“It wasn’t like I asked to go.  I loved my time here,” Gomez said, before the two goals apiece by Ryan Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky lifted the Rangers to a much-needed 6-2 victory at Madison Square Garden last night.

“Having some familiarity with Brian [Gionta, who played with Gomez in New Jersey] and myself [the last two seasons in New York] has made his transition a little easier,” added Paul Mara, the bearded defenseman who moved on to Montreal after New York did not tender a free agent contract.

“Scotty has an infectious personality that everyone around him can enjoy.”

Except the Garden fans, who booed Gomez whenever he touched the puck.  Apparently, they did not feel he was worthy of the $51.5 million, seven-year contract he signed on July 1, 2007.

Gomez, a playmaking center, had 58 points and a -2 rating in 77 games last season; it was his first negative campaign since 2001-02.  Just one day before his second anniversary with the Rangers, he was jettisoned to Montreal, largely for Christopher Higgins.  The money New York saved was ultimately used to sway free agent Marian Gaborik.

On this evening, Gomez and his mates, currently on the fringe of the Eastern Conference playoff race, encountered a Ranger squad that had tallied exactly one goal in its last three games.

Following consecutive shutout losses on Garden ice, New York dropped a 4-1 decision last night in St. Louis.  Its lone scoring play featured Brian Boyle’s fourth goal and Aaron Voros’ second assist, which spoke volumes about the lack of overall scoring.  That was all the Rangers had mustered over the last 172 minutes, of game time, or nearly three hours of real time since winning 3-1 in Boston on January 9.

Until tonight, when Callahan opened his career-best four-point game by tipping Marian Gaborik’s goalmouth pass behind Jaroslav Halak just 57 seconds into the second period.   By the end of the stanza, Dubinsky had added two goals, including the Rangers’ fifth shorthanded tally of the season.

Gomez, whose personal four-game point streak was snapped, admitted to not “keeping tabs” on the Rangers’ helter-skelter season, instead looking to focus on what is required for the Canadiens to finish among the top eight teams in the Eastern Conference.

“It just means every game is a playoff game. But, we’re just starting to get healthy, so we’ll take it from there.”

Coincidentally, there is exactly where his former team is also looking to finish.

[ John J. Buro is the author of “Open Court: A Year With the New York Knicks”, which is now available through www.opencourtbook.com. ]

31. New York Islanders – Toni Rajala – LW
CS: #:11E —– THN: # 49 —– McK: 45
ISS: # 31 (Martin St. Louis) —– RLR: # 34(Martin Straka)
TSN: # 56 (Sami Kapanen)
Rajala’s goal scoring exploits do not come from a Bobby Hull-like shot. Rather, he it comes from his excellent puck skills, hockey sense and shooting accuracy. He broke Alexander Ovechkin’s scoring record with 19 points in the U-18 tournament.

32. Tampa Bay Lightning – Kyle Palmieri – C
CS: # 20NA —– THN: # 26 —– McK: 42
ISS: # 23 (Brian Gionta) —– RLR: # 26 (Tuomo Ruutu)
TSN: # 25 (Chris Drury)
Palmieri is a team player who plays much bigger than his size (5-10/191). He plays a gritty style of hockey and is not afraid to play in traffic and is a strong two-way center.

33. Colorado Avalanche – Calvin de Haan – D
CS: # 25NA —– THN: # 22 —– McK: 28
ISS: # 36 (Brian Campbell) —– RLR: # 20 (Tomas Kaberle)
TSN: # 23 (Tomas Kaberle)
Calvin is a solid puck-moving defenseman who plays an intelligent game and showed this season that he can thrive when given extra ice time. Once he adds some muscle to his wiry frame (6-0/170), de Haan has the chance to become a solid all-around d-man.

34. Atlanta Thrashers – Chris Brown – LW
CS: # 30NA —– THN: # 61 —– McK: # 40
ISS: # 34 (Taylor Pyatt) —– RLR: # 101 (Anthony Stewart)
TSN: # 39 (Jamie Langenbrunner)
Brown’s combination of size (6-2/191) and very good skating ability sets him up to be a power forward in the NHL – which will be an excellent addition to Ilya Kovalchuk and Evander Kane. Brown is also very responsible in his own as well, doing the little things to help defend.

35. Los Angeles Kings – Zach Budish – RW/C
CS: # 22NA —– THN: # 44 —– McK: 50
ISS: # 51 (Keith Tkachuk) —– RLR: # 29(Ryan Getzlaf)
TSN: # 42 (David Backes)
The Kings could look to add to their defense corps, but it is worth their while to reach a bit on Budish. He is former first round projection who suffered an ACL injury while playing football in high school. The injury hurt his draft position, but he is expected to be ready to play at the University of Minnesota. His size (6-4/230), heavy shot and all-around game could make Budish one of the steals of the draft – if he lasts into the second round.

36. Phoenix Coyotes – Tim Erixon – D
CS: # 5E —– THN: # 32 —– McK: 30
ISS: # 55 (Kenny Jonsson) —– RLR: # 23 (Ron Hainsey)
TSN: # 28 (Mattias Ohlund)
The solid two-way defenseman is the son of former Ranger Jan Erixon. While there isn’t any one part of his game that stands out, he is solid in all aspects of the game – as seen by his playing in the Swedish Elite League at the age of 18.

