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A “deep-pocketed investor” is on the verge of taking up Devils owner Jeff Vanderbeek’s $80 million debt, according to the New York Post.

Vanderbeek will have until the start of the 2012-13 season to come up with new capital, according to the newspaper. If he doesn’t, he’ll be forced to sell the team.

The NHL has given the Devils almost $10 million against future revenue, according to the newspaper.

The Devils are surging in the Eastern Conference standings, but the newspaper says Vanderbeek still won’t have enough money even if they make a deep playoff run.

The Devils were on the verge of going into bankruptcy per NHL rules, sources told the newspaper.

Collecting their third straight win with a 3-1 victory in Montreal Sunday, the New Jersey Devils continued their ascent to the upper tier of the Eastern Conference standings.

Goaltender Martin Brodeur, 7-0-1 since the All-Star Break, made 21 saves in his hometown to lead New Jersey past the hapless Habs. Leapfrogging both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, the Devils moved up to 4th place with a 34-20-4 record and 72 points.

If the season were to end today, the Devils would enjoy home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. They'd be matched up against their Atlantic Division foes, the Philadelphia Flyers.

Can the surging Devils, 8-1-1 over the last ten games, sustain their roll?

They'll take on the Maple Leafs in Toronto Tuesday before returning home to host the Northwest Division-leading Vancouver Canucks on Friday.

An already-thin blue line for the New Jersey Devils took another hit Sunday.

Veteran defenseman Kurtis Foster is out for Sunday's game against Montreal with an upper-body injury, the team announced.

According to the Newark Star-Ledger and The Bergen Record, Foster took part in the Devils' optional morning skate only briefly, leaving the ice with back stiffness.

Defenseman Peter Harrold, called up Saturday from the team's AHL affiliate in Albany, will replace Foster in the lineup against the Habs.

The Devils, who have reportedly shown interest in trading for disgruntled Minnesota defenseman Marek Zidlicky, have been decimated by injuries to their back end. Henrik Tallinder was placed on injured reserve last month with a leg injury and rookie blue-liner Adam Larsson joined him on IR yesterday. Larsson has not played since suffering a back injury after a hard hit from Montreal's P.K. Subban February 2.

The Devils are reportedly in the mix to acquire Wild defenseman Marek Zidlicky, but Minnesota GM Chuck Fletcher told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that he has not asked Zidlicky to waive his no-trade clause, and nothing is imminent.

“I haven't made the decision to trade him for now for sure. ... Different scenarios I'm contemplating,” Fletcher said.

Zidlicky, 35, has no goals and 13 assists and is a minus-seven rating in 39 games this season. He has scored 12 or more goals three times in his eight year career, though, and would certainly upgrade the Devils’ backend offensively. He has one more year left on his contract at $4 million.

The New Jersey Devils-Anaheim Ducks game scheduled for Friday night at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. will not be affected by any services for the late singer Whitney Houston that are tentatively slated take place at the arena earlier in the day, according to a person with knowledge of the plans.

As of now, Houston’s wake is supposed to take place on Thursday and the funeral is supposed to take place on Friday -- both at the Prudential Center -- but nothing has been finalized, the person said. No times have been announced at this point.

If the funeral does take place inside the arena on Friday, the Devils and Ducks would both hold their morning stakes at New Jersey’s practice facility, which is attached to the Prudential Center.

The funeral was moved to Prudential Center because the nearby New Hope Baptist Church, the church Houston attended growing up, could not hold enough people.

Houston, who was born in Newark, was regarded as one of the best pop singers of all-time and garnered six GRAMMY awards. She died Saturday at the age of 48.

Devils forward Dainius Zubrus issued the following statement following the death of his former coach Ivan Pravilov, who was found dead after an apparent suicide yesterday. Pravilov was being held in a federal detention center in Pennsylvania on multiple child molestation charges.

“Obviously, this is a very difficult time. Ivan Pravilov played an important role in my life.

“Unfortunately, I have come to learn that in actuality, he may have been very different than the person I thought he was.

“Since learning of the terrible accusations against my former coach, all my thoughts and concerns have been for the children. I have reached out to the children, and assured them that I am, and will continue to be, there for them.”

Devils center Travis Zajac has "healed" from a lingering Achilles tendon injury and will begin skating agin in about a week, according to GM Lou Lamoriello.

According to the Bergen Record and Newark Star-Ledger, Lamoriello said Zajac is not expected to return for at least another month while he regains strength in his leg.

