Checking up on three Devils

Whenever opponents send out their best line, coach Dave Lewis counters with his top defensive pairing of Zdeno Chara and Andrew Alberts.

Conversely, New Jersey coach Claude Julien employs the tactic of rolling out checking-line center John Madden and wings Jay Pandolfo and Sergei Brylin when scoring lines try to solve the Devils' defense.

"I think it's just a coaching thing," Lewis said. "You have a line that is a shutdown line -- that's what that line is. And they generate scoring chances. It's a personal preference."

Last Saturday, Julien aimed to match his checking line against Boston's top threesome of Marc Savard, Petr Tenkrat, and Glen Murray. Julien's line won the showdown. Pandolfo, a former sniper at Boston University who has developed into a defense-first left wing, netted a first-period goal, and Brylin scored New Jersey's final strike in a 5-1 victory. The teams face off in a rematch tonight at TD Banknorth Garden .

Savard scored Boston's goal, but the Madden line (a combined plus-7) wasn't on the ice at the time.

"The three of them can skate really well," said Savard after yesterday's hourlong practice at the Garden. "That helps. They play sound defensively and they can score, too. They're pretty skilled guys."

Patrice Bergeron, who has also felt the smothering of the New Jersey checkers, praised Madden for being a top defensive player and a tough competitor in the faceoff circle. Madden, a former Selke Award winner as the league's best defensive forward, has won 52.6 percent of his draws this season.

"They've been together for a long time," Lewis said of the three New Jersey forwards. "They know each other and work well together. They're all smart hockey players. You have to have a certain level of hockey intelligence to be as effective as long as they have. They're one of the most effective in the league."

On Tuesday, forward Alexei Kovalev flipped a cross-crease pass over a sliding Alberts to the stick of Andrei Markov, and the defenseman converted for a power-play goal, Montreal's first strike in a 4-3 victory at the Bell Centre . It was a pass few players could complete.

"It's short space," Alberts said. "You've got to get it up, then get it down. So it's got to be a pretty good pass."

The Boston penalty kill, ranked 27th overall (78.8 percent) before last night's games, doesn't hound opposing point men aggressively like other clubs. But the defensemen do everything possible to take away the cross-crease pass, using their sticks or bodies to prevent pucks from getting through.

Alberts explained that when the puckhandler at one side of the crease is stationary while preparing to pass, the Boston defensemen are instructed to block the puck with their sticks.

But when the passer skates to the net -- Toronto forward Kyle Wellwood has this tendency -- while looking to pass, the defensemen should hit the deck in hopes of blocking the puck.

"When you've got somebody who's going to walk to the net," said Alberts, "you try to slide so you can take him out and the puck."

Tim Thomas, slowed by a stomach bug Tuesday, said he felt better yesterday. If Thomas continues to recover, Lewis said he will start tonight. Thomas (12-7-2, 3.05 goals-against average, .905 save percentage) was scheduled to start against the Canadiens but didn't participate in the morning skate and wasn't ready to go, leaving netminding duties to Hannu Toivonen. Thomas's streak of 21 appearances was snapped . . . No update on the condition of Phil Kessel, who underwent cancer-related surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital Monday. Lewis said the organization is waiting for Kessel's family to issue a statement . . . Lewis said that P.J. Axelsson (bruised left foot) will try to practice tomorrow. Axelsson has missed the last five games and will not play tonight. "It's been frustrating for him," Lewis said. "He wants to play. He's had no control over that." . . . Marco Sturm was sporting stitches on his forehead, courtesy of a high stick Tuesday that opened a wide gash . . . The Devils have a special-teams differential of plus-43 (147 power plays to 104 penalty kills), the second-best mark behind the Tampa Bay Lightning (plus-47).

Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at FShinzawa@globe.com.