They are often called "the sisters" by their teammates, a takeoff on the old Saturday Night Live duo of Hans and Franz. Some might think their accents got them the moniker, but it had a lot more to do with how close they are and how they tend to be "wild and crazy guys," as the skit went. Patrik Elias and Petr Sykora are by no means feminine, and the nickname simply describes their lifestyle and how well the linemates know each other, particularly on the ice. The two New Jersey Devil wingers are quickly vaulting into superstardom in the NHL as they appear poised to propel their team to a second straight Stanley Cup with their breathtaking speed and grasp of the offensive part of the game. Elias is probably the more gifted of the two, although that is pretty difficult to determine in the rarified air they have created for themselves. He had the quietest 96 points in New York-area history because he played for the Devils, and in fact Sykora is a Conn Smythe candidate, along with fellow Czech Bobby Holik, if New Jersey wins this thing. Stalwarts on the defending champion Czech Olympic team, these two are as cocky as players come in the NHL. And they do not subscribe to general manager Lou Lamoriello's vision of the Devils, in which players are colourless robots who just play hockey and go back into the closet. They want to be stars. Everyone knew Sykora was going to be outstanding when the 24-year-old was a junior, but he hurt his shoulder during his draft year and most of the teams forgot about him. Devils chief scout David Conte forgets nothing and grabbed him when he slipped to 18th overall in '95. The 25-year-old Elias was plain robbery when they plucked him 51st overall a year earlier, and together they have made the diagonal pass on their frequent two-on-one rushes into a state-of-the-art attack. Their teammates marvel at the chemistry. They're also jealous. "I had chemistry like that definitely with Patty," said Alex Mogilny of his years in Buffalo with Pat LaFontaine. "And I can tell you it makes the game so much easier and so much fun to play. These two guys are great together. They are top players in this league." Elias cemented himself in even the most cynical eye on St. Patrick's day in Edmonton this season, when -- with two goals already under his belt -- he was gashed with a stick. He insisted on having the cut stitched up at the bench, and went out and got the winning goal in overtime to complete his hat trick. "They grew up in the same system and they had those years in Albany and now they've been playing together for five years," said Brian Rafalski, who has been the benefactor of their goals as his assist total climbs to 11 in these playoffs. "They're only going to get better and that's a pretty scary thought, if you ask me." The chemistry is so good they don't care who the centre is. "We played with Sergei some and we played most of [Game 5] with Bobby and he's a big guy," says Elias, the more talkative of the two. "He creates a lot of room for me and Petr to create some offensive chances. "It doesn't really matter who our centre is because we've played so much together and we've had so many different guys there because of injuries and holdouts. We just know where [the] other is going to be." Speaking of holdouts, both players have had them with the Devils' stingy GM, and in fact Elias has become a hardliner over the past two years in which he has been so underpaid. Sykora has arbitration rights this year and will probably get a $2.3-million-US raise to around $3 million. But Elias has another year left at $750,000, and has already tanked his agent, Rich Winter, to look for someone tougher. The question that Lamoriello won't answer is whether he will pay them or trade them when the time comes. Both youngsters look up to the 30-year-old Holik as their mentor and Elias often will defer questions about himself to the elder statesman. "Anybody who wants to know about us should ask Holik," he says. "He knows." "They're from the same country and they've learned to play the same way," says Holik. "They play to their strengths, which are skill, speed and finesse. I can tell you when I play with them I have the best time out there on the ice. It's just how can I say this? It's just a bleeping great time." Let the record show Holik actually said the word "bleeping." High praise, to be sure.