The first three games of the 2000 Stanley Cup finals revealed some indisputable truths.
New Jersey’s superior speed over Dallas makes any race for the puck look like the Road Runner against Wily E. Coyote. Even away from the Blackhawks, Dave Manson is on a first-name basis with the penalty box supervisor. And ever since 1980, Al Michaels and hockey go together like ice and Zambonies.
Game 4, played Monday night at a wild Reunion Arena, uncovered one more: Youthful skill is overpowering aging will.
Over the last two postseasons, Dallas had won nine straight games following a loss and pointed to the statistic with warrior-like pride. But that streak got buried in a third-period flurry Monday night that led to the Devils’ 3-1 victory and put the Stars’ hopes for repeating as Stanley Cup champions on the critical list.
New Jersey, which improved to 9-2 on the road this postseason, can close out the series at home in Game 5 on Thursday.
“We’ve come this far, but 15 wins doesn’t get you a Stanley Cup. Sixteen does,” said defenseman Brian Rafalski, one of four dazzling rookies making significant contributions for the Devils. “We don’t want to drag this series out any longer.”
Trailing 1-0 after two periods, the Devils beat Ed Belfour with three goals on three straight shots in a stunning 3 minute, 41 second span.
Sergei Brylin started the spurt at 2:27 of the third, though Alexander Mogilny and Vladimir Malakhov made the pretty goal happen. Mogilny bought time in the Stars’ zone with some nifty stick-handling before finding Malakhov. The defenseman deked Scott Thornton and fed Mogilny in the slot for a quick shot. Belfour stopped that one, but left the rebound for Brylin to easily tap home.
Rookie forward John Madden made it 2-1 at 4:51 with a shorthanded goal, the kind that breaks backs and weakens spirits. Colin White had been sent off for interference, but Ken Daneyko cleared the puck to Sergei Nemchinov, whose touch pass found Madden and caught former Hawk Sylvain Cote pinching.
Madden’s wrist shot beat Belfour cleanly and marked the sixth time a rookie has scored the game-winner for the Devils this postseason.
Just 77 seconds later, Rafalski danced around Sergei Zubov and fired a wrist shot that beat Belfour between his legs.
“We don’t look at them as rookies,” New Jersey coach Larry Robinson said. “We look at them as very talented hockey players.”
Dallas had hoped to receive an offensive boost from the return of Jamie Langenbrunner, who had missed five straight games with a sprained right knee. But for the fourth straight game, New Jersey outshot the Stars, this time 31-17 and 15-4 in the decisive third period.
About the only bad news for New Jersey was when Derian Hatcher separated Jason Arnott from some teeth late in the third period. No penalty was called on the questionable hit. Arnott didn’t return.
The teams each killed off three penalties before Joe Nieuwendyk cashed in the Stars’ fourth opportunity at 18:02 of the second period, his first goal of the series.
That goal proved the extent of the Dallas highlights.
“Last I looked at it, we are the last name on the Stanley Cup, and we are just not prepared to give it up easily to a team like New Jersey,” Dallas coach Ken Hitchcock said. “I think, at sometime during the series, that it does boil down to pride over skill and combativeness and character over a lot of other technical things. That is where we feel we have got to put this series if we are going to win it.”
The Stars better hurry.