37. New York Islanders – Robin Lehner – G
CS: # 1E Goalie—– THN: # 52 —– McK: 57
ISS: # 6 Goalie (Not Available) —– RLR: # 69 (Mathieu Garon)
TSN: 47 (Henrik Lundqvist)
With Rick DiPietro a perennial injury waiting to happen, GM Garth Snow needs to address his goaltending situation. Lehner draws comparisons to fellow Swedish netminder Henrik Lundqvist. However at 6-3/220, Lehner is bigger than The King and is more willing to cut down the angles and challenges shooters with his butterfly style.

38. Dallas Stars – Dmitry Orlov – D
CS: # 9E —– THN: # 55 —– McK: 33
ISS: # 29 (Dan Hamhuis) —– RLR: # 61 (Patrice Brisebois)
TSN: # 44 (Trevor Daley)
With Sergei Zubov nearing the end of his career, the Stars look to fellow Russian Orlov as a replacement. Dmitry is an offensive d-man who likes to rush the puck as well as join the rush late. While he still needs to polish up his game in the defensive end, Orlov will contribute immediately on the PP because of his shot and hockey sense.

39. Ottawa Senators – Richard Panik – RW
CS: # 13E —– THN: # 31 —– McK: 54
ISS: # 35 (Marian Hossa or P. Stefan) —– RLR: # 60 (M. Hossa or L. Kasper)
TSN: # 38 (Marian Hossa)
As you can see, both ISS and RLR believe Panik can be a boom or bust type player. While his play is inconsistent, he does have the offensive package (scoring touch, puck handling and speed) and size (6-2/202) to be an impact player. He has all the tools, now he needs to find a box to put them in.

40. Edmonton Oilers – Charles-Oliver Roussel – D
CS: # 36NA —– THN: # 35 —– McK: 53
ISS: # 42 (Wade Redden) —– RLR: # 14 (Brad Stuart)
TSN: # 37 (Kris Letang)
Roussel is a solid two-way blueliner who kicked his game up a notch during the post-season. He plays a well-rounded game, and while he doesn’t have one calling card aspect to his game, he does not have any major weaknesses either.

41. Nashville Predators – Ethan Werek – C
CS: # 32NA —– THN: # 34 —– McK: 38
ISS: # 26 (Gary Roberts) —– RLR: # 46 (Nik Antropov)
TSN: # 41 (Alexi Ponikarovsky)
Werek originally wanted to go the NCAA route, but decided to play in the OHL with Kingston. He is the hard-nosed type of player every team wants. He will do the dirty work needed in front of the net to score. Werek made Canada’s 2008 World Junior A Challenge team and their 2009 U-18 team.

42. Nashville Predators – Stefan Elliott – D
CS: # 17NA —– THN: # 27 —– McK: 39
ISS: # 38 (Sergei Gonchar) —– RLR: # 41 (Paul Martin)
TSN: # 35 (Tom Gilbert)
With the back end of their back-to-back picks, Nashville drafts Elliott with an eye towards his offensive contributions. His puck-handling and passing skills make him a valuable weapon on the PP. Elliott likes to join the rush and will work deep in the offensive zone. He is still a work in progress in the defensive zone and he needs to be more physical.

43. San Jose Sharks – Ryan O’Reilly – C
CS: # 39NA —– THN: # 39 —– McK: 26
ISS: # 50 (Shawn Horcoff) —– RLR: # 39 (Sammy Pahlsson)
TSN: # 27 (Maxime Talbot)
The Sharks continue to misfire in the playoffs as the team is just missing that something extra. This is where O’Reilly can fit in. He has excellent hockey sense and is a team leader who very well may be a captain in the NHL. He is solid in his own end, and is one of the best penalty killers and faceoff men in the OHL. His offensive game in the NHL will be more as a playmaker than goal scorer.

44. Florida Panthers – Josh Birkholz – RW/C
CS: # 43NA —– THN: # 57 —– McK: 67
ISS: # 37 (Matt Cullen) —– RLR: # 97 (Torrey Mitchell)
TSN: # 52 (Dan Hinote)
The soon-to-be University of Minnesota freshman is a strong two-way forward who has good quickness and speed. Josh will use his speed to beat defenders wide as he cuts to the net. Birkholz has good size (6-1/182), but he needs to use it more as part of an overall need to be consistently more consistent.

45. Atlanta Thrashers – Brayden McNabb – D
CS: # 51 NA —– THN: # 54 —– McK: 60
ISS: # 43 (Hal Gill) —– RLR: # 66 (Matt Walker)
TSN: # 54 (Sean O’Donnell)
GM Donnie Waddell has the chance to make up for his mistake for trading Brayden Coburn for Alexei Zhitnik. The 6-4/200 McNab is a stay-at-home defenseman who does have the ability to move the puck and see the ice. McNabb plays a physical game, but doesn’t run around to throw hits. He does need to work on defensive positioning because speedy forwards can beat him wide.

