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Zach Parise wanted to touch the Prince of Wales Trophy.

But as the superstition goes, it’s bad luck, so Parise allowed his teammates to have the final say.

“Some guys said do what you want. Some guys said no,” Parise said. “I felt the majority said no, don’t touch it. So I figured I wouldn’t touch it. Let’s just get a picture around it. And I mean, I wanted to touch it, but the majority said no. So that’s fine by me.”

Parise didn’t want to jinx anything before the Devils won the Eastern Conference title and advanced to the Stanley Cup. They took Game 6 against the Rangers, 3-2, in overtime on Friday night.

“I didn’t want to talk about it,” Parise said. “I didn’t want to ask about it before the game. You don’t want to get too far ahead of yourself.”

• It was the most anticipated handshake of the playoffs.

But when Peter DeBoer and John Tortorella met, there were no fireworks between the two coaches.

It wasn’t Game 4 all over again.

“You know, he was very classy. He came over. Shook my hand. And there was nothing more than that,” DeBoer said.

• Ilya Kovalchuk chose to re-sign with the Devils over inking a free-agent deal with the Kings two offseasons ago.

Now, the two teams will meet in the Stanley Cup finals. Ironic, no?

“It’s a little weird that two teams that I chose from are gonna play in the finals, but I’m pretty sure I made the right decision, and I can’t wait to play those games,” said Kovalchuk, who is playing on a 15-year, $100 million pact with New Jersey.

Recap | Box score | Photos

What it means: Eighteen years ago to the day, the Devils blew a 2-0 lead to let Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals and a 3-2 series lead slip away. But this is not 1994.

Despite a second-period rally that kept the Rangers' hope alive, the Devils knocked off their Hudson River rivals with a 3-2 overtime win to earn their first trip to the Stanley Cup finals since 2003. With the score tied at 2, rookie Adam Henrique scored the winner to send New York packing while New Jersey advances to face the Los Angeles Kings.

All tied up: A Rangers captain pulls his team even after falling behind to the Devils 2-0 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals ... sound familiar? Ryan Callahan tipped Dan Girardi's point shot for his third goal in four games, knotting the score with 6:19 remaining in the second period.

Slow starts: Trailing by two goals at the first intermission, the Rangers were haunted by yet another poor start. In the last three games of the series, the Rangers were outscored 7-1 in the first period.

Usual suspects: With yet another goal from their fourth line, the Devils took a lead midway into the first period with Ryan Carter's second goal in as many games. Carter, who scored the game winner in Game 5, buried a rebound for a 1-0 lead at 10:05. Steve Bernier also made a terrific pass to set up the Devils' rush and earned a secondary assist on the play.

Pretty power play: Devils sniper Ilya Kovalchuk completed a seamless tic-tac-toe passing sequence touched by all five Devils for a power-play goal at 13:56 of the first period. Dainius Zubrus made a terrific pass through the crease to find Kovalchuk, who scored back-door for a 2-0 lead that sent the Prudential Center crowd into a frenzy.

Fed-Ex: Clutch playoff performer Ruslan Fedotenko cut the Devils' lead in half with a goal at 9:47 of the second. The 33-year-old veteran, who has won Stanley Cups previously with Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh, put back Ryan McDonagh's wraparound attempt to spark the Rangers' second-period comeback.

Slash attack: Devils first-line center Travis Zajac was forced from the game briefly during the second period after taking a hard slash to the left hand by Rangers tough guy Brandon Prust. Prust, who was suspended for one game earlier in the series after a reckless elbow to Anton Volchenkov in Game 3, did not earn a penalty on the play.

Ouch: Both Henrique and Carter left the game during the third period after being hit by shots. Henrique returned later in the period, while Carter did not come back until overtime.

For a team with its back against the wall, the Rangers' room is about as calm and relaxed as on an off-day in November. Instead of feeling the crushing pressure of a potential season-ending loss, the team was loose in the hours before Game 6 on Friday.

Forward Artem Anisimov was joking about a coffee endorsement for his favorite brand, faking a stellar American accent and drawing laughs from local reporters. Brian Boyle cruised through, asking teammate Mike Rupp about his lunch plans. Players ambled off after a short morning skate in high spirits.

They did not appear hampered by any lingering doubt about how they'd respond against the Devils in their fourth do-or-die match of this postseason. After all, they have won all three previous games when facing elimination.

"It'd be exciting regardless, but I feel like we really established ourselves in that last game. We like what we saw when we did that. It's exciting. It's not going to be easy, but we know if we go out there," Rupp said, pausing, "with this team, when its back is against the wall, we just usually give our best effort, so we're pretty comfortable in that situation."

"We're a resilient group in here and we take pride in the little things that make a big difference," Rupp added. "When we're playing our way and get our momentum going, it's fun."

Even coach John Tortorella, whose fire-breathing rants have made headlines throughout this playoff run, seemed pretty serene in assessing his team's mindset.

"I think our team really embraces a challenge," he said. "You want to try to write things out the right way to have an easier road going through, but we don't. And as we've gone through the playoffs we've had some things we've had to get accomplished in tough ways. I think it's really good for the team, not only in the present but the future, so we take 'em as they come and this is just a fantastic opportunity for us."

A little more than one month ago, the Rangers found themselves in this same spot, trailing 3-2 in a series and having to hit the road for a do-or-die Game 6. They would beat Ottawa 3-2 to even the series, and went on to vanquish the Senators in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden.

The Rangers believe that experience of winning an elimination game on the road will help them as they prepare to visit the Devils on Friday for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Rangers are 3-0 when facing elimination in the playoffs.

"We've been in this situation in the Ottawa series. We can draw off that experience, just the feelings going into the game," captain Ryan Callahan said after the team's practice at Madison Square Garden. "Try to stay even-keeled about it and go into an opposing building and win one game and try to get back here to the Garden."

In the quarterfinals, the Rangers lost 2-0 in Game 5 to the Senators, forcing them to the brink of elimination. Center Brad Richards called it a "tough day" to lose at home in Game 5.

Richards said the team was looser during its practice Thursday than when it prepared to travel to Ottawa.

"That's how you grow. You build on everything you've done through your career and the different games you've played in," Richards said. "We've been fortunate to get a lot of those games this year already."

In addition to the Game 6 win against Ottawa, the Rangers are also 2-0 in Game 7s this postseason, knocking off Ottawa and Washington in a pair of 2-1 games. Head coach John Tortorella said his team is a good group that "stays with it" and doesn't panic. He pointed to the team climbing out of a 3-0 deficit Wednesday night as an example.

Tortorella believes the experience of playing in those elimination games is invaluable.

"These are all situations you look at as an organization as far as what guys are in these situations," Tortorella said. "The more you're in it and the more situations you go through, the better. That's how you gain experience."

The prevailing thought around the Rangers was they played their best game of the series against the Devils on Wednesday. While that might be a good sign heading into the most critical game yet, the team still lost.

The Rangers realize they're going to have to kick it up another notch -- like they did in Ottawa on April 23 -- if they want to survive for at least one more game.

Said Callahan: "They're going to be a desperate team to clinch on their home ice and we have to find that next level and that extra desperation, and it's obviously a huge game."

The closest thing to a guarantee from the Rangers heading into a do-or-die Game 6 against the Devils?

Coach John Tortorella's prediction about his star goaltender, Henrik Lundqvist.

"He'll play his best game tomorrow night," Tortorella said Thursday.

A later line of questioning prompted Tortorella to say he thinks alternate captain Brad Richards will have his best game as well, although there was no couching when it came to the team's resident Vezina and Hart trophy finalist.

Coming off a pair of losses in which he gave up a combined seven goals, Lundqvist has a calm, confident air. He's trying not to think too much about the pressure.

"Not more than any other game. Try not to at least," Lundqvist said. "Obviously, when you go into a game like this, you want to win so bad you might put too much pressure than you need. When you're out there, you try to just focus on the things you always focus on when you play that game. The challenge, every time you play an important game, is to find a good balance, mentally."

With two shutouts in the first three games of the series, Lundqvist looked infallible (sometimes even inhuman) with his unflappable steadiness between the pipes. His ability to rob a dynamic Devils team left superstars such as Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk flummoxed and frustrated.

Then, in Game 4, the Devils saw Lundqvist’s steadfast resolve slacken, just a bit. Having pinned three goals on him to tie the series at two games apiece, New Jersey's frantic pleas were answered again in a staggering start to Game 5.

Lundqvist gave up three goals on the first five shots and finished the game with an uncharacteristic .750 save percentage, his lowest of the entire season.

Keeping an even keel has been the key to his success throughout a season that has the potential to be a career-defining one. With the Rangers on the brink for the fourth time this season, he won't deviate from that heading into the penultimate game of the Eastern Conference finals.

"I think we just know we have to approach this game the same way we've been approaching each game. We can't put more pressure on ourselves," he said. "We always want to win. We always want to play a desperate game, but you don't want to go out there and do too much. Or get too, you know, too excited."

Lundqvist and the Rangers are 3-0 when facing elimination this postseason. In those three games, he has given up only four goals combined.

"So far that's been the case, so hopefully we can continue that trend tomorrow," Lundqvist said when asked about the team's success when staring down a potential season-ending loss. "We've been answering really well so far in this playoffs. That brings some confidence to this group as well, that we can step up when we have to."

Could Brandon Dubinsky provide the jolt the Rangers need?

Based on Wednesday's optional morning skate, the 26-year-old forward may be ready to play for the first time since suffering a right foot injury in the series finale of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against Ottawa.

Coach John Tortorella declined to discuss the lineup, but did concede that his offensively-sluggish team could use a shake-up.

"We need something to happen for ourselves. We'll try different things. I'll give you that," Tortorella said. "But it's still a matter of just getting it done. At least that's the way I feel about it. So we'll see where it goes."

Should Dubinsky return, it appears that fourth-line center John Mitchell will be scratched to make room in the Rangers lineup.

Dubinsky's grinding, hard-nosed game is tailor-made for the playoffs and could be just what the Rangers require in generating some energy and jump against the high-flying Devils. Dubinsky has 10 goals and 9 assists in 32 career games against New Jersey and, although he's had a disappointing season, has had previous success in the postseason.

In 22 playoff games before this season, Dubinsky had seven goals and eight assists.

The Rangers will also return tough guy Brandon Prust, who missed Game 4 while serving a one-game suspension for his elbow on Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov. Prust had played in all 99 games for the Rangers this season before being slapped with the ban. His return will mean either defensemen Stu Bickel or Steve Eminger will be scratched.

At a glance: After a tepid start to what was expected to be a nasty set between bitter rivals, the snarl came out in Game 4 as the Devils knotted the series with a 4-1 win against the Rangers. Tied at two games apiece, the Rangers and Devils clash in a pivotal Game 5 at Madison Square Garden Wednesday night. As Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur surmised following his team’s latest victory: “I think the best hockey is yet to come.”

Prayer for offense: When asked what he could do to get his top-six forwards producing again, coach John Tortorella offered up an unorthodox suggestion: “Pray.” Tortorella was joking, but the Rangers’ scoring woes are no laughing matter. Ryan Callahan, Marian Gaborik, Brad Richards and Carl Hagelin have only one goal between them this series, in which the Rangers have combined for only nine in total.

Opponent set: With Dustin Penner’s overtime game-winner Tuesday night, the Kings dispatched the Coyotes and punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals. Now L.A. waits to see whether they’ll head to Manhattan or Newark for Game 1 next Wednesday.

Zach attack: Limited to one assist in the first three games of the series, Devils captain Zach Parise delivered a stellar three-point performance in the team’s 4-1 win against the Rangers Monday. The 27-year-old winger tallied two goals and recorded one assist in leading his team to a decisive series-tying victory.

Dubinsky back? : With the Rangers in need of a “jolt” to their lineup, Brandon Dubinsky may be ready to return. The 26-year-old forward is expected to be available for the first time since suffering a right foot injury in the series finale of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

Prust returns: After missing Game 4 while serving his one-game suspension for an elbow to Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov in Game 3, Rangers tough guy Brandon Prust returns to the lineup. The gritty 28-year-old winger had previously played in all 82 regular-season and 17 playoff games for the Rangers this season.

Retaliation? Really? : Will the Devils be looking to retaliate for the punch that “stung” Brodeur in Game 4? Probably not, but given Mike Rupp’s brazen jab to his former teammate -- a blow that ignited a boisterous scrum on the ice and a war of words between the benches – New Jersey may be looking to rattle Vezina/Hart Trophy finalist Henrik Lundqvist just a little bit.