Zajac made his season debut December 16 after missing four months with a torn Achilles sustained in an off-season workout in August. The 26-year-old, who has one goal and two assists, played only eight games before he was shut down again due to nagging soreness in his surgically-repaired heel.

With goaltender Martin Brodeur still sore from an ankle injury suffered in the the team's 1-0 win against the Rangers Tuesday, the Devils have recalled netminder Jeff Frazee from Albany (AHL).

After Tuesday's victory -- Brodeur's first shutout of the season and 117th of his career -- the 39-year-old goaltender said he finished the game "with no problems" following a third-period collision with Rangers captain Ryan Callahan.

Brodeur, who suffered a twisted ankle on the play, did not practice Wednesday; according to the Devils, he was "resting." He told The Bergen Record and Newark Star-Ledger Thursday morning that he could play if necessary but that he was still "sore."

Johan Hedberg will start in goal for the Devils tonight against the Blues, with Frazee recalled in case Brodeur cannot back up.

Frazee, a second-round draft pick by the Devils in 2005, is 7-11-2 for Albany this season. The 24-year-old Edina, Minnesota native has a .279 goals against average and .896 save percentage.

It took all of two seconds for fists to start flying in the third meeting of the season between the Devils and the Rangers.

Each team put out their fourth line to start the game and almost immediately following the opening faceoff, the gloves came off.

Devils heavyweight Eric Boulton fought Rangers tough guy Brandon Prust, while Cam Janssen and Mike Rupp followed suit. The pair of battles ignited both the crowd and the benches, setting the tone for a hard-hitting, physical affair at Madison Square Garden.

"I thought it was unbelievable," said gritty winger David Clarkson, who leads the Devils with 88 penalty minutes and tallied his career-high 21st goal of the season in New Jersey's 1-0 shutout win. "I think that’s one of the hardest jobs in hockey. People always say fighting this, fighting that, but that just goes to show you right there. Those guys weren’t going out to fight for each other or for themselves. They were fighting for the team and to set the tone. It set the tone for this club and I believe that’s why the game went the way it did, because of those two. My hats are off to both of them."

Goaltender Martin Brodeur, who recorded his first shutout of the season with a 30-save effort, joked about the level of coordination it took for both fights to start simultaneously.

"It was like synchronized fighting," he marveled.

Janssen said he was worried about getting ejected from the game -- a player cannot engage in an altercation once a primary fight has begun, per rule 46.7 -- but said the officials relented.

"They kind of gave us a break there," said Janssen, who returned to the lineup Tuesday after being scratched six straight games. "They probably could've kicked one of us out, but they gave us the benefit of the doubt and I appreciate that."

Janssen said he challenged Rupp, but, in adherence to the fighter's code, made sure to first ask if Rupp was healthy enough to fight. The veteran bruiser suffered a broken thumb against the Devils last week after being slashed on the hand by Boulton.

Rupp gave his consent and the two wasted no time knuckling up.

"Simple as that," Janssen joked. "That's what we do."

• • •

Brodeur said he was "okay" following a third-period collision with Ryan Callahan in which he appeared to injure his right ankle.

He finished the game "with no problem," however, and didn't sound too concerned.

"Hopefully tomorrow it will be fine," he said.

NEW YORK – Collecting their season-high fifth straight win, the Devils feel they have silenced some critics.

Edging the Rangers 1-0 in their first visit to Madison Square Garden this season, the Devils concluded a banner week in which they collected two wins against their Atlantic Division rivals and knocked off Montreal, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

“Big boost,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “It’s nice to beat the best teams. People have been talking that we haven’t been able to and this week capped off a good week of answering some of those questions.”

Goaltender Martin Brodeur prevailed against elite netminder Henrik Lundqvist, making 30 saves to record his first shutout of the season and 117th of his career. The future Hall of Famer has now posted nine shutouts against the Rangers in his 18-year career.

“He played great,” said captain Zach Parise, who set up the lone goal of the game -- David Clarkson’s power-play marker at 8:14 of the first. “You always get the sense that when Marty and Lundqvist play each other you can see they want to outdo each other. 99 times out of 100, it’s a great goaltending battle and it was again tonight. Marty was great, he made huge saves and really got us that win with a shutout.”

Parise admitted a “bad play” by him almost cost Brodeur the shutout. With ten seconds remaining and an empty-net beckoning on the other end, Parise sent the puck right into Rangers defenseman Michael Del Zotto’s shin pad, a gaffe that led to a frantic Rangers’ rush.