46. Ottawa Senators – Edward Pasquale – G
CS: # 3NA Goalie —– THN: # 40 —– McK: 80
ISS: # 1 Goalie (Not Available) —– RLR: # 98 (Dany Sabourin)
TSN: Honorable Mention (Not Available)
Despite the acquisition of Pascal Leclaire and the development Brian Elliott, the Sens still need to address the position. Pasquale has good size (6-3/218) and athletic ability. When he is on his game, he will let the puck come to him rather than trying fight off shots. He is still needs to work on his consistency and stickhandling.

47. New York Rangers – Alex Chiasson – RW
CS: # 34NA —– THN: # 76 —– McK: 47
ISS: # 85 (Not Available) —– RLR: # 67 (Jochen Hecht)
TSN: 46 (Colby Armstrong)
At 6-3/187, Chiasson has the size to be your prototypical power forward. While he needs to work on his skating, Chiasson is a hard worker who goes to the net and does all of the little things you want from a physical forward – including being a strong forechecker. Chiasson will jump from the USHL to Boston University. McK scout Kevin Wey said he has “the most upside of any USHL prospect in the 2009 Draft.”

48. St. Louis Blues – Tomas Vincour – RW
CS: # 42NA —– THN: # 63 —– McK: 98
ISS: # 49 (Nik Antropov) —– RLR: # 83 (Tomas Kopecky)
TSN: # Not Rated (Not Available)
Vincour is still a work in progress, but he is a strong mix of skill and size (6-2/203) and is a hard worker. The Czech native has spent the last two seasons playing in the WHL and is ahead of most European born players when it comes to adapting to North American hockey. He is at his best on offense when he uses his hands and his hockey sense below the faceoff dots.

49. Colorado Avalanche – Olivier Roy – G
CS: # 2NA Goalie —– THN: # 38 —– McK: 68
ISS: # 2 Goalie (Not Available) —– RLR: # 56 (Manny Legace)
TSN: # Honorable mention (Marc-Andre Fleury)
New GM Greg Sherman will look to another Roy (no relation to former Colorado goalie Patrick Roy) to solidify their goaltending position. Roy is looking to follow fellow Cape Breton netminders Marc-Andre Fleury and Ondrej Pavelec. Roy is a butterfly goalie who plays up at the top of the crease.

50. Toronto Maple Leafs – Cody Eakin – C
CS: # 29NA —– THN: # 64 —– McK: 46
ISS: # 46 (Darcy Tucker) —– RLR: # 49 (Mike Comrie)
TSN: # 53 (Darren Helm)
Eakin’s history of injuries probably cost him a shot at the first round (including two concussions). With that said, he is big-time goal scorer whose offense is fed by his speed, quickness and good hockey sense. At 5-11/176, he can’t afford to be overly physical, but he is aggressive and is an effective forechecker.

51. Carolina Hurricanes – Mac Bennett – D
CS: # 40NA —– THN: # N/R in Top 100 —– McK: 52
ISS: # 64 (Not Available) —– RLR: # 73 (Tobias Enstrom)
TSN: # 56 (petr Svoboda)
Bennett is a bit of project because he made a verbal commitment to the University of Michigan for 2010-11. An injury cost him some time this season (as well as scouting exposure), but he is a solid two-way d-man who is a tremendous skater – so much so that ISS says it is reminds them of Paul Coffey.

52. Tampa Bay Lightning – Matthew Hackett – G
CS: # 1NA Goalie —– THN: # Not Rated in Top 100 —– McK: 55
ISS: # 3 Goalie (Not Available) —– RLR: # 174 (Not Available)
TSN: # 43 (Mike Smith)
The Lightning’s goaltending situation is still up in the air so it would be worth it for Brian Lawton to draft the nephew of former NHLer Jeff Hackett. There a lot of GMs who regret passing on the 6-2/170 goalie in last year’s Draft. Hackett’s play during the season forced Plymouth (OHL) to trade Jeremy Smith – a former second round draft pick of the Nashville Predators. Hackett plays his angles well, which allows him to use his size to his advantage.

53. Vancouver Canucks – Tomas Tatar – C
CS: # 14E —– THN: # 51 —– McK: 35
ISS: # 41 (Ales Hemsky) —– RLR: # 35 (Jiri Hudler)
TSN: # 49 (Sergei Samsonov)
Replacing the Sedins continues in to the second round as Vancouver drafts Tatar. The 5-11/176 center is a potential top six forward based on scoring ability, skating and strong puck-handling skills. Tatar saved his best for big games as his 7 goals helped led Slovakia to the semi-finals in the World Juniors and he scored 5 goals in 13 games in Slovak Extraleague play.

54. New Jersey Devils – Jean-Francois Berube – G
CS: # 10NA Goalie —– THN: # 43 —– McK: 109
ISS: # 11 Goalie (Not Available) —– RLR: # 45 (Martin Biron)
TSN: # Honorable Mention (Not Available)
Martin Brodeur’s injury showed that the Devils need to start thinking about life after Brodeur. New Jersey has not had much luck in drafting a successor (see Ari Ahonen). Berube is a bit of a wildcard because he has been stuck behind Jake Allen in Montreal (QMJHL). Berube will be the main benefactor of Steve Mason’s super rookie season because Mason only played 6 games in his draft year. When he is on his game, Berube’s positioning is solid and het lets the puck come to him rather than fighting the puck.

