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Devils outpoint Senators New Jersey gets best of Ottawa in boxing-like Game 3Posted: Thursday May 15, 2003 10:20 PM
This game reminded me of a boxing match. The Devils played the part of the early aggressor, while the Senators looked like the foe patiently circling the ring. Ottawa kept its distance, jabbing occasionally to stay in the fight, but New Jersey continued to stalk, landing flurries in spurts, always surging ahead and setting up opportunities to strike with relentless body blows. The Devils landed first, scoring on a nice deflection by Sergei Brylin midway through the first period. The Senators survived a standing eight count when Jay Pandolfo put the puck in the net, only to have it go undetected by all the officials, both at ice level and in the video replay booth upstairs. So instead of facing a 2-0 deficit, Ottawa was still in the contest despite being behind on every card. One of the reasons New Jersey failed to pull away was the play of Sens goaltender Patrick Lalime. He withstood several onslaughts in the second period while his teammates struggled to find their legs. Much of their sluggishness had to do with the Devils' proficiency in the neutral zone -- again like a fighter cutting off the ring. And if shots on goal are hockey's equivalent of punches thrown, Ottawa's 11 shots through two periods showed it was on its heels, unable to mount much of an attack. The Sens awoke in the third, finally getting shots through on goaltender Martin Brodeur. As is so often the case, Brodeur was ready, repelling Ottawa's best bids. Not that New Jersey changed much, it just didn't press on the attack. The Devils knew that they were ahead on points and confident they could win by decision. They effectively nullified the Senators' best weapon, with vaunted right wingers Marian Hossa, Daniel Alfredsson and Martin Havlat hardly getting off cleanly at all. Now down 2-1 in the series, Ottawa isn't quite on the ropes, but New Jersey definitely has the Sens backed into a corner, which by the way was an area the Devils owned in this game and a major factor in their hard-fought win. Three StarsFirst Star: Once again, Brodeur's mental discipline was on display, as he saved his best for when it mattered most in the third period after seeing little action through two. Second Star: Through two periods, Lalime was the only reason this wasn't an early TKO. Third Star: Brian Rafalski moved the puck efficiently, defusing any potential forecheck of the Senators. Darren Eliot, a former NHL goaltender, is a hockey analyst for SI.com. Eliot will provide Stanley Cup Playoffs commentary throughout the postseason, and he is also broadcasting the Western Conference finals and Stanley Cup Finals for NHL Radio. |
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