Coming off their heart-breaking loss in Raleigh in Game 4 Tuesday night, the Devils returned to the Prudential Center Thursday night and rebounded with a huge 1–0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in the pivotal Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
Excitement for this game was at a fever pitch as the Devils took the ice.
Devils’ tough guy David Clarkson was called for interference with Carolina goalie Cam Ward early in the first period. No doubt, this was a “subtle” response to the banging Brodeur endured at the RBC Center in their last two games. The Devils wanted to send a message to the Canes that hitting Brodeur would be met in similar fashion.
Despite the occasional banging, the first period was played very defensively with the Devils out-shooting the Hurricanes 16–8.
The Devils got on the scoreboard with about eight minutes left in the second period. Defenseman Andy Greene, who was filling in for the injured Bryce Salvador, came off the bench and ripped a scorching slap shot that was deflected by David Clarkson, beating Cam Ward for the 1–0 lead.
The Canes started the third period on back-to-back power plays due to a roughing call on Colin White at the end of the second period and a cross checking penalty on Johnny Oduya.
But they were unable to capitalize as the Devils tightened up the defense and killed off both penalties.
For most of the third period, the Devils had to hold back offensively while the Canes forced the issue. Their strong defense kept them in the game though, particularly on the penalty kill. If there’s one thing the Devils are trained to do, it’s to protect a lead.
Things got intense in the last minute of the period as Carolina pulled Ward for an extra attacker but Brodeur was on fire, stonewalling the Canes and stopping all 44 shots for the shutout.
Brodeur hit another historic milestone, tying Patrick Roy’s record of 23 playoff shutouts.
Giving credit where credit is due, Cam Ward also played a great game, stopping 41 of 42 shots.
But this night belonged to Martin Brodeur who bounced back after that crushing loss in Game 4. He earned the hard-fought victory and so did the Devils, showing grit and heart up until the closing seconds.
This series is turning into the tightest of the first round with four out of five games being decided by one goal.
The series now shifts back to Raleigh, NC for Game 6 on Sunday with the Devils leading the series 3–2.
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