NHL EASTERN FINALS Senators on brink of farewell

Ottawa must win tonight's home game to remain alive in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
OTTAWA (AP) -- New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur knows this is not the time to count out the Ottawa Senators.
The Senators are on the brink of elimination, down 3-1 in the Eastern Conference finals that resume tonight in Ottawa.
But that was the same position Brodeur and the Devils were in three years ago when they rallied to beat Philadelphia on the way to winning the Stanley Cup.
"I look at them and I see what we accomplished in 2000," Brodeur said Sunday. "By experience we did it, so we know it's doable."
And Brodeur didn't even have to look that far back. The Minnesota Wild did it twice this year, and the Vancouver Canucks also pulled off a 3-1 comeback.
"In these playoffs a lot of weird things have happened," Brodeur said. "So you've got to be aware that it's one of those years and we're going to have to bear down and really be good."
Stellar performance
The Devils, coming off a 5-2 home victory Saturday, have been better than good so far.
Brodeur has been stellar, stopping 83 of the last 86 shots he's faced. And the Devils have gotten timely goals from some unlikely sources, with defensive specialist Jay Pandolfo leading the team with three goals and five points in the series.
The Anaheim Mighty Ducks await the series winner, having swept Minnesota in the Western Conference finals.
The Senators, facing elimination for the first time this postseason, are aware that they're going to have to bring their best performance. That includes captain Daniel Alfredsson, who has been limited to one assist in the series.
"I need to [step up]. There's no question about it," Alfredsson said.
Troubled past
Ottawa also faces the challenge of overcoming its troubled playoff past. The Senators are in the conference finals for the first time in their 11-year history. But the Senators are 0-6 in elimination games and the Devils are 8-0 in series they've led 3-1.
For the Senators to come back, they'll have to correct several problems.
Their top offensive players -- Alfredsson, Marian Hossa, Martin Havlat and Todd White -- have combined for one goal and three assists.
Ottawa's defense, meanwhile, has unraveled, allowing 10 goals in the last three games. Curiously, this came after the Senators set an NHL playoff record in allowing two or fewer goals in 11 straight games -- a span in which they gave up a combined 16 goals.
Devils forward Turner Stevenson, who missed the last two games with a groin injury, skated lightly on Sunday before the team traveled to Ottawa. Coach Pat Burns said Stevenson is not expected to play in Game 5.