FIND A QUICK FIX
Lose to Jonathan & Kings in OT again, trail 2-0
THE PULSE IS faint, but Martin Brodeur insists it is still there. After he and the Devils suffered their second straight 2-1 overtime loss and dropped into a two-game hole in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Finals Saturday night, the veteran goaltender put an optimistic spin on the situation.
“At the end of the day we’re still alive,” Brodeur said. “Some of the breaks, we aren’t getting them, but we’re still alive, and we’re in great shape to go out there and try and do something amazing.”
Brodeur’s hopes of adding a fourth Stanley Cup title to his resume took a hit when Kings center Jeff Carter scored 13:42 into overtime to lift the Los Angeles Kings to a Game 2 victory at the Rock in Newark.
The Kings have won a record 10 straight road games in these playoffs and take a 2-0 lead back to the Staples Center, where the series continues Monday night.
Since the NHL has gone to seven-game series, 54 of the last 72 teams to win Game 2 of the Finals have gone on to claim the Cup, including seven of the last nine. The all-time series record of road teams sweeping the first two games of the Finals is 11-2. To say the least, it was a devastating loss. The Devils bounced back after a poor start to the series Wednesday night in which they were unable to establish their forecheck and apply any sustained pressure on the Kings. Saturday night, they kept the offensive pressure in the Kings zone and on goaltender Jonathan Quick. Most of the game, however, was a frustrating display of why Quick is a favorite to be named the league’s best goaltender this season. After he turned away the first 21 shots he faced, the Devils finally made him look human.
With 2:59 gone in the third period, Ryan Carter deflected a Marek Zidlicky slap shot from high in the slot. It bounced before it got to the goal and beat Quick to tie the game at 1-1.
It was the first goal that the Devils could take credit for. The only other goal Quick has given up in the series was a fluke that bounced in off a Kings defenseman. Quick finished with 32 saves. “We played a lot better, we don’t have to change a whole lot,” Devils captain Zach Parise said. “It’s not like we got blown out of the last two games.”
Brodeur was the reason the Devils did not get blown out. The 40-year-old goaltender was outstanding in what could have been his last home game as a Devil.
Brodeur only got beaten in regulation on a spectacular play by Kings defenseman Drew Doughty, who cut through three Devils and ripped a shot from the right circle between Bryce Salvador’s legs that beat Brodeur high on his stick side in the first period.
Brodeur made 30 saves Saturday night, including 10 in the overtime He said he had trouble finding Carter’s low wrist shot that beat him to his right.
Brodeur, who said he is likely to come back for another season when his contract is up July 1, was not ready to hear about all the statistics that indicate the Devils’ season is on life support.
“We are playing a really good hockey team and we’re competing as hard as we can,” Brodeur said. “I thought we played well today. We just have to play better.”