Stanley Cup Playoffs 2012: New Jersey Devils Facing Elimination

So much for being in the proverbial driver's seat.

Fresh off a 4-0 win in Newark on Thursday night, the New Jersey Devils dropped a 3-0 decision tonight to fall behind, three games to two, in their opening-round series with the Florida Panthers. The Devils will need to win Game 6 at home on Tuesday to force a seventh game on Thursday in Sunrise, Fla.

''They did a lot of things better than we did tonight,'' said Devils coach Pete DeBoer. ''It was a good lesson for us. The fourth game is always the toughest to win and we're going to make it as tough as possible.''

It was reminiscent of a Devils' playoff game from the 1990s, when they struggled to score any goals. Nothing got past Panthers goaltender Jose Theodore (30 saves), who had been pulled in Game 3 after surrendering three goals on six shots in the first six minutes of that contest. The third-seeded Panthers actually rebounded to win that night behind backup netminder Scott Clemmensen, who then took the loss on Thursday evening in his first career playoff start.

Sixth-seeded New Jersey fell behind Saturday on Kris Versteeg's power-play goal early in the second period, the seventh power-play goal scored by the Panthers in the series. The goal was aided by the fact that Anton Volchenkov broke his stick and Zach Parise gave up his to his defenseman. Stephen Weiss then passed to Versteeg low in the left circle, and his one-timer beat Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur (32 saves).

The Devils had their chances to tie the game, particularly in the third period with several goal-mouth flurries, but nothing went in. llya Kovalchuk had six shots, but still has just one goal in the series, while David Clarkson had four shots but is still seeking his first playoff goal this spring. Petr Sykora, Dainius Zubrus and Steve Bernier each had three unsuccessful shots, while team captain Parise, who may or may not be back next season depending upon free agency, was limited to a single shot on goal. 

The Devils were still one shot away from tying up Game 5 until disaster struck. Brodeur went behind the New Jersey net to wait for a dump-in that was coming around the boards, but Versteeg got there just as the puck arrived. Their sticks collided, and Versteeg popped the puck out in front to Scottie Upshall, who chipped it into the empty net for a 2-0 Florida lead with less than seven minutes remaining in regulation.

Tomas Kopecky then got hooked by Kovalchuk as he skated in on an empty Devils net in the final minute, with Brodeur pulled for an extra attacker, and the traditional rats descended at BankAtlantic Center as Kopecky was awarded an empty-net goal.

''A huge win, obviously,'' said Theodore, who skated off with a rubber rodent ensconced in his catching glove. ''I keep saying this: The next game is always the biggest in the playoffs.''

Florida, which last made the playoffs in 2000, is on the brink of winning its first postseason series since 1996 when it advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Devils, who missed the playoffs last spring and last won a playoff series in 2007 when they played their swan song at the Meadowlands, will now have to win the next two games against the Panthers to avoid a fifth straight season of coming up short.

New Jersey is not the only team looking at an early exit. Defending Stanley Cup champion Boston, the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh are also down, three games to two, in their respective series, while Detroit and San Jose have already been eliminated, and Vancouver and Chicago were also teetering on the edge.