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PITTSBURGH (AP) – Zero.
That was the Pittsburgh Penguins' goal total for
their two home playoff games against New Jersey. It's also probably
the chance they have of coming back against the Devils.
Martin Brodeur shut out the Penguins in their own arena for the
second consecutive game and New Jersey's top line again outshined
Pittsburgh's superstars in a 5-0 victory Saturday, giving the
Devils a commanding 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.
|  | | Devils goalie Martin Brodeur makes one of his 21 saves on Mario Lemieux during the third period of Game 4. |
Petr Sykora scored his fourth goal of the series – four more
than Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr combined – and linemates Patrik
Elias and Jason Arnott also scored as the defending champion Devils
moved within a victory of returning to the Stanley Cup finals.
"We got smoked," Jagr said. "We got killed."
Brian Rafalski, a defenseman who has been more offensive than
the two best scorers in hockey, also scored twice and had three
goals as the Devils outscored the Penguins 8-0 in the two games in
Pittsburgh.
"This is as dominating as we've ever been," defenseman Scott
Stevens said of the Devils, who have won two Stanley Cups since
1995 and soon might be going for a third.
Game 5 will be Tuesday night in New Jersey, with a Colorado-New
Jersey final possibly to follow. The Avalanche also have a 3-1 edge
in the Western Conference finals, against St. Louis.
"We had a fear playing Pittsburgh here, and we knew how big a
game this was for us," Arnott said. "This series isn't over. We
still have to have that fear at home Tuesday."
However, the only team to rally from a 3-1 deficit in a
conference final was the Devils last year against Philadelphia.
"And they weren't get blown out like we are," Jagr said.
Devils forward Bobby Holik came close to saying the series is
over.
"I don't know how they feel, but I know how we feel. We're a
hard team to beat," said Holik, who has shadowed the frustrated
Lemieux throughout the series. "I don't think it's a matter of
what they're not doing, we're just not giving them much. We are in
charge of the game."
The Penguins hadn't been shut out in consecutive home games,
even in the regular season, in their 34-year history until the last
two games. Their 3-0 loss Thursday was their first playoff shutout
defeat at home in 26 years.
"This is by far the best any team has played against in the
playoffs," said Lemieux, who making his eighth postseason
appearance after ending a 44-month retirement earlier this season.
"They take away the good ice and leave you with the bad ice.
They're a great team."
If Saturday was the last home games in Pittsburgh for Jagr, who
likely will be traded so the Penguins can afford to sign some of
their 19 unsigned players, it wasn't much of a sendoff.
"The way we played, we made them look wonderful," Jagr said.
"I don't know (what happened). I don't have any answers."
Asked if thought this might be his Pittsburgh farewell, he said,
"I don't think at all. I'm just here, and trying to play here."
Maybe not for long. Lemieux and Jagr, who have 11 NHL scoring
championships between them, were reunited again on Pittsburgh's top
line as the Penguins tried to find a semblance of offense to get
back in a series that has been dominated for all but 6½ minutes by
the Devils. The Penguins won 4-2 with a quick burst of goals in
Game 2, but nothing has worked for them since.
"It's not a good feeling when you look over to their bench and
see some of their players laughing, see the coach laughing,"
Penguins defenseman Andrew Ference said.
Brodeur, busier than he was in New Jersey's 3-0 victory in Game
3 Thursday, may have decided it when he turned aside a brief but
frantic flurry of shots early in the second period with the Devils
up 1-0. Buffered by holding off one of the Penguins' rare bursts,
the Devils took a 3-0 lead later in the period.
The Elias-Arnott-Sykora line was on the ice for every goal in a
dominating effort that might have been expected of Lemieux and Jagr
and has 14 goals and 17 assists in seven games. Lemieux and Jagr
have two goals and six assists in the same span.
New Jersey dominated from the start, putting nine shots on
goalie Johan Hedberg before Pittsburgh got its first shot, but
still had to weather three Penguins power plays before scoring.
Elias finally got that goal, going to the net to screen out
Hedberg and get his stick on Scott Niedermayer's shot from the top
of the slot at 18:11 of the first. Rafalski made it 2-0 at 7:58 of
the second with a long one-timer, and Sykora scored his eighth of
the playoffs about 7½ minutes later with a 35-footer from the left
circle.
As fans filed out by the thousands in the final period, some
booing, Arnott and Rafalski added insurance goals, with Rafalski
credited with a goal that Jan Hrdina accidentally steered into his
own net.
"There's a lot of negativity around here and it's probably
better we're getting out of here," forward Kevin Stevens said,
referring to the Penguins' 6-3 road playoff record. "There's no
lack of confidence once we get on the road."
Game notes
Pittsburgh has lost its last seven Game 4s. New Jersey had
lost its previous two. ... Sixteen teams in NHL history have
rallied from a 3-1 deficit. The Penguins have done it twice. ...
Jagr doesn't have a point in the series. Lemieux has one goal in 10
games ... New Jersey has a 27-11 scoring edge and is 6-2 on the
road. ... It was Brodeur's four shutout this spring and his 12th
career playoff shutout, tying him for fifth place with Terry
Sawchuk and Curtis Joseph. ... Penguins defenseman Darius
Kasparaitis (broken foot) and Robert Lang (back) returned after
missing Game 3. ... The worst loss in Penguins playoff history was
8-1 to the Islanders in 1982.
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
New Jersey Clubhouse
Pittsburgh Clubhouse
Penguins-Devils Series Page
Shactman: Dominating Devils
RECAPS
New Jersey 5
Pittsburgh 0
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Patrik Elias deflects the shot to give the Devils a 1-0 lead.
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Brian Rafalski's shot from the blue line finds the net through traffic.
avi: 1359 k
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Petr Sykora goes top shelf on Johan Hedberg.
avi: 894 k
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Jason Arnott's centering pass goes in off Jan Hrdina's skate.
avi: 1480 k
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Brian Rafalski fires the puck over Johan Hedberg's left shoulder and into the net for his second goal of the day.
avi: 848 k
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Check out some post-game reaction from Game 4 of the Devils-Blues series.
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 ABC's Brian Engblom talks with Brian Rafalski after the Devils' shutout of the Penguins in Game 4.
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Coach Larry Robinson shares his thoughts on the Devils' performance in Game 4.
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