New Jersey takes a 3-2 lead in the series.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – So much for momentum. Tight-checking, low-scoring hockey also were missing in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Thursday night at Continental Arena.
It was replaced by offensive outbursts and wacky bounces, one of which resulted in the winning goal.
Jay Pandolfo got credit for it. A Brian Gionta rebound went in off Pandolfo’s right skate to give the Devils the lead for good in a wild 6-3 victory over the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim that moved the Devils within one victory of their third Stanley Cup in nine years.
Back ahead in the series 3-2 after losing two overtime games in Anaheim, the Devils can clinch the Cup with a victory in Game 6 on Saturday night at the Arrowhead Pond. The home team has won all five games in the Finals.
The six goals were the most Anaheim goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere has given up in the playoffs. The Devils benefited from good fortune and the correct interpretation of a rule they know very well.
It’s 70B. It states: “A puck that deflects into the net off an attacking player who does not use a distinct kicking motion, is a legitimate goal.”
Twice it had worked against them – once when interpreted incorrectly and cost them a goal in an overtime loss in Detroit on Thanksgiving and the other time when the officials made the proper ruling and awarded a goal to Washington on Dec. 28.
So when referee Bill McCreary initially waived off Pandolfo’s goal, which snapped a 3-3 tie 9:02 into the second period, the Devils argued vehemently. Video replay backed up their argument and the goal was allowed to count.
Jamie Langenbrunner added two third-period goals, giving him a career-high 11 in the playoffs, as the Devils cruised to the victory and the sellout crowd of 19,040 said goodbye with chants of “We want the Cup!”
The first four games of this series gave no hint of the offensive explosion that happened Thursday. The teams combined for 12 goals in Games 1-4, including a 1-0 overtime win for Anaheim in Game 4, but had totaled seven by the end of the second period of Game 5.
They netted four in the opening period after not scoring any in the first periods of the first four games.
The Mighty Ducks jumped ahead only 42 seconds into the game on a goal from ex-Devil Petr Sykora. The Devils’ faceoff struggles continued to haunt them as Adam Oates won the draw cleanly from the Devils’ John Madden in the left circle, dropping the puck back to Sykora on the inner rim of the circle. Sykora quickly unleashed a wrist shot that nicked off the bottom of goaltender Martin Brodeur’s catching glove before entering the net for his first of the Finals.
The Devils answered at 3:35 with a goal from fourth-line center Pascal Rheaume. Right wing Turner Stevenson, who was playing for the first time in the Finals after sitting out with a groin strain, set it up.
After Gigeure made a stick save on Rheaume’s initial shot from the left circle, Stevenson gathered the rebound behind the net, whirled around to Giguere’s left and threw a shot toward the goal. An unchecked Rheaume redirected it in on the stick side for his first goal of the playoffs.
Mighty Ducks defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh somehow escaped being penalized, though referee McCreary was standing close by, for opening a cut under Madden’s left eye with his stick at 4:34. Perhaps as a makeup call, McCreary called Anaheim’s Keith Carney for tripping Patrik Elias at 7:03, giving the Devils their first power play of the game. Elias received his reward with a redirection goal off a nifty pass from Brian Rafalski only 42 seconds later.
Then, it was the Mighty Ducks’ turn to respond. They did so by taking advantage of a rare defensive zone breakdown by the Devils’ top defensive pair of Scott Stevens and Rafalski on the ice with Madden’s checking line.
Stevens went for the hit on Paul Kariya in the right corner, but Kariya got the puck to Sykora in the bottom of the right circle. Sykora drew Rafalski to him before feeding Steve Rucchin, who had gotten free from the check of Brian Gionta in the slot. Rucchin beat Brodeur inside the left post to tie it .
Gionta, who had an apparent first-period goal correctly disallowed because he batted it in with his right forearm, benefited from a fortunate bounce to get a goal that counted and give the Devils a 3-2 advantage 3:12 into the second.
Gionta tried to surprise Giguere with a quick shot from the right corner, but it deflected off Ozolinsh’s stick and then was inadvertently batted in on the short side by Anaheim’s Mike Leclerc.
But, the Mighty Ducks answered again, capitalizing on another Devils’ breakdown to pull even on Sammy Pahlsson’s second of the playoffs at 6:35. This time, Oleg Tverdovsky was guilty of chasing Rob Niedermayer behind the net, leaving Pahlsson open in the left circle for a wrister that beat Brodeur inside the far post.
The weird bounces continued to work in the Devils’ favor, though, as they retook the lead at 9:02 on a goal that went in off the outside of Jay Pandolfo’s right skate. Giguere made a right pad save on Gionta’s initial shot from the right circle, but the rebound hit Pandolfo, who was tied up with Kurt Sauer in the slot, and trickled inside the left post. McCreary immediately waved off the goal, but video replay showed Pandolfo did not make distinct kicking motion, so the goal counted and the Devils had a 4-3 advantage.
DEVILS BRIEFS: Center Joe Nieuwendyk (left hip/groin) did not play again Thursday, but said he is planning to fly with the team to Anaheim today. He doesn’t know if he’ll be ready for Game 6. Stevens tied Guy Carbonneau for fourth place on the NHL’s all-time list by playing in his 231st career playoff game.
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(c) 2003, The Record (Bergen County, N.J.)
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