Comforts of home

This time, Devils don't have to hit the road for Game 7

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (Ticker) -- For the second time in three years, the New Jersey Devils will participate in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals. This time, they are happy to be home.

The Mighty Ducks made it 6-for-6 for the home team with a 5-2 victory over the Devils on Saturday night, evening the series at three games apiece.

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The last time the home team won the first six games of the Stanley Cup finals was 1971. The Montreal Canadiens ended the trend with a victory at Chicago in Game 7. Overall, however, the home team has won nine of the 11 seventh games in Stanley Cup finals history.

The last one came in 2001 when the Colorado Avalanche victimized the Devils. Unlike that series, the Devils will play the decisive seventh game at home, where they are 11-1 in the postseason.

"Let's hope it's a good thing," said Devils right wing Grant Marshall. "We worked hard all year to get home-ice advantage, so let's hope we can take advantage of it once again and get a big win at home."

The Devils have outscored Anaheim, 12-3, at Continental Airlines Arena in this series, including two shutouts by Martin Brodeur.

"I think the great thing about it is you go in there and get spanked three times, we can't play worse than we've played there," said Ducks coach Mike Babcock, whose team has lost nine straight at New Jersey. "We've got to be due for a good one. I think that's positive."

Anaheim bounced back from a 6-3 loss in New Jersey in Game 5 with Saturday's victory. Steve Rucchin scored twice and Paul Kariya and Petr Sykora each added a goal and two assists.

But the most dramatic scene was written by captain Paul Kariya in the second period.

After being the latest victim of a devastating check by New Jersey defenseman Scott Stevens in the second period, one that left him motionless on the ice before being helped to the locker room, Kariya returned later in the period and scored his first goal of the series to stake Anaheim to a 4-1 lead.

With just one point in the first four games, the trio of Kariya, Rucchin and Sykora have six goals and six assists in Games 5 and 6.

The Ducks look to become the lowest seed since the current playoff format was installed in 1994 to capture the Stanley Cup. The lowest-ranked team to win the championship is the fifth-seeded 1995 Devils.

 

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Stories

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