55. Washington Capitals – Eric Gelinas – D
CS: # 38 NA —– THN: # 46 —– McK: 36
ISS: # 82 (Not Available) —– RLR: # 25 (Cam Barker)
TSN: # Honorable mention (Not Available)
Gelinas is an attractive prospect because of his size (6-3/185) and strong skating skills. He is more of an offensive defenseman at this point in his career and is valuable player on the PP. He is still a work in progress in his own end, but he does use his long reach well. One concern is that he only had 2 goals and 4 assists in his final 23 games last season.

56. New York Islanders – Kenny Ryan – RW
CS: # 56NA —– THN: # 66 —– McK: 29
ISS: # 59 (Brooks Laich) —– RLR: # 47 (Andrew Ladd)
TSN: # Honorable Mention (Not Available)
The Isles continue stocking up their organization with the selection of the solid two-way RW. Ryan, who will be attending Boston College, is a very good skater who has speed to beat defenders wide. He uses those assets to be a solid forechecker who has the ability to get back and help out in the defensive zone.

57. San Jose Sharks – Anton Lander – LW
CS: # 19E —– THN: # 50 —– McK: 75
ISS: # 47 (Mikko Koivu) —– RLR: # 64 (Niklas Sundstrom)
TSN: # Honorable Mention (Not Available)
Muck like Ryan O’Reilly, Anton Lander is a hard worker who features very good leadership abilities who plays hard until the final whistle. He has some scoring ability, but he is more of a passer than scorer. His skating and hockey sense make him an effective forechecker and solid contributor on defense.

58. Toronto Maple Leafs – Scott Stajcer – G
CS: # 5NA Goalie —– THN: # N/R in Top 100 —– McK: 34
ISS: # 4 Goalie (Not Available) —– RLR: # 115 (Not Available)
TSN: # Scott Stajcer (Not Available)
While Swedish free agent goalie Jonas Gustavsson is on the Leafs radar, Brian Burke should look to give new goalie coach Francois Allaire another toy to play with. Stajcer has good size (6-2/180) and switches between a stand-up and butterfly style of play. He is a solid athlete who has to pay attention to letting the puck come to him rather than doing too much to fight off the puck.

59. Chicago Blackhawks – Alex Hutchings – RW
CS: # 44NA —– THN: # 48 —– McK: 74
ISS: # 61 (Not Available) —– RLR: # 43 (Chris Kunitz)
TSN: # 58 (Chuck Kobasew)
His speed, skill and hockey sense make up for his lack of size (5-10/173). Despite his slight stature, Hutchings will go into the corners and play in traffic thanks to his skating skills. He has the ability to play in all situations, including both special teams.

60. Detroit Red Wings – Philippe Paradis – LW/C
CS: # 26NA —– THN: # 60 —– McK: 48
ISS: # 88 (Not Available) —– RLR: # 40 (Matt Stajan)
TSN: # 40 (Max Pacioretty)
Paradis uses his size (6-1/196) to be a grinding player who is developing a solid all-around game – after starting in Shawinigan as an offensive player. Paradis has developed into a forward who plays in all situations – including PP and PK. RLR says he is “capable of being a ‘Gordie Howe hat trick’ guy”.

61. Pittsburgh Penguins – Taylor Beck – LW
CS: # 67NA —– THN: # 48 —– McK: 66
ISS: # 53 (Scott Hartnell) —– RLR: # 130 (Not Available)
TSN: # Honorable Mention (Not Available)
Beck is a perfect complimentary player for a team that has the offensive talent the Penguins have. The 6-1/205 Beck isn’t fleet of foot, but he makes up for it with very good puck-handling ability. A McK scout compares Beck’s style to that of Milan Lucic and they believe he will be a better NHL player than junior player.

Long after the final buzzer ended, there was a zombie-like haze amongst the players and the coaches.

How could everything change in one minute and twenty seconds? How could home-ice advantage and a raucous crowd just melt away in 80 ticks of a clock?  How did the Carolina Hurricanes win game seven?

“It was right there,” Colin White said. “We were that close.”

Eric Staal gained a burst of speed out of the neutral zone and fired a shot that slipped between Martin Brodeur’s right arm and leg pad, the “seven hole” as he described it, into the net for the series winning goal with less than 30 seconds on the clock.

“I was in good position,” Brodeur said. “But he made a better shot and beat me.”

Head coach Brent Sutter felt the play broke down before the puck got anywhere near Brodeur.

“They were able to come through the neutral-zone with speed, which is something we were able to contain all night,” Sutter said.

Moments earlier, Jussi Jokenin, the hero of game four’s last second goal, tied the game with a shot from the right side of the net underneath Brodeur while he slid to the post.

“We got caught out there not able to get the puck out of the zone,” captain Jamie Langenbrunner said. “We got caught running around out there at the end.”

The Prudential Center crowd was silent, as if watching in slow motion an unreal nightmare playing out in front of them.

New Jersey never gives up a lead after being ahead going into the third period. The only time it happened in the regular season was at home, against the Hurricanes.

The Devils had dominated the game, controlling the puck with big hits and smart passing. Brian Rolston converted on the power play, scoring what was thought to be the game winning goal at 8:47 of the second period.

Carolina overloaded the right side of the ice, following Brian Gionta carrying the puck into the offensive zone. Gionta made a cross-ice pass to Rolston, who skated into the zone untouched and rifled a one-timer into the top left corner of the net.

