Friday, May 30, 2003
New Jersey won 3-0 and is in total control of the series.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- The Anaheim Mighty Ducks are starting to understand what the Minnesota Wild went through.
After smothering the Wild in the Western Conference finals, the Ducks have failed to beat New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur in the first two games of the Stanley Cup finals.
"It's disappointing not to be able to generate anything offensively," Anaheim captain Paul Kariya said after the Mighty Ducks' second straight 3-0 loss to the Devils on Thursday night.
Game 3 is Saturday in Anaheim.
The Wild were shut out in the first three games against the Ducks in the previous round. They finally scored one goal in Game 4 but it wasn't enough to keep from getting swept.
Unacceptable
That gave Anaheim 10 days off before meeting the Devils, and so far the Ducks haven't found their game again.
"We're not playing with the same passion and will as we did in the first three rounds," defenseman Keith Carney said. "They're playing really well. They're doing what they need to do. We can't just accept that."
Brodeur faced 16 shots for the second game in a row. He had no trouble stopping them all, and few of the shots were generated from legitimate scoring chances.
Backed by second-period goals from Patrik Elias and Scott Gomez, and a third-period score by Jeff Friesen, Brodeur became the first goalie since 1945 with back-to-back shutouts to start a finals series. Toronto's Frank McCool had three straight against Detroit 58 years ago.
"It's kind of hard for me to realize it," Brodeur said. "We're here on a mission to try to be successful in these playoffs."
Brodeur tied Dominik Hasek's record, set last season, with his sixth playoff shutout of the year. He has 19 career postseason shutouts, second only to the 23 Patrick Roy posted in his just-ended career.
Leading scorer slowed
Kariya led the Ducks with 81 points in the regular season but has been bottled up by the Devils' penetrating defense. He has one shot in the series, and it came in Game 1. He set up Steve Rucchin for the second of Anaheim's two shots in the middle period, but Brodeur managed to keep the trickling puck from getting all the way through.
"They're playing New Jersey hockey, you've got to give them some credit," said center Adam Oates, put on a line with Kariya in the third period. "It's nothing we didn't expect. We know they're a very good a defensive team, and obviously Marty's good back there."
John-Sebastien Giguere made 22 saves and played fairly well until Friesen beat him with an unscreened shot 4:22 into the third period. Giguere slammed his stick, breaking it in half.
Oleg Tverdovsky assisted on the first two goals, including one with a man advantage. He returned to the lineup for Game 1 after being a healthy scratch in the final six games against Ottawa.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.