PLAYOFF SERIES: Eastern Conference finals; Devils lead 3-2.

After avoiding elimination at home, the Ottawa Senators face a more daunting task -- winning a road game against Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils.

Now that they have proven they can win when facing elimination, the Senators must do it on the road in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals at Continental Airlines Arena.

The Senators forced the series back to New Jersey with a 3-1 victory at home Monday in Game 5, as 19-year-old Jason Spezza had a goal and an assist in his NHL postseason debut.

Todd White and Martin Havlat also scored for Ottawa, which cut New Jersey's lead in the series to 3-2. The Senators need a win Wednesday to send the series back to the Corel Centre for the deciding Game 7 on Friday.

Monday's win not only ended the Senators' three-game losing streak, but also ended the team's troubling past of going 0-6 when facing elimination.

"This is big for us,'' said Spezza, inserted into the lineup in place of enforcer Chris Neil. "We're only getting started now, and we've got a long way to go. But obviously it feels good to help contribute.''

Captain Scott Stevens scored in the first period for the Devils, who are attempting to reach the Stanley Cup finals for the third time in four years.

"Closing out a series is not an easy thing to do,'' Devils forward John Madden said. "If it was, everybody would do it. The good thing is we have another chance at home to close this out. If you told me we were going to win in six, I'd be just as happy. If you told me we were going to win in seven, I'd be just as happy.''

Winning at Continental Airlines Arena, however, is something no team has done in these playoffs. The Devils are 8-0 at home in the postseason and have outscored opponents 21-8.

Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson knows his team will need an even better effort to win Game 6.

"We lost both games in New Jersey, they are a great team and they haven't lost at home in the playoffs,'' he said. "We played a really good game, but we need to play even better now going into New Jersey. It's going to be a real tough test for us.''

In eight home playoff games, Brodeur has three shutouts while stopping 207 of 215 shots.

While New Jersey has never lost a series it led 3-1, the Devils should be well aware that a 3-1 lead is no guarantee for advancing. The Devils are the only team in league history to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the conference finals, doing it against the Philadelphia Flyers in 2000.

"A lot of us have been through this before,'' defenseman Scott Niedermayer said. "No one thought that the Senators were just going to sit there and die. That's not their club. We can't get too low. We'll just regroup.''

The Senators had to feel good about their chances when White opened the scoring 3:59 into the second period.

Both Ottawa and New Jersey sport perfect records in the playoffs when scoring the first goal. The Senators are 6-0 while the Devils are 8-0.

Spezza was a surprise addition to the lineup because he played only 33 games during the regular season. With his team's best offensive players struggling, Ottawa coach Jacques Martin decided to replace Neil's toughness will Spezza's skill and his move paid off.

Spezza's goal with 7:32 remaining was Ottawa first power-play goal of the series, ending an 0-for-20 skid.

"He came in and played awesome,'' Alfredsson said. "It is a very tough situation to come in and he handled it well. We've had trouble scoring goals and Jason is a great offensive player.''

Alfredsson is one of the Senators who are struggling to produce against defensive-minded New Jersey. The Ottawa captain has just one assist in this series after totaling seven points in the first two rounds.

HOW THEY GOT HERE: Senators - 1st seed; beat New York Islanders 4-1, quarterfinals; beat Philadelphia Flyers 4-2, semifinals. Devils - 2nd seed; beat Boston Bruins 4-1, quarterfinals; beat Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1, semifinals.

PLAYOFF TEAM LEADERS: Senators - Marian Hossa, Havlat and White, 5 goals; Hossa and Wade Redden, 8 assists; Hossa, 13 points; Chris Neil, 24 PIM. Devils - Jamie Langenbrunner, 7 goals; Niedermayer, 9 assists, Madden, 14 points; Colin White, 21 PIM.

PLAYOFF SPECIAL TEAMS: Senators - Power play: 14.5 percent (11 for 76). Penalty killing: 92.5 percent (62 for 67). Devils - Power play: 15.8 percent (9 for 57). Penalty killing: 90.0 percent (45 for 50).

GOALTENDERS: Senators - Patrick Lalime (10-6, 1 SO, 1.82 GAA); Marin Prusek (no appearances). Devils - Brodeur (11-4, 4, 1.60); Corey Schwab (0-0, 0.00)

REGULAR SEASON SERIES: Senators, 3-1. The Devils won the first meeting 2-1 in Ottawa on Oct. 10, but the Senators took the next three, outscoring New Jersey 12-6. Brodeur allowed 10 goals on 73 shots in the final three meetings.

O/T, tied at one.

And the Senators prevail 2-1 in OT. I don't like Ottawa one bit but at least they aren't New Jersey.