At the other end of the special-teams spectrum, the Devils killed off all five penalties called against them, including a lengthy 5-on-3 opportunity in the second period.

All was going to plan for New Jersey, until the final 80 seconds of the game. With the team scrambling to cover assignments and willing to play overtime after Jokinen’s goal, the Devils played not to lose, while the Hurricanes played to win.

“We were on our heels too much the last few minutes trying to protect the lead,” Sutter said.

Winning a playoff series is not only about playing quality sixty-minutes, but also being lucky and taking advantage when luck comes your way.

“When we’ve won Cups, when we’ve gone pretty far into the playoffs, we’ve gotten some bounces,” John Madden said. “Things turned in our favor very quickly too. Shorthanded goals late in a period, bounces that come off the glass right in front of the net, different things, goalies mishandling a puck. We didn’t get anything. Everything we got, we earned.”

It seemed no one had learned from Jokinen’s goal with .02 seconds remaining in game four that the ‘Canes would attack for all 60 minutes of the game. They were not willing to take the last moments of regulation off and prepare for overtime, as there was still time in the third period to win it.

That attitude ended up being the difference between Carolina booking travel plans to Boston and the Devils booking tee times.

“This is as tough of a loss as you could possibly have,” Sutter said.

Mottau’s second goal of the season started the playoff scoring for the Devils on Wednesday, but Gleason’s tally pushed the series back to Carolina for Game Three even at one win apiece.

Gleason fired a one-timer from Joseph Corvo while Eric Staal screened Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur. The puck bounced past the goalie 2:40 into the overtime session.

“It was high, it went off somebody’s leg or skate. I don’t know,” Brodeur said.

The Hurricanes dominated the overtime period, outshooting New Jersey 4-0 and trapping the Devils in their own zone.

Ray Whitney and Matt Cullen each had repeated attempts at the net, including a shot by Whitney that bounced off the crossbar.

“That was closer to the game that we’ve been playing for a long time,” Hurricanes coach Paul Maurice said of his team’s overtime performance.

The Devils had to switch lines up at the end of the second period and throughout the rest of the game when captain Jamie Langenbrunner left the game with an unspecified lower-body injury.

Patrik Elias moved from the second line to the first with Zach Parise and Travis Zajac, and Brian Rolston shifted from third line to second with Brian Gionta and Dainius Zubrus, forcing the fourth line out of the rotation.

“We prefer a three line rotation over the course of the regular season, so I’d say maybe that evened the game,” Maurice said.

The Devils looked out of place without Langenbrunner, and although the team had shaken up lines throughout the season, adjusting to the new rotation seemed difficult.

“When you’re used to playing with someone for that long and to mix it up and constantly changing on the bench at the same time,” defenseman Paul Martin said. “Guys should know what they’re doing but obviously the chemistry is not there when you’re not playing with the guys you usually play with.”

The first line of Langenbrunner, Zajac and Parise worked well in the first period, but a disallowed goal may have been the deciding factor in pushing the game to extra time.

Travis Zajac knocked a shot by Langenbrunner down and into the net with a high stick at 10:18 in the first while the Devils were on a power play. A referee watched Zajac’s stick climb above the crossbar to bat at the puck, and immediately waved the goal off for high-sticking.

Not letting themselves get wrapped up in the no-goal, the Devils did score on the power play at 10:44, when Martin fired a shot from the right point and Parise deflected the puck into the top left corner of the net for a 1-0 lead.

New Jersey had seven more power play opportunities, but was unable to connect.

“We were able to get the puck in and get opportunities, we just weren’t able to capitalize,” Martin said.

Devils coach Brent Sutter agreed with the quality of the power play, but felt the missed chances were a bigger part of the game.

“You look at it now, it would’ve been nice to get another one or two on it. Still, our power play was still pretty good. We still had scoring chances on it, we created some things on it,” Sutter said.

With the series tied at 1-1, both teams travel to Carolina on Saturday for Sunday’s Game Three. New Jersey has not played its best at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C., losing both regular season games played there this season.

“We reset. We know we’re facing a great hockey team in Carolina. It wasn’t going to be a cakewalk,” Brodeur said.

The Devils will need to win at least one game to regain a true home-ice advantage the rest of the series.

“You have to win on the road in the playoffs. We have nothing to feel bad about. We played hard here tonight against a very good hockey team,” Sutter said. “Yeah, you lose home ice, and you go down there and you have to get it back. If you want to have success you have to win on the road, too.”

Games Three and Four will be played in North Carolina, and then the series returns to the Prudential Center for Game Five on Thursday, April 23, at 7:30 p.m.

Until then, it will be a long trip to Raleigh, where the Devils will try to everything the Hurricanes can do, but a little bit better.

With the score 2-1, it was apparent that the Devils needed to play 60 complete minutes of hockey if they were to win the final regular season game.

“We knew there was 20 minutes left, and if we played well, we couldn’t sit back too much,” Dainius Zubrus said about preventing a serious case of déjà vu.

Recent history seemed like it would repeat itself, if only through Hurricane dedication.

Anton Babchuk scored his second goal of the game 4:42 into the third period on a power play to tie the game at two and quiet the Prudential Center crowd.

