NEWARK, N.J. (AP) If you have any doubt the New Jersey Devils are frustrating the New York Rangers in their Eastern Conference finals, just look at Game 4.

Forget that Zach Parise scored two goals and set up another in the Devils' 4-1 win that evened the series at 2-all.

Look at the extracurricular stuff in the game Monday night.

Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur got sucker-punched by former teammate Mike Rupp, who might now be facing a suspension.

Henrik Lundqvist made 36 saves to help the New York Rangers beat New Jersey 3-0 and take a 2-1 series lead over the Devils in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference final.

NEWARK, N.J. — In his latest playoff gem, goaltender Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers had little time to do more than stop every breakaway or two-on-one attempt by New Jersey. When he took a moment to breathe, Lundqvist was confident the Rangers would bail him out with a goal or two.

NEW YORK (AP) The New York Rangers don't like being all even after two games, but they sure are used to it.

For the third straight series, the Eastern Conference's top-seeded team has failed to build on an opening-game win, and now they have yielded home-ice advantage yet again. The Ottawa Senators and Washington Capitals couldn't make the most of it. The New Jersey Devils have other plans.

''We've been in this situation before,'' Rangers captain Ryan Callahan said after New York's 3-2 loss on Wednesday night. ''We just have to go into Jersey and try to get that next game. We can't get down.''

Ed Snider must be seething.

His Philadelphia Flyers are on the golf course while the Philadelphia 76ers are on the parquet floor in Boston, still very much alive in the NBA playoffs despite a bitter Game 1 loss in the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Celtics on Saturday night.

And on the West Coast his two designated scapegoats for the 2010 collapse, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, seem to be skating toward a Stanley Cup parade under the palm trees of sunny LA.

This has to absolutely gall Snider.

NEW YORK -- If the Rangers were tired after two consecutive seven-game series, they didn't show it in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final on Monday night.

The Rangers went toe-to-toe with the well-rested New Jersey Devils for two periods before Dan Girardi, Chris Kreider and Artem Anisimov scored three third-period goals to help give the Rangers a 3-0 victory at Madison Square Garden.

The Rangers saved their season Saturday night at a deafening Madison Square Garden, but it was by the slimmest of margins again. It took a lightning-fast early goal from Brad Richards, an opportunistic third-period score from Michael Del Zotto and some high-wire goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist, but it was just enough to outlast the Washington Capitals, 2-1, in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

For the first time since 1997, the Rangers are in the Eastern Conference finals, where they will meet their cross-Hudson rivals, the Devils. That series will start Monday night at the Garden.

Either the New York Rangers or Washington Capitals will keep their Stanley Cup hopes alive with a win on Saturday night. However, history says neither club should worry about planning a championship parade next month.

The Rangers and Caps will square off in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at Madison Square Garden, with the winner advancing to the conference finals against the New Jersey Devils. It's the second time in as many series that both the Rangers and Capitals have gone to the limit -- New York had to go seven games to beat Ottawa in the first round, a game that took place one night after Washington eliminated Boston in seven games.

PHILADELPHIA – Well, at least Ilya Bryzgalov didn't score on himself Tuesday night as the Flyers went out quieter than a monkey in space.

However, in a snapshot of his season, the Flyers goalie did assist on a goal. No one wearing the free orange t-shirts that read "rise to the occasion" cheered, though.

Clearly, like he didn't do with that puck, Bryz didn't "rise to the occasion."

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Martin Brodeur missed all the postseason fun a year ago. One of the game's all-time greats, the veteran goaltender considered retirement and the New Jersey Devils were absent from the playoffs for the first time since 1996.

Flash forward a year later. The cheering and hollering from behind closed doors in the Devils locker room could be heard way down the Wells Fargo Center hallway. Days after he turned 40, Brodeur has the Devils back where they've been six other times before in their 30-year history.

The Eastern Conference Finals.

WASHINGTON • Defenseman Mike Green’s power-play goal with 5:48 left in regulation Saturday lifted the Washington Capitals to a 3-2 victory over the top-seeded New York Rangers, tying their Eastern Conference semifinal series at two games apiece.

On the go-ahead goal, Rangers captain Ryan Callahan got knocked down along the boards and lost the puck, which went to Capitals defenseman Dennis Wideman. He slid the puck over to a wide-open Green, who sent a slap shot from the right circle past goalie Henrik Lundqvist, then celebrated by slamming up against the glass.