Playoff performer: Held without a goal in 82 regular-season games, Devils defenseman Bryce Salvador is making up for lost time with his ample contributions. The 36-year-old veteran has chipped in for three goals and seven assists this post-season and has four points (one goal, three assists) through the first four games of this series.

Coming back to play in front of their home crowd at Madison Square Garden for a pivotal Game 5 on Wednesday, the Rangers are hell-bent on a hot start. Dominated by the Devils' tenacious pressure early in all four games this series, they know they can't afford to be reeling at first intermission yet again.

"It's our focus right now," said center Brian Boyle. "That's what's ahead of us and that's what's most important."

For all the credit given to the Devils' aggressive forecheck and puck pursuit, Boyle thinks the Rangers can prove themselves capable of carrying the play as well. Uncomfortable with being characterized as the passive of the two clubs, the Rangers sound ready to augment their attack.

"We feel that when we're successful, we're a high-pressure team, too." Boyle said. "We forecheck and even when we're defending, it's time and space. That's what we need to focus on, getting back to how we need to play."

Even coach John Tortorella, who scoffed at a question earlier this season about the importance of the first 10 minutes of the game, conceded that the team's lack-luster starts needed to be addressed.

His club found itself down two goals less than 12 minutes into play in Game 4 and struggled to match the Devils throughout the duration.

"There's no question that Jersey, right on through the playoffs, not just our series but right on through the playoffs, they have blitzed teams and gained momentum," he said. "Momentum is a big part of playoff hockey, so there's no question we'd like to get that on our side right away tonight."

• • •

Although Tortorella declined to discuss any potential lineup changes, forward Brandon Dubinsky (right foot) may be available to play for the first time since sustaining the injury in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

After serving a one-game suspension for his elbow on Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov, Rangers bruiser Brandon Prust will return to the lineup tonight.

At a glance: In a rowdy Game 4 that delivered all the nastiness lacking in the first three games, the Devils proved that Henrik is human after all. Shut out twice in the first three games against the Rangers, the Devils solved the mind-bogglingly steady Henrik Lundqvist with a 4-1 win that tied the series at two games apiece. Devils captain Zach Parise led the charge, finishing with two goals and an assist in a stellar performance that had the Prudential Center buzzing, while goaltender Martin Brodeur made 30 saves and added an assist on Parise's late-game empty-netter.

Rough stuff: The arena reached a fever pitch midway into the third after ex-Devil Mike Rupp shoved Brodeur after the play, igniting a melee that eventually ensnared both coaches. John Tortorella and Pete DeBoer screamed at each other from the bench while their players tangled on the ice -- the second time this season the two have gone at it during a game. Both coaches traded barbs during the teams' last regular-season meeting March 19.

Playoff performer: Recording his third goal of the playoffs -- after being held without one during all 82 games of the regular season -- Devils defenseman Bryce Salvador beat Lundqvist five-hole with a shot through traffic fired from the left point at 8:10. The 36-year-old veteran has three goals and six assists in 16 games this postseason.

Another benching: Two games after stapling Marian Gaborik to the bench, Tortorella exercised the tough-love strategy on young defenseman Michael Del Zotto. After a first-period miscue led to the Devils’ second goal of the night, Del Zotto coughed the puck up 2:57 into the second and didn’t see the ice the rest of the period.

Two-on-one: A gaffe along the boards by Del Zotto led to a two-on-one rush that allowed New Jersey to pad its one-goal lead. Parise made a perfect setup to linemate Travis Zajac, who one-timed the puck for a 2-0 advantage at 11:59.

First fisticuffs: Tensions finally erupted for the series’ first fight -- albeit a brief one -- 9:26 into the first, as Adam Henrique and Ryan McDonagh tangled. Henrique seemed to take exception to McDonagh’s cross-check after the whistle and both were sent to the box for fighting. The rough stuff continued in the second period when Rangers captain Callahan and Devils sniper Ilya Kovalchuk went after each other on more than one occasion. Both were sent to the box -- Callahan for roughing, Kovalchuk for slashing -- after one nasty sequence during which Callahan swiped at Kovalchuk’s helmet only to receive a spear to the stomach in retaliation.

