If there’s anything that the New Jersey Devils can be happy about after their 2-1 overtime loss in Game 1, it’s that they had their chances to win the game. They were the better team in the overtime period and for spurts in the latter period of the game but, when all was said and done, they just weren’t the better hockey team.
Stanley Cup Finals 2012: Devils Coach Says Game 1 Loss Deserved
As head coach Pete DeBoer put it, they didn’t deserve to win the game.
“You know, it would have been nice to get a bounce,” DeBoer said. “But I don’t believe we deserved to win tonight. That’s the bottom line. That’s what happened. If we had have won, we would have been sneaking one out.”
It’s certainly true. While the Devils controlled the tempo in overtime, they were brutally outworked in the second period, and DeBoer blames part of that on a slow, tentative start -- to be expected in the Cup Finals against a team you’re unfamiliar with, but not ideal.
“They were good. They were off for a while. We knew they’d be good. I thought we were a little tentative early. Once we got comfortable, I thought we started to play better. We’ve got to be better than we were tonight.”
Stick with SB Nation’s dedicated NHL hub for full Stanley Cup finals coverage. For more on the New Jersey Devils, check out Devils blog In Lou We Trust. For more on the Los Angeles Kings, check out Jewels From The Crown and SB Nation Los Angeles.
See More:
