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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- The Stanley Cup was in the
building, and the Dallas Stars weren't about to let go of it -- no
matter how long it took.
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Thu, June 8
This was a classic, classic hockey game. I have never
seen so many great scoring chances and so few goals --
like one. I knew that it was going to be a broken play or
deflection that ended it because if the goalie saw it, it
was going to get stopped.
Martin Brodeur was better than incredible. Eddie Belfour
was incredible. The Stars got stronger that last two
overtime periods. I was very surprised at that. The Devils stopped dumping the puck in,
and they were rushing everything. Dallas just kept breaking up the play and coming
back. The Stars kept dumping the puck in and wearing them down. You could see that
when Dallas had the puck deep down in New Jersey's zone, as the overtimes went on,
they had more time and space to do what they wanted. That is why they were the more
threatening of the two teams.
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Mike Modano deflected in Brett Hull's shot at 6:21 of the third
overtime, ending what was the longest scoreless overtime game in
Stanley Cup finals history as the Stars staved off elimination by
beating the New Jersey Devils 1-0 in Game 5 Thursday night.
Hull threw the Stars' 41st shot of the game on the net from
along the right wing boards and Modano, who hadn't scored a goal in
the finals, pushed it between Martin Brodeur's pads.
After the goal, Brodeur stood motionless in the crease, his head
bowed and the puck sitting in the middle of the net.
"Modano was flying through the middle, going to the net,"
Brodeur said. "He hit it in midair and it went between my legs.
They're so high now, they've got hope and we've got to regroup."
A third overtime in the finals. The Stars. Brett Hull. The
Devils, who took a 3-1 series lead into the game, should have known
better than to try to win the Stanley Cup this way.
"We know this feeling of endurance tests," Stars coach Ken
Hitchcock said.
The Stars won the Stanley Cup with Hull's third overtime goal in
Game 6 against Buffalo last year, and this time kept from losing
the cup by beating New Jersey in a third overtime.
|  | | Martin Brodeur makes one of his 40 saves against Dallas in New Jersey's 1-0 loss. |
Game 6 will be Saturday night in Dallas, where the Devils seized
their 3-1 lead by winning twice. Now, it's a very precarious 3-2
lead.
"We do have a cushion -- a little bit," Devils coach Larry
Robinson said.
Modano said, "We felt if we won tonight, we'd be coming back
here Monday night (for Game 7). That was our whole train of thought
going into tonight. It's a once in a lifetime game when you're
playing overtime in an elimination game."
Hull sensed the Stars getting more chances the longer the
overtimes went.
"As the game gets long and people get tired, if you stick to
the game plan, you can find some room," Hull said. "People are
tired and playing safe."
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LONGEST FINALS OVERTIMES
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May 15, 1990:
Edmonton 3, Boston 2
55 minutes, 13 seconds of overtime; Petr
Klima scored the winner
June 19, 1999:
Dallas 2, Buffalo 1
54:51; Brett Hull (Stanley Cup
winner)
April 9, 1931:
Chicago 3, Montreal Canadiens 2
53:50; Cy Wentworth
June 8, 2000:
Dallas 1, New Jersey 0
46:21; Mike Modano
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It was the fourth longest Stanley Cup finals game ever and,
early in the third overtime, became the longest scoreless overtime
finals game. Colorado beat Florida 1-0 on Uwe Krupp's goal at 4:31
of the third overtime to complete a four-game sweep in 1996.
"It's great. We're running on fumes right now," Modano said.
"This was a big winner. We're lucky we're going to see Saturday."
The goal ended a duel between two of the NHL's best big-game
goaltenders, the Devils' Brodeur and the Stars' Ed Belfour, both of
whom have Stanley Cup rings.
Belfour, rebounding from a three-goal third period in a 3-1 loss
in Game 4, made 48 saves. Brodeur made 40, but couldn't make the
41st.
"Eddie and Marty, to be honest, I don't think I've seen
anything better since I've been in the league," Hitchcock said.
"I thought we would have to take a timeout and probably finish
next week. I didn't think anyone would score."
Belfour, who tied a record held by eight others with his fourth
shutout in these playoffs, said, "This is the best game I played
since I made 75 saves as a kid."
