The first round of the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs saw the New York Rangers upset the New Jersey Devils in 5 quick games. The series featured everything from close calls, big hits, and even a new rule implemented by the NHL mid-series. Having clinched the 4th place seed against the Rangers just days earlier the Devils looked to cash in the home ice advantage provided at the Prudential Center.
Game 1 saw the two teams battle to a scoreless first period until Brendan Shanahan beat Martin Brodeur just under 2 minutes. The Devils responded later in the period with a goal by Paul Martin to send the two teams tied at 1 goal apiece into the final period. The Devils tight play quickly unraveled on the powerplay when Brodeur was too slow to cover the puck as Ryan Callahan beat him to it and put the blue shirts up 2-1. 10 minutes later Sean Avery added a third goal and what had been a tightly played game by both teams quickly turned into a sure win as Nigel Dawes added a 4th goal on an empty net to assure the first game belonged to the Rangers.
Game 2 saw essesntialy the same first period the two teams played in the previous game as they headed into the locker rooms scoreless. The goals didnt come in the second period either as both teams headed into the third with the Devils leading the shot total 15-13. The second period did see plenty of action in the penalty box as the teams racked a combined 28 minutes between them. The Rangers finally got on the board just 4:26 into the third period when Devils defenseman Colin White nudged Brodeur while coming out from behind the net, giving Jaromir Jagr the space to put the puck into the net off the goalie's back. 23 seconds later Sean Avery would get his 2nd goal of the series beating Brodeur top shelf and causing the Devils to look for the panic button. Rangers Keeper Henrik Lundqvist did almost everything in his power to keep the Devils off the score sheet but couldnt do enough as John Madden brought the Devils within one with under a 1:30 to go. The Devils were denied any shot of a comeback as Lundqvist shut the door and ensured the Rangers a 2-0 lead in the series.
The attention shifted to Madison Square Garden where the Devils desperately needed to get their offense flowing if they wanted to continue their quest for Lord Stanley's Cup and game 3 certainly did not disappoint. It took the Devils just 3 minutes to grab their first lead of the series as Sergei Brylin had scored a goal that was initially waved off by the linesmen. However after reviewing the play the video showed that the puck wasn't kicked in and the Devils had their 3rd goal in 3 games. The lead didnt last long as Brandon Dubinsky leveled things at 1 just 9 minutes later. The Rangers took the lead as Sean Avery tallied on the powerplay but not before causing a little drama in front of his beloved foe Martin Brodeur. As the Rangers worked the 5 on 3 advantage Avery turned his back to the play and stood practically face to face with the Hall of Fame keeper and waved his hands and stick in his face. While no call was made by the referees the following day, the NHL issued an interpretation of the league's unsportsmanlike conduct rule to cover actions such as the one employed by Avery. The Devils used the powerplay to their advantage as goals by Patrick Elias and Zach Parise allowed them to take a 3-2 lead into the third period. The lead quickly vanished as Dubinsky added his second of the game and the two teams went into overtime deadlocked at 3. The Devils came out firing and almost sealed the game when Brian Gionta rang one of the post just two minutes in. Not too much later after that John Madden lost a faceoff to the right of Lunqvist, but got to the loose puck in the corner. His centering pass clipped the right skate of rookie defenseman Marc Staal and caromed in. The win seemed to give the Devils a new life and the series finally seemed to be rolling.
Game 4 brought a chance for the Devils to pull even but all that game 3 momentum was quickly earased as ex-Devil Scott Gomez beat his former keeper in the first period to give the blue shirts the lead heading into the second period. The Devils didnt take long to respond as Patrick Elias tied things up 30 seconds into the second. The Rangers answered back with a goal by Martin Stratka but Elias added another to bring things level again. However it would be the Rangers who would go into intermission with the lead as Chris Drury got his first goal of the series to make it 3-2 Rangers. The Devils came out and got the tying goal from an unlikely source in Mike Mottau who notched his first career playoff goal to bring it all even yet again. As the momentum shifted back and forth the goat of game 3 became the hero as Marc Staal fired the winning goal past Brodeur with 3 minutes in regulation. Scott Gomez added the empty netter as Rangers took a commanding 3-1 lead in the series putting the Devils with their backs to the wall.
The series returned to Prudential with the Devils playing for their playoff lives as they needed a win to continue on. Brian Gionta got the Devils off in the right direction as he beat Lundqvist to send The Rock into a frenzy. But by the time the goal was announced the score was already knotted at 1 after Michal Rozival slipped past 2 defensemen and received a great pass from Jaromir Jagr to stop any momentum the Devils had just gained. Jagr would add one of his own as would Scott Gomez as the Rangers took a strong 3-1 lead into the intermission. They added a fourth goal when Chris Drury beat Brodeur to send the Ranger fans in attendance into a frenzy. When it looked like the Devils had no fight left they got a little boost from an odd goal by Bryce Salvador. Salvador wound up for a drive between the blue-line and center ice circle. Dubinsky raised his arm to shield his face, and was struck by the puck. It then took a hop and hit the post before caroming into the net off Lundqvist. The Devils got within one when Patrick Elias scored on the power play. The teams battled neck and neck in the third but no goals prevailed until John Madden the hero of game 3 was awarded a penalty shot. His attempt on Lundqvist wasnt thought out too well and it hardly bothered the Swede who kept out the rest of the shots he faced that period. The Rangers would add a 5th goal on the empty net and clinched the series against their cross-river rivals. The Devils head into the off season with a question of what might have been if they used their powerplay and playmakers more effectively. It is almost guaranteed that there will be new faces in the locker room as the team tries to get back into the finals for the first time since 2003.
