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NEW YORK -- The New Jersey Devils beat the New York Rangers 3-2 in Game 2 on Wednesday night to even their best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals series at 1.

Here’s how:

1. SHOTS! SHOTS! SHOTS! The Devils didn’t feel like they got enough pucks on Henrik Lundqvist in Game 1. That wasn’t the case in Game 2. The Devils pelted 27 shots at the Rangers' All-Star netminder and came away with three goals after being shut out in the series opener.

Lundqvist is arguably the best goaltender in the world, but he is vulnerable to giving up goals high glove-side and off deflections. Ilya Kovalchuk beat Lundqvist high-glove side on the power play, while Ryan Carter and David Clarkson connected on deflections.

“They’re a good shot-blocking team,” Devils coach Peter DeBoer said. “But part of that is on us to execute -- and [Wednesday night], our execution was much better.”

The Rangers blocked 16 New Jersey shots in Game 2 after blocking 26 in Game 1.

2. A STAR PERFORMANCE: Martin Brodeur didn’t look his age between the pipes. The 40-year-old netminder robbed Marian Gaborik on a pair of occasions. First, he made a diving save on Gaborik’s rebound attempt, and later denied him on his belly with his skate. Brodeur made 23 saves in all.

“The guys played well in front of me,” Brodeur said. “I saw most of the pucks.”

Brodeur is 9-4-1 with a 2.05 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage.

3. BETTER EFFORT: In what felt like a must-win, the Devils were able to gut it out on the road.

“I thought we did a much better job with the forecheck,” Zach Parise said. “We didn’t turn the puck over in the neutral zone. We made their D have to turn and get pucks. We made it hard on them. All in all, we like the way we played.”

The Devils got down 2-1 in Game 2, but responded with Carter’s goal late in the second period, and, unlike in Game 1, proceeded to outplay the Rangers in the decisive third and final frame.

The Devils are now 5-4 on the road in the postseason, 2-1 in Game 2's.

“Every time we’ve been pushed with our backs against the wall, we’ve come out swinging,” DeBoer said.

NEW YORK -- New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur reiterated that his comment about intentionally firing pucks at the New York Rangers in an attempt to injure their shot-blockers was taken out of context.

“I know what I said and I know what I meant and it came out in one paper that took it that way,” Brodeur told ESPN NewYork.com’s Ian O’Connor on Wednesday night after making 23 saves and leading the Devils to a 3-2 victory in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals. “I mean, I might not have used the proper words as far as what I wanted to say, and you live and you learn. But it didn’t upset me at all. I’ve gone through these things a lot.”

Brodeur came under fire Wednesday for a comment following his team's 3-0 loss to the Rangers in Game 1 on Monday night. The Devils registered just 21 shots on Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist because New York players combined to block 26 shots.

"They're hot. They're blocking pucks. Hopefully we'll be able to hurt a few guys getting one-timers in the foot or their head or something," Brodeur said. "Right now they’re paying the price to win and obviously that's what hockey is about."

Brodeur has stopped talking to the media following morning skates, but released a statement through the team before Game 2.

"That was obviously not the intent of his comments at all," a Devils spokesman said. "He would never even think like that. It’s just an off-the-cuff comment. What he was trying to say is that they need to get pucks through."

"No one would think like that," Devils GM Lou Lamoriello told the Star-Ledger of Newark. "For anybody who knows Marty, it's not an issue. People are are looking for something. It's the playoffs. Marty will clarify his comments."

Brodeur has always been available to the media, but elected to stop talking before games because he was receiving a lot of negative questions about his team's lack of success in recent postseasons.

"In the past there was not as much negative stuff said to me in the morning," Brodeur said Tuesday. "I felt early on in the series against Florida everything I had to talk about was defending my team not winning two games in a row, not winning a series since 2007. And you know what? On game days I don't need to have that aggravation in my head. It was all because of these type of questions that were asked to me.

"I figured, let it be for the time being in morning skates. It's been working out good. I've been a lot more positive without bad thoughts in my mind."

At a glance: Surrendering Game 1 to the Rangers despite carrying play for much of the match, the Devils responded in Game 2 with a 3-2 win to tie the series at a game apiece. With the game tied at 2, New Jersey's David Clarkson deflected Bryce Salvador's shot 2:31 into the third period for the go-ahead goal. The Rangers' loss marks the third time this postseason that the team squandered an opportunity to take a two-game series lead. The best-of-seven set now heads to Newark for Games 3 and 4.

