Devils claim Stanley Cup crown with 3-0 win over Ducks
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.
The New Jersey Devils proved once and for all that the Ducks can't swim in the Swamp, beating Anaheim 3-0 in Game 7 Monday night to capture their third Stanley Cup in nine years.
Jeff Friesen scored twice for the Devils, who made it a perfect four in a row at home in the final series and a record-breaking 12-1 in the entire post-season.
"We always found a way to win and we did it again tonight," Devils' defenceman Scott Stevens told CBC. "We had home ice advantage. We play amazing at home."
Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur was also in the record-breaking mood, registering his seventh shutout of the playoffs and third of the final - breaking Dominik Hasek's record of six set in last year's playoffs with Detroit.
But it was Anaheim goaltender Jean- Sebastien Giguere who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the NHL MVP, making him the first player from the losing team to win the honour since Philadelphia goaltender Ron Hextall in 1987.
Giguere was soundly booed by Devils' fans at Continental Airlines Arena when it was announced the award would go to the goaltender, but he was applauded by the New Jersey players.
Rookie Michael Rupp, playing in his fourth career NHL playoff game, had a goal and two assists while Scott Niedermayer, the best defenceman on either team in this series, had a pair of assists in front of a jazzed-up sellout crowd of 19,040, that began chanting "We want the cup" with five minutes remaining in the game.
Head coach Pat Burns won his first career Stanley Cup, 14 years after his first and only previous visit to the championship series with Montreal.
"We had doubts along the way but this group of guys are amazing," said Burns. "You have to give credit to Anaheim too, they were amazing."
Still, the 12th Game 7 in Stanley Cup final history won't go down as a classic.
The Devils broke open a defensive stalemate with a pair of second-period goals before tightening up even more in the third period while the Ducks found themselves unable to find the skating legs that had led them to three home victories over New Jersey.
There would be no Disney ending for the Mighty Ducks, the Cinderella story of this year's playoffs after stunning the defending champion Red Wings in the first round and taking out No. 1 seed Dallas in the second round.
Home ice was the deciding factor in the series, with all seven games won by the home team, a first for a seven-game series in the Cup final since the 1965 champion Montreal Canadiens beat the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Ducks were a punchless team here, failing to generate any real offence in four games in New Jersey, getting outscored 15-3 in those four games.
There would also be no fairytale ending for Ducks veterans Steve Thomas and Adam Oates, triple decade NHLers who remain without a Stanley Cup ring.
Friesen scored his second of the game at 6:16 of the third period, skating in from the blue-line and beating Anaheim goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere with a hard shot.
Just as they did in all their home games in the series, New Jersey decided the game with a masterful second period.
The Devils came out with more jump in that period and aggressively pursued the puck in the offensive zone.
The constant pressure paid off just 2:22 into the period when Niedermayer's wrist shot from the blue-line was deflected at the hashmarks by a roving Rupp and bounced through Giguere's legs. It was a goal Giguere should have had.
The goal seemed to momentarily wake up the Ducks, who pressured the Devils for several shifts with a solid cycle but creating no real scoring chance.
Just when the Ducks felt they were close to breaking through, the Devils scored again at 12:18 of the second period when Friesen swept a loose puck in the slot past Giguere.
Giguere's confidence appeared shaken and a weak backhand by Jay Pandolfo late in the third period found its way through the goalie's pads but not across the goal-line as Ducks' defenceman Sandis Ozolinsh knocked the puck away just in time.
Anaheim head coach Mike Babcock, who had hoped to be the first rookie coach since Jean Perron in 1986 to win the Stanley Cup, shortened his bench after Friesen's goal in an attempt to jumpstart his offence.
Oates and captain Paul Kariya got the lion's share of ice time but couldn't produce a goal.
The Ducks should have left for California instead of showing up for the third period. New Jersey registered its 29th consecutive playoff victory when leading after two periods, a streak that dates back to the spring of 2000. The Devils were also 33-0-5-1 when leading after two during the regular season.
Both teams came out playing a low-risk game in a scoreless but tense first period, neither team wanting to make the first crucial mistake that could lead to a goal. Neither team had proven to be particularly good coming from behind so the opening period featured very little open space and barely any offence with the Devils outshooting the Ducks 7-5.
Thomas had the first real chance midway through the opening period, his one- timer from the left faceoff circle deftly snared by Brodeur's catching glove.
Devils forward Sergei Brylin found himself alone in the slot five minutes later but Giguere rejected his wrist shot with a blocker save.
Patrick Elias finally the best chance of the first period, breaking in from the side boards while short-handed and trying a cheeky backhand deke that Giguere stretched out and stopped with his left pad.
THREE STARS:
1. Scott Niedermayer, New Jersey. Two assists and seemingly all over the ice in both zones. If the defenceman plays at this level next season he'll be in the running for the Norris Trophy.
2. Jeff Friesen, New Jersey. Scored a pair of goals, including the backbreaker in the second period and the capper in the third.
3. Martin Brodeur, New Jersey. Wasn't that busy but the goaltender stood tall in the third period when Anaheim pressed and registered an NHL-record seventh shutout in the same playoff year.
