NHL playoffs: Brodeur, Devils soar past the Flyers

"I was just trying to pressure him to make a play," Clarkson said. "I had no idea it was in until the crowd starting booing. It's a goal I'll take any day."

Kovalchuk fired a liner from the high slot after the Devils won the faceoff to make it 3-1 in the third to seal the win. From there, New Jersey's depth took over and stuffed any hope of a home team rally.

"The fact that we have four lines and roll six defensemen really helps," DeBoer said. "It's a team game. We play that way, and guys really believe in what we're doing. But that's a good team we just beat over there, and we have a long way to go."

All the inspirational "Rocky" clips on their highlight reel couldn't inspire the Flyers. Even Giroux's presence may not have mattered in Game 5. Without their leading scorer, the Flyers tried to knock around the Devils with a series of both clean and questionable hits.

The Devils have won six of seven and believe they have another title run in them. This is the third time in franchise history New Jersey has defeated Philadelphia in the postseason. The previous two times (1995 and 2000), the Devils went on to win the Stanley Cup.

Brodeur has gone from answering questions about retirement to ones about another chase for the Cup. He has been in net for all three of New Jersey's titles, including 2003, the franchise's last one.