Double the deflection: Trailing 1-0 after the first period, the Rangers tallied twice on the power play during the second period to take a 2-1 lead. Defenseman Marc Staal was credited with the Rangers' first goal at 2:23; his shot deflected off Devils defenseman Salvador, then caromed off the end-boards before bouncing off Martin Brodeur's pads for his third goal of the playoffs. Scoring his second goal in as many games, Rangers rookie Chris Kreider deflected Anton Stralman's shot at 12:19.

All tied up: Tying the game late in the second period, Devils fourth-liner Ryan Carter tipped in Salvador’s shot. Coach John Tortorella looked irate after Marian Gaborik's casual clearing attempt allowed the Devils to keep the puck in the zone.

Gaborik benched: As penance for the Devil's game-tying goal, Gaborik was benched to begin the third period with Artem Anisimov skating on the team's first line with Carl Hagelin and Brad Richards. Gaborik did not reappear until taking his first shift of the period 11:20 into the third.

Block that: Giving the Devils their first goal of the series, Ilya Kovalchuk sniped one from the left circle to beat Henrik Lundqvist high-glove, although it was a laser Lundqvist had no shot to snag. Kovalchuk’s power-play marker, assisted by defenseman Marek Zidlicky and captain Zach Parise, gave the Devils a 1-0 lead at 13:39.

Loading up: Switching up the lines from Game 1, Devils coach Pete Deboer loaded up his top line with Parise, Kovalchuk and center Travis Zajac to start the game.

Un-hinged: In a bizarre-yet-comical twist during a tight game at Madison Square Garden, the door to the Devils penalty box jammed with Zajac waiting to serve his ill-advised offensive-zone interference penalty during the second period. Crew workers labored for almost 10 minutes -- even trying to kick the door open at one point -- before resolving the situation, which had several players chuckling on their respective benches.

Defensive substitution: Devils defenseman Peter Harrold made his first appearance of the series, replacing rookie Adam Larsson in the lineup. The 28-year-old even manned the right point on the Devils’ second power-play unit.

Up Next: Rangers at Devils, Game 3, Saturday at 1 p.m.

At a glance: After shutting out their Hudson River rivals 3-0 in Game 1 Monday at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers aim to do something they have yet to accomplish this post-season: take a 2-game series lead. Meanwhile, the Devils look to even the series after letting the opener slip away after outplaying the Rangers for significant stretches.

Shots fired: Via a Devils spokesperson, goaltender Martin Brodeur defended his post-game comments in the wake of Game 1’s 3-0 shutout loss. The 40-year-old veteran, who reportedly suggested the Devils try aiming for the heads of the Rangers to curb their willingness to block shots, said the remarks were made “off-the-cuff.” Brodeur, who no longer talks on game days, said through the spokesperson that his intent was not to target the Rangers in such a way.

Block party: Whereas the Devils frustrated the Rangers with their relentless forechecking pressure, the Rangers countered with their superior shot-blocking. The Black-and-Blueshirts blocked 26 shots, compared to 15 from the Devils, a lopsided stat that prompted a pointed response from Brodeur: “Well from my view I saw [goaltender Henrik Lundqvist] for about 10 minutes of the game because there were so many Rangers in front of him, but he played pretty well.”

Looking for offense: Following a 29-goal regular season in which Rangers captain Ryan Callahan proved he is more than just a gritty face, the 27-year-old has been limited to only three goals over 15 games this post-season. Callahan has been held off the scoresheet over the past three games and has not scored a goal since May 2. What does he need to do to get going offensively? Said coach John Tortorella: “I won't answer.”

Loading up: According to line rushes in the Devils’ morning skate, coach Pete DeBoer has stacked his top line with Zach Parise, Travis Zajac and Ilya Kovalchuk, presumably to yield more offense. Parise and Kovalchuk were split to begin Game 1, presenting Tortorella with an interesting dilemma: which line should he try to match with his shutdown defense pair of Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi?

