NY POST

[DINO]

April 15, 2004 -- The Devils cling to hope and history, refusing to believe it's all over but the dethroning.

Their Hearts of Champions all but broke last night. They need a bigger miracle than they managed in 2000, or a Scott Stevens return could provide, to still reign come Wednesday.

Theirs was a magnificent, frenzied attempt to start this series over. In the end, their desire last night simply was not matched by their goal-scoring skills. Now they teeter one loss from becoming ex-champs.

So they stood defiant, talking strongly as they played, vowing that last night's 3-0 loss to the Flyers would not be the last game at the Meadowlands this year, their final stand at home as Stanley Cup champs. They insisted they'll win Saturday in Philly and force the Flyers to dread another Devils' comeback from a 1-3 deficit, as they produced on them in 2000.

"If we get that one game, we can say, 'Here we go again.' That's enough to put that doubt in their minds," Martin Brodeur said. "If we stay alive after Game 5, we'll have a little momentum coming back here [sunday]. That would be great for us."

That would also be the only way their season doesn't end. They must win three straight from this team that has beaten them 6 of 7. Including their own Eastern final triumph over Philly in 2000, only 19 teams have survived 200 1-3 series deficits.

"The pressure's on them," John Madden declared. "You don't want to be up 3-1 and let one slip in your building. Then we grab one here and it's the Luck of Game 7."

That's the Devils' last hope, but they're clinging to it.

"We know if we play the way we can, and will, we'll win," Erik Rasmussen said.

They played last night with that same desperation they'll need Saturday and still came up short. It wasn't for lack of desire or effort, but for lack of goals.

"Everybody did give everything they had, that's for sure," Pat Burns said.

But his Devils gave up the opening goal, as they have in every game of this series. The Flyers struck only 1:18 into play on Kim Johnsson's conversion of a Sami Kapanen rebound. The Flyers have outscored the Devils 4-0 in the first periods of this series.

That goose-egg wasn't for lack of trying. Two Devils power plays forced Robert Esche into unconscious saves, Brian Gionta having three chances on one advantage, Patrik Elias likewise on another. Then came Donald Brashear's wraparound try on Brodeur, who then had to reject Keith Primeau's prime chance in front as well as Mark Recchi's rebound.

The fury only escalated in the second, when the Devils outshot Philly 12-6 but still couldn't solve Esche. Gionta's backhand produced a tough waffle stop, and Esche lost his stick, recovering just in time to deflect away Elias' follow. New Jersey kept throwing pucks at Esche, and he kept knocking them out.

"Esche was good. I have to give him credit," Burns said.

"In the playoffs, your goalie has to be the best player on the road. Tonight, he was our best player," Flyer coach Ken Hitchcock said.

[Derek21]

They sound fairly confident. I kind of believe them after reading some of those comments.

[Don]

"Everybody did give everything they had, that's for sure," Pat Burns said.

In other words, everyone giving their best effort is still not enough to beat the Flyers?

[deviledeggs]

This article makes me feel a little better b/c it kinda shows that the devils still believe and they damn well should...

[David Puddy]

"Everybody did give everything they had, that's for sure," Pat Burns said.

In other words, everyone giving their best effort is still not enough to beat the Flyers?

If Esche plays like that all the time, yes.

[OrangeBlood]

"Everybody did give everything they had, that's for sure," Pat Burns said.

In other words, everyone giving their best effort is still not enough to beat the Flyers?

If Esche plays like that all the time, yes.

Esche doesn't play that well all the time. He's a good goalie with signs of getting better over time. There are, however, pertubations in his performance...in both directions. Last night, he played an extraordinary game. Down the stretch of the regular season, he played some crappy games.

It goes back and forth and is tough to predict. That's the nature of goalies.

I cetainly know that I wasn't predicting a mediocre performance from Brodeur in this series...I've come to expect much more of him. I also know that I don't discount the possibility that the pendulum will swing the other way and Martin will become a wall that even a bullet can't get past.

That's why we play the games rather than give out Cups based on stats.

The series isn't over until one team has four wins.

Let's go Flyers!

[David Puddy]

Esche doesn't play that well all the time. He's a good goalie with signs of getting better over time. There are, however, pertubations in his performance...in both directions. Last night, he played an extraordinary game. Down the stretch of the regular season, he played some crappy games.

It goes back and forth and is tough to predict. That's the nature of goalies.

I cetainly know that I wasn't predicting a mediocre performance from Brodeur in this series...I've come to expect much more of him. I also know that I don't discount the possibility that the pendulum will swing the other way and Martin will become a wall that even a bullet can't get past.

That's why we play the games rather than give out Cups based on stats.

The series isn't over until one team has four wins.

Let's go Flyers!

You know, it's sad that you're more realistic than a lot of the Devils fans here who are ready to throw the season away already.

[Zamode]

They need a bigger miracle than they managed in 2000, or a Scott Stevens return could provide, to still reign come Wednesday.