June 2, 2012, Los Angeles Kings-New Jersey Devils Game 2 advance for HockeyPrimeTime.com

Devils look to improve on dismal Game 1

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Written by Denis Gorman

Saturday, June 02, 2012 02:04

After a lackluster Game 1, the New Jersey Devils have refocused and are approaching Game 2 with one very simple task in mind – be better, because they don’t think they could get any worse. NEWARK, N.J. — The Los Angeles Kings know the New Jersey Devils are going to be better in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final. The Devils trust they will be better in Game 2 Saturday night at the Prudential Center because they believe they could not be worse. “We got to do more,” New Jersey coach Pete DeBoer said Friday. “We didn’t do enough.” The Devils’ 2-1 overtime loss in Game 1 was marked by atypical apprehensiveness. The Devils took 34 shots and only 17 reached Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick. The only puck to get past Quick was an Anton Volchenkov shot that ricocheted off of Kings defenseman Slava Voynov’s chest with 1:12 left in the second period. The goal tied the game at 1-1. New Jersey’s top-six forwards combined for 11 shots on goal and a collective minus-six rating during Game 1. While DeBoer would not name the players whose play he felt was substandard, Ilya Kovalchuk immolated his play Wednesday night. Kovalchuk took three shots in 21:13 of ice time in his first Stanley Cup Final game. “He’s on a long list there,” DeBoer said of Kovalchuk. “I think if you asked our group there [are] are lot of guys on that list. Kovy is a piece but he’s not the team. That’s not how we’re built. “We’re capable of surviving on [the] nights when he doesn’t score or isn’t at the top of his game, just like we’re capable of surviving nights that [Patrik] Elias or [Zach] Parise or other guys aren’t [producing offensively]. I think that’s the strength of our team.” So is the forecheck pressure that keeps the puck in the offensive zone, which they were able to do in the third period. The Devils were credited with seven shots on goal in the third Wednesday — the most they had in any period. Kings coach Darryl Sutter knows that the Devils are going to play Devils hockey in what could be viewed as a must-win game. “They’re a bigger team and quicker team upfront,” Sutter said when asked to compare the Devils to the Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues and Phoenix Coyotes, the teams the Kings defeated in the first three rounds of the playoffs before acknowledging that the Devils improved their physical play. “As the game went on, they certainly did,” Sutter said. “That’s not going to be a surprise. They have a big, strong, fast group upfront. That’s what they’re going to do. Both teams want to forecheck. But you got to be smart. You can’t have pucks go by you.” That is exactly what happened on Anze Kopitar’s game-winning goal. Justin Williams fired a blind stretch pass past Dainius Zubrus and Bryce Salvador that landed on Kopitar’s stick. The two Devils had the best view of anyone on the ice of Kopitar’s spectacular forehand shot that won the game and left Martin Brodeur face-first on the ice. “I think after looking at the tape we think we know what we have to fix,” DeBoer said. “I think there’s a comfort level that we can get that done. We went through the tape, the three or four areas we need to fix. We worked on some of that in practice. “We’ve been a good home team. We’ve played well here,” I know we’re going to throw a good game out there Saturday night.” You can follow us on Twitter @HockeyPrimeTime and @DenisGorman. Photos by Getty Images

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