New Jersey Devils Coach John Cunniff punctuated his brutal assessment of his team with the toe of his shoe.
John Carter, who spent 14 games with Maine of AHL before being recalled Feb. 9, scored a short-handed goal in the final minute of the second period Sunday night to lift the visiting Boston Bruins to a 3-1 victory over New Jersey.The loss prevented the Devils from moving ahead of third-place Pittsburgh in the Patrick Division. New Jersey also remains four points ahead of Washington in the battle for the fourth and final Patrick playoff spot.
"We were not ready for play," said Cunniff. "The team had no intensity, it has no desire and no character."
Cunniff went on to curse the media, and he kicked the door as he left the postgame news conference, possibly thinking about how his power-play unit was shut out in seven chances while giving up Carter's short-handed goal.
Carter scored after stealing the puck from Devil defenseman Bruce Driver and snapping a 20-footer from the right faceoff circle, beating Devils goalie Chris Terreri with 57 seconds left in the second period.
Maple Leafs 4, Whalers 4
In Hartford, Conn., Gary Leeman scored his second goal of the game on a deflection with 2:37 left in the third period to give Toronto a tie with Hartford. The tie extended the Whalers' undefeated streak to six games (0-3-3). Pat Verbeek scored his 37th and 38th goals and also added an assist for Hartford. Toronto outshot Hartford 3-2 in overtime without scoring.
Blackhawks 8, Canucks 0
In Chicago, rookie Ed Belfour stopped all 28 shots for his fourth shutout of the season, guiding Chicago to a rout of Vancouver. Dirk Graham scored a pair of goals and contributed two assists. Troy Murray had two goals and one assist. Adam Creighton and Greg Gilbert had a goal and two assists apiece. Belfour, with his 37th win, is one victory shy of tying the club's all-time single-season mark, set by Hall of Famer Tony Esposito in 1969-70.