NOTEBOOK From the Stanley Cup finals

Stevenson eyes return: Turner Stevenson expects to play in the Stanley Cup finals, injured groin or not. The New Jersey right wing played the first eight games of the playoffs before being forced to miss the final two contests against Tampa Bay because of a groin injury. A long layoff between the Devils' second-round series against the Lightning and the Eastern Conference finals against Ottawa gave Stevenson a chance to rest and recover. He was back on the ice for the first two games against the Senators, and played well. But the groin gave out again and Stevenson was out for the final five games. Stevenson is not ready to give up on this season yet. He hopes the Devils do well at home in the opening two games of the finals against Anaheim so he can rest until Game 5 when they return home. "The schedule works out really well," he said Monday. "That's 10 or 11 days from now. That gives me a lot more rest than I've had in a long time. That's what I've needed." If the team doesn't do well at home, Stevenson might try to push himself to be ready for Game 3 in Anaheim on Saturday.
Captain Kariya: Paul Kariya saw an awful lot of losing in his first eight NHL seasons, all with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Before this season when the Ducks won 40 games, had they ever topped 23 victories. The longtime captain could've sought a ticket out by forcing new GM Bryan Murray to deal him, but he didn't. "It just goes to show what kind of leader he is," teammate Steve Rucchin said. "He could've wanted to go somewhere else. He could've made some problems about it in the press and it could've been a detriment to the team. He's just been a great leader." Kariya had his lowest goal total (25) in five seasons, yet enjoyed success like never before. Until this year, the Ducks had only won two playoff series.
Long night: The fans attending Game 1 at Continental Airlines Arena might want to settle in for a long night. Each of the Mighty Ducks' first three Game 1s lasted multiple overtimes, and they won each one. The Mighty Ducks beat Detroit 2-1 in two overtimes in the conference quarterfinals, Dallas 4-3 in five overtimes in the semifinals and Minnesota 1-0 in two overtimes in the Western Conference final.
The A Line: Two-thirds of the A-Line that carried the Devils to the 2000 Stanley Cup championship will be reunited this week. Petr Sykora, who teamed with Patrik Elias and Jason Arnott to form one of the best lines in Devils' history, now plays for the Mighty Ducks. Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello traded Sykora to the Mighty Ducks in a deal for Jeff Friesen, who scored three game-winning goals in the Ottawa series. The deal split up longtime friends Sykora and Elias, but they still talk at least once a week. "I'm still very close to Patrik," Sykora said. "When I look at the highlights, I always look to see if Patty scored. ... I was getting used to new players, and he was playing with other players, too. It was kind of a new experience for him, too." Arnott scored the game-winning overtime goal in Game 6 of the 2000 Stanley Cup final that carried the Devils past the defending champion Stars. Arnott now plays for Dallas.
-- Associated Press