The Associated Press

ANAHEIM - Anaheim goes home for a win-or-else Game 6, in desperate need of a comeback that will force a seventh game against a talented, confident opponent.

Didn't we just go through this seven months ago?

This time, it's the Mighty Ducks trailing the New Jersey Devils 3-2 in the Stanley Cup Finals, not the Angels against the San Francisco Giants in the World Series. Same city, same scenario, different team.

Something else that's different: Unlike the World Series, when Anaheim staged a memorable Game 6 comeback to stay alive, then beat the Giants in Game 7, the Ducks must return to the road even if they get to Game 7.

A suggestion to the Mighty Ducks: You might want to see what the Rally Monkey is doing tonight.

The Ducks have been outhit, outmuscled and out of luck in New Jersey, getting outscored 12-3 in three losses there, including a 6-3 defeat in Game 5 Thursday that saw the Devils get a series' worth of lucky bounces.

One thing the Ducks don't plan to do, despite their worst loss of the playoffs - not just execution-wise but also aesthetically - is monkey around with what got them this far. That means no drastic lineup changes, defensive system overhauls or altered matchups.

"We've got to play the system, because that's what got us here," said Paul Kariya, still without a goal in the series.

"We don't need to change anything, we don't need to adjust anything," goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere said. "We just need to do what we do."

What they don't want to do is what they did Thursday:

• Leave the area in front of the net unprotected, allowing the Devils to crowd it for rebounds and unguarded shots.

• Let the Devils be the aggressors physically.

• Fail to give any help to Giguere, forcing him to try to win the game single-handedly - something he couldn't do while allowing twice as many goals as in any prior playoff game.

"We're not frustrated at all. We're down 3-2 and we're going home where we've been real good," said Steve Thomas, pointing to the Ducks' 8-1 home record.

This might frustrate them, though: The Stanley Cup will be in the building tonight, and the only team that can win it that night isn't Anaheim.

When the Ducks last returned home, for Game 3 a week ago, the Devils were coming off two easy wins and were being told a sweep was inevitable. It didn't happen.

Stanley Cup Finals

New Jersey vs. Anaheim (Devils lead series 3-2)

Game 1: New Jersey 3, Anaheim 0

Game 2: New Jersey 3, Anaheim 0

Game 3: Anaheim 3, N.J. 2, OT

Game 4: Anaheim 1, N.J. 0, OT

Game 5: New Jersey 6, Anaheim 3

Game 6: at Anaheim, 8 p.m. today

Game 7: at New Jersey, 8 p.m. Monday (if necessary)

MOST PLAYOFF SHUTOUTS (One postseason)

Six: Martin Brodeur, New Jersey, 2003; Dominik Hasek, Detroit, 2002

Five: J.S. Giguere, Anaheim, 2003