The Rangers appeared to score on Ryan Callahan’s attempt with less than four seconds remaining, but the goal was waived off as a result of Marian Gaborik’s goaltender interference penalty.

Although Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov made contact with Gaborik before the collision in the crease, Brodeur felt the official assessed the play correctly.

“Obviously, [Gaborik] takes both his hands and kind of hits me on the shoulder and impairs me to make a save,” Brodeur said. “I thought it was the right call. I’m sure they’ll probably complain about it, but that’s sort of the nature of the beast.”

Parise was relieved the call let him off the hook.

“Gaborik went right into him. You have to make that call. I think he made the right call,” Parise said. “I thanked him after for bailing me out. I’m sure they probably have different feelings about it. I’m sure we would if we were on the other side, but you could see there was definitely contact.”

Brodeur was peppered with fifteen shots in the third period – the Devils managed only one, on Jacob Josefson’s breakaway 7:22 into play – but held on to preserve the shutout and the team’s 31st win of the season. Securing two critical points, the Devils leap-frogged Pittsburgh to claim 5th place in the Eastern Conference standings.

“We played a great hockey game right from the start,” Brodeur said. “We thought this might be a dirty 1-0 win and that’s exactly what happened.”

What it means: In their first visit to Madison Square Garden this season, the streaking Devils edged the Rangers 1-0 for a season-high fifth straight win and second against their Atlantic Division rivals in one week. Goaltender Martin Brodeur made 30 saves to record his 1st shutout of the season, 117th of his career. The Devils were outshot 15-1 in a lopsided third period but held on to secure the win -- just barely. The Rangers appeared to score with 3.5 seconds left, but the goal was waived off as a result of Marian Gaborik's goaltender interference penalty.

Fight club: It didn’t take long for things to get nasty during Tuesday’s tilt between the Rangers and Devils. Eric Boulton and Brandon Prust fought two seconds after the opening faceoff. Cam Janssen and Mike Rupp followed suit, dropping their gloves at the same time. Rupp suffered a broken thumb in last Tuesday’s game after a slash from Boulton, who was subsequently fined $2,500.

Career year for Clarkson: David Clarkson continued to build on his career-high 2011-12 campaign with a power-play goal 8:14 into the first. Tallying his fifth goal in as many games, Clarkson gave the Devils a 1-0 lead with his 21st of the season. The gritty 27-year-old winger trails Devils’ leading goal-scorer Ilya Kovalchuk by only one goal.

Power-play woes: The Rangers flailing power-play continued to skid, failing to record a man-up goal in three attempts Tuesday. Entering tonight's game with a 27th ranked 13.3% success rate, the unit was denied for the fifth straight game. The Rangers have tallied only one power-play goal in the last 13 games. The Devils' superb penalty-killing unit denied the Rangers on a key power-play late in the third, holding New York without a shot on goal for the entire man-advantage.

Calling all centers: Top center Travis Zajac will visit his physician in Winnipeg Wednesday to evaluate his surgically-repaired Achilles, according to Devils GM Lou Lamoriello The 26-year-old has been limited to only eight games this season, but is not expected to undergo any additional procedures, Lamoriello said before the game. The Devils expect to have an update on Zajac's status Thursday.

Coach's decision: Rangers defenseman Steve Eminger has been medically cleared to play after missing almost two months with a separated right shoulder, but coach John Tortorella elected to keep Stu Bickel in the lineup instead. Bickel finished with two fights in the Rangers' 5-2 win over Philadelphia Sunday.

Up Next: Rangers vs. Lightning, Thursday at 7 p.m.
Devils vs. Blues, Thursday at 7 p.m.

At a glance: Riding a four-game winning streak, the red-hot Devils visit Madison Square Garden for the first time this season looking to knock off the dominant Rangers. The Broadway Blueshirts remain on top in the Eastern Conference standings, three points removed from the 2nd place Boston Bruins and eight points ahead of the 6th place Devils.

Last time around: In the first game back following last month’s All-Star break, the Devils capitalized on a lucky bounce to force overtime. New Jersey went on to beat the Rangers 4-3 for their ninth shootout win of the season.

Stars align: Tuesday’s match marks the meeting of two of the game’s best snipers in Kovalchuk and Rangers’ leading scorer Marian Gaborik. Kovalchuk’s ten points (three goals, seven assists) over the last four games earned him honors as the NHL’s second star of the week. Gaborik tallied his 26th goal of the season and added an assist in the Rangers’ 5-2 win against the Flyers Saturday.

