They needed until Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals to take their first lead, but the Devils crossed that and first win off their list with a 3-1 victory over the Kings. They still trail the series three games to one. At least they avoided the ignominy of a sweep in what would have been among the most one-sided finals in history. But the hockey season is still going.
The three goals in Game 4 are one more than the Devils managed through the first three encounters of the series, and they all came in the third period. Patrik Elias scored on a rebound at the 7:56 mark, but the first lead was short-lived. A controversial boarding penalty on David Clarkson set up a Kings power play that was quickly converted by Drew Doughty a minute after Elias' goal. Adam Henrique, so valuable all season long, scored on a wrist shot to put the Devils back on top, and then Ilya Kovalchuk bagged his first point of the series with an empty-netter. (Travis Zajac had missed the open cage seconds earlier.)
With Game 5 on Saturday in Newark, the Devils can try to climb back into the series. They'll need more outstanding play from Martin Brodeur (he made 21 saves) and some luck (the Kings hit the post twice in the first period). For those wondering, a comeback from three games down in the Stanley Cup finals isn't unprecedented, but it hasn't happened since 1942.
