In the end, it may amount to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, but the New Jersey Devils are making a pair of lineup changes heading into Game 4 of the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals on Wednesday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Veteran forward Petr Sykora, a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins, will make his first appearance of this year's Cup final on Wednesday night, while Henrik Tallinder will make his first ever Finals appearance, and his first playoff appearance ever with the Devils. Forward Jacob Josefson and defenseman Peter Harrold will sit out for New Jersey.
The 35-year-old Sykora, who scored 21 goals and recorded 23 assists for New Jersey during the regular season, has two goals and two assists for the Devils in 15 playoff games this spring. However, he has not played since the third game of the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Rangers. Wednesday night will mark his 131st career Stanley Cup Playoff game, with 34 goals and 39 assists during the previous 130.
Tallinder, meanwhile, had six assists in 39 games with the Devils during the regular season, but has not played since January 17 due to a blood clot in his leg. Tallinder had been mentioned as a possibility for the Finals, and will now get his shot. In 36 career playoff games with the Sabres, Tallinder has two goals and 10 assists.
The Devils trail the Los Angeles Kings, three games to none, and have scored just two goals in the series. The addition of Sykora should give New Jersey a bit more offensive punch, which they could certainly use. For Tallinder, meanwhile, the opportunity to play, in and of itself, is an important milestone after recovering from his health scare.
The Devils' changes could be too little and too late, but in any event, there's a lot to like about seeing the veteran Sykora and a recovered Tallinder back on the ice.