DUCKS 3, DEVILS 2 (OT): His goal gives Anaheim new life in the final.
By DAMIAN CRISTODERO
Published June 1, 2003
ANAHEIM, Calif. - Coach Mike Babcock admitted some doubts had begun to creep into the minds of the Ducks. Not surprising, really, when one considers how poorly the team played through the first two games of the Stanley Cup final.
But a lack of emotion? Babcock didn't buy it, though Anaheim goaltender Jean Sebastien Giguere had made a point to say that was part of what the team lacked in losing Games 1 and 2 to the Devils.
"People say we had no emotion and that's so far from the truth," Babcock said. "We have tons of emotion. It was just going the wrong way."
It all went right for Anaheim Saturday night in a 3-2 overtime victory in Game 3 in front of a sellout crowd of 17,174 at the Arrowhead Pond.
Ruslan Salei's goal 6:59 into the extra period was the winner that cut Anaheim's series deficit to 2-1. But that was only the exclamation point. Anaheim finally played its game. It pressed the play, showed energy, beat the Devils to the puck and won battles along the boards.
Even Paul Kariya had three shots after getting just one in the first two games.
"It hasn't hit me yet," Salei said. "It's unbelievable though. It's the biggest goal I've ever scored."
The Ducks outshot the Devils 33-31, getting one more shot than in the first two games combined in which it lost 3-0 twice.
It also got a lot of help from New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur, who allowed two shaky goals, including one in which he basically scored on himself.
It happened 14:47 into the second period. Brodeur dropped his stick as he extended it to play a puck dumped in from the neutral zone by Sandis Ozolinsh. The puck hit Brodeur's stick, deflected between his skates and into the net to give Anaheim a 2-1 lead.
"It definitely ranks right up there as far as weird ones," Brodeur said. "I felt pretty good out there. I just had that little mistake I made."
Worse, it happened just 45 seconds after Patrik Elias tied the score at 1 on a wrist shot of such velocity that Giguere, trapped too deep in the crease, did not move as it flew over his right shoulder.
Brodeur's first mistake came 3:39 into the period when he was out of position and could not stop Marc Chouinard's weak shot that just got past Brodeur's outstretched left leg. It was Chouinard's first playoff goal, came off a great pass from Ozolinsh from behind the net, and was Anaheim's first goal of the series.
The goal stopped Brodeur's shutout streak at 143 minutes, 39 seconds. It is the second longest streak to start a final behind the 188:35 of Toronto's Frank McCool, who in 1945 had three consecutive shutouts of the Red Wings.
Give the Devils some credit, though. They responded each time the Ducks took the lead.
Scott Gomez tied the score at 2 at 9:11 of the third on a tip-in of Grant Marshall's pass/shot from the top of the slot.
That set up an overtime that played right into Anaheim's hands. The Ducks are 6-0 in OT in the playoffs and Giguere has played 167:48 of shutout overtime and passed Patrick Roy's record of 162:56.
Salei's goal was set up by a clean faceoff victory by Adam Oates over Pascal Rheaume.
Faceoffs have been a problem for the Devils the entire series. New Jersey's best faceoff man, Joe Nieuwendyk, is out with a groin/hip injury and the Devils have lost 122 of 202 draws. Saturday, New Jersey lost 51 of 81.
"Joe Nieuwendyk not being there, that really hurt us," Devils coach Pat Burns said. "We struggled a good part of the season on faceoffs. It came down to that."
It also came down to a great shot by Salei, who got the puck past Brodeur's outstretched glove.
"So much good could have come out of this if we were to win," Devils center John Madden said. "I wasn't happy with my effort. I don't think any other guys are happy with their efforts."
