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Devils' 4-1 Win Evens Series With Rangers

Zach Parise scored twice and Martin Brodeur made 27 saves while helping New Jersey even their series with New York at two games apiece.

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12 Total Updates since May 21, 2012
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Rangers Vs. Devils: Mike Rupp Shove Angers New Jersey; Tortorella, DeBoer Have Words

Mike Rupp made Monday's Game 5 between the Devils and Rangers quite interesting when he shoved Martin Brodeur after the Devils goaltender apparently mouthed off to him about a hit on Peter Harrold. The coaches met at the benches, yelling at each other in Pierre McGuire's face. A mini-brawl broke out too as the Devils came to the defense of their goaltender against an ex-teammate in Rupp.

The whole incident worked up fans on both sides of the Hudson, but at Blueshirt Banter, they didn't think it was that big of a deal. They're Rangers fans, by the way.

I didn't think the Mike Rupp "incident" was that bad. Still, you can't blame the Devils for being upset. As much as Martin Brodeur dove on the push (seriously, Martin, you were shoved, not shot by a cannon) you can't let the opposing team hit your goaltender. Maybe Rupp was trying to fire the guys up for Game 5. Maybe it works.

Have a feeling Devils fans might disagree.

John Tortorella refused comment after the game regarding his little meeting with Devils coach Pete DeBoer at the benches, but he did talk about Rupp's shove and how it impacted the game. Did he think Rupp was just trying to give a lifeless Rangers team some energy?

"It probably shouldn't have happened, because I thought [the initial Rupp hit on was a legal hit," Tortorella said. "Just play. None of that would have happened if we just kept on playing the game. I don't know why there was a penalty called. I'm not questioning the referee. I just thought it was a legal hit. None of that would have happened."

Ah, playoffs.

Stick with our StoryStream for full Devils vs. Rangers Game 4 coverage. For more on the Rangers, check in with Blueshirt Banter, and for more on the Devils, check in with In Lou We Trust.

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Devils Vs. Rangers, Game 4: Zach Parise Powers New Jersey To Win

The Devils won the possession battle in each of the first three games of the Eastern Conference Final, yet they came out of those games with a 1-2 record. In Game 4, a triumphant win for New Jersey, the Devils actually lost the possession battle for the first time in the series. You'd think that would be a negative for the Devils, but In Lou We Trust doesn't see much of a problem with it.

So, yes, the Devils were out-shot at evens 21-24, evened up in Fenwick (all attempts except blocks) and slightly below zero in Corsi (all attempts). This wouldn't be good if the game was close or if the Devils lost. However, this game wasn't close for 45 minutes. That the Devils came out only slightly negative suggests that the Rangers just chipped away at it, which I'm fine with. It also means that anyone who came out positive really had a good night.

ILWT's John Fischer goes to point out that, yes, the newly assembled trio of Zach Parise, Dainius Zubrus and Travis Zajac had a great night, with Parise in particular scoring two himself, putting five shots on net in total and setting up a Zajac goal.

Stick with our StoryStream for full Devils vs. Rangers Game 4 coverage. For more on the Rangers, check in with Blueshirt Banter, and for more on the Devils, check in with In Lou We Trust.

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Devils Rewarded For Dominating Play, Even Series As Animosity Grows

While N.J. has dominated play for much of the series with the Rangers, the Devils haven't always seen the fruits of their hard labor. Game 4 on Monday night saw their work rewarded as animosity grows and the series is now tied.

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Rangers Must Keep Their Cool To Survive

The New York Rangers lost their cool against the New Jersey Devils in Game 4, and they must find a way to get their game back under control if they hope to advance.

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Devils Vs. Rangers, 2012 NHL Playoffs Game 4: Devils Even Series With 4-1 Win

The New Jersey Devils scored two goals in the first period, then held on to win Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, 4-1. With the victory, the Devils tied the best-of-seven series, 2-2.

Bryce Salvador and Travis Zajac got the Devils off to a good start with goals in the first period. Zach Parise extended the Devils' lead to 3-0 when he put back a rebound early in the third period. It was his fifth goal of the postseason and the Devils' only power play goal of Game 4

Parise also scored on an empty-netter late in the game.

