NEWARK, N.J. -- Devils coach Peter DeBoer had a feeling Zach Parise would respond to questions that had been dogging him about his lack of production in the Stanley Cup final. The Devils captain had gone without a point before scoring a critical first goal in a 2-1 win over the Kings in Game Five.
Parise took advantage of Jonathan Quick's miscue on the power play and beat him to the post after stealing his errant pass behind the net, push the Devils in the right direction. The team that has scored first has won each of the five games in the final. New Jersey's win snapped L.A.'s record 10-game winning streak on the road.
"It’s always nice to contribute," Parise said. "I still think that our line was playing fine. We were hetting a lot of great chances, and it wasn’t going in for us. Tonight, we get lucky and it’s the difference."
The Kings had a 3-0 series lead but still have the odds in their favor as the best-of-seven series shifts back to Southern California. Only six of 32 teams that trailed, 3-2, in the final series have gone on to win the Cup. The 1942 Maple Leafs were the only team that came back from three-down in the finals to win it all. New Jersey is looking to join them.
If the Kings aren't reeling after losing two in a row for the first time in the postseason, they will be if New Jersey wins for the third straight time Monday night in Staples Center. Game Seven would be played in the Prudential Center in Newark on Wednesday.
"We’re going to try to ruin the party again," said Devils goalie Martin Brodeur, who made 25 saves and several critical stops in the final two periods. "They’re so close in L.A. to winning the Stanley Cup. I’m sure it’s getting to them a little bit to have all these chances and not capitalize on them. We’re just looking to stay alive."
--- Bucky Gleason
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