The New Jersey Devils clawed their way back from the abyss on Saturday night, having squandered a 2-0 lead and having given the majority of the momentum to the Ottawa Senators, the Devils still managed to take away a double over time victory.
A win which tied the best of seven series at two a piece with games three and four heading for Ottawa and promises at least one more home date for the residents of the Meadowlands swamps.
For the most part the game was played on the terms of the Senators, a fast skating game which ignored the trap as best it could.The Senators must have felt that time was to be on their side, as they peppered Devil goaltender Martin Brodeur with shots from the second period on, coming close on a number of occasions to ending the game and perhaps the Devils season.
Instead, Brodeur playing masterfully continued to provide his team mates with opportunities to stay with the Senators and hopefully gain a lucky bounce.
At the other end of the rink, the Sens Ray Emery played a solid game as well, however two of the Devil goals he may wish to have had back. Especially a dying second goal in the first period that gave the Devils a two to nothing lead, that goal which proved to be a tad controversial came about as the last ticks of the clock were counting down, though in the Ottawa dressing room they’re wondering what the result might have been if the timer had started the clock at the same instant as the puck drop. But before they launch a judicial inquiry into the missing ticks of the clock a better question might be what the defence was thinking, when they allowed a number of Devils to have free range in front of the Senators net.
Still, the opportunity for victory was there for most of the third and the following over times, the Senators controlled the play and had more than enough chances to put the game away. Only Brodeur, featuring all new goal tending equipment stood in their way and he loomed large on Saturday.
The hero of the night was Jamie Langenbrunner, who took advantage of an Ottawa miscue in the neutral zone and streak down the ice to score the winning goal midway through the second over time frame.
For the Senators it’s time to regroup and prepare for game three back home, frustrated by a win that got away from them on Saturday, they will have to put it all behind them and concentrated on taking down the Devils at Scotiabank Place. The job of moving to the next round just got a little more difficult with the loss, allowing the Devils to gain a life in the playoff run is always a dangerous ting, especially when their all star and one day hall of fame bound goaltender plays as though he still has much to prove.
A win which tied the best of seven series at two a piece with games three and four heading for Ottawa and promises at least one more home date for the residents of the Meadowlands swamps.
For the most part the game was played on the terms of the Senators, a fast skating game which ignored the trap as best it could.The Senators must have felt that time was to be on their side, as they peppered Devil goaltender Martin Brodeur with shots from the second period on, coming close on a number of occasions to ending the game and perhaps the Devils season.
Instead, Brodeur playing masterfully continued to provide his team mates with opportunities to stay with the Senators and hopefully gain a lucky bounce.
At the other end of the rink, the Sens Ray Emery played a solid game as well, however two of the Devil goals he may wish to have had back. Especially a dying second goal in the first period that gave the Devils a two to nothing lead, that goal which proved to be a tad controversial came about as the last ticks of the clock were counting down, though in the Ottawa dressing room they’re wondering what the result might have been if the timer had started the clock at the same instant as the puck drop. But before they launch a judicial inquiry into the missing ticks of the clock a better question might be what the defence was thinking, when they allowed a number of Devils to have free range in front of the Senators net.
Still, the opportunity for victory was there for most of the third and the following over times, the Senators controlled the play and had more than enough chances to put the game away. Only Brodeur, featuring all new goal tending equipment stood in their way and he loomed large on Saturday.
The hero of the night was Jamie Langenbrunner, who took advantage of an Ottawa miscue in the neutral zone and streak down the ice to score the winning goal midway through the second over time frame.
For the Senators it’s time to regroup and prepare for game three back home, frustrated by a win that got away from them on Saturday, they will have to put it all behind them and concentrated on taking down the Devils at Scotiabank Place. The job of moving to the next round just got a little more difficult with the loss, allowing the Devils to gain a life in the playoff run is always a dangerous ting, especially when their all star and one day hall of fame bound goaltender plays as though he still has much to prove.
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