Devils To East Final
Archived from 2002-03 season.
Grant Marshall scored at 11:12 of the third overtime, and the New Jersey Devils eliminated the Tampa Bay Lightning with a 2-1 victory in Game 5 on Friday night.
The Devils are going to the Eastern Conference finals for the third time in four years. New Jersey will face the winner of the Philadelphia-Ottawa.
"We're only halfway there, but the way things are going in the NHL this year, you never know," Devils captain Scott Stevens said. "We took a big step tonight winning this game."
Marshall scored on a rebound off a shot from above the right circle by Scott Niedermayer, who had the Devils' other goal.
"I just kept whacking at it," Marshall said. "I just stepped and fired it five-hole. My goals aren't the prettiest. but as long as I can have one that's great. During the intermission, I was thinking how great it would be to get a game-winner."
Tampa Bay rallied from an 0-2 series deficit to beat Washington in the opening round, but was never a threat to New Jersey, losing the series four games to one.
"You don't want this to be a one-time thing and rest on your laurels," Lightning coach John Tortorella said. "You have to keep on building. You don't want a one-year thing. I know we had fun playing in the playoffs and we'd like to come back next year."
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