Devils Strike Early to Stay Alive

The New Jersey Devils did not make their latest trip down the New Jersey Turnpike in vain.

The Devils, facing elimination from the Eastern Conference finals, got goals Monday night from linemates Jason Arnott, Petr Sykora and Patrik Elias and another from Bobby Holik in a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.

Philadelphia still leads, 3-2, in the best-of-seven series that continues Wednesday night up the turnpike at East Rutherford, N.J. Game 7, if necessary, would be Friday at Philadelphia.

Arnott and Holik scored first-period goals and the lead grew to 3-0 early in the second when Sykora scored.

“There was no tomorrow,” said Holik, who has scored all three of his playoff goals this season in this series. “We had to start playing well from the first drop of the puck to the last.”

Philadelphia, which won three in a row after dropping the series opener, might have star center Eric Lindros back for Wednesday night’s game. Lindros, who has had two concussions in the last three months, was cleared by his doctor Monday to resume full team practices.

“I don’t know that he’s ready for that,” Flyer interim Coach Craig Ramsay said after the game. “He’s cleared for practice; doesn’t mean he’s ready for the game. We’ll see how it goes.”

Lindros suggested last week that one day of practice will not be enough to get him in game shape.

The Devils, meanwhile, are trying to become the 14th team to rally from a 3-1 deficit to win a series, but the first to do it in a conference final. That does not include two teams that came back from 3-0 to win. The Flyers are 14-1 in series in which they have led 3-1.

“We had to win this game, bottom line,” New Jersey captain Scott Stevens said. “We had our backs against the wall here tonight coming into a hostile building. We won the game and have to go back to our building and get it.”

That might be easier said than done. The road team has won each game in this series except for Game 2, when the Flyers got even. Philadelphia, 6-1 in road playoff games this season, is only 5-4 at the First Union Center.

“Subconsciously you might be a little bit more ready to play,” Holik said of road games. “You’re more focused, more determined to win on the road than at home because at home you feel too comfortable. That’s why the visiting team catches you by surprise and you get behind the 8-ball.”

It was only the second time in franchise history that the Devils avoided elimination on the road. They won Game 7 of the division finals at Washington in 1988.

The Flyers would be just as happy to wrap up their eighth trip to the Stanley Cup finals in New Jersey.