Devils TKO Rangers In Game One

If this were a prize fight, the towel would've been thrown in by the Rangers after Patrik Elias scored his second of two power play goals as part of a record setting day. The first act of the fourth Battle of the Hudson was a onesided 6-1 Devil win in Game One over their Lincoln Tunnel rivals at a capacity Continental Airlines Arena Saturday.

Attempting to beat the Rangers for the first time in four playoff meetings, the Devils got off to a great start. Continuing to click on all cylinders, they easily won their 12th straight game to take a one game lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Quarterfinal.

It also sent their reeling opponents to a sixth consecutive loss. Dating back to the final two games of the regular season, the Rangers have been outscored 15-3. Playing in their first postseason game since a May 25, 1997, they were taught a lesson by the more experienced Devils who won two of their three Cups during that same span.

The more disciplined team, the Devils set new team playoff records with five power play goals and 13 power play chances in the destruction of their archrivals. Essentially scoring all six goals on the man-advantage including once just after one expired, Elias, Scott Gomez, Jamie Langenbrunner and Brian Gionta combined for five goals and 12 assists. Remarkably, Elias factored in on all six goals, finishing with two goals and four assists. He was two points short of Patrik Sundstrom's playoff team record of eight set back on April 22, 1988.

"It was one of those crazy games where sometimes it happens," Gomez told the AP. "We hope the power play goes that way the whole playoffs but that's impossible."

It didn't start out as a mismatch. On even terms early on, Elias and Ranger rookie Petr Prucha traded PPG's 6:05 apart to remain tied after the first period.

The game swung early in the second. With the Rangers on the attack, Blair Betts took a hooking penalty in the offensive zone. Given another man-advantage, the Devils took the lead for good when Gomez tallied his first of the postseason at 7:48. Off some nifty passing, Gomez tapped in a Gionta feed to put the Devils back in front.

That's when another turning point occurred. With John Madden off for hooking Jaromir Jagr, Martin Brodeur was called on to make his biggest stops to preserve the lead. Making his 134th consecutive playoff start, he denied Michael Nylander on the doorstep to help the Devils kill it off. During another delayed New Jersey penalty, Brodeur dove across to rob Dominic Moore for his best save. He finished with 29 on the day.

Late in the period, he also had a bit of luck when Moore's backhand while shorthanded hit the post. It would prove huge when a Ken Klee point blast deflected off Moore past rookie Henrik Lundqvist to make it 3-1 with 2:50 left. Making his first postseason start, the Swedish gold medallist was hung out to dry by his undisciplined team. In his second game back from a hip flexor, Lundqvist was shaky in turning aside 24 of 30 shots. Lundqvist has allowed 11 goals in those starts. Will the Rangers make a change and go to Kevin Weekes for Game Two? That remains to be seen.

"I won't say I was struggling but I was having a hard time to see the puck," Lundqvist said. "A lot of pucks that went in I never saw. I don't know why."

The roof caved in just 53 seconds into the third. With a frustrated Jagr off for hooking "shadow" Jay Pandolfo, Brian Rafalski got into the act when his one-timer went off the crossbar and in to increase the lead to 4-1. By then, the majority of the crowd supporting the Devils chanted, "Mar-ty's Better."

Completely overwhelmed, the Rangers came even further unglued. After two more bad penalties, this time Langenbrunner capitalized to make it 5-1 at 8:45. Working some more magic, Gionta worked the puck to Elias, who swiftly kicked it to a wide open Langenbrunner for a tap-in.

After some predictable fireworks from Ranger enforcer Ryan Hollweg and the Devils' Cam Janssen resulted in yet another Devil power play, Elias put the exclamation point on the victory with his second of the day. Making matters worse for the Rangers was that Jagr injured himself on the same play while taking a swipe at Gomez. Suffering an apparent upper body injury with 4:26 left, he did not return and is uncertain for Game Two.

"It doesn't matter. We have to get ready for the next game whether I play or not," Jagr said.

If the league's second leading scorer can't go, Gomez still expects to see a different Ranger team the next time they play.

"We're going to face a different club," Gomez said. "They got a lot of young guys who got their first taste of it. We've got to be ready for that on Monday night."

Notes: Reinjuring his groin, defenseman Colin White did not return for the final two periods. ... If he starts the next three in this series, Brodeur will break Patrick Roy's NHL record of 136 consecutive postseason starts. ... Rangers center Steve Rucchin returned to the lineup after missing the final seven games of the regular season with a broken bone in his right foot. ... The Rangers took 16 penalties for 43 total minutes. Taking advantage, the Devils were 5-of-13 on the power play. By contrast, they were assessed nine penalties for 21 minutes and killed off five of six Ranger PPs. ... Rangers right wing Jason Ward left early in the first period with an undisclosed leg injury and did not return.