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Now the Devils head west, just trying to stay alive, revive their fading Stanley Cup dream, and first things first, avoid being swept for the first time in team history by winning a game in Los Angeles.
Home ice was no advantage to the Devils, who lost the opening pair of the Stanley Cup finals by identical 2-1 overtime scores, losing to Kings last night in Newark on Jeff Carter’s goal at 13:42 of OT. The Devils had their chances, most notably Ilya Kovalchuk, who nearly won the game with 18 seconds left in regulation, when his open close-in shot from the right side rang off the crossbar.
The Kings ran their record road playoffs to 10-0 last night, and stand 4-2 at home. The Devils are 6-4 on the road in these playoffs, matching their home mark.
Los Angeles’ victory tied the playoff record of 10 road victories overall, a record shared by the 1995 and 2000 Devils. They already had set the record from the start of postseason. It was the 46th victory by a road team in these playoffs, tying the NHL record set in 1987.
The Devils only can hope to last long enough for their late series dominance to set in. They are 4-6 in Games 1-3, and 8-1 in Games 4-7.
New Jersey is facing an 0-2 hole for the first time in these playoffs, and they stand 1-5 from that deficit, beating the 1994 Bruins in six after losing the opening pair at the Meadowlands.
In the finals, no team has managed that feat since the Original Six. The Kings had not yet been invented when the 1966 Canadiens overcame that Forum flop to beat the Red Wings. The 1942 Leafs also came back on Detroit that way, theirs from an 0-3 hole.
In their other 0-2 deficits, the Devils went out in five to the 1993 Penguins, in six to the 2002 Hurricanes, in five to the 2004 Flyers, in five to the 2006 Hurricanes, and in five to the 2008 Rangers.
The Bruins became the fifth team in NHL history to win the Cup last year from any 0-2 hole, and second in three years (2009 Penguins). The 1971 Canadiens also managed that feat.
The Kings’ consecutive overtime victories improved road teams’ records to 18-5 in the last 23 finals OTs, since 1990.
Game 2 winners in the finals have captured 54 of 72 Cups, including eight of the last nine, last year’s Canucks the exception, as they squandered their 2-0 series lead.
As they did in their 2-1 OT loss in Game 1 of the finals Wednesday, the Devils gave up the first goal in the first period, a period in which they had outscored the Panthers, Flyers and Rangers 23-9.
Drew Doughty skated into the Devils zone, opposed by Bryce Salvador and took a standard wrister from the right circle that went in off Martin Brodeur’s stick shaft 7:49 into play.
It was the 10th time the Devils allowed the opening goal in the playoffs, and they stood 4-5 in those previous nine.
The Kings have not trailed after the first period for their last seven road games, and nine of their 10.
New Jersey came close early when Kovalchuk sent Patrik Elias in on Jonathan Quick for a breakaway during a first period power play. Quick managed to deflect Elias’ shot wide of the net.
There was also Dainius Zubrus’ steer from the right side, followed by Travis Zajac’s rebound try, both halted by Quick. Zajac tried a shorthanded back-door pass to Zach Parise in the second that failed to click.
Quick’s best stop in the first 40 minutes came on a carom off teammate Jordan Nolan, which Quick parried with his right skate.
Ryan Carter tied the score at 2:59 of the third when he deflected Marek Zidlicky’s right point shot. Carter steered the puck down, and it hopped over Quick’s right pad.