This wasn't a pretty game from a hockey standpoint, but it was an incredibly entertaining one. New Jersey stunned the Rangers by exploding out of the gate with Stephen Gionta and Patrik Elias scoring in the first four minutes of the game to put the Devils up 2-0. Rangers' coach John Tortorella used his timeout to try and settle his club, but it didn't work and Travis Zajac scored at the 9:49 mark to give New Jersey a three-goal lead- a deficit seemingly insurmountable considering the Rangers' lack of offense in these playoffs.
New York responded by playing frenzied, attacking hockey. Brandon Prust got a step on his defender and burst in on the Devils' net, burying it to cut the deficit to 3-1 after one period. Ryan Callahan deflected the puck in just 32 seconds into the second period to bring the Rangers to within one. And Marian Gaborik completed the comeback by taking advantage of a huge mistake by Martin Brodeur only 17 seconds into the third period.
But, the Devils stabilized things from there. After playing back on their heels for almost two periods, they started to reestablish their attack and they started to get some pucks back on net. Gionta made a great pass out of the corner to Ryan Carter and Carter buried it to put New Jersey back on top with only 4 minutes left in the game. The Rangers had a few chances, but Zach Parise sealed it with an empty netter to give New Jersey the 5-3 win.
The Devils now return home with the 3-2 lead and will try and clinch another trip to the Stanley Cup on Friday.
