Devils Vs. Rangers, 2012 NHL Playoffs Game 3: Goaltenders Maintain Scoreless Tie Through 2 Periods

The New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers are still knotted in a scoreless tie after forty minutes of a crucial Game 3. The second period was dominated by the two goaltenders, as both Martin Brodeur and Henrik Lundqvist made an array of impressive saves. Lundqvist has kept his team in the game, as the Rangers have been on the defensive for much of the game. Brodeur, on the other hand, stopped the second-period quality chances the Rangers sent his way with some dramatic saves, including an amazing diving stop against Ryan Callahan. After two periods, the Devils out-shot the Rangers 26-14.

As they did at the start of the game, Devils took it right to the Rangers at the start of the period and forced John Tortorella to take a timeout. The Rangers seemed to get the message as they improved on the sluggish start to create some action on the offensive end. Despite controlling the game through much of the first 40 minutes, the Devils have been unable to break through against the Vezina finalist Lundqvist. New Jersey has gone on the power play three times, but has had little success putting together scoring chances against the Rangers' penalty kill.

The Rangers were whistled for two more penalties in the second but Brandon Prust also got away with an elbow to the back of the head of Anton Volchenkov. The referees did not see the hit along the boards, but replay clearly showed a dirty shot, which infuriated the Devils' bench when it was shown in the arena.

SB Nation New York will have coverage from both sides throughout the Eastern Conference Finals. For all news and information regarding the New York Rangers, please visit Blueshirt Banter. For updates and perspective on the New Jersey Devils, head on over to In Lou We Trust. For complete coverage of the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated NHL hub.