(Best E Casino) - A pair of Atlantic Division rivals will begin an Eastern Conference quarterfinal series tonight, as fourth seed New Jersey hosts Game 1 against the fifth-seeded New York Rangers at Prudential Center.

The season series between the Rangers and Devils this year went heavily in New York's favor, as the Blueshirts went 7-0-1 against New Jersey. The lone setback came on the final day of the season when the Devils posted a shootout victory.

Yet, every game the Devils and Rangers played this year was a close affair. In fact, five of the eight meetings were decided by just one goal and none of New York's victories were by more than two goals.

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.

Game 2 of this best-of-seven set is scheduled for Friday in New Jersey.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that the Devils are back in the playoffs again, after all this is their 11th straight trip to the postseason. Surprisingly, the Devils have had quite a few coaches in their postseason streak and this year Jersey had another new face behind the bench as Brent Sutter took his first NHL head coaching job.

While the coaches may come and go in New Jersey, goaltender Martin Brodeur is as reliable as the tide.

Brodeur extended his NHL record by notching 30 wins for the 12th straight year and his 43 victories this season allowed him to pass that plateau for the seventh time in his Hall-of-Fame career. He also posted a sparkling 2.18 goals-against average and .920 save percentage while playing in 76 games. Brodeur could be in line for his fourth Vezina Trophy, which is awarded annually to the league's best goaltender.

The 35-year-old Brodeur obviously brings a great deal of experience come playoff time. He has three Stanley Cup titles to his credit and is the active goaltending leader in playoff wins (94) and games played (164). Brodeur has 22 career shutouts in the postseason and needs just one more to tie Patrick Roy for the all-time playoff mark.

The Devils rely on a balanced scoring attack, but young winger Zach Parise is the team's primary offensive weapon. The 23-year-old Minnesotan has notched back-to-back 30-goal campaigns and set career-highs this year in goals (32) and assists (33). In 20 career playoff contests, Parise has notched eight goals and five assists.

New Jersey has four players with 20 goals or more and eight skaters with 10 or more tallies. Brian Gionta was second on the team with 22 goals, while Patrik Elias was second to Parise in points with 55 (20 goals, 35 assists).

New York added a pair of big names in the offseason, as Scott Gomez and Chris Drury were both signed on July 1. Drury was signed away from Buffalo with a five-year, $35 million deal, while Gomez was lured away from the Devils with a seven-year, $51 million contract .

Both centermen started the season slowly, but gradually picked up the pace. Gomez finished first on the team in assists (54) and second in points, while Drury was tied for the club lead with 25 goals and was third on the team with 58 points. Between the two of them, Gomez and Drury have won three Stanley Cup titles and played in 211 playoff games.

Jaromir Jagr also had a slow start to the season, but wound up as the Rangers leading scorer with 71 points (25g, 46a). Jagr reached the 20-goal plateau for the 17th straight season and notched 70 points for the 15th year in a row.

Jagr is tied for second among active players with 166 playoff points in 159 games. The Czech superstar also has two Stanley Cup titles, but hasn't won a championship since 1992 while playing with the Penguins.

One of New York's biggest assets, especially in the postseason format, is goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. The 26-year-old Swede was a workhorse for the Rangers this year, playing in 72 games and posting a 37-24-10 record. He had a 2.23 GAA, .912 save percentage and led the league with 10 shutouts.

Lundqvist has a 6-7 record in just 13 career playoff games, but did backstop Sweden to a Gold Medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Tonight's test is the first-ever playoff game played at the Prudential Center, which the Devils opened earlier this season. 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.