There were plenty of answers up on the podium, but none in the dressing room.

And maybe that's why the Devils blew two chances to eliminate Colorado and keep the Cup.

While the Devils themselves shook their heads and wondered aloud to reporters, coach Larry Robinson fumed after his team lost 3-1 in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. "We got to learn to play disciplined hockey," Robinson said. "Disciplined hockey wins championships. That's one of the reasons why Colorado was able to beat us."

The Devils took two penalties in the first period -- one to Sergei Brylin early and one to Scott Gomez late -- while the Avs took none. Colorado did not convert on either, but the advantage caused the ice to tilt toward Martin Brodeur. The crowd, frenzied from the anthem, only grew louder as the first period went on. And less than three minutes after Brylin got out of the box, Alex Tanguay gave the Avs the lead. Colorado never looked back. "They worked a little harder," said Robinson, "and they worked a little smarter."

Simple as that. But the Devils themselves didn't seem to get it. "Twenty-five minutes after the game, it's impossible to tell you why we lost," said the normally perceptive Bobby Holik. "I can't say what was the difference."

Gomez offered neither explanation nor remorse. "I thought we did all right," he said. "We pressed and we pressed. We did everything we wanted to."

Except win.

The Devils did give Patrick Roy his due -- "He always seemed to be there," said Brian Rafalski -- but they didn't give him too much trouble. New Jersey forechecked poorly, got few rebounds and applied little in the way consistent pressure. For the first time in a while, the Devils were a road team that played like a team on the road.

Perhaps that's why the Devils cruised in Game 6 - they knew they had the road ice advantage in Game 7. Players spoke confidently on Friday about how well they had played away from Continental Airlines Arena, rather than looking back at flaws committed at home. "To come up with that kind of effort, in that kind of position," Robinson said. "Was very, very disappointing."

At least that much filtered down to the team. "We should have had this effort in New Jersey," said Turner Stevenson. "That's when we had the opportunity."

Eric Adelson is covering the NHL playoffs for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at eric.adelson@espnmag.com.