Making changes: Devils depth defenseman Peter Harrold may be making his first appearance of the series. DeBoer said it was an “option” to sit rookie Adam Larsson and use Harrold in his stead. The 28-year-old blue-liner, a former teammate and roommate of fellow Boston College alum Brian Boyle, has not played since Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Philadelphia.

The Devils removed the "No Blue" initiative from their website.

The goal of the initiative was to prevent Rangers fans from buying tickets to Games 3, 4 and, if necessary, 6 of the Eastern Conference finals at the Prudential Center.

Read more about the initiative here.

Devils coach Peter DeBoer shuffled his line combinations prior to Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Rangers and used them during Wednesday's morning skate, but said he isn't "married" to them and doesn't know if he'll use them by the drop of the puck.

Zach Parise moved up with Travis Zajac and Ilya Kovalchuk on the top line. The Devils used that line at the end of the season and in their first-round series against the Panthers.

The Rangers will likely counter with their shutdown defensive pairing of Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi.

"Obviously we didn't score a goal last game, so on offense, shuffling guys around is something we've done all year. I'm definitely not married to those combinations, and I'm not even sure we’re going to start with those combinations," said DeBoer, whose team lost 3-0 to the Rangers in Game 1 on Monday night at the Garden. "It's just something we decided to do in the morning."

The second line was made up of Petr Sykora, Patrik Elias and Dainius Zubrus, while Alexei Ponikarovsky, Adam Henrique and David Clarkson skated on the third line.

"We're fine," Elias said. "We've played with these line combinations for most of the year, and Pete feels like he needs to do something to get the momentum going. There's no issue with it. We're fine."

The fourth line of Ryan Carter, Stephen Gionta and Steve Bernier remained the same.

"We wanna be a little more productive. That's why the lines were shaken up," Kovalchuk said. "We’ll see what happens [Wednesday night]."

The lines in Game 1: Parise-Elias-Clarkson; Ponikarovsky-Zajac-Kovalchuk; Sykora-Henrique-Zubrus; Carter-Gionta-Bernier

DeBoer wouldn’t confirm, but it appears that Peter Harrold will step into the lineup for rookie Adam Larsson on defense.

DeBoer said it was "an option" for him. He said if Larsson does come out, it wouldn't be a negative reflection of the way he has played. In five postseason games, the 19-year-old Swede has recorded one goal and a plus-3 rating.

Larsson was the first Devil on the ice on Wednesday morning, while Harrold worked the point on the team’s second power-play unit, indicated a move is likely.

"It looks like it," Harrold said. "We'll see. ... It's certainly better than watching, but I'm just hoping to get pucks through and make a difference on the offensive end."

Harrold would play with Anton Volchenkov on the third pairing. The other two pairings -- Andy Greene-Mark Fayne and Bryce Salvador-Marek Zidlicky -- stayed the same.

• According to the Bergen Record, Jacob Josefson and Henrik Tallinder practiced with the team's AHL squad on Wednesday. Both are making progress as they attempt to recover from injuries. No timetable has been slated for either's return. Josefson hopes to come back for the Rangers series.

ESPN New York 98.7 FM’s Robin Lundberg landed an exclusive interview with Lord Stanley’s Cup. The cup was tight-lipped but did share its craziest NHL locker room story.

The Devils don’t mind hosting the Rangers in the Eastern Conference finals.

They just don’t want to host their fans, too.

The Devils have implemented a “No Blue” initiative on their official website to keep Rangers fans out of The Rock for Games 3, 4 and 6 (if necessary) of the seven-game series.

The website says there are three ways to protect home-ice.

1. Do not list your tickets on the secondary market. Instead, post them on Devils fan blogs so you can sell directly to other Devils fans. And if there are any questions about their loyalty, “ask for pictures or meet them to deliver the tickets.”

2. If you are having trouble, call the Devils Fan Experience Team line at 855-DEV-ARMY “and as a service, they will help you sell your seats you can’t use to other Devils fans.”

3. Buy tickets on the team’s online Ticket Exchange. “Thousands of seats still remain for both Rangers home games at The Garden. Therefore, there is a window right NOW, for Devils fans to swallow up all the remaining tickets for the upcoming Devils home games at the Rock. Seize that opportunity now while it is still available.”

Devils coach Peter DeBoer was asked directly about two no-calls which resulted in goals in his team’s 3-0 loss to the Rangers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Monday night.

