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NHL Playoffs: New Jersey Stays Alive

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The New Jersey Devils stayed alive in the Stanley Cup Finals last night with a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings, a victory that moved them to within 3-2 in the series, and sent a clear message that the words “Game On” now apply to the Cup Final after Los Angeles first came in as the favorite and then won three quick games. That’s the basic storyline. What’s not noted is that the Kings have not been playing well the entire series.

In TheSportsNotebook’s game-by-game coverage of the final, it’s been repeatedly noted that small volume of shots being taken by Los Angeles’ core offensive players, Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Dustin Penner. I hate to keep beating a dead horse, but the same problem is still happening five games into the series. Kopitar, the team’s presumed best player, took zero shots at the net last night. Zero shots! And we’re shocked they can’t seem to score anymore? The consequences of this are that Los Angeles has never had a game where they put sustained pressure on New Jersey goaltender Martin Brodeur, instead winning two overtime defensive struggles and another game where Brodeur simply played badly. New Jersey was never getting schooled at any point in this series—not the way Los Angeles took it to St. Louis and Phoenix in the previous two rounds, for example. And now the series is reflecting that.

The odds are still obviously with Los Angeles to wrap up the Cup on Monday night for Game 6. And they’re doing plenty right on the defensive end themselves. Last night wasn’t a great game, but at 26 shots allowed it was still good enough, when you have Jonathan Quick as your goaltender. But the Devils need Ilya Kovalchuk more involved in the offense if they’re going to get the one game they need where they can really beat Quick for three or four goals. I say “one game” because I think if New Jersey’s going to win four in a row, one probably has to be fairly easy. Otherwise there’s too many chances for some bad luck to beat you, as it nearly did last night when Los Angeles’ Justin Williams scored a tying goal in the second period on a shot that clipped the crossbar.

Who can get sustained offense first? By that I mean, who can open up and get 30 good shots at the goalie, with the key players mentioned here getting anywhere from 3-5 apiece? That’s what I’m looking for from one of these teams, and the one that answers will hoist the Stanley Cup, either Monday in Hollywood or on Wednesday back East in the Meadowlands.

NHL Playoffs: New Jersey’s Defense Keys Game 4 Breakthrough

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The New Jersey Devils kept their focus and kept playing the solid team defense that’s characterized their work in these Stanley Cup Finals and it finally paid off with a victory as the pulled away from the Los Angeles Kings in a 3-1 win at the Staples Center Wednesday night. With the Kings still needing just one more win in the next three games it’s almost certainly just a stay of execution, but it was something Jersey could feel could about and it’s pointed to areas Los Angeles needs to improve if they’re close out this championship without giving their fans a heart attack.

Game 4 was scoreless through two periods, with neither team doing a lot as far as getting shots. Finally, the Devils got 13 shots in the third period and for the game overall, both Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk got four cracks at Jonathan Quick. The only goal of the eight shots was Kovalchuk’s empty-netter in the final minute, but the increased involvement from the key players spelled good things.

It was Patrik Elias who broke through the scoring barrier with twelve minutes to play, but the Kings countered with a goal from Drew Doughty. The defenseman has played very good hockey in the Finals—indeed, throughout the playoffs—but in the championship round Los Angeles has gotten too reliant on him. While the offensive trio of Dustin Brown, Dustin Penner and Anze Kopitar were a little more active this game than any point in the series, it was hardly a sustained assault. Brown and Penner combined for five shots while Kopitar, merely the team’s best player, did not attempt a shot in a game to try and win a Stanley Cup. Combine this defensive effort with the fact Martin Brodeur came up with a solid night for New Jersey in goal and it spelled a win for the Devils, as Adam Henrique scored with just over four minutes left and Kovalchuk locked it up on the empty-netter.

My comments on the Kings are harsh, given this is a team almost certain to wrap up the Stanley Cup, but I do believe this is the least impressive of their playoff series and that a combination of some good breaks and the superiority of Quick to Brodeur is the only reason it’s 3-1 in games for the Western Conference champs. Of course if Kopitar gets in the game on Saturday night for Game 5 back in the Meadowlands and Quick turns in another lockdown effort, none of the flaws matter anymore. But Saturday’s game is really the last pressure-free game the Kings will play. If they don’t close it Saturday night, it’s suddenly a series again and that’s the last thing anyone in Los Angeles even wants to think about.

NHL Playoffs: Brodeur’s Collapse Puts New Jersey On The Brink

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You can praise the Los Angeles Kings’ goalie Jonathan Quick for his role in the team’s 4-0 shutout win over New Jersey in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals, putting the Kings up 3-0 in games and one win from their first Cup ever. You’d be right to do so. You can praise the Los Angeles team defense and you’d be right to do so. But as much as New Jersey Devil goaltender Martin Brodeur is an icon, and as much as TheSportsNotebook in particular respects him, last night was about the Devil goalie.

