NHL Playoffs Preview: Devils vs. Rangers

The New Jersey Devils will try and break the brick wall in front of the net when they take on the Rangers on Wednesday night.

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For the third straight series, the New York Rangers are basking in the glow of a 1-0 lead earned in the confines of ''The World's Most Famous Arena.''

The Eastern Conference's top-seeded team has failed in its first two attempts to double that edge at Madison Square Garden. Given a third shot against the New Jersey Devils, the Rangers are determined to make the most of home-ice advantage in Game 2 of the East finals on Wednesday night.

The Rangers held an optional practice Tuesday at their home rink, the site of a 3-0 win in Game 1 on Monday.

The teams slogged through two periods, and New York admittedly wasn't at its best coming off its second straight seven-game series. But the Rangers scored three times in the third period and rode their defense and the goaltending of Henrik Lundqvist to victory.

While no one in the Rangers room could put a finger on what went wrong in Game 2 losses to Ottawa and Washington, New York voiced a determination to break the trend in which it alternated wins and losses through the first four games of the opening two rounds.

The Rangers went win-one-lose-one through all seven games against Washington. New Jersey won four straight against Philadelphia after losing the opener, to end that second-round series in five games. The Devils came back from a 3-2 deficit in the first round against Florida.

A two-game lead could do wonders for the Rangers, if for no other reason than to get a mental break from the constant pressure.

Not only haven't the Rangers taken a 2-0 lead, but they haven't held a two-game edge at any point of either series. The only time they have won two games in a row this postseason was when they rallied from a 3-2 hole and took Games 6 and 7 against Ottawa.

The Devils, who had five days off between the second and third rounds, would be happy to take a 1-1 tie home for Game 3 on Saturday. They will need to work hard every step of the way if they hope to make this a long series.