Prior to Dan Girardi’s goal 53 seconds into the third period, it appeared that Martin Brodeur was bumped by Derek Stepan in front of the net, though the Devils goaltender may have been out of his crease at the time.

“It looked like a bump to me,” DeBoer said.

Prior to Chris Kreider’s goal at 12:00, replays showed that Michael Del Zotto closed his hand on the puck as he tried to push it up the back wall.

“It looked like a hand on the puck,” DeBoer said.

DeBoer said following the game the no-calls weren’t the reason his team lost.

• Jacob Josefson (fractured left wrist) and Henrik Tallinder (blood clots in leg) skated on Tuesday afternoon.

Josefson, who has been out since April 3, hopes to rejoin the team for the Rangers series.

Tallinder has been out since Jan. 19.

“They’re getting closer,” DeBoer said.”

• For two periods, the Devils forecheck looked pretty effective. Then it disappeared in the third.

“It can be a lot better. We looked this morning at some of the different instances and a couple times we didn’t dump the puck in well enough to let our first forechecker get in there,” captain Zach Parise said.

“And then a lot of times we were just a little too spread out. We’d get our first guy in there but our second guy wasn’t close enough, and the way they play in their defensive zone, they overload really well, and if you don’t have your second guy in there it’s tough to get pucks back. We just have to be a little closer to each other when we’re forechecking to get those pucks back.”

• Henrik Lundqvist stopped all 21 shots he faced to record the shutout in Game 1.

“He plays deep. He plays a lot deeper than most goalies in the league, and he’s really good,” Parise said. “He anticipates well laterally. He’s pretty unique in that aspect with the way he plays.

“He’s a butterfly goalie [like most goalies in this league]. Nothing changes. You always preach the same thing. Get in his sight lines. Every goalie [in the NHL] is good enough now where they’re gonna stop it if they see it. We gotta do a better of job of getting in front of him and jumping on those rebounds.

“He’s an MVP candidate for a reason.”

• Parise expects the Devils to bounce back in Game 2 on Wednesday night at the Garden.

“We have to play much better, and I think we will,” he said.

Pre-lockout, the Devils became infamous for their success utilizing the neutral zone trap or “left-wing lock.”

Post-lockout, the Rangers have found success blocking shots in front of Henrik Lundqvist.

So has shot-blocking become the new version of the trap? The style of hockey that’s bad for the “brand-new wide-open” game overall but good for the teams that excel at it?

Possibly.

Just don’t ask Martin Brodeur.

“I’m the wrong guy to answer that question. We’re blamed for the trap. We were successful at it,” the Devils goaltender said Tuesday.

“I guess whatever brings success is what you need to do. I know it’s not the most exciting brand of hockey -- but it’s really effective. And they got in people’s heads by doing what they’re doing, and they’re tough to play against because of that.”

Don’t ask Devils coach Peter DeBoer either. He’s not going to make any excuses.

“Shot-blocking’s been around for 30 years,” said DeBoer, adding that he’s just trying to win hockey games. “Some teams do it better than others.”

The Rangers blocked 26 shots in their 3-0 victory over New Jersey in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Monday night. New York ranks second in the postseason with 293 blocked shots -- more than twice as many as the Devils (146, 15 in Game 1).

All season-long, the Rangers have clogged up the space around their net, daring shooters to fire from in front on of the blue-line.

“That’s their system. You guys know that. We have to get a better job of getting pucks through,” Andy Greene said.

Just how exactly do they do that?

“Finding lanes, moving the puck quickly and being in the right places,” DeBoer said.

Still, DeBoer thinks too much is being made of all the shot-blocking talk.

“It’s definitely not the story of the series,” DeBoer said. “They’re a good shot-blocking team. It’s something you have to deal with, but it’s not the story of the series.”

Yet, anyway.

Eastern Conference Finals, New York Rangers vs New Jersey Devils: King Henrik vs. Brodeur, hard hits and Rangers coach John Tortorella’s upfront commentary: We're excited, how about you guys?

From Brodeur was good; Lundqvist was better:

"Big win for the Rangers but the series is far from over. I was just very impressed with the level of stamina they displayed in that 3rd period on such short rest. Let’s keep this going Rangers and shut that fat mouth Milbury up once again."
- Tisaacs311

Ed.'s note -- After a tough seven-game series against the Capitals, the Rangers sent a message in Game 1.

