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Task at hand Mighty Ducks focused on finale, not Stevens' hit on KariyaPosted: Sunday June 08, 2003 10:24 PMEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- Paul Kariya was no worse for wear the day after Scott Stevens leveled him with a tremendous open-ice hit. "I feel great," Kariya said with a smile Sunday after the Anaheim Mighty Ducks returned to New Jersey. The crushing check from Devils captain Scott Stevens knocked the Anaheim captain down, but not for long. Kariya returned to score a goal and the Ducks, who had grabbed an early lead, coasted to a 5-2 win Saturday. Now, one game will decide this year's NHL champion. "We wouldn't have won Game 6 if we didn't think we were going to win here," coach Mike Babcock said. "Why would you bother with the flight?"
Babcock and the few players who met the media Sunday either carried luggage, or room keys. Rest was certainly on the immediate agenda. "I never have a problem sleeping," Kariya said. Kariya, Anaheim's leading scorer in the regular season, struggled through the first five games of the defensive-minded series that featured 12 goals in the first four games. His first point came on an assist in Game 5, a 6-3 loss, but he added a goal and two assists Saturday. "I wasn't playing my best hockey in the finals," Kariya said. "It was nice to contribute offensively a little bit more. I knew it was going to come." The Ducks knew that they'd have to win at least once at Continental Airlines Arena to take the Cup. They dropped the first three games there by a combined score of 12-3, but gave themselves another chance in New Jersey by sweeping three games at The Pond. "I really believe that it doesn't matter where you play or who you play. It's about how you play," Babcock said. "Let's worry about ourselves." Stevens caught Kariya with his head down, midway through Anaheim's victory. His powerful shoulder landed flush on Kariya, who didn't see him. "I was a bit surprised because the play was going forward, and I had good speed there," Kariya said. "Most players would have taken a little more careful route stepping back. But that's Scott's game, and he's very patient hitter, and that's in the past. I'll make the same plays whatever the play needs to be made." Kariya was flat on his back, his sudden puffs of air fogging up his visor. That shield was attached to a fortified helmet that helps protect Kariya, who has a history of concussions. "I was fine right away," he said. "I felt good, and the doctor checked me out in the dressing room. I was kind of jumping off the walls getting ready to get back in there." With only one day off before Game 7, and a cross-country flight occupying much of the time, the Ducks turned the page. They have placed their focus on the one-game season that'll either give the Devils their third Stanley Cup in nine years or bring the city of Anaheim its second championship in nine months. Baseball's Angels won the World Series last fall in a seventh game over San Francisco. "Excited would be the feeling that describes my mood right now," goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere said. "The team that's going to work the hardest is going to end up with the Cup. I know for a fact that we're a hard working team. I'm confident we can do the job." Anaheim had won just one playoff series in its 10-year history before this postseason. A win would make the Mighty Ducks the first team in 32 years to rally from a 2-0 deficit to win the Stanley Cup. The Ducks don't have numbers on their side. New Jersey is 11-1 at home in these playoffs, and only once since 1971 has a team rallied to win from a 3-2 deficit. "Whatever happened in the past doesn't count," Giguere said. "It's about what's going to happen (Monday) that's going to count. It's going to dictate what's going to happen. We're just excited to be part of that." |
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