigh native, Chip has worked at the N&O since 1979 and is the Canes beat writer. He can be reached at 
