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Stanley Cup Finals Notebook Devils remain hot as hell at home in playoffsPosted: Thursday June 05, 2003 6:54 PMUpdated: Friday June 06, 2003 2:01 AM EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- OK Anaheim, it's your serve.
"We came here and New Jersey held their court," Ducks forward Rob Niedermayer said. "We have to do the same thing to give ourselves a chance." The Devils would break a tie for most home wins in one playoff year if they won a Game 7. Both they and the 1988 Edmonton Oilers won 11 times at home. New Jersey is 11-1 at Continental Airlines Arena. The Devils lost only to Ottawa in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. "They feel pretty good about playing in their building and they feel they could push that to Game 7," Devils goalie Martin Brodeur said. "We'll try everything in our power not to do that." The Ducks are 0-9 in New Jersey since Feb. 11, 1996. They won both home games in this series in overtime. Perfect and not-so-perfectThe Devils extended their playoff winning streak to 28 games when leading after two periods. The last time New Jersey blew that kind of advantage was May 16, 2000, against Philadelphia. The Devils were 33-0-5-1 in the regular season when they were ahead after 40 minutes. Anaheim, however, couldn't stretch its streak of wins when scoring the first goal. Petr Sykora gave the Ducks a 1-0 just 42 seconds in, but they fell to 10-1 in the postseason when they lead first. First and noneOf the 12 goals scored in the first four games of the Stanley Cup finals, none came in the first period. That all changed in Game 5 when the Ducks and Devils scored two each. There were five goals scored the rest of the way as New Jersey won 6-3 to grab a 3-2 series lead. Petr Sykora scored 42 seconds in, and Pascal Rheaume tied it for New Jersey 2:53 later. The Devils took the lead at 7:45 on Patrik Elias' goal only to see the Ducks make it 2-2 on Steve Rucchin's tally. Only twice since 1989 have there been as many as three games in a series that didn't feature first-period goals. The Devils and Dallas Stars did it in 2000, and Buffalo and Dallas did it the previous year. Anaheim and New Jersey made this first period the highest scoring period of any in the series. It was the best offensive first period in the finals in six years. Devils rookie Rupp earns second appearanceMike Rupp has hit a playing windfall in the Stanley Cup finals. The rookie right wing saw action in 26 regular-season games for the New Jersey Devils, but couldn't crack the postseason lineup -- until Game 4 of the finals. Before Monday's 1-0 loss in overtime to Anaheim, Rupp hadn't played in an NHL game since March 28. Injuries to Joe Nieuwendyk and Turner Stevenson had coach Pat Burns changing his lineup game to game. Rupp finally got the call without too much notice. "I found out when I got to the rink. The game was at 5, so I found out around 3," he said Thursday before he took the ice for his second playoff game. "If you find out real late, you don't have time to think about things which is good." The center from Cleveland played 17 shifts in Game 4 and logged 9 minutes, 4 seconds of ice time. That earned Rupp a second game, even though Stevenson was able to play. Rupp was on a line with Jamie Langenbrunner and Jeff Friesen, filling a spot often reserved for Nieuwendyk. "You never think of being in the Stanley Cup finals," Rupp said. "I just wanted to play an NHL game." Bulletin boardsThe Stanley Cup finals began with Anaheim forward Dan Bylsma looking forward to being congratulated by Scott Stevens when the Mighty Ducks eliminated the Devils. Bylsma's words ended up pasted to message board in the New Jersey dressing room for all to see. The series is heading into its final days surrounded by the buzz of Michael Eisner's reported prediction that the Ducks will win in six games. Both the Ducks and the Devils have been asked numerous questions about the Disney chairman's statement. Most have just shrugged their shoulders. These words weren't posted in either dressing room before Game 5. "Most of our guys don't read the paper to begin with," Anaheim defenseman Keith Carney said. "We're so focused on just playing and trying to do our job and playing well and win. We really don't pay attention to it. "You're playing for the Stanley Cup and it doesn't get any better than this. If you need any extra motivation, then you're searching." Injured DevilsTurner Stevenson was back in the New Jersey lineup Thursday night after missing the five games because of a groin injury. The only thing that helps Stevenson recover is rest. So, although he feels better after periods of time without any physical activity, the injury is not healed. In New Jersey's 6-3 victory Thursday night, Stevenson had an assist. He saw 12 minutes, 33 seconds, of ice time during 19 shifts. "He has that inspiration and certain aggravation with him to get in there and finish the hits," Devils coach Pat Burns said. "He gets the puck. He's big and strong and he protects it, too." Stevenson sat out the final two games of New Jersey's second-round series against Tampa Bay before returning for the first two against Ottawa. That was all he could take. The right wing came back for Game 6, but then sat out Game 7 and the first three contests in the finals. He was finally ready to get back on the ice, but didn't know if he'd be able to play Saturday in Anaheim or in Game 7 on Monday, if necessary. The Devils were also hoping to get center Joe Nieuwendyk back,
but his injured hip didn't allow a return yet. He has not played
since Game 7 against Ottawa on May 23.
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