Ray Whitney and Rod Brind’Amour cycled the puck and set up Babchuk at the point. Babchuk sent a laser of a shot in, and it flipped under Martin Brodeur’s stick and into the net.

But the Devils maintained composure and continued to battle for pucks and play the aggressive brand of hockey they’ve been known for all season.

At 15:34, Brian Gionta picked up the puck along the boards to the right of Hurricanes goaltender Michael Leighton. Gionta carried the puck behind the net, going just far enough to force Leighton to give up some space by the post.

Gionta passed the puck to Zubrus, who was ready and open on the right post. Zubrus had the hockey-equivalent of a slam dunk for the game winning goal.

“Brian did a good job carrying the puck far enough where their goalie, he obviously thought he was going to go all the way around. And once he came back, I had a line to shoot on,” Zubrus explained.

“It was bouncing around in the corner and I picked it up with my feet. He was coming in the perfect lane that I could see him and I left it short side for him,” Gionta added.

The goal stood as the game winner for the remaining 4:26, giving the Devils a club-record 51 wins for the season and a 4-out-of-5 winning streak heading into the playoffs.

“It was important to play well in a game like this. It was important for us to finish off,” coach Brent Sutter said.

The players agreed with their coach.

“This is how it’s going to be in the playoffs. They’re going to be close games, one-goal games. You look at it as a test and make sure we come up on top,” defenseman Bryce Salvador said.

In addition to playing well for the entire 60-minute final exam Saturday, the Devils got lucky early.

Funny bounces off the boards twice duped Leighton, which led to the first two Devils goals.

David Clarkson opened up scoring with a goal on a wide open net just under three minutes into the game. Brian Rolston fed the puck to Clarkson, and he put the puck in for his 17^th of the season and second in four games.

New Jersey used an odd bounce again on a delayed penalty when Zach Parise joined the offensive rush. Niclas Havelid sent the puck in, and instead of going all the way around the net, it bounced nearly perfectly onto Parise’s stick, and the team-leading scorer put in his 45^th goal of the season, and his team record-tying 58^th point of the season at home.

New Jersey used the early lead to maintain an aggressive style, poking pucks away in the neutral zone and outshooting Carolina 35-25 for the game.

All of Carolina’s offense occurred during special teams’ time.

Babchuk scored his first power play goal at 6:34 in the first much in the same manner as his game-tying goal in the third. His lightning-bolt shot from the point got past Brodeur on a power play after Zubrus was called for hooking.

“They had a couple tonight that just streaked in there. Anton has a great shot, and if we play these guys in the first round, we’ll definitely be looking at tape,” Salvador said.

Playing these same Hurricanes was still a definite possibility as the final horn buzzed. Carolina, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh were all tied with 97 points, with either Carolina or Pittsburgh slotted to play the Devils in the first round.

The final match-ups wouldn’t be decided until Philadelphia played again on Sunday to end the season, but it did not matter to the players in the home locker room.

“I don’t think we’re going to be picking who we’re playing,” Zubrus said. “If we are playing (Carolina), good. If not, I think this was a good game to build on.”

Now, as the “Second Season” begins, the question returns to see if the Devils can construct a serious run at Lord Stanley’s Cup for the first time since the lockout.

Toronto scored three goals in the first period off of Devils miscues to start them on a 4-1 victory in Newark.

“Three straight goals, you can’t let it happen,” coach Brent Sutter said.

The Devils outshot the Maple Leafs 48-18, but turnovers in their own zone and solid play by Toronto goalie Martin Gerber prevented New Jersey from winning a team-record 50^th game and clinching the Atlantic Division.

Half-way through the first period, defenseman Colin White was unable to clear the puck out from behind goaltender Martin Brodeur. His giveaway ended up in the glove of Mikhail Grabovski, who dropped the puck and scored from the slot.

Moments later, Brian Rolston turned the puck over in the neutral zone, and Boyd Devereaux swooped in to grab it. Devereaux fed Jamal Mayers in the middle of the ice, and Mayers slid the puck over to Jeffrey Hamilton, who fired into the top right corner of the net.

The third Maple Leaf goal came at 15:56 of the first, when Christian Hanson scored on a weak-side rebound off of a shot by Jason Blake. There was not a single red jersey surrounding Hanson, whose tally was the first of his career.

“When someone makes a mistake, you try to bail them out. Today it wasn’t the case,” Brodeur said.

Toronto gave New Jersey an ample opportunity to end the period on a positive note when, while Luke Schenn was already in the penalty box for tripping Bobby Holik,  Jay Harrison got a high-stick under Brian Gionta’s visor, drawing blood. Harrison took the automatic four-minute double-minor penalty, giving the Devils a 5-on-3 advantage for 37 seconds.

New Jersey fired several shots against Gerber, and Brendan Shanahan had two open looks at the net, but shot into the only part of the net being blocked by Gerber.

“I’m sure Shanny would want that one back on the 5-on-3,” Langenbrunner said.

The restless fans showed their displeasure at the home team not capitalizing on a golden opportunity, although hope was restored in the second period, while Harrison was still in the penalty box.

Paul Martin poked the puck out from a Leaf, and fed Jamie Langenbrunner in the right circle. With two seconds remaining on the power play, Langenbrunner found an opening and slid the puck five-hole under Gerber.

