Newark, NJ (Best E Casino) - 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
New York Rangers surged past the
New Jersey Devils, 4-1, in the opener of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series at the Prudential Center.
The Rangers scored 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. The Blueshirts entered the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs after going 42-27-13 in the regular season, marking the first time since 1974 that the club posted 40-plus wins in three consecutive seasons.
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, having dropping seven of eight regular season matchups with the Rangers.
"We've got to score more than one goal, that's the bottom line," New Jersey's Zach Parise said. "One goal's not going to win too many games in the postseason so it's on us to start putting some in the net."
Game 2 of this best-of-seven set is scheduled for Friday in New Jersey.
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.
"He doesn't do that too often," Callahan said of Brodeur missing the puck. "I don't know what happened to be honest with you. I just saw the free puck there and I knocked it in. He's an unbelievable goalie and we're going to have to get pucks to the net if we're going to beat him."
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.
"I wish I could take something out of it," Gomez said. "It doesn't mean anything. Marty - all those guys, they've been through it before. that's one thing about the playoffs - experience comes in. Tomorrow's a new day."
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.
Each team mustered eight shots in the first period, but the netminders were solid. New York nearly broke through in the waning seconds, but Brodeur deflected Fedor Tyutin's shot with the back of his stick.
The Blueshirts then opened the scoring just 1:45 into the second as Shanahan beat Brodeur from the right circle.
The Devils tied it on the power play with 5:46 remaining, as Martin held the puck at the right circle, got Lundqvist to open up and ripped it through the five hole.
Game Notes
The Rangers were 0-for-3 on the power play, while New Jersey ended 1-for-4...Five of the eight meetings during the regular season were decided by one goal -- including three in shootouts. The Rangers won the first seven matchups before dropping Sunday's regular season finale...Brodeur is the active goaltending leader in playoff wins (94) and games played (165). He has 22 career shutouts in the postseason and needs just one more to tie Patrick Roy for the all-time playoff mark...Lundqvist has a 7-7 record in just 14 career playoff games.
