GAME 3 UPDATE:

Anaheim 0
New Jersey 0
18:00 2nd Period

GAME 3 UPDATE:

Anaheim 1
New Jersey 0
13:00 2nd Period

2-2 with 2 left in 3rd.

O/T

Anaheim wins 3-2 in O/T. Giguere sets new NHL record for longest O/T shutout streak surpassing Roy. Game 4 on Monday.

PLAYOFF SERIES: Stanley Cup final; Devils lead 2-1.

Just when it looked like their stunning playoff run might be nearing an end, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks showed once again that they can't be counted out.

Following a critical overtime victory in Game 3, the Mighty Ducks look to pull even with the New Jersey Devils in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals at Arrowhead Pond.

Anaheim appeared to be overmatched after Martin Brodeur and the playoff-tested Devils beat them 3-0 in each of the first two games. The Ducks essentially had to win Game 3 to have a chance at the Stanley Cup.

Anaheim did it, summoning more of the magic that carried it to shocking upsets of powerful Detroit and Dallas on the way to the Cup finals.

Defenseman Ruslan Salei scored 6:59 into overtime Saturday night, putting a shot past Brodeur following Adam Oates' clean faceoff win to give Anaheim a 3-2 home victory.

Perhaps most encouraging for the Ducks was the play of Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who had struggled to rediscover his dominant form -- as well as his focus -- in the first two games. Giguere made 29 saves Saturday and set an NHL record by running his overtime scoreless streak in the playoffs to 167 minutes, 48 seconds.

Giguere passed his idol, the recently retired Patrick Roy, for the league record. He did not allow an overtime goal for the sixth straight game.

"We all feel good in overtime because it's exciting. It gets the best out of you,'' Giguere said.

While the Mighty Ducks goaltender appears to be rounding back into form, the Devils will need Giguere's counterpart to bounce back in Game 4. Not only did Brodeur barely react to Salei's game-winning shot, but made one of the biggest misplays of his career to gave the Ducks a 2-1 lead at 14:47 of the second period.

Brodeur was unable to control Sandis Ozolinsh's seemingly harmless shot as it trickled in from center ice. The goalie dropped his stick, and the puck trickled off the stick and into the side of the net as Brodeur dropped to his knees and raised his hand to his head in disbelief.

Only 45 seconds before, the Devils had tied it at 1 on Patrik Elias' goal.

"I was just trying to stop it, the stick slipped out of my hands and the puck hit it and went in the goal,'' Brodeur said. "It was just one of those once-in-a-lifetime things.''

The Devils need the gaffe to be just that, as New Jersey draws much of its confidence from the consistency of its star goaltender.

"You don't think Patrick Roy ever made a play like that? It's not the end of the world. You're going to fault the goaltender for that? I'm not,'' Devils coach Pat Burns said.

Still, the Devils managed to tie it at 2 when Scott Gomez deflected Grant Marshall's wrist shot past Giguere at 9:11 of the third. Gomez has two goals in the finals after scoring only once in 16 games.

The Ducks' winning goal highlighted a problem that haunted the Devils throughout Game 3. Salei's goal was the result of Oates' faceoff win and completed a dominant night in that area for Anaheim, which won 51 of 81 faceoffs.

New Jersey sorely missed injured center Joe Nieuwendyk for the first time in the series. Nieuwendyk, one of the league's best faceoff men, is out with a hip injury and his status for the rest of the series is uncertain.

History suggests that the Ducks will need to win Monday night to have any chance to take the series. No team has ever rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the Stanley Cup finals, although Toronto climbed out of a 3-0 hole to defeat Detroit for the championship in 1942.

The clubs will get two days off before the scene shifts back to Continental Airlines Arena for Game 5 on Thursday.

HOW THEY GOT HERE: Devils - 2nd seed; beat Boston Bruins 4-1, conference quarterfinals; beat Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1, conference semifinals; beat Ottawa Senators 4-3, conference finals. Mighty Ducks - 7th seed; beat Detroit Red Wings 4-0, conference quarterfinals; beat Dallas Stars 4-2, conference semifinals; beat Minnesota Wild 4-0, conference finals.

