New Jersey 2 - Vancouver 1 (S.O.)

Shootout at the OK Corral Decides It

The New Jersey Devils made the long trek cross country to take on the Vancouver Canucks and wrap up what was a tough, grueling series. The game started with much controversy as the Devils Scott Gomez forgot his passport at Newark Airport. The ever thinking Lou Lamoriello found a box of crayons on the chartered plane and was able to forge some papers that luckily allowed Gomez to elude the boarder patrol and play in the contest.

The feel good story of the game was that the vocalist for the evening caught a bad case of laryngitis, and the people of Vancouver sang a touching rendition of "O Canada" and the "Star Spangled Banner" (and sometimes they got the words right too!).

The first period was used as a feeling out session and was pretty much uneventful. At intermission Henrik and Daniel Sedin, looking turning to a superstition started when they were in grade school, decided to swap jerseys and the move paid off. They worked a nice little give and go, which culminated in a one time shot by Daniel off a pass from Henrik, or at least that's what the box score showed. Needing a little bit of luck themselves, the Devils turned to Scott Gomez who got off a bad angle shot that somehow bounced around Luongo's pads and trickled into the net. Physicists are still trying to prove the puck could behave in such a way.

The third period and overtime were back and forth affairs that neither team could seem to get an advantage. We go to the shootout and some more controversy. Patrik Elias skates in and takes his shot which Luongo thought he had covered, but the whistle never blew and he inadvertantly knocked the puck in his own net. After Brodeur stopped Naslund, the Devils turned to Zach Parise who scored one of the most beautiful shootout goals of all time. Faking to his forehand, Parise was able to elude the poke check of Luongo, which left the goaltender vulnerable. In a last ditch effort, Roberto dove across the net, but Parise was able to slide it along the ice into the net off the backhand. Coach Moe Sislak thought it was all but over, so he insisted the Sedins switch jerseys again. One of the brothers skated in on Brodeur and did a quintuple deke that turned Brodeur into a bobblehead, and Henrik lifted the puck into the net. With the game on his stick, "Little" Brian Gionta was unable to get a good shot off as Luongo stalked the puck as if it were his prey. Cooke could be the hero to extend the shootout, but Brodeur made an instinctual glove save to preserve the extra point in the standings for the Devils.

The Devils would not have gotten out unscathed had Gomez not been allowed to play and get off his lucky bounce goal. Now the problem facing the Devils is getting him back into the Country for a meeting with the Edmonton Oilers.

Great series Moe! Was a pleasure playing with you, and meeting you.



1 2 3 OT SO Total
Devils 0 1 0 0 2 2
Canucks 0 1 0 0 1 1

Shots on Goal: VAN: 29, NJ: 27

Scoring

First Period
NONE

Second Period
VAN, Daniel Sedin (H. Sedin), 1:55
NJ, Scott Gomez (P. Elias), 5:58

Third Period
NONE

Overtime
NONE

Shootout
Round 1, NJ, Elias (Goal); VAN, Naslund (Save)
Round 2, NJ, Parise (Goal); VAN, Sedin (Goal)
Round 3, NJ Gionta (Save); VAN, Cooke (Save)

Three Stars
1. NJ, Brodeur, 28 saves
2. VAN, Luongo, 25 saves
3. NJ, Gomez, 1 G