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Out of nowhere Devils take control with surprising offensive outburstPosted: Friday June 06, 2003 12:58 AMUpdated: Friday June 06, 2003 1:58 AM
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- This was the type of game no one predicted. In an utterly defensive Stanley Cup finals, it was shocking for Game 5 to turn out to be a wide-open affair with lots of scoring. The Mighty Ducks struck early, coming off the opening faceoff intent on setting the tone. They did, firing the game's first six shots on goal, securing the early lead courtesy of Petr Sykora. He released a shot in one motion off another clean faceoff win by Adam Oates. It was exactly the same alignment the Ducks used in scoring the OT game-winner in Game 3. But that was the only similarity in this one compared to the games played in Anaheim.
That's right, the Devils buried goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere and the Ducks' defense on the attack. They drilled Anaheim at every opportunity and switched to a much more aggressive two-man forechecking scheme. New Jersey often had all three forwards below the hash marks in the offensive zone, thinking offense first instead of its patented patient counterattack style. The move paid off, as the Ducks unraveled under the assault. Suddenly, Giguere and his equipment didn't look so big and impenetrable. Not only did the Devils swarm without the puck, they sent the offside forward to the net at every opportunity on the rush. The result was that Giguere's rebound control suffered, as he suddenly had to worry not only about the shooter, but the man driving wide, as well. Further, the Devils did a good job of mixing up their shots -- sometimes firing immediately, but also sending lateral passes to the off post for deflections and short shots. The results were staggering. The Devils' game plan was excellent and their execution was inspired. So after a passive approach to the proceedings in Game 4, the Devils put the Ducks to the ultimate test. In the process, they put themselves on the brink of their third Stanley Cup title in the past nine seasons. The only question that remains is whether or not they can keep the same offensive flow on the road in Game 6 -- without the luxury of the last line change. The Ducks better hope not. Three StarsFirst Star: Stevenson came off the shelf from nursing a nagging groin injury to give the Devils exactly what they needed -- size, strength and presence in the offensive zone. Second Star: Brian Gionta, the smallest man in the game, rebounded from a minus-2 first period to play with determination, collecting his first goal of the postseason in the process. Third Star: Just another ho-hum, heads-up game by Brian Rafalski, who made a deft play at the blueline to keep the puck in the Ducks' zone on the Devils' first goal. 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 Stanley Cup Finals for NHL Radio. |
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