Bickel in for Prust: With Brandon Prust serving a one-game suspension for his elbow on Anton Volchenkov in Game 3, defenseman Stu Bickel was used to replace him as a forward, although that plan didn’t last for long. With Del Zotto benched in the second period, Bickel was put back on defense.

What's next: Game 5, Wednesday at Madison Square Garden, 8 p.m.

At a glance: Shut out twice this series, including a 3-0 blanking on Saturday, the Devils aim to even things up in Game 4 at home on Monday. Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist has been the difference-maker in the Eastern Conference finals, letting in only three goals over the first three games. Frustration is mounting for the Devils and the bad blood has re-surfaced as the two division rivals clash at Newark’s Prudential Center.

Fightin’ words: Civil through the first three games, the series is taking on a nastier note after Rangers coach John Tortorella’s incendiary comments. Upset that his Devils counterpart Pete DeBoer called Rangers tough guy Brandon Prust a head-hunter, Tortorella spewed venom over the Devils tactics. The fiery coach, who traded barbs with DeBoer earlier this season, charged the Devils with embellishing injuries to sell calls and employing illegal screens to free up sniper Ilya Kovalchuk on the power-play. DeBoer’s response to Tortorella’s rant? “Comical.”

Prust suspended: The league agreed with DeBoer regarding Prust’s elbow to the helmet of Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov Saturday night. The gritty 28-year-old winger was slapped with a one-game suspension for the incident and will miss Game 4 as a result.

Filling the void: Without Prust, the Rangers will likely use defenseman Stu Bickel as a forward in the lineup. Injured forward Brandon Dubinsky skated again with the team Monday, but is not yet ready to return from a right foot injury sustained in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against Ottawa.

Playoff debut: Devils center Jacob Josefson, who has been sidelined since suffering a broken left wrist on April 3, will make his playoff debut for the Devils Monday. The 21-year-old Swedish center has been limited to 41 games during a injury-hampered regular season; he also sustained a broken collarbone in October that shelved him for three months. To accommodate his return to the lineup, 35-year-old veteran Petr Sykora will be scratched.

At a loss: Held without a goal this series, Devils captain Zach Parise was at a loss for words following a spirit-sapping Game 3 defeat. Wary of letting his emotions spill over, Parise spurned the media in an uncharacteristic move that highlighted his frustration. The 27-year-old winger, set to become an unrestricted free agent July 1, is expected to play on a line with Travis Zajac and Dainius Zubrus Monday in a rearrangement designed to yield more offense.

Although no one will confirm the personnel changes (the media received both "No update" and "Stop asking about the lineup" from coach John Tortorella this morning), defenseman Stu Bickel is expected to replace Brandon Prust as a forward in the lineup for Game 4 against the Devils.

Prust was hit with a one-game suspension Sunday for his elbow on Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov in the Rangers' 3-0 win on Saturday.

"I'm disappointed that I'm, obviously, not playing. It's always disappointing when you don't get to be out there with your team," Prust said after Monday's morning skate.

Prust said he felt like his clean record was taken into consideration -- he has incurred only two elbowing penalties in his 301-game career -- and understood the decision.

"I definitely didn't violently attack anybody but I still got my elbow up and we're trying to get that out of the game," he said.

Although the return of injured forward Brandon Dubinsky would make for a seamless transition, the 26-year-old is not yet ready to play. He has been sidelined since suffering a right foot injury in Game 7 of the Rangers' first-round series against Ottawa.

"This team doesn't do percentages, I'm not sure if you've talked to Torts or not. It's usually a 'yes' or a 'no' and for tonight, it's a 'no,' " Dubinsky said. "We'll keep going, keep working on my conditioning, and it'll keep feeling better and hopefully we'll get to a place where I can be in the lineup."

Bickel, who was a healthy scratch in Game 3, will likely skate as a forward as he has done previously this season with his team in a bind.

NEWARK, N.J. -- The six-game goal drought that followed captain Ryan Callahan into Game 3 must have weighed a little heavier in the second period.

With a Grade A opportunity at the left post, Callahan was robbed by a diving Martin Brodeur, who looked half his 40 years in stymying the struggling spark plug and preserving the scoreless tie 4:16 into play.

Callahan never beat Brodeur on Saturday, but he did halt his skid with an empty-net goal scored with 2:13 left in the third. Burying a rebound from Brian Boyle's initial attempt that glanced off the end-boards, Callahan gathered with teammates for a subdued celebration that seemed more relief than elation.

