Devils frustrated with home split
Associated Press
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- It wasn't the late goal by Brett
Hull or the play of Ed Belfour in goal that left the New Jersey
Devils frustrated after Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals on
Thursday night.
It was all the missed opportunities in a 2-1 loss to the Dallas
Stars that evened the best-of-seven series.
New Jersey outshot the Stars 28-17, had the better scoring
chances and even a late power play, but it wasn't enough.
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"The disappointing part of this game was it was certainly there
for us," defenseman Ken Daneyko said. "We knew they would play a
little bit better, but they didn't do anything at all unusual or
anything all that spectacular like they were talking about.
"We knew they were a smart team and they capitalized on their
chances," Daneyko said. "It's more disappointing in the fact it
was certainly there for us. We could be up 2-0. Now we have to go
on the road and try to get a win."
No one in the Devils' locker room was more frustrated than
forward Randy McKay.
Scoreless in 19 playoffs games this season. he had three great
chances to break the 1-1 tie in the second and third periods and
couldn't do it.
"Right I'm just snake bit," said McKay, one of the heroes of
the Devils' cup championship team in 1995. "I could have made it a
different game. Right now I have to keep going, sooner or later one
of them is going to go in for me."
McKay had a chance in close in the second period and mouthed an
obscenity when it was stopped by Belfour, who allowed six goals on
18 shots in Game 1, an impressive 7-3 win by the Devils.
"I didn't have much room on that one," McKay said.
Early in the third, he missed on a close-range deflection
attempt. With 13:20 to play, he failed to convert from 10 feet.
"I had time in front on that one and I thought I would let it
go quick and surprise him," McKay said. "I didn't quite get it up
where I wanted to. In hindsight, maybe I should have taken my
time."
When the shots aren't going you get those second thoughts.
Claude Lemieux also had a couple of great chances, one on a
backhander in close in the opening minute of the third period and
another on a 25-foot shot.
Jason Arnott and Petr Sykora, who both scored two goals in Game
1, also had chances on a power play with less than nine minutes to
play, but Belfour stopped them.
"He played better than the last game obviously," Devils center
Bobby Holik said. "We just didn't put enough pressure on him. We
had some opportunities and he made some good saves but I don't
think he was tested enough by us."
Hull's game-winner, his second of the game, came after a Devils
turnover with 4:16 to play in the game.
Mike Modano pushed the puck around defenseman Brian Rafalski and
Hull redirected Jere Lehtinen's fluttering shot past goaltender
Martin Brodeur.
"They came down and a lucky bounce went through (Rafalski's
leg)," Brodeur said. "Lehtinen kind of backhanded it real soft
and I went to grab it and Brett Hull was cutting through the middle
and hit it out of mid-air."
The Devils never got off a good shot after the Stars went ahead.
"I don't think it's the end of the world," Devils coach Larry
Robinson said. "It's the same. I don't think it's time to panic or
anything like that. We certainly knew we didn't play very well and
we have to play a lot better in that building." |
