Coach Lindy Ruff said he has never been as disappointed in a crucial game as he was watching the New Jersey Devils' humbling 6-1 Game 4 loss at home to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night.

"That's a hard one to explain. That's about as poorly we've skated and supported the puck in any game this year," said Ruff, whose team trails 3-1 in its Eastern Conference second-round series and faces elimination in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Thursday.