The long wait for Devils fans are over. For the first time since 2003 the New Jersey Devils will play for the Stanley Cup! They earned the right to do so after beating the New York Rangers in six hard fought games. The Rangers were the #1 seed in the east and had gone to seven games against both Ottawa and Washington. Meanwhile the Devils who were the #6 seed, had to go to seven games against Florida and then beat the Flyers in five games. So this was going to be a great matchup on paper.
The Rangers scored three unanswered goals in the third period, and goaltender Henrik Lundqvist stopped all 21 New Jersey shots, to take Game 1, 3–0. For Lundqvist, that was his 2nd shutout of the playoffs. Even though it was a Devils loss, Marty Brodeur still showed flashes of his former self especially with this incredible save late in the 3rd period:
In Game 2, David Clarkson's score early in the third period broke a 2–2 tie to give the Devils a 3–2 victory. Ilya Kovalchuk and Ryan Carter scored the first two devils goals, while Marc Staal and Chris Kreider scored for the Rangers. Carter's goal actually tied the game at 2 before Clarkson scored on this beautiful deflection:
Game 3 then ended up being similar to Game 1, as New York scored another three unanswered goals in the third period, and Lundqvist stopped all 37 New Jersey shots, en route to a second 3–0 win in this series. With his fifth goal of the playoffs in Game 3, Rangers rookie forward Chris Kreider set an NHL record for goals and points (5 goals, 7 points) for a player in the playoffs before his first regular season game. This win gave Lundqvist his 2nd shutout of the series and 3td of the playoffs.
New Jersey then took Game 4, 4–1, as Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur made 28 saves and Zach Parise scored two goals. Bryce Salvador and Travis Zajac scored the opening goals for the Devils in this game in the 1st. After a quiet 2nd period Zach Parise got his first of the game on the power play early in the 3rd. Ruslan Fedotenko got the Rangers on the board with his first of the playoffs, but Zach Parise put the game away with an empty netter to seal the win. The goal by Fedotenko late in the playoffs was a bit of a surprise since this guy was a hero for the Lightning during their 2004 Cup run.
Game 5 ended up being a wild contest, as New Jersey scored three unanswered goals in the first period before New York tied it up early in the third period. Stephen Gionta, Patrick Elias, and Travis Zajac gave the Devils a 3-0 lead halfway through the opening period. Brandon Prust would cut the lead to 3-1 by the end of the 1st. Ranger Captain Ryan Callahan would score the lone goal in the 2nd period to cut the lead to 3-2. Then early in the 3rd period Marion Gaborik would tie the game at 3. Ryan Carter then scored at 15:36 of the third period, and Zach Parise added an empty-net goal, to give the Devils the 5–3 win.
Game 6 was just as memorable as any other between these two teams. With visions of the 1994 conference finals dancing in the heads of most Rangers fans, the two teams hit the ice. The Devils jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in this hockey game thanks to Ryan Carter and Ilya Kovalchuck. However the Rangers would come fighting back. Ruslan Fedotenko and Ryan Callahan scored the tying goals for the Rangers in the 2nd period. The 3rd period was scoreless forcing overtime. That's when the hero emerged. Adam Henrique's goal at 1:03 of overtime gave New Jersey a 3–2 victory to win the series.
That marks the 2nd time this playoffs Henrique has been the OT hero, as he scored the winner in Double OT of Game Seven of the opening round against the Florida Panthers. So thanks to Henrique's heroics the Devils are back in the finals for the first time since 2003. As for the New York Rangers hats off to them. What the Rangers were able to do this season deserves a hat tip. Think about this for a second, last year the Rangers finished 3rd in the Atlantic Division and 8th in the eastern conference and were bounced in the opening round of the playoffs by the Washington Capitals. Now this season, they win the Atlantic Division, had the best record in the Eastern Conference, and were two wins shy of their first appearance in the cup finals since their win in 1994. So for what the Rangers were able to do this season, hats off to them and they have earned my full respect.
But now it's on to the Stanley Cup Finals where it will see the Los Angeles Kings play the New Jersey Devils. Check back right here on Solly On Sports for a full preview of the Stanley Cup Finals later this week.
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