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Devils try to even series in Game 2 vs. Rangers

Fri 11th, April 2008

(Sports Network) - The New Jersey Devils will try to even the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal series tonight, when they host the rival New York Rangers in Game 2 at Prudential Center.

The fifth-seeded Rangers started the opening round with a bang, as they notched a 4-1 decision Wednesday night in Newark.

Ryan Callahan scored the go-ahead short-handed goal in the third period and Scott Gomez added three assists against his former team, as the Rangers surged past the Devils by scoring three times in the decisive third period.

Brendan Shanahan and Sean Avery each had a goal and an assist, Nigel Dawes also tallied and Henrik Lundqvist ended with 26 saves for New York.

Paul Martin had the lone goal and Martin Brodeur turned aside 24 shots for New Jersey, which came in with a record of 46-29-7 and dropped seven of eight regular season matchups with the Rangers.

With the game tied heading to the third, New York capitalized on a rare mistake by Brodeur to net the go-ahead goal. The play started with Dan Girardi streaking down the right wing, where he left a drop pass for Gomez inside the circle. Gomez quickly put a shot on net that Brodeur stopped, but the rebound trickled out in front of the crease for Callahan, who came from behind the net and buried the disc at 7:23, giving the Rangers a 2-1 lead.

Gomez, who was signed by the Rangers last summer after spending his first seven seasons with the Devils, was booed heavily all night. After Callahan's goal, however, he pumped his fists as he reached the bench, with Rangers fans in attendance chanting his name.

The 28-year-old Gomez has 68 points (21 goals, 47 assists) in 98 career playoff games.

New York added an insurance tally with 2:53 left, as Gomez charged the net off a Devils turnover in the neutral zone, fed a pass out front to Avery and watched him bury the puck behind Brodeur for a 3-1 margin. Dawes added an empty net tally with five seconds left.

New York is now 4-1 all-time at the Devils' new building, which opened earlier this season. The Rangers' only loss at the Prudential Center, and their lone setback against the Devils this year, came in a shootout on the final day of the regular season.

The Rangers have won three of the four all-time playoff series against New Jersey, but the Devils swept New York in four games during the last meeting two years ago in the conference quarterfinals.

The series will shift to Manhattan for Game 3 as the Rangers are scheduled to host the Devils this Sunday night at Madison Square Garden.

New Jersey was 25-14-2 in its inaugural season in Newark, while the Rangers were just 17-14-10 as the visiting club this year.

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