So we've been through this before. After eliminating the Hurricanes in six games, New Jersey fell behind three games to two against the Toronto Maple Leafs. But the Devils regrouped, won Game Six on the road and coasted to a 5-1 victory at home. They appeared firmly in control of the conference finals against Pittsburgh after winning Game One and building a 2-0 lead after the first period of Game Two. New Jersey responded to that jolt with consecutive shutouts and wrapped up the series in five games.
Nobody plans it.
The bottom line is we didn't work hard enough, and that's something we can't accept. We didn't give it the effort we needed to give and we weren't mentally focused from the drop of the puck, and that's something that must be rectified. The problem is not a new one. Last year, New Jersey lost three straight games to the Philadelphia Flyers and faced elimination in the conference finals before winning three in a row. There was a hunger, there was a desire.