ANAHEIM, 4 June 2003 — Steve Thomas’ goal 39 seconds into overtime earned the Anaheim Mighty Ducks a 1-0 win over the New Jersey Devils on Monday, leveling the best-of-seven Stanley Cup finals 2-2.
Thomas’s goal settled a riveting netminders duel between New Jersey’s Martin Brodeur and Anaheim’s Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who registered his fifth shutout of the postseason by turning aside all 26 shots directed at him. Written off after being shutout 3-0 in Games One and Two, the Ducks revived their championship dreams with a determined homestand, improving their playoff record at the Pond to 8-1.
The win also improved Anaheim’s overtime postseason record to 7-0 and sends them back to the Meadowlands for Game Five tomorrow on a level footing and with everything to play for.
History, however, remains on New Jersey’s side with only three teams having ever clawed their way back to claim the Stanley Cup after dropping the opening two games.
“We gave them too much respect,” Giguere told reporters. “We needed to go out there and play our game.
“There is no better way for me to get better as a player than in overtime,” added Giguere, who extended his overtime shutout streak to a record 168 minutes. “It’s exciting to be in those situations.”
Giguere and the Ducks have found themselves in tight games many times this postseason. The victory was Anaheim’s 12th one-goal playoff victory, equalling an NHL record set in 1933 by the Montreal Canadiens.
Going into overtime for the second consecutive game, the Ducks settled the issue quickly when Brodeur could not control the rebound off a shot by Samuel Pahlsson, Thomas swooping in and snapping the puck over the sprawling New Jersey netminder.
“I have to pinch myself,” said Thomas after his third playoff goal. “When you have an opportunity to score an overtime goal like that, to win a hockey game for your team, that’s the ultimate. There’s no better feeling than winning a hockey game for your team.” For three periods, Brodeur and Giguere engaged in a scintillating battle, taking turns to make the big save.
Having committed one of the biggest blunders in Stanley Cup history in Game Three, a composed Brodeur was back to his unbeatable best, particularly in the second period when the Devils were outshot by the Ducks.
The bad luck that led to him fumble his stick and watch the puck go through his legs and into the net in Anaheim’s 3-2 overtime win Saturday was replaced by good fortune as Stanislav Chisov and Adam Oates both struck the post.
But Brodeur’s luck appeared to run out early in the third period, giving his teammates and the New Jersey supporters another heart-stopping scare when he again nearly deflected the puck into his own net before sweeping it clear at the last moment.
The play began with Ruslan Salei routinely slamming the puck into the New Jersey end off the boards from center ice.
But the Anaheim defenseman’s shot took a strange bounce, the puck sharply coming off the boards and cutting across the goalmouth to catch Brodeur off-guard.
