Matter of fact, he was starting to take it personally.

Sure, the first round el foldos the Devils pulled the past two years weren't his fault. But the way Stevens looks at it, this is his team. And what his team does is his responsibility.

It's called accountability. It's called being a leader.

And lead was exactly what Stevens had on his mind as he took the ice in Game 1 of his team's first-round playoff series against the Florida Panthers Thursday night.

The national anthem had barely finished, and Stevens was no longer thinking about leading. He was doing it.

He blistered a deep slap shot past Mike Vernon, and just like that the Devils had the lead at 1:38 of the first period.

For a team that has skated on far too many eggshells during the playoffs, this was a big goal in that it sparked the Devils to a quick 3-0 lead in this eventual 4-3 victory.

"It worked out nice," Stevens, the 18-year veteran said. "It's always nice to score first. We played well, especially the first period. We came out, we initiated, went after them."

This spring, the captain isn't going to accept anything less. Not from himself. Not from any of his teammates.

After putting his team on the board early, Stevens, who in case you forgot, is a defenseman, merely went about stifling one of the world's most dynamic offensive players.

Wondering where Pavel Bure was in Game 1? Thanks in large part to Stevens, he was nearly invisible.

The Russian Rocket was diffused. He mustered just one shot.

So when the Panthers tried to tie things up late in the third, Bure was planted out front waiting to be the hero. But the pass he was waiting for never came. Stevens had cleared him out of his office, also known as the slot.

"Yeah, I noticed that," said Devils goalie Martin Brodeur, who had the best view of the game's most pivotal defensive play. "Scottie is going to play him hard. As hard as he can within the rules. It's important to play him hard. If you let him stand around the net, he's going to bury you."

But Bure was the buried one on this night.

The captain continually kept him in check.

"Just a matter of being aware of where he is, trying to keep the puck off his stick," Stevens said. "Just try to contain him on the one on one. Don't get beat one on one when he comes with speed. A couple of times he came in on me, I just backed up and let him make his move and be patient with him."

Stevens wasn't so patient during the first intermission. Not after the Devils saw their 3-0 lead cut to 3-2.

"I had a lot to say," said Stevens. "We gave up two goals late, they didn't have a lot of pressure on us. We played a great period. I said, let's go out there and take over the second. We had to get the next goal."

So there was rookie Scott Gomez dutifully carrying out the captain's order, smacking home an off-balanced bid to make it 4-2 Devils at 7:21.

Stevens will take over this series with words and actions. Whatever the specific moment calls for.

Peter Sykora celebrates his first-period goal.(AP)

At 36 years old, Stevens, a backbone in the Devils' 1995 Cup run, is wise enough to know his championship opportunities are down to a precious few. It is why he has decided to take this team on his back this spring.

There are precious few players in the NHL who command universal respect in a locker room. Stevens is one of them.

"He's just a great example for us on the ice," said Sergei Brylin, who scored Jersey's third goal of the first-period flurry. "He works hard every game, every shift, and does such a great job out there. Sometimes he is talking in the locker room and when things aren't going well, he's going to let us know."

So even after the victory, Stevens had a message he wanted every Devils player to take to heart.

"We have work to do in our own end, we have to be better for the next game," Stevens said. "We have two days to work on it and learn from our mistakes tonight. I think we'll be much better in the next game. I believe we'll have to be better. We know we can be better."

In other words, expect the Devils to be a little sharper for Sunday night's Game 2.

Not just because the captain says so. But because he demands it.