Devils exorcise ghosts, eliminate Rangers
Henrique’s quick overtime goal sends New Jersey to Stanley Cup Final one season after missing the playoffs
NEWARK, N. J. — A year after missing the playoffs for the first time since 1996, the New Jersey Devils are going back to the Stanley Cup Final, thanks to a rookie, a 40- year- old goaltender and a coach who’d never been to the post- season in the NHL. How’s that for a turnaround? Adam Henrique scored off a wild scramble in front at 1: 03 of overtime and the Devils defeated the rival New York Rangers 3- 2 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference final to advance to their first Stanley Cup Final since 2003.
The Devils will face the Los Angeles Kings for the Cup in a series that will start here on Wednesday.
This 4- 2 series win came against the Devils’ most intense rival, and it was that much sweeter.
“That one was like Christmas,” said Henrique, who also scored the series winner in the Devils’ first- round win over Florida. It also was needed. The Devils blew a 2- 0 first- period lead and didn’t want to head back to New York for a Game 7 on Sunday.
“It didn’t matter how it got to overtime, we were in a good position,” Devils captain Zach Parise said. “We were at home. We just needed one shot.”
Actually, the Devils needed four shots to win the game.
Henrique’s winner came after Henrik Lundqvist stopped Ilya Kovalchuk twice and Alexei Ponikarovsky. The last shot lay in the crease and Henrique tapped it home.
Ryan Carter and Kovalchuk also scored for the Devils, whose biggest move this year was hiring Peter Deboer as coach. He was fired by Florida after missing the playoffs in his three seasons. In his first postseason, he is hoping to lead New Jersey to its fourth Cup.
Ruslan Fedotenko and Ryan Callahan tallied for top- seeded New York, which had a good flurry just before New Jersey scored.
Henrique, who is nominated for the Calder Trophy — given to the NHL’S top rookie — skated away from the crease and jumped against the end boards in the corner as his teammates hopped off the bench and mobbed him.
The six Rangers on the ice just stayed down in disbelief and frustration. This was very much like Game 5, which the Devils won 5- 3. New York carried the play after the first period and had a 35- 29 edge in shots.
But when it came time for a game- deciding play to be made, it was a Devil who made it.
“When they scored, it was such an empty feeling,” said Lundqvist, who said the puck took a weird bounce on the final play. “It is shocking.”
Henrique overcame injury to score this one. He seemed to take a stick from Brian Boyle in the groin area late in the third and had to leave the ice.
He felt no pain after the game winner. All the Rangers could do was bow their heads and then line up for the traditional handshake after losing to their rivals.
Martin Brodeur, 40, kept the Devils alive in the third. He stopped a power- play shot by Brad Richards, made a save on Artem Anisimov between the circles and used his stick to deflect a pass from the boards by Carl Hagelin in the final minute just before it got to Marian Gaborik on the edge of the crease.