This is one way to come back from an injury. Early in the first period, the Devils were called for a penalty so, as teams always do, Carolina pulled the goalie to get a man advantage until New Jersey could possess the puck. It's a pretty fail-safe strategy in that it's virtually impossible for anything bad to happen…

It's something of a treat when a serious literary concern, such The New York Times Magazine, heads to the rink to cover the NHL. Like a highbrow SportsCenter, this corner of the media never pays puck much regard. So: how is Charles McGrath's new profile of Martin Brodeur? It starts like this:

Two images captured the past, present, future of the Devils: the puck skittering harmlessly away from Kovalchuk's stick in the shootout, and Brodeur looking on in street clothes. It's a changing of the guard, but we never imagined they could be bad.

In sports, everyone is a winner—some people just win better than others. Like the Sacramento Kings, who showed up two-and-a-half quarters late (like the fans at a Miami Heat game) and still managed to pull out a win.

It's one thing to give up the game-tying goal in the last 1:20 of a Game 7, but to give up a game-tying and game-winning goal in the last 1:20—that's probably going to haunt you.