From Good is not enough versus Lundqvist:

"Lundqvist could easily do what Thomas did for Boston last year. However, if the Devils continue to forecheck and generate chances, they’ll have a shot."
- drexel2014

Ed.'s note -- You always have a chance in the NHL when you’ve got a great goalie and Martin Brodeur and Henrik Lundqvist are two of the greatest.

"Lundquist kept them in the game in the 2nd period. But, he didn’t have to do much in the third. It was all Rangers, totally dominated the Devs"
- ediddy777

Ed.'s note -- The Rangers seemed to find their stride in the third, with Chris Kreider, Dan Girardi and Artem Anisimov all scoring. Until then, the Devils had the edge.

"Check the stats…the Rangers have owned the Devils in their last 7 games. Most disrespected #1 seed ever."
- Amazins1230

Ed.'s note -- Lundqvist has certainly dominated Brodeur head-to-head in his career with a 23-7-5 record against him, but how can you say the Rangers have been disrespected? Who is disrespecting them? They weren’t head-and-shoulders above the rest of the league -- only one point separated them from Pittsburgh and only seven separated them from New Jersey.

From the Game Recap:

"great win for the Rangers. But you have to give the Devils a lot of credit. They pretty much owned the Rangers in 1st and 2nd period. Marty had a couple hell of a saves especially the one on Staal."
- nyr469420

"What a dominating 3rd period. This series is not going 7. In fact, break out the brooms, cause this Devils team is overmatched!!!"
- NY Rangers Destiny 2012

Ed.'s note -- Predicting the sweep! Bold, but expect the Devils to make this a series.

From the Rapid Reaction: Rangers 3, Devils 0:

"The Rangers are possibly the most likeable team ever. The best goalie in the world who isnt cocky but is as confident as anyone, A couple experienced Vets, a pure raw talent scoring guy in Gaborik, young talent that play with the most heart I've ever seen(basically everyone except Richards and Rupp), and the VERY young talent (Kreider) who will be around for years and years guaranteeing a secure future for the team."
- KNVB692

Ed.'s note -- If you're right, we might see New York become Hockeytown yet!

"Its rediculous to think NYR can build a "dynasty" in the sport with the most parity in professional sports - no team has more than 1 championship since the lockout, and that trend will continue this year."
- PrinceJimmyKudo3000

Ed.'s note -- Or not.

From Facebook:

"Brodeur had his share of cups, he’s 40 now, at this point in his career he’s close to retirement, whether u wanna admit it or not this is now Henriks time to get there and hopefully win 3 cups like Brodeur!"
- Brian Bucman Murph

Ed.'s note -- So are we going to see a passing of the torch? Keep watching and keep commenting (hey, at least you know we’re paying attention).

Whether it was genuine or not -- and judging by his postgame comments it may not have been -- Martin Brodeur hyped up Henrik Lundqvist prior to their showdown in the 2012 Eastern Conference finals.

“He's a Vezina candidate. He's the one that's been -- I don't know -- he's unbelievable. He is lately. He's kind of the top goalie in the league right now,” Brodeur said.

In Game 1 on Monday night, Lundqvist lived up to that billing.

The greatest goaltender of today got the best of the greatest goaltender of all time.

Lundqvist recorded his first-ever playoff shutout against Brodeur, stopping all 21 shots he faced in the Rangers’ 3-0 victory over the Devils at the Garden. Lundqvist is now 28-11-5 in his career versus Brodeur -- 5-4 in the postseason.

After the game, Brodeur was asked what he thought of Lundqvist. Needless to say, he wasn’t about to shower his counterpart with praise for his performance this time around.

“Well, from my view I saw him for about 10 minutes of the game because there were so many Ranger players in front of him,” Brodeur said tongue-in-cheek, referring to New York’s 26 blocked shots.

“But he played well.”

For the first two periods, the Devils pressured the Rangers with their relentless forecheck, creating turnovers as well as a myriad of scoring chances. But Lundqvist thwarted every one of them -- from Ilya Kovalchuk's first-period breakaway to Zach Parise's three-shot short-handed flurry in the second.

