Devils Take 3 of 4 from Nords

[SSiG]

Shanahan's 3 Goals in 4 Games Lead Devils to 3 Wins

In the longest home and home series ever (4 games), the New Jersey Devils took 3 games out of 4 from the Quebec Nordiques, including both games at the Brendan Byrne Arena. The first game was a romp, as the Nordiques sent their fans at the Colisee de Quebec home happy with a 6-2 win. Little did the Nordiques know that they pissed off Devils coach Tom Delgado off, and that Delgado was either a motivational genius, or someone who liked to light a fire under someone's ass. Either one works, as the Devils squeezed out a 3-2 Overtime win in game #2 on a goal by Doug Gilmour (assist by Brendan Shanahan). It gave Bob Essensa his 1st win of the season.

Back to Brendan Byrne Arena we go, where the fan attendances are slowly increasing, as 6,177 came to see another exciting game. Bob Essensa turned away 19 Nordique shots as the Devils pulled off another Overtime escape, winning 4-3 on a game-winner by Brendan Shanahan (assisted by Craig Janney). In the finale, in front of a rare 5-figure crowd of 11,829, the Devils took off to a 5-2 lead after 2 periods, but sat on it too soon, as Quebec quickly responded to make it 5-4. Joel Otto netted his 14th goal of the season on a beautiful pass from Al MacInnis. The Devils then put in what would be the game-winner on a good pass from Paul Coffey to Shanahan, who had a goal and 2 assists in this one. Fans nearly swallowed their hearts when the Devils gave the Nords a foolish 5 on 3 with just over 2 minutes left. Quebec took advantage once, with a wonderful goal by Jaromir Jagr, getting Bob Essensa out of position, and just punching it in. Frantically, the Nordiques hustled to get an equalizer, but Bob Essensa and the beleaguered Devils defense was up to the task this time. Essensa stopped 11 shots en route to his 3rd win of the season, and the Devils' 4th.

"These past 3 games have been a dream. This is exactly how I want this team to play. I told them that if they played hard and believed in themselves, they had no reason to think that their efforts would not be rewarded. This is our Stanley Cup, basically...because even if we make the playoffs, it will be VERY tough for us to get out of round one. These guys deserve praise, and I demand you guys in the media give it to them" Coach Delgado told reporters in his office after the win.

The Brendan Byrne Arena - Poison to the Quebec Nordiques