Regardless of how it came, Callahan seemed relieved at to get himself back on the scoresheet.

"It's good to get that last one," he said, before taking a crack at himself. "Now I've got to just try to do it with the goalie in there."

Having witnessed Callahan's torment during a dry spell that has spanned almost the entire postseason -- only four goals and three assists in 16 games -- teammate Brad Richards anticipates a more carefree captain.

"It's amazing what goals can do, no matter how they’re scored,” said Richards, whose faceoff win set up the Rangers' first goal of the game. "He's the captain of our team. He takes everything very hard if we lose. He took the last game very hard and he wants to be part of it.

"You forget sometimes how valuable he is and what he does all over the rest of the ice. He wants to do everything," Richards continued. "We all were happy when we saw that. That will hopefully take a little pressure off him."

While Callahan never ceases to set the tone of the team's signature hard-nosed play -- blocking shots, crushing opponents with checks and killing penalties -- he couldn't escape the expectations of not chipping in offensively.

His torment was obvious to everyone around him.

"It's killing him. He's not helping us a whole bunch offensively. It's killing him. But he continues to do those other things," coach John Tortorella said.

Maybe, Tortorella surmised, the late-game marker will turn things around.

"You never know. You get an open-net goal like that, you never know what that does for you. I've seen it before. A guy takes off," he said. "That's what we're hoping will happen with him."

Recap | Box score | Photos

What it means: In a match that drew eerie parallels to Game 1, the Rangers surged in the third period, breaking a scoreless tie and running away with a 3-0 win at the Prudential Center for a 2-1 series lead.

The Devils carried play for the first half of the game, but Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was not to be topped. The Vezina and Hart trophy finalist made 36 stops in his second shutout of the series -- another sensational performance that the Rangers would've been ashamed to waste. The Rangers received goals from Dan Girardi and rookie Chris Kreider, and captain Ryan Callahan ended a lengthy goal drought with his empty-netter to make it 3-0.

Déjà vu: In what seemed to mirror Game 1 to an uncanny degree, Girardi snapped a scoreless draw early in the third period before Kreider added an insurance goal less than two minutes later. Both players tallied goals in the Rangers' Game 1 victory on Monday at Madison Square Garden.

After a clutch faceoff win by teammate Brad Richards, Girardi ripped a wrist shot past Martin Brodeur for a power-play goal at 3:19 to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead. Kreider added his fifth goal of the playoffs on a deflection of Ryan McDonagh's point shot at 5:16.

Goaltending duel: The second period featured a pair of spectacular saves by each team's netminder. Lundqvist made a diving stop with his left arm to deny Ilya Kovalchuk on a breakaway just 45 seconds into the frame. Not to be outdone, Brodeur sprawled to smother Callahan's attempt at the left post at 4:16.

No penalty on Prust: Rangers tough guy Brandon Prust got away with elbowing Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov at 2:38 of the second. Volchenkov was slow to get up after being felled by Prust's elbow to the back of the helmet -- a play that was missed by all four on-ice officials. However, Prust might still face supplementary discipline. Volchenkov returned to the ice after the hit.

Switching things up: Not long into the first period, Rangers coach John Tortorella shuffled his lines, using Kreider with Richards and Marian Gaborik, and placing Carl Hagelin with center Derek Stepan and Callahan on the second line.

The Rangers' power play also debuted a new look. Gaborik, Kreider and Artem Anisimov were used up front while defensemen Michael Del Zotto and Anton Stralman manned the points of the team's first unit.

Tortorella reunited his original lines to begin the second period.

Stu scratched: Defenseman Stu Bickel, often the first victim when Tortorella shortens the bench, was scratched Saturday. Replacing him in the lineup was Steve Eminger, who has appeared in only one other playoff contest for the Rangers -- Game 1 of their semifinals set against Washington on April 28.

Up Next: Rangers at Devils, 8 p.m. Monday

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Rangers forward Marian Gaborik isn't worrying about his third-period benching in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Gaborik sat nearly the entire third period after a costly gaffe led to the Devils' game-tying goal in their eventual 3-2 win.