Brodeur began his post-game news conference by saying, "Good
morning," reflecting the 1:13 a.m. EDT finish.
"The fans certainly got their money's worth," Devils
defenseman Scott Stevens said. "Both of these goalies were
unbelievable."
The Devils, the first ever to rally from a 3-1 deficit to win
the conference finals, now are trying to avoid being the second
team to lose a 3-1 lead in the finals.
The only team to accomplish it among the 25 that tried was
Toronto, which won the final four games against Detroit in 1942
after falling behind 3-0.
"I'm not thinking about that," Stevens said. "I'm thinking
about being up 3-2, and that's not a bad position to be in."
The Stars are the third team in the last 19 years to keep from
losing in a potential elimination game. Vancouver the last to do
it, did so twice against the Rangers in 1994 before losing Game 7.
New Jersey has never lost any of the three playoff series it led
3-1 and Dallas has never won any of the eight it has trailed, never
once forcing a single Game 7.
So far, there has been a road team advantage in the finals, with
the Stars winning two of three in New Jersey and the Devils winning
both games in Dallas.
The Devils, who talked repeatedly on Tuesday and Wednesday of
the necessity of not letting Dallas get back into the series, lost
for the second time in seven games since falling behind
Philadelphia 3-1 in the Eastern Conference finals.
The long game helped make a pumped-up crowd -- one of the few
such the Devils have played before at home this season -- less of a
factor. There were gaps of empty seats as midnight passed in the
second overtime, as even the possibility of a Stanley Cup
presentation couldn't keep some sleepy fans from leaving.
As might have been expected in so important a game from two
teams that have perfected the offense-stifling neutral zone trap,
there was no scoring in regulation. That doesn't mean there weren't
scoring chances.
Bobby Holik had two of the best for New Jersey. He hit the right
post on an unguarded shot from the right circle midway through the
second period, then missed wide of the net on a power play
resulting from Jere Lehtinen's high-sticking penalty.
"He had six goals that could have gone in," Robinson said.
New Jersey also held off a Stars power-play flurry a few minutes
before, with Brodeur stacking his pads to turn aside a Lehtinen
shot from the slot.
Brodeur's wife, Melanie, was so worried she covered her eyes
with one of the white towels handed out to the sellout crowd of
19,040. She opened them just in time to watch her husband make the
save, and frantically jumped out of her seat to cheer.
The Stars had the best chances in the third, with Brodeur
flopping to ice to stop Modano, and Lehtinen firing wide on a slick
setup by Hull with about eight minutes left.
Holik's bad luck -- and bad shooting -- continued in the overtime,
as he continued to get more good scoring chances than any other
Devils player, but still couldn't convert.
The overtime was the Devils' first in the playoffs this season.
They were within one game of the tying the 1991 North Stars' record
for most playoff games in a season without overtime (22).
It was only the eighth overtime game in the 2000 playoffs, a
relatively low number -- but one was the five-overtime
Flyers-Penguins game, the second-longest in NHL history.
The road team has now won the last 11 multiple-period overtime
games.
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
Dallas Clubhouse
New Jersey Clubhouse
Frozen Moment: Mo's goal gives Stars momentum
X Factor: Holik's near heroics
Three Stars and Game 6 at a glance
Triple-overtime thriller scores big with ratings
RECAPS
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Victory! Mike Modano scores the overtime goal.
avi: 1370 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
ESPN's Barry Melrose gives his analysis of Ed Belfour's performance.
RealVideo: | 28.8
ESPN's Barry Melrose gives his analysis of Martin Brodeur's performance.
RealVideo: | 28.8
Martin Brodeur makes a spectacular save.
avi: 892 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Ed Belfour gets a little help from Darien Hatcher in OT.
avi: 929 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Martin Brodeur frustrates the Stars with another great save.
avi: 798 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Mike Modano and the Stars feel rejuvinated after winning Game 5.
wav: 88 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Mike Keane thinks the Stars are back in business.
wav: 119 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Coach Larry Robinson felt the Devils played well despite the loss.
wav: 167 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Ken Hitchcock and the Stars are just looking for a chance.
wav: 116 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Mike Modano and the Stars are feeling more confident.
wav: 135 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
The Stars and Ken Hitchcock have been down this road before.
wav: 94 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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