The Devils and the Islanders played 20 minutes of scoreless hockey to open up Tuesday’s game, and the Islanders killed off the one power-play opportunity afforded to the Devils.

“Two good shifts, two bad shifts. One good shift, one bad shift,” New Jersey coach Jacques Lemaire said. “The thing that is happening is that we don’t have five guys working together.”

A pre-season mistake of too-many-men put the Devils down a man 41 seconds into the second period, and the Isles took advantage.

New York scored 1:12 into the second on a shot by Jack Hillen that careened behind Martin Brodeur into the far corner of the net.

But the Devils were not defeated, as the goal seemed to open up the game.

With a little more than five minutes past in the second, Zach Parise forced a turnover in the Devils offensive zone. He dug the puck out from the left boards and found Travis Zajac left of Islanders goalie Dwayne Roloson, and Zajac passed to Jamie Langenbrunner on the right corner of the crease.

Langenbrunner fired, and Parise met the rebound and poked it past Roloson to tie the game at one.

“Most importantly for our line is getting the chemistry back,” Parise said. “Tonight we were a lot sharper, we were making smart plays, and it showed for us on the scoresheet.”

Poor decisions put the Devils down two men half-way into the second period.

On a 5-on-3 opportunity, Mark Streit fired from the right circle and the puck went over Brodeur, off the crossbar and into the net to reinstate the New York lead. First-overall draft pick John Tavares added an assist on the goal.

The power play remained key for both teams, as Brian Rolston evened the game at 14:21 in the second, driving up the left side of the ice, passing to himself between Radek Martinek’s legs and firing his signature shot past Roloson. Rookie Cory Murphy assisted on the play.

The “ZZ Pop” line continued to regain their regular season playing level when Zajac forced a turnover at the blue line. He sent the puck in deep behind the Islander net, and Parise sent it back to Zajac for the perfect give-and-go combination.

Another well-executed pass between Brendan Shanahan and Nicklas Bergfors resulted in a 4-2 lead in the third period.

Bergfors sent a pass up ice to Shanahan in the left faceoff circle, and Shanahan one-timed the puck past Roloson. Dainius Zubrus, who switched centering lines with new-acquisition Rob Niedermeyer earlier in the game, was credited with the secondary assist.

The Devils played a conservative third period to ensure that they took a win and a healthy roster into the regular season.

New Jersey opens the regular season at home on Saturday, Oct. 3, against the Flyers at 7 p.m. Lemaire said after the game that Saturday’s line-up would be very similar to Tuesdays, with, “maybe one or two guys are changed.”

NOTES: Matt Halischuck switched from #63 to #16, Joel Rechlicz was sent to the showers early for 3 fights in one game and for blindsiding Colin White after the play… The two teams racked up a total of 88 penalty minutes including two game misconducts and 10 five-minute fighting penalties… David Clarkson fought Brendan Witt because he respects Witt and wanted to get a fight in before the regular season… Mike Mottau was an unexpected member of the lineup. He was originally considered out from the upper body injury he got Thursday in Philadelphia, but Mottau said that he was strong enough to play, and that the injury was just sore after the game… Jay Pandolfo was scratched with a groin injury.

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.

There was no rescuing the club from themselves, resulting in a season-high fifth straight loss, a 3-0 shutout by Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers.

“There was no offense because there is no urgency. You’ve got to pay a price to score goals and we don’t want to do that right now. We aren’t playing like we need to play at this time of the season, bottom line,” Devils coach Brent Sutter explained.

New York put 20 shots on goal in the first period, but it took until 4:35 into the second period for the Rangers to get one past Devils’ goaltender Martin Brodeur.

Brandon Dubinsky grabbed a rebound on Brodeur’s right side and faked Brodeur to the ice. Dubinsky had a wide open net and put the puck right over Brodeur. Dan Girardi and Fredrik Sjostrom assisted on the goal.

The Rangers added two more goals, one by Girardi from the slot and one by Ryan Callahan, who went top-shelf over Marty from the right circle.

Callahan’s goal earned a wave of cheers from the fans at Madison Square Garden, especially for Sean Avery’s secondary assist. Avery had screened Brodeur all night, getting in his face and frustrating the goaltender.

The Devils took 28 minutes in penalties during the game, most of them coming from roughing calls for trying to get Avery out of the crease after the whistle blew play dead.

