SUNRISE, Fla. – There is growing speculation that Devils winger Ilya Kovalchuk is playing the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Panthers with a significant injury.



Kovalchuk, who led the Devils with six shots in Game 5, denied that was the case.



"I'm good," he said before preventing the discussion from going any further.



Coach Pete DeBoer would not speak directly about Kovalchuk.



"You know what? Everybody this time of year is dealing with stuff," DeBoer said.

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Goalie Martin Brodeur was asked about the plastic rats which fans have been tossing onto the BankAtlantic Center ice at various moments in games.



"It's a pain," Brodeur said after the 3-0 loss Saturday night. "You even look at the reaction of the Panthers' players. Some of them are like shaking their heads. They must give them (the rats). I don't think they bring that many.



"For the NHL to let them give out rats… come on. That's unbelivable. I understand traditions. I'm a big believer in that. It's great for the fans that they associate themselves with rats but it's kind of a pain when you play."

DEVILS IN THE PLAYOFFS

• Devils shut out by Panthers, 3-0

• Is Ilya Kovalchuk playing with a serious injury?

• Devils have not won final two games of a playoff series since 2007





Brodeur mentioned Detroit fans tossing octopuses onto the ice and said that issue was solved.



The rats tradition in Florida goes back to the Panthers' 1996 run to the Stanley Cup finals when they played in rat-infested Miami Arena.

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It was suggested to Brodeur that perhaps the best team was losing this series.

“The idea is to win hockey games and you’re the best team,” he answered. “When the series is over we’ll see who is the best team.”

How confident are the Devils that they can come back?

“Very confident,” Zach Parise said. “We don’t care about the past.”