PLAYOFF TEAM LEADERS: Devils - Jamie Langenbrunner, 9 goals and 16 points; Scott Niedermayer, 12 assists; Colin White, 27 PIM. Mighty Ducks - Paul Kariya, 5 goals; Mike Leclerc, 8 assists, Oates, 11 points; Salei, 22 PIM.

PLAYOFF SPECIAL TEAMS: Devils - Power play: 15.3 percent (11 for 72). Penalty killing: 90.5 percent (57 for 63). Mighty Ducks - Power play: 10.2 percent (6 for 59). Penalty killing: 87.9 percent (51 for 58).

GOALTENDERS: Devils - Brodeur (14-6, 6 SO, 1.52 GAA); Corey Schwab (0-0, 0.00). Mighty Ducks - Giguere (13-4, 4, 1.39); Martin Gerber (0-0, 3.00).

REGULAR SEASON SERIES: Devils, 2-0. In the first meeting, Langenbrunner and Gomez had goals 29 seconds apart to force overtime, and Langenbrunner scored with 1:56 left in the extra period to give the Devils a 3-2 home victory Nov. 12. In the second matchup, Jay Pandolfo's short-handed goal broke a tie midway through the final period to lift New Jersey to a 3-1 win Jan. 24 at Arrowhead Pond.

Here we go with game 4!

Tied at 0 after 1 period.

Pretty even 1st period, IMO. This could be one of those 1-0 in OT games.

Shots are almost even with 14-15, but Anaheim is killing in the faceoff circle 28-16. Saturday's game was won off a faceoff so this may be the key stat. Still tied at 0 w/ 1:15 left in the 2nd.

O/T. Good call Rocket.

rocketfootball Wrote:Pretty even 1st period, IMO. This could be one of those 1-0 in OT games.

Wow, right on the money. Now whos gonna win game 5 at the Meadowlands? I say NJ 2-1.

Game 5 will definitely be an important game for both teams.

If Anaheim wins, I am 99.5% sure they will win the cup. If New Jersey wins, I am 85% sure they will win the cup.

That being said I predict NJ to win Game 5 by a score of 2-0.

Storybook ending

Darren Eliot, SI.com

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- This game was the story of pixie dust versus patience. Anaheim continued to weave its tale of overtime mastery, while New Jersey seemed content to play on forever in hopes of outwaiting the Disney Ducks.

No such luck.

While patience is a virtue, the Devils might want to rethink their preemptive posture. For all of its conservative wisdom, it plays into the hands of this Ducks team during their magical springtime run.

After Monday's 1-0 overtime win in Game 4, Anaheim is now 7-0 in OT, with 12 of its 14 postseason victories coming by a single goal. Meanwhile, the Devils -- for all of their world-weary wisdom in tight games -- have dropped back-to-back overtime tilts.

So wherein lies the logic? Anaheim continued to press on forecheck throughout. As was the case in Game 3, the Ducks got stronger as the third period unfolded, forcing the Devils to hold on. So, it might not all be simple strategy. It might be the fact that Anaheim played much better at home than it did on the road to open this series.

Overall, there wasn't much room to roam for either team, with just 18 combined scoring chances. That is usually an acceptable number for one team in an entire game.

Further, the absence of Joe Nieuwendyk probably plays a part in the Devils playing anything but devil-may-care hockey. The Ducks continued to dominate the faceoff circle, with Pat Burns opting for rookie Mike Rupp as a fourth-liner who could take the odd draw as his solution. Not much wiggle room there and another harbinger that the Devils best chance of going home up 3-1 was keeping things tight.

No such luck. And some would say luck -- or at least good fortune or karma -- is all Anaheim's. The Ducks did what they had to do, exhibiting a more persistent brand of patience than the one the Devils were peddling. Now it is anyone's series and patience might be wearing thin in Jersey.

Three Stars
First Star: Steve Thomas knows overtime like no other, and he came through again in classic and startling fashion.

Second Star: Steve Rucchin, along with linemates Rob Niedermayer and Mike Leclerc, took over in the third period on the forecheck. The cumulative effect of that pressure on the Devils' defense paid off.

Third Star: Jean-Sebastien Giguere was solid once again. He exudes confidence and his resolve is almost palpable.