“There’s guys in this league, that’s their job to disturb,” Captain Jamie Langenbrunner said of Avery. “He has a job and he does it well.”

In the third period, with what little life the Devils had left, David Clarkson tried to fight Avery and he would not fight back.

Clarkson threw the forward to the ice, picked him up and threw him back down, earning Clarkson two roughing penalties and a game misconduct, eliminating him from the rest of the game. Avery was slapped with two minutes for roughing, but really tried to have nothing to do with Clarkson.

“It certainly takes discipline for sure. You fight for your team and fight for your teammates. At that point, I didn’t need to fight for either of them so there really was no point,” Avery explained.

Both teams, though, were fighting for the postseason; the Rangers to get in and the Devils to get back the second place seed in the Eastern Conference they had all but locked up.

The win puts the Rangers three points ahead of eighth-seed Montreal and one point behind sixth-seed Pittsburgh. But Rangers Coach John Tortorella is not going to assume anything yet.

“We don’t have a playoff spot. We are in the playoffs but we are still fighting for our lives. We are just trying to find a way to get points,” Tortorella said. “We are just taking it a game at a time. I know playoffs is a subject, but we want to just get in and we are going to take it a game at a time to give ourselves a chance to get in there.”

Despite having a playoff spot locked up, the five-game skid the Devils are on is nearly identical to the losing streak New Jersey took into the post-season last year, when these same Rangers bumped them out in five games.

“Don’t you want to finish second in your conference? Don’t you want have home ice advantage if you advance past the first round? Don’t you want to have pride in the fact that you have your game at the top of your level this time of year? You can’t turn a switch on. This group tried to turn a switch on last year. It didn’t work. You can say it’s a different group but the personnel a lot of it is the same,” Sutter said emphatically.

With six games remaining for the Devils, three at home and three on the road, there is not much time left for the team to get back into the winning form they had just a few weeks ago.

The Rangers’ playoff hopes may still crash, but they are showing more signs of life than their rivals across the Hudson River.

“Five in a row is five in a row. Doesn’t matter if you play well, you play poorly, you score a lot of goals or you give up a lot of goals. Five in a row in this league is unacceptable,” Langenbrunner said.

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.

In a game that some predict may be a Stanley Cup Final preview, the Flames took an early lead while the Devils continued to figure out what the rarely-seen Western Conference opponent had in store.

“That’s a pretty patient team. When you play teams you don’t see often, you don’t know what they’re going to do,” said Zach Parise.

Trade deadline acquisition Ollie Jokinen, one of the biggest names involved at the deadline, continued to make a positive impact for the Flames, scoring at 10:22 in the first.

Jokinen positioned himself on the far post, and was able to put a pass from David Moss behind Martin Brodeur.

Down 1-0, New Jersey began to respond with increased energy and physicality.

Mike Rupp and Andre Roy dropped gloves at 12:58 after Rupp hit Roy into the side boards. Rupp, who was out of the line up for the previous five games, over powered Roy and sent the Prudential Center into a frenzy.

When asked about how Rupp responded to returning to the lineup, Head Coach Brent Sutter said he was pleased.

“Exactly what I wanted. We need that aggression and we need that physicality, and I’m not talking about the fight. I’m talking about finishing checks,” Sutter said.

Despite having to switch up the forward lines because of Rupp’s time in the penalty box, the Devils tied Calgary in shots on goal by the end of the period.

“Later in the first period, we started moving better. In the second period, our game went to another level,” explained Head Coach Brent Sutter.

At 5:10 in the second period, with the Flames on a power play, defenseman Colin White cleared the zone and had Jamie Langenbrunner with him on a odd-man rush.

White brought the puck up the left side of the ice, and passed to Langenbrunner in the slot. Langenbrunner fired, and the puck bounced pass goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff to tie the game.

“Whitey was able to freeze the ‘D’, and I was able to get a quick shot off,” said Langenbrunner. “I got a pretty good shot off there.”

The goal marked the 22^nd of the season for the Devils’ captain and the 11^th shorthanded goal of the season by New Jersey.

The special teams did it again for the Devils at 18:01 in the period.

On the power play, Niclas Havelid passed the puck from the point to the left face-off circle, where Brendan Shanahan was waiting. With Dainius Zubrus and Brian Rolston positioning themselves on each post, Shanahan threw the puck on net, and while Kiprusoff was sprawled in the crease, Rolston controlled the rebound and scored on a wide open net.

