CLUTCH KOVY: Ilya Kovalchuk celebrates a goal in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Rangers, but he and the Devils had little to cheer about in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final against the Kings. (AP)
The Devils’ Stanley Cup dream begins fading if they fail tonight. The Big Shot says it’s Kovy Time.
No guarantees, no promises — we know them when we hear them — but Ilya Kovalchuk said the Devils need to score and that’s why he’s here.
“I like that kind of pressure,” Kovalchuk told The Post yesterday. “That’s why I play hockey.”
For the third straight series, the Devils trail after losing the opener. They won Game 2 on the road and the series each previous time, but this time, in the Stanley Cup Finals, they lost Game 1 at home, which has quickly proven more handicap than help.
The Devils already have squandered home-ice advantage to the record road-perfect Kings. If they don’t square the series tonight in Game 2 in Newark, they will head to California having to accomplish what no team has done since the 1966 Canadiens, capture the Stanley Cup after losing the opening pair of the Finals at home. Those were the Canadiens of Jean Beliveau, (Devils special coach) Jacques Laperriere, Henri Richard, John Ferguson, Gump Worsley, Ted Harris, Terry Harper, Yvan Cournoyer, Claude Provost, Ralph Backstrom, Dave Balon, Dickie Duff, Claude Larose, Jean-Guy Talbot, Gilles Tremblay and J.C. Tremblay, coached by Toe Blake. It took some team, and some doing to beat Gordie Howe and the Red Wings in six.
“Against a stingy team like L.A., getting off to an 0-2 start would be a tough one to overcome,” Martin Brodeur said. “[That’s what] they did to every single team — on the road — in the playoffs.
“This is what is in the back of our heads, a little bit.”
The Kings are 9-0 on the road, a record unbeaten start to the playoffs, and will be seeking to tie the record for most road victories in a playoff year, 10, shared by the Devils, among others.
“We have to respond with a great effort. Not just a good one, a great one,” Brodeur said. “We have to play close to a perfect game.”
The Devils improved as each series progressed, and so did Kovalchuk. Both were unimpressive Wednesday, and still the Devils only lost 2-1 in overtime. They were held to 17 shots, one from Kovalchuk, who leads the playoffs with 18 points, but had none in the opener.
“We have to score more than one goal to win,” Kovalchuk said. “We know it’s not going to be a high-scoring series. We know what we have to do.
“I want to produce. It didn’t happen the last game. I have to find a way to get it done.”
Brodeur seemed ready to rely on Kovalchuk.
“He loves to be in the limelight and there’s no better stage than the Stanley Cup Finals,” Brodeur said. “We expect the best and I’m sure he expects that, also.”
Devils coach Pete DeBoer kept his Game 1 lines intact in practice yesterday, including Kovalchuk with rookie Adam Henrique and left wing Alexei Ponikarovsky. Zach Parise is with Travis Zajac and Dainius Zubrus, while Patrik Elias skated with Jacob Josefson and David Clarkson. The fourth line of Ryan Carter, Stephen Gionta and Steve Bernier provided significant hitting in the opener, as did Zubrus.
DeBoer would not load the weight of the state on Kovalchuk’s back.
“Our identity is a four-line team. Kovy is a piece of that, but he’s not the team. I don’t think that’s how we’re built. I don’t think that’s why we’ve had success,” DeBoer said. “We’re capable of surviving on nights when he doesn’t score or isn’t at the top of his game, just like we’re capable of surviving nights when Elias or Parise or other guys aren’t. I think that’s the strength of our team.”
DeBoer has alternatives, such as loading up two lines with his top six scorers in the hope they parlay their finesse and skill to become greater than the sum of their parts. The Devils have little time for experimenting, but even less for sticking with anything that isn’t working.