LOS ANGELES – New Jersey Devils coach Peter DeBoer will tell you that his players love to play their sport to the point that it almost becomes too much of a good thing.
By Gary A. Vasquez, US Presswire
New Jersey Devils coach Peter DeBoer is looking for his players to remain disciplined in Game 6.
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DeBoer said general manager Lou Lamoriello regularly has to call him to tell him to drag his players off the ice.
"On a daily basis," DeBoer said, "I'll come off the ice, tell guys to get off, (and Lamoriello) will give me a call telling me there's 15 guys out there 15 minutes later. You have to go back and get them off the ice. They love to play."
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Maybe that explains why the Devils are 4-0 in elimination games this spring, and 10-1 in Games 4-6 of every series they've played. They just don't want to go home.
They will face another elimination game Monday night (8 ET, NBC) when they play the Los Angeles Kings in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. The Kings are trying to clinch their first title in the franchise's 45-year history and the Devils are trying to return the series to Newark for a Game 7 on Wednesday.
"I don't think you get to this point of the year unless your best players genuinely love to play," DeBoer said. "You're not playing at this point of the year for money or for anything else. It's because you love to play and you grew up wanting to win a Stanley Cup. When your best players have that desire, you have success. Part of that is they don't want to leave the rink. You have to push them out, push them off."
In the first round, the Devils won three of the last four games, including Game 7, to win the series against the Florida Panthers. In the second round, they closed out thePhiladelphia Flyers with four consecutive wins. In the Eastern Conference final, the Devils finished off the New York Rangers with three consecutive wins. In the Stanley Cup Final, the Devils have won twice since the Kings claimed a 3-0 lead in the series.
The Devils are trying to become the first team since the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs to rally from a 3-0 series deficit to win the Stanley Cup. They have already become the first team since the 1945 Detroit Red Wings to force a Game 6 after falling behind 3-0 in the Final. Twenty-five teams have fallen behind 3-0 in a Final, and 20 have been swept, three have lost in five and one has lost in Game 7.
DeBoer will be looking for his team to stay disciplined Monday night.
"It's been critical to us the entire playoffs," DeBoer said. "It's one of the things that has separated us from some of the teams we've played at different points: the ability to turn the other cheek and walk away. That has to continue."
In this series, it's probably not coincidental that the Devils have started to turn it around when goalie Martin Brodeur, 40, started playing like he was in his prime. The Devils are also 2-0 since Henrik Tallinder returned to the lineup after missing the second half of the season with a blood clot in his leg.
Tallinder has averaged 19:34 playing time in his two games, and the Devils seem to be playing tighter defensively.
"Looking back in hindsight, it shouldn't surprise me knowing the guy he is," DeBoer said. "His greatest assets are his feet and his head. I think for me, that's what has allowed him to step in and be successful this time of year."
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