“Brendan made a really smart play. He found the seam to put the puck towards the net. He was patient there. That’s why he’s so effective,” Sutter said of Shanahan’s assist.

The secondary assist for Havelid marked his first point as a Devil in his second game with the team.

With a 2-1 lead, it did not take long in the third period for the Devils to establish their control of the game.

With just over a minute gone in the third, a pile-up occurred in front of the Flames net. Langenbrunner pulled the puck out and fired a shot from the right side that was saved, but Parise was able to poke the puck under Kiprusoff before he fell on top of the goaltender.

The goal was reviewed, but was upheld after video judges deemed the puck had crossed the red line before Parise toppled onto Kiprusoff.

Kiprusoff was pulled in favor of Curtis McElhinney after the goal, ending his night allowing three goals on 28 shots.

At the other end, Brodeur was challenged often but, after the first goal allowed, he stopped opportunity after opportunity.

With 4:33 gone in the third, Jamie Lundmark had two point blank shots on Brodeur, who stacked his pads make the saves. That would be his biggest challenge until the final moments of play.

Calgary made the game a 3-2 final with .9 seconds left. With White in the penalty box for a delay of game and the Flames having an empty net, Curtis Glencross put the puck past Brodeur as the final buzzer sounded.

Brodeur finished with 35 saves on 37 shots faced.

When asked if he was upset with the last second goal, Brodeur responded, “A little, you don’t like to get scored on, but it doesn’t matter. We’re here to win.”

The team first approach gave Brodeur his 549^th career win, two short of Patrick Roy’s record. His first opportunity to tie the record will come on Saturday in Montreal, his hometown.

But that would mean the Devils would need to continue to win, a “snowball” effect in the right direction.

Martin Brodeur, Jamie Langenbrunner and Brian Gionta all achieved career milestones in a 3-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers Sunday afternoon.

Brodeur reached the 100 career shutout plateau, only the second goaltender ever to reach that mark. He was stellar Sunday, stopping 27 shots in his third game back from injury.

Brodeur now has three shutouts to go before tying Terry Sawchuk’s all-time record, and six wins away from tying Patrick Roy’s all-time wins record.

“It’s remarkable. It really is,” said Devils Coach Brent Sutter. “Marty is a special player and he’s been able to rise to the occasion.”

His teammates also rose to the occasion against the Flyers, treating the crowd to a fast start for the third game in a row.

Nearly four minutes into the game, Zach Parise found Langenbrunner in the left circle and Langenbrunner put the puck in the net for his 200th career goal.

The Devils’ offense was sparked by the defensemen moving the puck up the ice more aggressively than opponents are used to.

“Good defense is good offense, and good defense isn’t just when you’re in your own zone. Good defense is how you play in your zone but also how you forecheck and how you create opportunities in your offensive zone,” explained Sutter.

Thirty-seven seconds into the second period, Johnny Oduya rifled a shot and Brian Gionta was able to redirect the shot behind Flyers goalie Martin Biron for his 300^th career point.

“Johnny made a great play getting it through to the net. It makes things a lot easier for us when the D is getting it through. Just tried to get in position and tipped it by him,” described Gionta.

Oduya, playing plus-nine hockey during the three-game homestand along with Paul Martin, was rewarded for his aggressive offensive play in the third period.

Brendan Shanahan dug the puck out of the corner and fed a wide-open David Clarkson in the middle of the ice. Clarkson saw Oduya flying up the ice and made a tape-to-tape pass, allowing Oduya to get past the last defender and fire a shot from the slot. Biron could not get to the puck in time.

Biron made 39 saves on 42 shots Sunday when every Devils player on the ice with the exception of Bryce Salvador got a shot on goal. Parise, Gionta and Langenbrunner each had five scoring attempts.

On the other end, the Devils blocked 15 shots, including five by Oduya and three by Salvador.

Brodeur only saw 27 shots, including only six in the second period.

“He does a good job stopping that first one, then it’s up to us to let him see it or not let it go through at all, and when it happens to go through he does a good job getting it to places where we can get it, and we’re trying to get the puck up and out of the zone as quick as we can,” Martin said about playing in front of Brodeur.

Despite the small amount of shots Brodeur faced, he was more challenged against Philadelphia than he had been the previous two games.