Back in action: After watching his first Rangers-Devils game from the bench in over five years last Tuesday, goaltender Henrik Lundqvist is expected to return Tuesday. The 29 -year-old Swedish netminder, who boasts a 23-9-5 career record against the Devils, is putting together a Vezina-caliber year. Lundqvist (24-10-4) leads the league with a .939 save percentage and ranks second behind St Louis’ Brian Elliott in goals against average with a 1.82 GAA.

Depleted defense: Already without defenseman Henrik Tallinder (leg), the Devils are unlikely to return rookie Adam Larsson to the lineup. Larsson is expected to miss his third straight game with a back injury suffered in the Devils’ 5-3 victory over the Canadiens last Thursday. Larsson was rocked by a hit from Montreal’s P.K. Subban, sustaining what the Devils called a “bruised lower back.”

Rough stuff: Both the Rangers (1st, 42) and the Devils (8th, 26) rank among the top eight teams in fighting majors. Tough guys Brandon Prust is third in the NHL with 13 fighting majors and the Devils appear prepared for a fight. Both Erik Boulton and Cam Janssen will be in the lineup for the team’s third meeting of the season and second in the past week.

Game-time decision: Rangers defenseman Steve Eminger has been medically cleared to return from a shoulder injury that has sidelined him for almost two months, but he may be watching another game from the press box. On Monday, coach John Tortorella said he was “not sure” about lineup changes, but sixth defenseman Stu Bickel appears likely to play. The rugged, 25-year-old blue-liner dropped the gloves twice in the Rangers’ physical win over Philly on Saturday.

Ilya Kovalchuk was named the NHL's second star of the week, the league announced Monday morning.

The star sniper helped boost the Devils to four consecutive wins following the All-Star Break with ten points (three goals, seven assists) during that span.

Kovalchuk tallied a game-tying power-play goal and the shootout winner in the Devils 4-3 win against the Rangers last Tuesday and followed up with three consecutive three-point performances.

The 6-2, 230-pound winger also knocked out Philaelphia's Brayden Schenn in New Jersey's 6-4 win over the Flyers Saturday.

The 28-year-old Russian sniper, who leads the Devils with 22 goals, finished behind Edmonton's Sam Gagner who delivered a thrilling eight-point effort Thursday against Chicago. Maple Leafs goaltender James Reimer finished as the week's third star.

The Devils have come out of the All-Star break on fire.

They romped the Penguins, 5-2, on Sunday afternoon to cap off a 4-0 week in which they scored 20 goals.

The newly formed Zach Parise-Patrik Elias-Ilya Kovalchuk line was unstoppable against Pittsburgh, combining for six points, while Anton Volchenkov finished off a pretty passing combination to record his first goal in 104 games. Dainius Zubrus scored the Devils’ 13th shorthanded goal of the season -- more than any other team. And David Clarkson scored into an empty net off a flip pass from Martin Brodeur. Clarkson has now tallied 20 goals for the first time in his career.

Kovalchuk has three consecutive three-point games, while newcomer Alexei Ponikarovsky has a three-game point scoring streak (goal, four assists) and Parise has five goals in his last four games. Brodeur has won his last three starts after making 28 saves on Sunday afternoon.

The Devils went into the All-Star break on a three-game losing streak, but have since been playing like the best team in the NHL.

They needed a lucky bounce in the final minute to take care of the Rangers and a two-goal comeback to best the Canadiens, but they steamrolled past the Flyers and routed the Penguins to complete a three-game Atlantic Division sweep and get their season-high tying fourth straight victory.

Travis Zajac and Henrik Tallinder remain out, but rookie Adam Henrique returned to the lineup on Sunday afternoon, and Andy Greene is back.

The Devils, who moved within one point of fifth-place Pittsburgh and have a game in hand, will take on the Blueshirts again on Tuesday night at the Garden -- perhaps after a Super Bowl championship parade in the city.

Adam Henrique will return to the lineup Sunday when the Devils host the Pittsburgh Penguins, according to the Newark Star-Ledger and The Bergen Record.

The 21-year-old rookie center has missed the past three games since New Jersey returned from a five-day All-Star Break with a groin injury that has hampered him since last month.

Henrique's return is a welcome one for a decimated Devils squad already without top center Travis Zajac (Achilles) and Ryan Carter (hand). Henrique has 13 goals and 21 assists in 43 games for the Devils this season. He trails Edmonton's Ryan Nugent-Hopkins by one point for the scoring lead among rookies.