Devils won't do it again.(NHL Playoff Preview)

Repeating as Stanley Cup champion is the most difficult accomplishment in professional sports.

With the short summer, there isn't enough time for players' bodies to recover from the Cup-winning season before. Winners come to training camp still carrying the pains and strains from the 10-month physical battle. And it's not simply the defending champion not being up to form that makes it so difficult. The league's parity means each conference has six or seven teams with enough talent to win it all. Upsets can open the path to the finals for a better team, but there is no such thing as an easy seven-game series these days.

Winning back-to-back Cups is an amazing achievement of mental and physical stamina, as well as hockey skill. The Red Wings were the last team to repeat, in 1997 and 1998, and the defending champion Devils won't do it this spring. Here three big reasons why:

No Scott Stevens. The Devils' captain wasn't the Conn Smythe winner last year--he wasn't even his team's best player--but Stevens always has an impact. He keeps opposing forwards uncomfortable, and he keeps opponents from camping out in front of goalie Martin Brodeur. But Stevens has been out since January because of post-concussion syndrome. Speculation is he played with a concussion after getting hit in the head by a puck against the Lightning in the second round of the playoffs last season.

But this spring, he won't play with concussion symptoms because this time he knows better. Stevens has started skating, but he has not been cleared to practice by concussion specialist Dr. Karen Johnston. There is no timetable for his return, and even if he comes back, he can't be the same intimidating, hard-hitting force. In short, he can't be Scott Stevens. When the Devils are without him, opposing teams--particularly the Flyers--feel like they get a bit of an edge. That mental lift, along with Stevens' absence on the ice, is enough to tip the balance.

Lack of offensive depth. OK, the Devils didn't have a dynamic offense last season, and they still won. But even with the best goaltender in the game in Brodeur (the biggest reason to be wary of counting out the Devils), the team needs more offense. Patrik Elias and Scott Gomez have been great since the All-Star break, but the second line doesn't offer enough consistent offense to distract the opposition. Find a way to isolate and neutralize defenseman Scott Niedermayer, and the Devils' top three scorers are done.

Question marks exist in key places in the rest of the lineup. Jeff Friesen has a pinched nerve, believed to be in his shoulder/neck. Jamie Langenbrunner isn't putting up the numbers, and there is speculation he is injured as well. Langenbrunner was an overlooked and huge part ...