NEWARK, NJ — If there's one thing the Devils have become adept at in this year's NHL playoffs, for better or for worse, it's bouncing back from early struggles.
Now, after a disappointing setback in Game 1 against the Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey will have no choice but to do it one last time if they want to keep their dreams of another Stanley Cup alive.
Wednesday's 2-1 overtime loss at home marked the third straight Game 1 defeat for New Jersey this postseason, and in each of the previous two rounds, the Devils responded with a win in Game 2 and eventually went on to win the series.
Certainly, every game should be viewed as a must-win game in the Stanley Cup Final, but coming out with a redemptive showing in Saturday's Game 2 at the Prudential Center is of particular importance to coach Pete DeBoer and the Devils.
Should they fall behind 2-0 heading back to Los Angeles against a Kings team that felled the top three teams in the Western Conference with just two total losses — a team that says it played its worst game of the playoffs in its Game 1 win — the series might as well be over.
"I think when I look back at our playoff trail, you know, one of the areas that's cropped up in every round is we've been a little tentative in the first game — you know, kind of felt our way — and then jumped in with both feet in Game 2," DeBoer said. "I think that's hopefully what we'll do here again."
Against Philadelphia in the second round, New Jersey lost Game 1 on the road in overtime on Danny Briere's game-winner, but the Devils responded with four straight wins to bounce the Flyers.
In the conference final against New York, Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist threw a Game 1 shutout at Madison Square Garden, but Ilya Kovalchuk, Ryan Carter and David Clarkson each scored in the Devils' Game 2 win, and New Jersey went on to win the series and eliminate the East's No. 1 seed in six games.
"I think when you get past that first game, it is a series; you get that all out of the system," Devils center Travis Zajac said. "I think as the game went on, we did get better. We started to make some more plays. We started to play our aggressive style. So I think we take the positive out of that and we move on."
The propensity to rally hasn't been limited to Game 1 losses, either. Even when they've won the opener, the Devils have been forced to scrap back into the series later on.
In the opening round against Florida — the only team New Jersey has beaten in a Game 1 this postseason — the Devils lost Game 2 in Sunrise and Game 3 at home before winning three of their last four games to advance in seven.
"I don't think significant changes were made (in the first three series)," Carter said. "(We) learned from the games (and) moved forward. You know, we've been tested, I guess, throughout those playoffs in situations where we've been behind in series and things like that. I anticipate this being no different where we learn from that last game and move forward."
Most of the time, the Devils' turnarounds have simply come down to being better at the things they do best.
"You look at the other series, Philly, Rangers, we were able to create some offense from off our cycles, from going high to low, to the points, getting traffic, getting shots in net. We definitely didn't do enough of that (in Game 1)," Zajac said. "So, we'll have to execute I guess in that part of our game. Hopefully everything else will take care of itself."
It also helps to have a legendary goaltender with 200 career playoff games and four previous Stanley Cup appearances in Martin Brodeur, who has stood tall as a veteran leader in the locker room, helping to get the team back on track.
"We don't have a lot of conversations, but he thinks like a coach, and he has a great read on our team, a great analysis of how we played," DeBoer said of Brodeur. "The comforting thing for me is when I listen to the comments of our players last night, they were dead-on. We weren't good enough. We have to be better.
"We got over the early-game jitters. We started to play a little bit better, but, you know, as a group, we've got to bring more to win this time of year."
If there's another bright side for the Devils, it's this: Two of the last three Stanley Cup winners have lost Game 1 of the Final — and both of them also lost Game 2, as well.
However, neither the 2011 Bruins nor the 2009 Penguins lost home-ice advantage in the process, as New Jersey did in Game 1. Additionally, this year's Kings are 3-0 in Game 2s in the playoffs, winning those games by a combined score of 13-4 and are 9-0 overall on the road.
So the Devils would rather focus on breaking that streak than pushing their luck.
"I mean, (it's a) pretty simple formula: They play hard, they get good goaltending," DeBoer said. "You know, we had a chance to win (Game 1). We'll just try again on Saturday."
Follow Sam Gardner on Twitter: @sam_gardner
