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Caged Panthers Florida backed into 0-3 corner against Devils
Posted: Wednesday April 19, 2000 09:56 PM
SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers' dressing room was full of long faces and short answers Wednesday. The Panthers, down 3-0 to New Jersey in their best-of-7 playoff series, realize how tough a challenge they face -- needing to beat the Devils four straight times beginning with Game 4 Thursday at home. Only two NHL teams have overcome that deficit, the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and the 1975 New York Islanders. "We have to play desperate hockey," goaltender Mike Vernon said. "We're talented, but talent doesn't always get it done. We can't have anything left in the tank. We have to throw everything at them; we haven't done that yet. If you think you've given it your all, then you better dig a little deeper." Few Panthers players showed any sense of confidence about being able to beat New Jersey four times in a row. They talked about playing for pride, playing in front of the home crowd and playing to avoid a series sweep. Captain Scott Mellanby spoke about how the Devils' experience has made such a difference. Mark Parrish called New Jersey a defensive wall, one that held Florida to seven shots through two periods Tuesday.
Both players shook their heads at times, trying to figure out how to rebound from three one-goal losses against a team they have beaten only once in the past nine meetings. "You can't look at it as having to win four in a row," Parrish said. "That's tough to do." Said Mellanby: "It's a disappointing situation to be in. You have two choices: You either give up or you press on." The Panthers will press on against New Jersey, which has won all three games with timely offense and suffocating defense. First-round losers the past two years, the Devils have gotten a shorthanded goal, a power-play goal and four goals from defensemen. Defensively, they have kept scoring sensation Pavel Bure from finding the net. Bure, whose 58 regular-season goals led the league, has been shadowed by Scott Stevens. New Jersey's star defenseman largely has been responsible for limiting Bure to one shot in two of the three games. "It's frustrating for all of us," Bure said. "We just can't lose anymore." Panthers coach Terry Murray hinted that he might make some changes for Thursday's game. He said only Vernon was assured of playing -- and starting. The 37-year-old goaltender has kept the Panthers in all three games. "Clearly the Devils want to end it now," Murray said. "We don't want that to happen. We want to put a little pressure on them. Then the pressure starts to mount, and that can put some doubt in New Jersey's mind. "The way they've played in the postseason the last three years, that isn't something they're proud of. We have to put that doubt in their mind." The Devils, though, are back to playing with confidence. For the majority of the season, they were the Eastern Conference's top team, seemingly poised to escape the embarrassment of having lost in the first round of the playoffs -- as the No. 1 seed -- the past two years. Then they faltered late in the season, dropping to the fourth seed and facing a favorable matchup against Florida. It might have been just what they needed to get back on track -- and possibly into the second round for the first time since 1997. "The fourth one is the hardest to get and I don't want our guys to be complacent," Devils coach Larry Robinson said.
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