And it took only 53 seconds for the tables to turn in the decisive frame. Michael Del Zotto chipped the puck into the neutral zone and over Bryce Salvador's stick as Chris Kreider went to pursue it in New Jersey’s end. The slick-skating rookie winger beat Marek Zidlicky to it, turned around and saw Dan Girardi skating over the blue line.

Kreider sent a soft pass to Girardi, who fired a one-timer. Brodeur, screened in front by Derek Stepan, never saw it.

The sing-song “Marty! Marty!” chant from the crowd began to pick up at a feverish pitch.

“We didn’t finish Kreider when he was coming down the boards there,” Brodeur said. “We need to close him out and get him off the puck. Nobody went to him somehow. It was a little miscommunication and he was able to lay the puck to Girardi for a bomb that I didn’t see.”

From there, the momentum swung the other way. The Rangers began to assert their will, tacking on two more goals while allowing just four shots. Not even Brodeur’s diving save -- his finest of the postseason -- on Marc Staal could stop them.

“We need to find more ways to get more pucks at Lundqvist,” said Brodeur, who allowed two goals on 27 shots. “Try to make his life a little harder than it was [Monday night] and that’s it.”

Devils coach Peter DeBoer felt both Brodeur and Lundqvist played well.

“Like I said, I think whoever was going to score first [Monday night] was going to win,” DeBoer said. "And they threw a point shot at the net that found a way through. We threw a lot of those at the net, too.”

Only problem was, they didn’t score.

“When you start on the road, you need to win one game,” Brodeur said. “It would be nice to get back home 1-1, but it will be tough.”

Especially with Lundqvist between the pipes -- not to mention a group of gutsy shot-blockers playing in front of him.

“It’s a great challenge for me to play against [Marty],” Lundqvist said. “I remember I got a few games against [Dominik] Hasek, and I put him up there with him. Just growing up, they were big guys. So it’s always exciting, it is.”

Martin Brodeur has accomplished everything humanly possible in the NHL. He’s the all-time winningest netminder in history. He has captured four Vezina Trophies and three Stanley Cups.

But at the age of 40, it appears as though he still has something to prove. He wants to beat the Rangers. And maybe more than that, he wants to beat Lundqvist.

It didn’t happen in Game 1 on Monday night.

The greatest goaltender of today got the best of the greatest goaltender of all time.

Lucky for Brodeur, there’s still plenty of series left.

What it means: In a series featuring two of the game's elite goaltenders -- the best of all time vs. the best right now -- the New York Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist came through as king of the crease, shutting out the New Jersey Devils in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Martin Brodeur hardly deserved the jeers he received from the raucous Rangers fans, but Lundqvist was dominant in making 21 stops to lead the way in the Blueshirts' 3-0 win at Madison Square Garden. Despite controlling play for sustained stretches throughout the game, the Devils surrendered the series opener after third-period goals from Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi and rookie Chris Kreider, and an empty-netter from Artem Anisimov.

Redemption shot: Girardi redeemed himself early in the third after an ugly second-period giveaway that almost cost his team a goal. The All-Star blueliner blasted one past Brodeur just 53 seconds into the third period to snap a scoreless tie and record his second goal of the playoffs.

Rookie responds: Limited for the latter half of the Rangers' second-round set against the Capitals, Kreider responded in his first taste of the Rangers-Devils rivalry with a key power-play goal in the third. Burying a feed from Anisimov, the 21-year-old winger ripped one past Brodeur at the 12-minute mark for a 2-0 Rangers lead.

Mac attack: Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh effectively snuffed out the Devils’ two best scoring chances of the first period with an inspired back-checking effort. The second-year defenseman, used as part of the Rangers’ steady shutdown pair with Girardi, first broke up Zach Parise's mini-breakaway at 6:10 and then later angled in to force Ilya Kovalchuk to his backhand on a rush later in the frame.

Rapid fire: Although the Devils carried play in the second period -- wearing down the Rangers with a hard fore-checking effort and extended zone time -- a locked-in Lundqvist kept them off the scoreboard. Facing a short-handed flurry with less than six minutes remaining, Lundqvist denied Parise on three rapid-fire attempts in a span of three seconds. Devils rookie Adam Henrique set up the barrage, knocking Rangers defenseman Anton Stralman off the puck behind the goal line.