Darren Eliot, a former NHL goaltender, is a hockey analyst for SI.com. Eliot will provide Stanley Cup Playoffs commentary throughout the postseason, and he is also broadcasting the Stanley Cup Finals for NHL Radio.

One week ago, the New Jersey Devils looked to be on their way to an easy victory in the Stanley Cup finals over a hopelessly overmatched opponent.

Now, a third straight defeat could spell disaster for the Eastern Conference champions.

Desperate to regain the momentum in the series, New Jersey returns to Continental Airlines Arena to take on the surging Anaheim Mighty Ducks in the critical Game 5 on Thursday night.

The Cup finals was shaping as a Devils coronation after the first two games, as Martin Brodeur shut down the Ducks and New Jersey took both contests 3-0.

However, in Games 3 and 4 at the Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim was able to push New Jersey to the Ducks' best period of this postseason -- overtime. Having shaken off the rust from a 10-day break, the Ducks won 3-2 in Game 3 and 1-0 in Game 4, both in overtime, to improve to 7-0 after the third period in these playoffs.

Former Devil Steve Thomas scored 39 seconds into overtime Monday night to give Anaheim the 1-0 victory, a tie in the series and a renewed confidence for the upstart team that stunned Detroit, Dallas and Minnesota on its way to the Stanley Cup finals.

"I think we are playing better,'' Ducks center Adam Oates said. "The layoff didn't affect us in terms of conditioning but timing. We didn't play our best games (in the first two contests). We expect to play better that way.''

Anaheim's biggest source of relief comes from the resurgence of goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who is back to his dominating form. After struggling along with his teammates in the first two games, Giguere challenged them to play with more emotion.

"There's nothing I said that wasn't truth,'' Giguere said. "I was speaking about myself. I was speaking about my teammates.''

The Devils want to avoid another overtime in this series at all costs. Of the 27 goals Giguere has allowed in the postseason, none were in overtime. The goalie has gone an NHL-record 168 minutes, 27 seconds without allowing a goal in overtime.

Whichever club loses Thursday will face some daunting history. The Stanley Cup finals has been tied at 2-2 on 17 occasions before this season, with the team taking Game 5 in those series going on to win the Cup 13 times.

The Devils' own history, however, should remind them that winning Game 5 won't be essential. New Jersey was the last team to go up 3-2 in the finals and lose, falling to the Colorado Avalanche in 2001.

New Jersey's focus Thursday will be on reversing the losing trend that seemed to begin with Brodeur's mistake in Game 3 that gave Anaheim a goal. The goalie's stick slipped out of his hand late in the second period, knocking a loose puck into his own net.

The huge break gave the Ducks life, and they haven't lost since.

"It's no panic here, but it's what we wanted to avoid,'' Brodeur said of the series being tied.

The veteran Devils will simply try to get back to their offensive plan for the series -- getting traffic in front of Giguere, hassling him, and most of all, putting pucks past him.

That plan worked in the closing minutes of Game 2, as New Jersey was polishing off the victory and had the Ducks' goalie smashing and tossing away his stick.

"We got a lot of goals being in front of him,'' Devils forward Patrik Elias said. "He's a pretty big goalie, so we do have to shoot high and try to make him commit to a bigger puck area. We've just got to put them in.''

Known for scoring clutch goals throughout the postseason, the Devils must find a way from keeping the Ducks from doing the same. Anaheim has scored the winning goal in the third period or overtime in 11 of its 14 victories. The Ducks are 12-1 in one-goal games, tying the 1993 Stanley Cup-winning Montreal Canadiens for the most such wins in one postseason.

The Devils also must become more competitive on faceoffs. The Ducks have dominated in the last two games, winning 45 of 72 faceoffs in Game 4 and 51 of 81 in Game 3.

The absence of injured Devils center Joe Nieuwendyk, one of the NHL's best faceoff men, has been a major reason for that. Nieuwendyk, who won more than half his faceoffs this season, was severely hampered by his aching hip in practice Wednesday and isn't expected to play in Game 5.

Following the two-day layoff between Games 4 and 5, the series shifts back to the Arrowhead Pond for Game 6 on Saturday.

