If ever a hockey team had a right to be cocky or content, it was the New Jersey Devils . Especially after the way they obliterated the poor Carolina Hurricanes 5-1 in Game 1 of this Eastern Conference quarterfinal series Thursday night. Knowing all this, Devils coach Larry Robinson was a little confused as he walked into an eerily quiet victorious locker room. Alexander Mogilny, Jason Arnott and the Devils know they must win 15 more games if they are to defend their Stanley Cup. Everyone was just kind of sitting there.
Nobody is overconfident.
There's not a lot of celebrating going on in our room. Everyone is kind of concentrating and focusing on the job that's at hand, and it's a long way off. At the same time, they were a little tired. For almost two months now, the Devils have poured their hearts and guts into just about every shift. So yeah, the troops are a little weary after a night's work, but not so much so that they don't have a clear picture of what lies ahead.