Girardi gaffe: New Jersey's Dainius Zubrus almost had a lay-up after a rare mistake by Girardi in his own end during the second period. The usually steady top-pair defenseman coughed the puck up from behind the net right to Zubrus but was fortunate to have Lundqvist bail him out with the save 2:08 into the middle frame.

Hockey tough: Devils veteran Patrik Elias took a puck to the face in the final minutes of the first period, but didn’t even leave the bench as the team trainer repaired his bloody nose. The 36-year-old forward returned to the game for the third period.

Up Next: Rangers vs. Devils, Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET.

At a glance: For the first time in 18 years, the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils meet in the Eastern Conference Finals for a heated Hudson River showdown to determine which team will move one step closer to the Cup. After knocking off the Flyers in five games, New Jersey enters Monday’s match recharged and revitalized after five days rest while the Rangers hop right back into the action after a grueling seven-game series with the Capitals. The hatred between the two teams is genuine and venom between the division rivals is ready to be unleashed. Buckle up, hockey fans. This one is sure to be a bloody, bitter battle.

Lundqvist vs. Brodeur: Rangers netminder Henrik Lundqvist is trying to cap a sensational 2011-12 season and while he dominates Martin Brodeur in regular-season head-to-head meetings (23-7-5, 1.61 GAA, .941 save percentage), Brodeur is the one who sets the bar as far as post-season success. The four-time Vezina Trophy winner has won three Stanley Cup Championships during his 18-year tenure with the Devils. Which one will hold court in this best-of-seven set?

Stars to watch: Beyond the superior goaltending match-up, the Devils and the Rangers possess two of the best snipers in the league in Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Gaborik, respectively. Both teams also feature hard working, heart-and-soul captains Zach Parise and Ryan Callahan and clutch playoff performers Patrik Elias and Brad Richards. X-factor players? Keep an eye on New Jersey’s David Clarkson, who is coming off a career-high 30-goal regular-season and New York’s talented rookie duo of Chris Kreider and Carl Hagelin.

Last time around: In a nasty regular-season finale between New York and New Jersey on March 19, the two teams wasted no time expressing their hostility. Six players dropped the gloves three seconds into play during an opening-faceoff line brawl that had the Garden crowd rocking and both coaches trading verbal jabs before, during and after the fight-filled contest.

Offensive outburst: Gone are the Devils teams of years past – the clubs that excelled with the trademark trap and a stingy defensive structure. They have been replaced with a high-flying, aggressive offensively opportunistic team under new coach Pete DeBoer. The well-balanced Devils are averaging three goals per game throughout the playoffs and required only five games to bounce the Flyers from the second round.

Cup stat “crap”: No team under the current playoff format has ever gone on to win the Stanley Cup after playing 14 games through the first two rounds. The Rangers needed a seventh game to dispatch of both Ottawa and Washington. How does coach John Tortorella feel about the statistical data stacked against his club? “That’s a bunch of cap,” he said in Monday morning’s press conference.

Revenge factor: Brodeur does not have fond memories of the last time the two teams met in the Eastern Conference finals back in 1994 en route to the Rangers’ first Stanley Cup since 1940. Stephane Matteau beat a then-22-year-old Brodeur with his iconic wraparound goal in double-overtime of Game 7 to send the Devils packing- a memory that still stings for the 40-year-old Brodeur.

Zach Parise and Ryan Callahan have a lot in common.

They’re both American-born. They’re both captains. They’ve both played for Team U.S.A.

But are they friends?

“On paper,” Parise joked, “but I wouldn’t say we’re friends or anything.”

Parise and Callahan have served all season as the heartbeats for their respective teams, the Devils and the Rangers, who will take on one another for the right to advance to the 2012 Stanley Cup finals starting Monday night.

“He plays the game hard and finishes checks,” Parise said. “He's very reliable and I'm pretty sure they play him in all situations. I got the chance to play with him in Olympics. I know how good a player he was going against him, but once you play with him, I think you appreciate more what he does. He's a good player.”

Both players have made a significant impact on the postseason. Parise has accumulated eight points, while Callahan has racked up six.

“Playing the Rangers makes for a great story,” Parise said. “They've been on top all year and on top of the conference, so it'll be a good challenge for us. It just happens to be our rival, too.”