"I don't want to talk about it," Gaborik said Friday, as the Rangers prepared to face the Devils on Saturday afternoon. "It happened. I'm going to focus on tomorrow night's game. So is everybody else, and we need to be better and I need to be better and that's the bottom line."

With the Rangers leading 2-1 in the second period Wednesday, Gaborik failed to clear the puck and the Devils turned it into a game-tying goal. The Devils later scored in the third to win the game and even the series at 1-1.

"It was what it was," Gaborik said. "I have to do a better job there on the second goal. That's their strength and we need to be better there and win those battles."

Gaborik, the Rangers' highest-paid player, has four goals and six assists during the playoffs but has not produced like he did during the regular season, when he scored 41 goals and tallied 35 assists. He has not tallied a point against the Devils and has a plus-minus rating of minus-1 in each game.

Rangers coach John Tortorella said on a conference call Thursday that he makes lineup adjustments he feels will help the team win. Gaborik did not play for the final 1:29 when the Rangers pulled goalie Henrik Lundqvist to try to score the game-tying goal.

Tortorella added that the loss was not because of Gaborik's play.

"I think you're trying to put players in situations that are going to try to help you win games or help you in certain situations and momentum swings," Tortorella said. "Some guys, when you don't think it's working, they don't see the ice or they don't get the minutes.

"Those are decisions we make every games. You guys like calling them benchings and all that stuff, and as coaches we are trying to find a way to win hockey games and we make decisions accordingly."

Teammate Brad Richards, who plays on the same line as Gaborik, said every player has the same accountability and expects Gaborik to have a great game against the Devils. Gaborik last scored a goal in Game 6 of the semifinals against the Capitals.

"He'll be fine," Richards said. "He takes that stuff to heart and you expect him to be one of the better players tomorrow. That's the way it has been in this locker room all year."

If his brief interview Friday was any indication, it does not appear that Gaborik is going to let his benching bring him down.

"It's a series," Gaborik said. "I've been in that situation before and we all learn and just have to learn from it and make sure I do a better job. It goes for everybody."

It's not easy to get out of John Tortorella's doghouse.

Just ask Chris Kreider and Marian Gaborik.

Kreider made early mistakes in the Game 4 loss to Washington in the semifinals and found himself on the bench for nearly the rest of the game. Gaborik was benched for most of the third period in Wednesday night's loss to the Devils after a costly error.

To Tortorella, it's doing what needs to be done to win.

"I think you're trying to put players in situations that are going to try to help you win games or help you in certain situations and momentum swings," Tortorella said on a conference call Thursday. "Some guys, when you don’t think it's working, they don't see the ice or they don’t get the minutes.

"Those are decisions we make every games. You guys like calling them benchings and all that stuff and as coaches we are trying to find a way to win hockey games and we make decisions accordingly."

Gaborik barely played in the third period of Wednesday night's 3-2 loss after his failure to clear the puck resulted in New Jersey's tying goal in the second period. Tortorella didn't discuss Gaborik's benching (or anything else) after the game.

When Tortorella was asked whether Gaborik needs to execute more or of it's an issue of will, the coach opted not to discuss his player, but made it clear he's not pinning the loss on Gaborik.

"As you go into playoffs and these momentum swings and losing a game, it's not one individual guy," Tortorella said. "Certainly in last night's game, it wasn't one individual guy that we end up on the wrong side of that. There are a number of things we have to be better at as a team."

DID THE SUN COME UP?: The Rangers' coaching staff has not had an easy time finding any positives from Game 2.

"To be honest with you, not many," Tortorella said. "I thought we played some minutes in the second period, found a way to score a couple of power-play goals, but other than that we didn't play enough minutes."

Tortorella said the Rangers did not play the way they usually play for stretches, and it needs to be rectified. He believes it falls on both the coaches and the players.

"There are some corrections in our game we have to make," Tortorella said. "But I also think at this time of year everybody likes talking about adjustments, but it simply comes down to a little bit of will and a mindset."

BIG PLAYS: While the Rangers haven't had one player carry them offensively in the playoffs, Tortorella doesn't believe the team needs that to get on a hot streak.

"You're looking for big plays at key times," Tortorella said. "We have found our way. I think one of the most important ingredients to be consistent and to play at this time of the year is to play as a team and not have one specific guy be the guy. Having that said, you certainly want big plays at key time. I think that's what determines a lot of the winning and losing."