New Jersey played its second straight outstanding defensive game—they’ve been good in all three games, but the last two have risen to the level of complete shutdown. They allowed only 21 shots on goal. Of Los Angeles’ three best players, Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Dustin Penner, they combined for just one of those shots. The fact that this resulted in four goals has to fall on the shoulders of the veteran between the pipes who has three rings and is a lock Hall of Famer, but just appears to be fighting off the effects of time.

The first period of Game 3 went by scoreless before Los Angeles broke the ice (no pun intended). Kopitar, one the one shot from the team’s offensive core, then added a second goal on an assist from Brown. Let’s now also give credit to the Kings’ team defense, which held New Jersey to only 22 shots. And while Zach Parise was able to get four off, Ilya Kovalchuk was again made irrelevant. And with Jonathan Quick young, hungry and locked-in, that two-goal lead might as well have  been 6-0. Just in case there was any doubt thought,  Los Angeles added a pair of power play goals early in the third period to put it away. New Jersey’s inability to kill either of the two power plays—the only times all night Los Angeles played with the man advantage speak further volumes to how much Brodeur struggled.

Los Angeles will look to put it away in Game 4 on Wednesday night from the Staples center. Although as ESPN commentator Michael Wilbon noted yesterday, with this team being unbeaten in the road, maybe their real ace in the hole is that they still have two trips to New Jersey in their back pocket, regardless of what happens Wednesday.

Is it now a foregone conclusion this series is over? At 3-0, I’d certainly have to say yes. I do follow and root for Boston sports so I know what the Red Sox did in 2004 and what happened to the Bruins in 2010. But those are history-making moments for a reason—they rarely happen. Maybe a better question would be if the Devils’ can just get two wins and make the Finals interesting again. Here I’d be more optimistic. They’re playing outstanding team defense. They just need Kovalchuk to get involved and then the old vet, Mr. Brodeur needs to put the team on his back at least once.

NHL Playoffs: Los Angeles Goes OT To Take Control Of Finals

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The fans at the Meadowlands saw overtime in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals, but they got the same result—a loss for the home team. The Los Angeles Kings beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1, and not only prevented the Devils from tying the series at a game apiece, but left the home fans with no guarantee their team will be back again, as the Finals now go west with Los Angeles having a chance to close out their first-ever Stanley Cup this coming week.

Both defenses did an excellent job in keeping the other team’s top scorers off the puck. While New Jersey was able to get 30 shots in regulation play, Ilya Kovalchuk was not an active part of the offense, with only two shots. The same goes on the other side. Los Angeles was held to 21 shots, and neither Anze Kopitar—the hero of Game 1—nor Dustin Brown or Dustin Penner—were able to get in the flow. The three combined for two shots.

Los Angeles controlled the overtime session, getting 11 cracks at Martin Brodeur, compared to only three shots on goal for New Jersey in the extra session. And with just over six minutes remaining in the first OT, Jeff Carter launched a no-look shot from center ice—a high-quality look with teammates screening Brodeur—and it found the back of the net.

Game 3 will be on Monday night in the Staples Center and New Jersey’s mental focus is crucial. If they play defense the way they did on Saturday night, the Devils can certainly start winning games and make this a series. If that’s their mindset, then the Finals are still very much in play—home-ice is not prohibitive, so losing two at home isn’t as much of a death wish as it would be in the NBA. But if New Jersey feels like they played as good a defensive game as they could and still lost, then the Kings can close this series and hoist the Cup in short order.

NHL Playoffs: Los Angeles Takes Game 1 On OT Breakaway

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The Los Angeles Kings and New Jersey Devils went to overtime in a clean, relatively penalty-free Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals and a breakaway goal from Kings center Anze Kopitar handed Los Angeles a 2-1 win to get the series underway.

Kopitar’s goal is the focal point of the media coverage, but it’s important to underscore that this happened because the Kings defense decisively won the battle against the Devil offensive players when it came to simply getting good shots. Ilya Kovalchuk, the New Jersey forward who has more points than anyone in the playoffs, got just one shot on goal. Zach Parise had three and was a non-factor. As a team, the Devils generated just 17 shots. Given that the man in goal, Jonathan Quick, is merely an elite goaltender who’s playing at an even higher level in the postseason, the miracle is that New Jersey scored at all.

Los Angeles got the game’s first goal in the opening period, New Jersey countered with a tying score in the second period and the teams played scoreless through the third and then eight more minutes of overtime before Kopitar got the puck in the open and was able to beat Martin Brodeur for the game-winner.

New Jersey can take heart in the fact their own defense was sound, allowing 25 shots and with the exception of Kopitar, mostly kept forwards Dustin Brown and Dustin Penner off the puck. Both players have been a big reason the Kings went from an anemic offense to a juggernaut in the playoffs, so the Devils have to be pleased with the defensive containment. Ultimately though, it’s going to take a lot of shots and high-quality opportunities to beat Quick, and New Jersey was nowhere close to being where they need to on offense.

Game 2 will be back in the Meadowlands on Saturday night.