“We definitely still had a mountain to climb, but we were heading in the right direction. We had been shooting pretty well and creating some opportunities, making them taking penalties. We thought we were ready for the third period, thinking we’d shut them down and go. And then we made a mistake that ended up in our head again, and from there it was definitely tough sledding,” Langenbrunner said.

That fourth goal came 1:34 into the third period when defensemen Johnny Oduya and Mike Mottau were caught up behind the net, and another failed clear-out turned into a goal.

Niklas Hagman passed the loose puck out from behind Brodeur to John Mitchell, who was waiting at the left post for an easy shot.

“I missed the shot. I was moving but it slid between my pads,” Brodeur explained.

Despite outshooting the Leafs 13-4 in the final period, New Jersey lost a chance to take more momentum into the playoffs.

The Devils’ disappointment in their play hung over the locker room, as well as a feeling of apprehension about the post season.

“Right now, we’re not thinking about clinching the division, we’re thinking about not playing well enough to be two games from the playoffs,” Holik said. “Winning the division important? Yeah. Playing well in the playoffs more important? Yeah … Right now we have more on our plate than just winning the division.”

The final two courses on the Devils’ plate are an away game in Ottawa on Thursday and the regular-season finale at home against Carolina Saturday afternoon.

Currently, New Jersey is sitting in third place in the Eastern Conference, and would match up against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the playoffs, but there is still a possibility Carolina or Philadelphia could be in the sixth spot.

Against any of those teams, for a chance to win, New Jersey will need to find a way to play 60 good minutes of hockey again like they did for most of the regular season.

Martin Brodeur took home the net he guarded during the third period of his 552^nd win, the win that pushed him past Patrick Roy to first on the all-time victories list.

The Devils beat the Chicago Blackhawks Tuesday night, 3-2, in a special night for New Jersey’s net minder.

“It was an exciting night, I’m definitely happy its over, it’s been a little chaotic for me the last few days but it was an awesome night. It was a great reception from the fans… it was pretty cool. I thought it was pretty cool in Montreal and this topped it,” said Brodeur after the game, referring to tying Roy’s record Saturday.

Brodeur leapt off the ice as the final buzzer sounded, and began dismantling the net with help moments later. As his teammates finished the equipment surgery, Brodeur took a lap around the rink, waving to the delirious Prudential Center crowd.

“Jamie (Langenbrunner) came over and said, ‘Go take a lap, we’ll cut it down. The fans deserve it,’” explained Brodeur. “I’ve done it with the Stanley Cup on top of my head, and that was a team thing, but that was really a personal thing. It was really cool.”

Chants of “Marty! Marty!” began early in the night, and with each of his 30 saves the crowd’s approval grew louder.

His teammates showed their dedication to the pursuit of the record early in the contest. Langenbrunner took a backhand pass in the slot from Zach Parise 38 seconds into the game and fired a shot past Chicago goalie Nikolai Khabibulin.

At six minutes, just after a power play ended, Paul Martin sent a pass to Parise deep in the right corner. Parise found Travis Zajac set up on the left side of the crease, and Zajac put the puck behind Khabibulin.

Another Devil hit a milestone in the second period. With Johnny Oduya in the penalty box for closing his hand on the puck, Patrick Elias cleared the puck out of the
Blackhawk’s offensive zone to Brian Gionta on the left wing. Gionta put the puck over Khabibulin’s outstretched leg.

Elias’ assist marked his 702^nd career point as a Devil, moving past John MacLean for first all-time in the organization. The crowd gave Elias a standing ovation for accomplishing the mark, and did not stop despite the fact that Chicago converted on the remaining power play time at the other end.

Cameron Barker fired a shot from the point, and the puck went past Brodeur on the left side. Brodeur, sprawled on the ice, banged his stick in disappointment.

The Blackhawks made the game interesting, making sure Brodeur worked the entire 60 minutes for the record, by scoring with 2:03 left on the clock.

The Devils were unable the clear the puck out of the Chicago offensive zone, and Dustin Byfuglien fired the puck over Brodeur’s glove hand.

Chicago kept the pressure on by pulling the goalie, but Brodeur made a final kick save as the final horn sounded, and the celebration began.

“It’s special, obviously. There’s so much emotion in the building again tonight, this obviously being a home game and having the tremendous support that the fans give this hockey team and to see the way it was here tonight, and obviously everyone was aware of what was going on,” said coach Brent Sutter.

“It’s a special night. There’s not question about it. And to be part of it is pretty neat,” he added.

Brodeur’s family was in attendance, including his father, Denis, who photographed the game from his seat. The goaltender was anxious to see his children after his media duties were complete.

Commissioner Gary Bettman was in attendance, but declined to comment in person. He released a statement through his office to congratulate Brodeur.

In nine games since returning from injury, Brodeur won eight games to reach the milestone.

The Devils traveled to Carolina to face the Hurricanes Wednesday. Kevin Weekes will start in goal in relief for Brodeur.

Brodeur has been the safety net for the Devils for 552 victories since he entered the league 17 seasons ago. Tuesday, the net was for him alone.