HOW THEY GOT HERE: Mighty Ducks - 7th seed; beat Detroit Red Wings 4-0, Western Conference quarterfinals; beat Dallas Stars 4-2, Western Conference semifinals; beat Minnesota Wild 4-0, Western Conference finals. Devils - 2nd seed; beat Boston Bruins 4-1, Eastern Conference quarterfinals; beat Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1, Eastern Conference semifinals; beat Ottawa Senators 4-3, Eastern Conference finals.

PLAYOFF TEAM LEADERS: Mighty Ducks - Paul Kariya, 5 goals; Mike Leclerc, 8 assists; Oates, 11 points; Ruslan Salei, 22 PIM. Devils - Jamie Langenbrunner, 9 goals and 16 points; Scott Niedermayer, 12 assists; Colin White, 27 PIM.

PLAYOFF SPECIAL TEAMS: Mighty Ducks - Power play: 10.0 percent (6 for 60). Penalty killing: 88.5 percent (54 for 61). Devils - Power play: 14.7 percent (11 for 75). Penalty killing: 90.6 percent (58 for 64).

GOALTENDERS: Mighty Ducks - Giguere (13-4, 4 SO, 1.39 GAA); Martin Gerber (0-0, 3.00). Devils - Brodeur (14-6, 6, 1.52); Corey Schwab (0-0, 0.00).

4-3 NJ early 2nd period. Now this is more like it. Finally some goals being scored. :eek:

I say final will be:

New Jersey 6
Anaheim 4

Almost rocket. 6-3 NJ.

I have been getting pretty lucky on those guesses.

Not sure if NJ can win in Anaheim, but I don't see them losing Game 7 if it gets that far.

Does Brodeur get MVP?

rocketfootball Wrote:I have been getting pretty lucky on those guesses.

Not sure if NJ can win in Anaheim, but I don't see them losing Game 7 if it gets that far.

Does Brodeur get MVP?

As long as NJ wins the series its possible. Maybe Langenbrunner. If the Ducks win, it will almost definitely be Giguere.

Being one win away from hockey's ultimate prize brings no guarantees. Just ask the New Jersey Devils.

Needing one victory for their third Stanley Cup in nine years, the Devils will try to become the first road team in this series to win when they face the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in Game 6 at Arrowhead Pond.

In a complete reversal of the first four games in this series, Game 5 on Thursday was a wide-open, high-scoring affair that the Devils won 6-3 to move within one win of the Stanley Cup.

Brian Gionta had a goal and two assists and Jamie Langenbrunner scored twice in the third period as New Jersey kept the home team perfect in the 2003 finals. The Mighty Ducks must improve to 3-0 in this series at home on Saturday to force a decisive Game 7 in New Jersey on Monday.

Although they are a dominant 11-1 at home in the playoffs, the Devils would obviously rather avoid a Game 7 and finish off the Mighty Ducks in Anaheim.

New Jersey, the Stanley Cup champion in 1995 and 2000, was one win away from back-to-back titles in 2001, but lost the final two games of that series to the Colorado Avalanche. Goalie Martin Brodeur is one of a number of Devils that was with the team in 2001.

"It's definitely up for grabs for us,'' Brodeur said. "We definitely put ourselves in a great position, but we're not thinking about what we've accomplished in the last 10 years. We're busy enough trying to solve this problem here. It definitely is an exciting opportunity to show the world how dominant we've been for the last 10 years.''

Winning Game 5 has put history on New Jersey's side.

Teams winning Game 5 have won 13 of the 17 Stanley Cup finals that were tied after four games. However, the 2001 Devils were the last team that failed to win the Cup after taking a 3-2 lead.

New Jersey also held a 3-1 series lead against the Ottawa Senators in the conference finals, but lost the next two games before pulling out a 3-2 victory on the road in Game 7.

"Now we're going on the road to play in a place that is not really kind to us,'' Brodeur said. "It kind of makes us want to do it. The pressure is definitely on them. They feel good about themselves going back to their building. We're going to try to ruin that.''

Home teams are 5-0 in the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since 1978, when the Montreal Canadiens won Games 1, 2 and 5 and the Boston Bruins won Games 3 and 4. Since the best-of-seven format was adopted in 1939, home teams have only won all seven games in the finals twice, in 1955 and 1965.

