- News>
- Others
Ducks prove victorious over Devils
Anaheim, June 09: Steve Rucchin scored twice while Paul Kariya added a goal and two assists to lead the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim to a 5-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils in the sixth game of the Stanley Cup finals Saturday
Anaheim, June 09: Steve Rucchin scored twice while Paul Kariya added a goal and two assists to lead the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim to a 5-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils in the sixth game of the Stanley Cup finals Saturday
The win, achieved in front of 17,174 at the Arrowhead Pond including Disney chairman Michael Eisner, team owner Meg Ryan, Mike Myers and Emilio Estevez, enabled the Ducks to tie the best-of-seven series and force Game Seven in New Jersey Monday.
Both teams demonstrated their intensity early on with several shoving matches once play stopped. In the second period, New Jersey defenseman Scott Stevens sent Kariya to the ice by banging his left shoulder into the left wing's visor.
Kariya lay on the ice for several seconds but skated to the dressing room under his own steam and returned to the action 4 1/2 minutes later to a standing ovation.
Rucchin scored the first goal at 4:26 when his shot from the blue line went in off Stevens. Nearly five minutes later, the Devils had a chance to tie the score 20 seconds into an Anaheim powerplay.
Scott Niedermayer took Jay Pandolfo's pass on a two-on-one breakaway and fired a wrist shot, but goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere squeezed the puck between his legs for the save.
Rucchin gave the Mighty Ducks their first two-goal lead of the series at 13:42 of the first period.
Anaheim's Rob Niedermayer and Colin White of the Devils were fighting for the puck behind the New Jersey net, Mike Leclerc dug it out and passed quickly to Rucchin, who fired a wrist shot inside the left post.
Rucchin's goal was his team-high seventh of the playoffs. Steve Thomas extended the margin to 3-0 at 15:59 when he converted the rebound from Kariya's shot at the right post after being dumped by Scott Niedermayer on a powerplay.
Pandolfo broke the shutout 2:18 into the second period with a wrist shot from the slot but Kariya's slap shot from the left point at 17:15 and Petr Sykora's powerplay goal 3:57 into the third frame gave Anaheim a 5-1 lead.
New Jersey's Jason Marshall finished the scoring with a powerplay goal at 10:46 of the final period.
Giguere finished with 26 saves. New Jersey's Martin Brodeur made 17 stops before being replaced by Corey Schwab in the middle of the third period.
Bureau Report
Scott Niedermayer took Jay Pandolfo's pass on a two-on-one breakaway and fired a wrist shot, but goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere squeezed the puck between his legs for the save.
Rucchin gave the Mighty Ducks their first two-goal lead of the series at 13:42 of the first period.
Anaheim's Rob Niedermayer and Colin White of the Devils were fighting for the puck behind the New Jersey net, Mike Leclerc dug it out and passed quickly to Rucchin, who fired a wrist shot inside the left post.
Rucchin's goal was his team-high seventh of the playoffs. Steve Thomas extended the margin to 3-0 at 15:59 when he converted the rebound from Kariya's shot at the right post after being dumped by Scott Niedermayer on a powerplay.
Pandolfo broke the shutout 2:18 into the second period with a wrist shot from the slot but Kariya's slap shot from the left point at 17:15 and Petr Sykora's powerplay goal 3:57 into the third frame gave Anaheim a 5-1 lead.
New Jersey's Jason Marshall finished the scoring with a powerplay goal at 10:46 of the final period.
Giguere finished with 26 saves. New Jersey's Martin Brodeur made 17 stops before being replaced by Corey Schwab in the middle of the third period.
Bureau Report