In the first period, about half way through, Brodeur found himself on the left post as the puck was being moved around to his right side. He dove over onto his right side to stop the puck, leaping off of his skates and landing hard on the ice.

At 15:42 in the first, Scottie Upshall of the Flyers tested Brodeur from the right wing, and was able to try again on the rebound, but Brodeur stopped both shots.

At 14:14 in the third period, Brodeur made a terrific save on Mike Knuble, twisting his body to entrap the puck. The Devils turned the puck over right in front of the net, and

Knuble swiped it up and put it on goal from the left post.

As the final horn sounded, the Devils soaked up the cheers of the home crowd for the last time until March 10, when they return from a road trip to face the Calgary Flames.

The Devils were 1-2 on their last road trip, getting shut out twice.

“We weren’t happy with the Southern road trip obviously, those three games we didn’t play very well. But this week we’ve been playing pretty good hockey and so we just have to carry it through,” Gionta said.

If the Devils are able to continue the current level of play, expect them to roar straight through to the playoffs.

A spark of that magic was visible in Saturday afternoon’s 7-2 win by the New Jersey Devils against the Florida Panthers. The Panthers entered the game as one of the hottest teams in the league, recently knocking the New York Rangers out of the sixth Eastern Conference playoff spot.

Despite being blanked on the road by the Panthers just 10 days ago, the Devils cooled down Florida with some hot shooting of their own.

The Devils’ scoring spree began with Zach Parise netting his 37th goal of the season only 1:18 into the game.

Paul Martin swiped the puck away from a Panther at center ice, and Jamie Langenbrunner scooped it up and passed to Parise charging down the left side. Parise fired and Panthers goalie Craig Anderson made the save, but lost sight of the rebound.

Parise found the puck in front of Anderson and tapped it through the goalie’s legs one-handed to give the Devils a 1-0 lead.

Later in the period, Parise fought relentlessly to keep the puck in New Jersey’s offensive zone. After gaining control and out-skating the last Panthers defender, Parise wristed the puck over Anderson from directly in front of the net.

The crowd showered the league’s second leading scorer with chants of “MVP,” and Parise solidified his spot as one of the league’s most creative players in the second period.

After a Brendan Shanahan goal opened the second session, the frustrated Panthers took several penalties. Stephan Weiss was called for goalie interference at 15:19 in the second.

During a time out before the power play, the special teams unit for the Devils gathered at the blue line and began pointing at the net and explaining.

At 15:56, Patrick Elias sent the puck at the net from the right corner. At the right post, Parise made a backwards, no-look pass across the crease to Travis Zajac, who put the puck in the net from the left post.

After the game, Zajac explained that Parise had come up with the play and planned it with his teammates during the time out.

While the Zach Parise Show was going on, the Devils’ defense was quietly protecting goalie Martin Brodeur from facing too many scoring opportunities.

Brodeur saw seven shots in the first period and six in the third, and held a shutout for the first 38:30 minutes of the game, extending his scoreless streak to 98:30 since he returned from injury.

With 1:30 left in the second, Ville Peltonen knocked in a shot from Radek Dvorak to get the Panthers on the board, the score now 5-1.

David Clarkson made the score 6-1 going into the third period, and each team would add a goal in the final period.

Despite the huge lead, New Jersey continued to protect Brodeur like one of the wonders of the world. Brodeur did not see his first shot on goal until 9:13 into the period.

Shanahan laid out in front of a Brian McCabe shot at 14:46, but instead of the puck bouncing back out of the zone, it deflected off of Shanahan’s leg and into the net.

Dainius Zubrus finished the scoring barrage with 2:39 left in the game, closing the books at 7-2.

New Jersey out shot Florida 46-17, and 12 different Devils earned a point. Defensemen Johnny Oduya and Martin each were +4 for the game and +7 over the last two games.

The victory comes in the middle of a three-game home stand packed into four days. The Devils next take on the Philadelphia Flyers Sunday at 1 p.m. in a match up of the two teams fighting for control of the Atlantic Division.

While Philly has the Devils in its sight, the Devils are chasing down the Washington Capitals. New Jersey is two points behind Washington for the second seed in the Eastern Conference, and Parise is chasing Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin for the goal scoring lead. Ovechkin has 45, seven more than Parise.

In Thursday night’s game against the Colorado Avalanche, the New Jersey net minder gave his answer.