Due mainly to the play of Brodeur and Jean-Sebastien Giguere, the first four games of this series featured just 12 total goals and three shutouts. Neither goalie played particularly well in Game 5, though Brodeur's teammates provided better defensive coverage than Giguere's in the second half of the game.

"We're disappointed with the way we played,'' Anaheim captain Paul Kariya said. "Six goals in a playoff game is embarrassing. It's not our style of game, and we're not going to have any success like that.''

Having rugged forward Turner Stevenson in the lineup for the first time in the finals wouldn't seem to be enough to change momentum in this series, but the Devils were clearly a more confident and determined team on Thursday after two straight losses.

"He's been a guy who's really helped us over the course of the year with physical play,'' Devils coach Pat Burns said. "He has that inspiration and certain aggravation in him to get in there and finish the hits. Then, when he's out there, he gets the puck and he's big and strong, and he protects it well, too.''

Stevenson, sidelined the previous six games with a groin injury, and fellow grinders John Madden, Jay Pandolfo, Michael Rupp and Pascal Rheaume were tenacious on the forecheck, and caused constant traffic in front of Giguere.

"That's how we play,'' Stevenson said. "It's not about just running around and hitting people. We get the puck down low and make teams play defense. When you have to play in your own zone like that for long periods of time you tend to get tired.''

Giguere was clearly the catalyst for the Ducks' improbable run to the finals, but the Devils have made him look mortal -- what Detroit, Dallas and Minnesota couldn't do in the first three rounds. Giguere has allowed 13 goals in five games in this series after yielding 20 in his first 14 playoff games.

Although he was a victim of some bad bounces and unfortunate deflections, Giguere knows he didn't play well enough in Game 5.

"You create your bounces,'' Giguere said. "These guys, they worked really hard tonight. They threw a lot of pucks at the net and traffic at the net and pucks bounced their way. We need to work harder. I feel as far as a goalie is concerned you create your own luck. I just need to create my own luck the next game.''

A better performance from Giguere is absolutely imperative if Anaheim is going to force the series back to New Jersey, but some production from its best players would also be a huge help.

Before assisting on Steve Rucchin's goal at 12:50 of the first period on Thursday, Kariya had gone five straight games without a point. Petr Sykora had also gone five games without registering a point before he had a goal and an assist in Game 5.

"Our first two lines haven't been playing well all series,'' Kariya said. "We need a lot more from us to win.''

Following disappointing performances in Games 1 and 2, the Ducks got back in this series on home ice as Giguere led them to a pair of overtime wins.

"We're not frustrated at all,'' Anaheim's Steve Thomas said. "We're down 3-2 and we're going home where we've been real good. We're a pretty comfortable bunch of guys.''

HOW THEY GOT HERE: Devils - 2nd seed; beat Boston Bruins 4-1, Eastern Conference quarterfinals; beat Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1, Eastern Conference semifinals; beat Ottawa Senators 4-3, Eastern Conference finals. Mighty Ducks - 7th seed; beat Detroit Red Wings 4-0, Western Conference quarterfinals; beat Dallas Stars 4-2, Western Conference semifinals; beat Minnesota Wild 4-0, Western Conference finals.

PLAYOFF TEAM LEADERS: Devils - Langenbrunner, 11 goals and 18 points; Scott Niedermayer, 14 assists; Colin White, 27 PIM. Mighty Ducks - Kariya and Rucchin, 5 goals; Adam Oates and Mike Leclerc, 8 assists, Ruslan Salei, 24 PIM.

PLAYOFF SPECIAL TEAMS: Devils - Power play: 15.2 percent (12 for 79). Penalty killing: 90.8 percent (59 for 65). Mighty Ducks - Power play: 9.8 percent (6 for 61). Penalty killing: 87.7 percent (57 for 65).

GOALTENDERS: Devils - Brodeur (15-7, 6 SO, 1.56 GAA); Corey Schwab (0-0, 0.00). Mighty Ducks - Giguere (14-5, 5, 1.54); Martin Gerber (0-0, 3.00).