Devils-Hurricanes: What a Finish
No defeat compares to this one
by: Steve Cangialosi
They were one minute and 20 seconds away from a date with Alexander Ovechkin. With the exception of Miami University of Ohio's collapse vs. Boston University in the NCAA Championship game, I have never seen a finish to a hockey game quite like this.
In what might have been the most dramatic first-round series in Stanley Cup Playoffs history, the Devils have endured the most crushing defeat since the franchise's move from Colorado. Nothing compares. Not the loss to the Rangers in 1994, because at that time they were clearly on the rise as a franchise. Not the loss to the Avalanche in the 2001 Finals, because they were outplayed in Games 6 and 7 that year. This one will test the mettle of this club's nucleus for a long, long time.
Forgotten will be the leadership showed by captain Jamie Langenbrunner, who confirmed after the game that he underwent knee surgery following Game 2 of the series, and scored a goal 2:31 into last night's Game 7.
Forgotten will be the heroic penalty killing shifts of the units that killed a five-on-three Hurricanes power play for 1:08 of the second period. Forgotten will be Zach Parise barely missing a shift after taking a Tim Gleason high stick just under his left eye, leaving him bloodied.
What will be remembered are two goals surrendered by Martin Brodeur that he'd love to have back: Tuomo Ruutu's shot 1:02 into the hockey game and Eric Staal's game-winner with 31 seconds left to play.
What will be remembered is a four-minute Devils power play that failed to pad a one-goal lead.
What will be remembered is a Johnny Oduya shot through traffic that could have iced the game in the third period, only to be picked out of mid-air by cool customer Cam Ward.
What will never be forgotten by Langenbrunner, Parise, Travis Zajac, Andy Greene and Niclas Havelid – the five exhausted players who could never get off the ice for a full minute after scrambling in their defensive zone – was the tying goal by Jussi Jokinen with 1:20 left in the game. All five worked incredibly hard on that shift, only to be heartbroken at night's end.
GIVING CREDIT WHERE IT'S DUE
Eric Staal is one of those players who will never be properly promoted by the league or its television partners because he makes his living in Carolina. After Ovechkin, I put him in a group with Sidney Crosby and Pavel Datsyuk as the best the NHL has to offer. He is consistent. He is a leader. He was the only one at his locker ready to meet the media following the Canes crushing 1-0 loss in Game 5 when Brodeur stood on his head for a 44-save shutout to give the Devils a 3-2 series lead at the time. He embodies all the good things a player can offer a team.
NEW-LOOK DEVILS NEXT SEASON?
As the dust settles from this defeat, you wonder if John Madden, a 2001 Selke Award winner and one of the best defensive forwards in the league for the past decade, has played his last game for New Jersey. Madden was strong in the playoffs, and will likely command a hefty salary from a team with cap space that values his leadership.
Madden won two Stanley Cups with the Devils, one of them as a teammate of Brian Gionta, who also becomes an unrestricted free agent July 1. It remains to be seen if this summer will mark the most dramatic makeover of any Devils team in the Lou Lamoriello era.
All bets are off when you lose a game like the Devils did last night.
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