Brodeur stopped all 24 shots he faced in his return, a 4-0 win at the Prudential Center, for his 99th career regular season shut out.

The reigning Vezina Trophy winner led the Devils out of the locker room to a thunderous applause, and received another ovation the first time he handled the puck 36 seconds into the game.

“I kind of  moved the puck a couple of times before I got that first long (shot) from between the red and the blue, but it was still pretty nice to stop the first one,” said Brodeur.

Brodeur did not see much action in the beginning of the first period as the Devils kept offensive pressure on Colorado’s goalie, Andrew Raycroft.

A Johnny Oduya shot from the left wing hit the crossbar and shot out two minutes in, but New Jersey was not going to take rejection and at 4:38 the Devils’ offense gave Brodeur a lead to work with.

Travis Zajac brought the puck up the ice on the right wing and made a drop pass right onto the stick of Jamie Langenbrunner. Langenbrunner let a shot fly from the right circle and the puck zinged through the legs of Raycroft for the captain’s 19th goal of the season.

Zach Parise pushed the puck up to Zajac and was credited with the secondary assist, one of two on the night.

With Ryan Smyth banging in front of the net, Brodeur was tested as the first period went on. At 17:20, he stopped the Avs’ Milan Hejduk from point blank on the left side of the net.

The second period opened up with more of Colorado’s offensive pressure, but Brodeur was able to handle everything thrown at him.

With 5:40 gone in the second session, Wojtek Wolski moved the puck all the way around the crease and put the puck on goal from the left post, but the puck hit the crossbar and Parise was able to clear it out of harm’s way.

“He made a great play and came across and the guy was coming in and there were a lot of people. He hit his shot, and I got a little lucky,” explained Brodeur.

The Devils played strong defense in front of Brodeur, which pleased Coach Brent Sutter.

“We don’t want to make things hard on our goaltender. We take pride in that. When there were scoring chances, Marty made the saves and was under control. He was very poised. He didn’t get a lot of work, but when it was there he made the save,” explained Sutter.

The lack of action for Brodeur turned into quite a lot of work for Raycroft, who faced 32 shots on goal, eight more than Brodeur.

One shot that did not make the stat sheet actually became a great assist for the Devils.

Moments into a power play after Ruslan Salei was called for hooking, Paul Martin fired a shot from between the circles at the blue line. The puck caromed off the back boards to the left of Raycroft. Zajac looked like he was going to play the puck, and Raycroft turned to stop him, but the puck slid past to Patrick Elias, who was able to back hand the puck into the net behind Raycroft.

Later in the second period, after facing some sustained traffic in front of him, Brodeur made his first glove save, testing the repaired arm on a shot from the left wing by T.J. Hensick.

The crowd roared with approval and chanted “Marty! Marty! Marty!” in support of the net minder.

“I heard it, it was fun. The fans were great, and I expected that too. I’ve always had a great relationship with the fans and for them to show up, there were a lot of people out there and they were all into my comeback, and it was nice,” said an appreciative Brodeur.

The crowd received another chance to chant eight minutes into the third period, but this time the call was “MVP.”

Parise took control of the puck at the center line with Colorado’s Brett Clark hanging all over him. Parise out-skated and out-muscled Clark while taking the puck all the way up the right wing. He skated in front of Raycroft and roofed the puck over the goalie and in for the team’s third goal of the night.

The same line of Zajac-Parise-Langenbrunner also hammered the final nail into the Avs’ coffin at 16:47.

Martin fired a shot from the right point and Raycroft made the save, but Zajac was there to gather the rebound and put the puck in the net from the left side.

Martin, who was returning from being sidelined four games with an injury, had two assists, and was on ice for all four Devils goals.

Zajac and Langenbrunner each finished with a goal and an assist, while Parise had a goal and two assists. Oduya was also credited with an assist on Zajac’s goal.

With the win securely in place, focus turned to keeping Brodeur’s shutout bid alive.

Coming into the game, he was only five blankings away from trying Terry Sawchuk’s

all-time record of 103.

When asked after the game when he started thinking shutout, Brodeur replied, “Last night when I was dreaming.”

He added, “When you play games, you don’t really necessarily want a shut out but you go out there and you play. Sometimes it happens. I don’t ever really think about it, I don’t want to jinx myself. I just want to go out and win the game.”

And for the first time since October 22, 2008, that’s just what he did.