With a 4-1 victory, the Devs have moved into a temporary tie for fifth place in the Eastern Conference with the Philadelphia Flyers, before the Flyers beat Anaheim later in the evening.

The win also pulled New Jersey within one point of Montreal in the standings, and two points of Atlantic Division co-leader New York Rangers.

With many of their top players scratched with injuries, the Habs looked like the Devils of earlier in the season.

“It changes dynamics on your team, but as an opposition you don’t get caught up in that. You worry about your own game and how you have to play. I don’t think anyone felt sorry for us when we went through that situation,” said Devils’ coach Brent Sutter.

Against the depleted visitors, New Jersey found the back of the net first.

Defenseman Mike Mottau chipped the puck out from the boards and pushed the puck to Patrick Elias at center.

Elias made his way to center ice before making a cross-ice pass to a wide-open Brian Gionta on the right wing, crossing the blue line. Gionta sped to the right face-off circle and fired, rifling the puck underneath Canadiens’ goalie Jarolsav Halak’s right leg pad, with 14:21 gone in the first period.

“We had a four-on-two broken with two back checkers, so I looked at the middle, it wasn’t there, and I tried to find a spot on net,” said Gionta.

Third on the team in points, when Gionta scores New Jersey gives itself a much better chance of winning. The team is 9-1 this season when “Gio” finds the net.

“I think we’re finding an offensive spark. We’re playing good hockey the last 20-30 games; it balances the attack a lot more when we’re going,” Gionta said of how his line’s success parlays into team wins.

But nothing was certain even with that recent history backing the Devils.

Montreal tied the game two minutes later when recent-call-up Max Pacioretty took a pass from Kyle Chipchura up the right boards and put his first career goal over the shoulder of Scott Clemmensen in goal.

“We don’t give up too many odd man rushes, let alone two-on-one, and that one guy (Pacioretty) came down my left side and beat me over the glove, plain and simple,” explained Clemmensen.

Despite the game being tied, the Devils would not give up control of the game’s momentum. Shortly after the Canadiens’ goal, agitator David Clarkson and Montreal winger Tom Kostopolulos got together at center ice to fight. Earlier in the period, Clarkson jawed with several of the Canadiens after Mike Rupp took a brutal hit in the corner.

The fight, which Clarkson won by takedown, kept the crowd and the Devils’ bench energized.

New Jersey regained the lead with a minute and a half left in the first period when Zach Parise faked a pass and put the puck in through Halak’s five-hole.

John Madden broke a 24-game scoring drought in the second to give New Jersey a two-goal lead. Madden and Rupp broke a two-on-one down the ice, and put the puck top-shelf over Halak.

After the second period, Halak’s night was finished. Marc Denis replaced Halak in goal for the third session. Regular goalie Carey Price was injured before the Habs’ last game against Tampa Bay, as was forward Alex Tanguay.

At the other end of the ice, Clemmensen was keeping the Habs off the scoreboard.

With 4:15 left in the second, Clemmensen made several key saves against Tomas Plekanec’s line, preserving the 3-1 lead.

“It was a tough game, because it was a two-goal lead, which is very deceiving, especially in this sport,” said Clemmensen. “Any time if they score, it’s three to one most of the game, and if they get that one goal, that makes it a one goal game and the complexion of the game changes a lot from there.”

Clemmensen maintained his high level of play in the third, making two glove saves off of face-offs in front of him half-way through the period. Clemmensen saved 33 of 34 shots he faced, including all seven power play shots the Canadiens took.

Clemmensen’s win was secured at 13:11 in the third period. Bryce Salvador saved the puck from leaving the Devils’ offensive zone, and put a shot on net from the left side.

Salvador’s shot bounced off the net and Parise recovered the puck to the left of the net. Parise made a slick backwards pass to Jamie Langenbrunner in the slot, and Langenbrunner put the security goal past Denis’ left glove.

“We’re tough when we have the lead after two (periods). We’re tough to come back on,” Parise said.

The Canadiens out-hit and out-shot the Devils throughout the game, but New Jersey was in control of the tempo throughout.

“Four to one final score I don’t think was very indicative of the type of the game it was tonight,” said Clemmensen.

The Devils, coming off of a three game road trip, responded to Coach Sutter’s criticism of the team’s play in Dallas on Wednesday.

“I had good vibes coming into the rink today that we were going to play a really good game. We had a tremendous effort from out goaltender right on out — go right through the whole lineup, everyone played very well,” said Sutter.

“I trust that group inside that room. There’s times through the year that where coaches are going to challenge their players and that’s the way it is, that’s the game, that’s sports,” Sutter said of his Wednesday post-game comments.

Sunday the Devils will continue their push for the top of the Eastern Conference when they take on the Ottawa Senators at 5 p.m., at the Prudential Center.

Next week, New Jersey will travel to Carolina for a match, come home to face Atlanta, and then embark on a nine-day, six-game road trip. This is the second long road trip of the season for the Devils, who finished 4-1 on a five-game, 18-day trip starting before Thanksgiving.

“No games are easy; it’s going to be a tight battle to the end. We’re almost to the midway point now, and I don’t think anything is going to change here in the second half as far as how tight it’s going to be. We’re going to find a way to get a few more wins than we did in the first half, and then we’ll be in those upper four teams,” said Langenbrunner.