Call me bitter as a result of the 2001 Eastern Conference Finals. :laugh:

Ok, now thse Canadians are getting annoying again. :bang:

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- The Ottawa Senators were short on cash in the regular season. Now they're rich with momentum in the Eastern Conference finals.

Defenseman Chris Phillips scored 15:51 into overtime to lift the Senators to a 2-1 victory Wednesday night and force a deciding Game 7 on Friday back in Ottawa. It was the second straight game the Senators fought off elimination.

Vaclav Varada was trying to whack at the loose puck in front of Devils goalie Martin Brodeur, but all he was making contact with was the New Jersey goalie. Trailing the play, Phillips found the loose puck behind Varada and fired it into the net.

Patrick Lalime kept the Senators alive in the extra session by fighting off several New Jersey flurries. The biggest threat came from Brian Gionta, who was stopped on a 2-on-1 with Patrik Elias.

New Jersey, trying to reach the Stanley Cup finals for the third time in four years, has never lost a series in which it led 3-1. The Senators have never advanced this far in the playoffs in their 11-year history.

The West champion Anaheim Mighty Ducks haven't played since last Friday, but will face the winner on the road in Game 1 of the finals on Tuesday night.

The Senators, 4-0 in overtime in the playoffs, filed for bankruptcy and were late with players' paychecks during the season. Now they have squared the series they trailed 3-1.

The Devils were beaten on the road in Game 5 and then sustained their first home loss in this postseason following an 8-0 start.

Despite choppy ice that had to be attended to several times during the game, both goalies were sharp. A daytime college graduation held at the arena left holes in the ice in the neutral zone.

In making 30 saves, Lalime looked more like the goalie who held opponents to two goals or fewer in 11 straight playoff games than the one who yielded 10 goals to the Devils in three consecutive losses after Game 1.

Brodeur made 31 saves for New Jersey and has allowed just nine goals in nine home playoff games.

New Jersey, on its first two-game losing streak of the playoffs, tied it early in the third period after mounting pressure that led to a cross-checking penalty on Wade Redden at 1:50.

On the power play, Scott Niedermayer sent the puck behind the net where Jeff Friesen set up. He tried to slide the puck in front, but it bounced off the leg of Senators defenseman Karel Rachunek, who was kneeling in front of him.

The puck caromed into the pads of Lalime and out to Joe Nieuwendyk, who slid it back between the goalie's pads at 2:41 for his 60th career playoff goal. The Devils are just 3-of-21 on the power play in the series.

Nieuwendyk almost scored earlier, but Lalime stood his ground and stopped a breakaway attempt in the second period. Nieuwendyk also fired wide on an earlier shot, after he got a rebound while alone in the slot.

He left the ice with assistance after the game due to an injury sustained in overtime.

Ottawa took a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal. The Senators failed on their first 20 power-play attempts of the series before rookie Jason Spezza scored in Game 5 to seal Ottawa's 3-1 victory on Monday.

The Senators were 1-for-23 when Radek Bonk put the Senators in front.

Brodeur tried to clear the puck, but it was kept in the New Jersey zone. Marian Hossa worked the puck over to Bonk in the left circle and he let a shot fly that sneaked between Brodeur's pads.

Both teams had early chances that were turned away either by the goalies or the posts.

Devils defenseman Colin White sent a fluttering shot from the left point that got through and hit the crossbar behind Lalime less than four minutes in.

Varada was either bearing down on Brodeur or getting knocked to the ice. Scott Stevens drilled him onto his back with an open-ice hit, but that didn't deter the rugged forward who was denied twice in front.

Jamie Langenbrunner hit the post in the third period as he was seeking his first goal of the series for New Jersey after getting seven in the first two rounds. Hossa also found the crossbar after deflecting a shot in front late inthe third.

Notes

D Ken Daneyko and RW Turner Stevenson returned to the New Jersey lineup, replacing D Richard Smehlik and LW Jim McKenzie. Daneyko was a healthy scratch since Game 1, while Stevenson was nursing a groin injury the past three games. ... Hossa, Ottawa's leading playoff scorer, hasn't scored in nine games. His longest drought in the regular season was seven. ... Ottawa had 13 shots inthe first period, but only 14 more the rest of regulation.

On to game 7! I hope Ottawa can pull it off, I would love to see Canada get its most prized possession back.

No matter who wins between Ottawa and New Jersey, I think Anaheim gets the Cup!

Hockey doesn't belong in Anaheim. They can have the World Series, but not Lord Stanley. Maurice Richard will turn over in his grave if he witnessed that.(although he would have been impressed with the goaltending of JS Giguere.)