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A real pick-me-up Stevenson's physical presence lifts Devils in Game 5Posted: Friday June 06, 2003 4:10 PMEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (Ticker) -- The New Jersey Devils were hoping to get a boost from the return of an injured player Thursday. They did. But it was not the player most expected. While Joe Nieuwendyk remained sidelined, it did not take long for Turner Stevenson to make his presence felt in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals. Playing on New Jersey's fourth line, Stevenson helped shift the momentum after the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim roared to a 1-0 lead in the game's opening minute. Former Devil Petr Sykora scored the all-important first goal at the 42-second mark and the Ducks had a 6-0 edge in shots by the time the game was 98 seconds old. Three minutes later, however, Stevenson chased down a rebound behind the net and skated to the bottom of the right faceoff circle. He turned and whipped the puck in front, where Pascal Rheaume redirected it past goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere. "Turner and I, we have to crash the net and we have to make some traffic in front of the net," said Rheaume, who ended a 26-game, three-year playoff scoring drought. "That's how we're going to score our goals and that's how I scored my goal tonight." Patrik Elias tallied at 7:45 and New Jersey did not trail again. "It's huge when they get that first goal in less than a minute and then we counter back with a goal like that," Devils right wing Brian Gionta said. "It lifts a team and you can start going from there and forget what happened to begin with." Stevenson missed the last five games and 10 of the previous 13 due to a groin injury. But he practiced hard Wednesday and immediately provided New Jersey with a physical presence it lacked in the first four games of the series. "He loves going out there and just running into guys," said left wing Jay Pandolfo, who scored the go-ahead goal in the second period. "He hadn't played in the Stanley Cup Finals and he wanted to be out there so bad. It was great to see that happen. We need a guy like that in our lineup." The rest of the Devils fed off Stevenson's energy and pulled away for a lopsided victory in what had been a tight series. "I think Turner Stevenson was a big part of that," Pandolfo added. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Stevenson was glad to have a hand in an important goal. But he said, "The main thing is to play our game. If we get an offensive chance, our line, that's a bonus." More typical of Stevenson's play was his bruising shoulder-first hit on Jason Krog in the left corner with 5:26 to go in the first period. "I think he was ready to explode," Devils defenseman Brian Rafalski said with a smile. "He brings a lot of energy on the ice, a lot of pent-up energy because he's been sitting around so long." While the hit on Krog drew a roughing penalty, it helped open the ice for New Jersey's other forwards. "I think he keeps everybody on their toes a little bit," Devils goalie Martin Brodeur observed. The result was a six-goal outburst that matched the biggest against Anaheim this season. "I don't know exactly what the turning point is, but they started beating us to pucks, they got people in on the forecheck and we didn't hold people up," Ducks winger Steve Thomas admitted. "It made it difficult for our defense tonight." Stevenson reported no problems with his groin but cautioned the real test will come Friday. "It's the next day that's going to be tough," he said. "I've got to get out of here and ice it. And it should be all right." A 1990 first-round draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens, Stevenson expects little carryover effect when the series resumes Saturday in Anaheim. "It doesn't do anything," he said. "The first five minutes of the next game and it's done." Stevenson's work in the first five minutes Thursday helped the Devils get within one win of their third Stanley Cup in nine years. © 2003 SportsTicker Enterprises, LP
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