Devils Lose On Unfair Goal!

In an attempt not to be biased, I will explain the Devils defeat in the following sense: the Devils were destroyed over the first 2 periods (minus the last minute or so of the second period), but the Devils came back in the third period - absolutely dominating the game.

But it all came down to a bad clear and a pissed off Marty Brodeur in the last seconds.

The Devils did not manage to clear the puck (granted it would have been a tough one with a backhand off the short side glass) and then the puck was whirled around for a low shot by Jussi Jokinen from the point on Brodeur's glove side. The key was the whirl because it forced Brodeur to shift across the goal. This would have been easy if not for a push by a Hurricanes player moving across the ice in front of the goal. The play was a clear penalty, but there was no call.

The question of a "reasonable effort to avoid contact" is the determining factor if the incidental contact is outside the crease. To say that Jokinen made any effort is a blatant joke. It wasn't a small bump, it made Brodeur lose his balance and made him incapable of getting across in time.

Brodeur was super pissed after the game!

The Devils players essentially stopped playing with 5 seconds left - but hey, that is far less interesting to right about and just as much the reason (although less of a proximate cause of the goal).

Yaros