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Ruslan Fedotenko scored the lone goal for the Rangers, temporarily cutting the Devils' lead to 3-1. It was Fedotenko's first goal of the postseason.

Game 4 was not without incident. Early in the third period, Rangers winger Mike Rupp took a shot at Martin Brodeur leading to a skirmish between the players. For his actions, Rupp was given two minor penalties and a game misconduct. While the players separated on the ice, the coaches from both teams exchanged words.

The series will shift back to New York for Game 5 on Wednesday.

Stick with our StoryStream for full Devils vs. Rangers Game 4 coverage. For more on the Rangers, check in with Blueshirt Banter, and for more on the Devils, check in with In Lou We Trust.

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Devils Vs. Rangers: Jacob Josefson Returns To Lineup, Petr Sykora Will Sit

Jacob Josefson has been out of the New Jersey Devils lineup since April 3 with a wrist injury, but he'll return on Monday night as the team faces the New York Rangers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final. That means somebody has to sit out, and the unlucky one will be veteran forward Petr Sykora.

Coach Pete DeBoer confirmed the switch during his morning news conference prior to Game 4, and he's optimistic about the return of Josefson given the strong finish to his regular season prior to suffering his wrist injury.

"I had a brief conversation with him yesterday, DeBoer said. "Basically just get in, bring us some energy, play like you did the last three, four weeks of the season. He's had a tough year between the injuries and the adversity, really over the last two years, and I really felt the last two, three weeks of the season he had re-found his game and his confidence. If we can get a version of that player in the lineup tonight, we'll be a better team."

Devils blog In Lou We Trust listed five reasons why they're excited for Josefson's return to the lineup, but they also feel badly for Sykora, who's had a tough go of things in the postseason thus far.

With Josefson on the 3rd line, the only other option would have been for Sykora to play on the 4th line, which has been working great during the playoffs and did not need to be tinkered with. The Devils are icing a better lineup with Josefson at third line center and Henrique at second line center and keeping the fourth line intact.

Stick with our StoryStream for full Devils vs. Rangers Game 4 coverage. For more on the Rangers, check in with Blueshirt Banter, and for more on the Devils, check in with In Lou We Trust.

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Rangers Vs. Devils: Stu Bickel Likely To Replace Brandon Prust At Forward

Rangers defenseman Stu Bickel sat out of the lineup during Saturday's Game 3 against the Devils at Prudential Center, replaced on the blueline by Steve Eminger. Eminger will remain in the lineup for Monday's Game 4, but Bickel will find his way back into the lineup, this time playing as a forward.

According to reports from Madison Square Garden on Monday morning, it appears as though Bickel will replace the suspended Brandon Prust at forward in Game 4. It's unlikely that Bickel sees a lot of ice time, and coach John Tortorella will almost certainly hide his minutes as much as possible.

The Rangers hoped Brandon Dubinsky would return to the lineup and replace Prust, but he's yet to fully recover from an ankle injury and will watch the action from the press box in the rafters of Newark's Prudential Center. Dubinsky hasn't seen the ice since Game 7 against the Ottawa Senators in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Stick with our StoryStream for full Devils vs. Rangers Game 4 coverage. For more on the Rangers, check in with Blueshirt Banter, and for more on the Devils, check in with In Lou We Trust.

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Brandon Prust Suspended: Rangers Forward Will Miss Game 4 Vs. Devils

New York Rangers forward Brandon Prust will miss Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final against the New Jersey Devils, as he's been suspended one game for his elbow on Anton Volchenkov, according to the Bergen Record.

The NHL has yet to announce their reasoning for the suspension, but it's in line with recent bans in these playoffs. Claude Giroux of the Philadelphia Flyers delivered a similar elbow to the head of Devils forward Dainius Zubrus in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals and was also banned one game.

Prust will not forfeit any salary for the playoff suspension. There's no early word on who might replace Prust in the Rangers' lineup in Game 4. Brandon Dubinsky has skated at Rangers practice in recent days but he's not expected to be fully recovered from an injury in time for Monday's action. It's possible that defenseman Steve Eminger could take shifts on the fourth line as a replacement for Prust.

For more on the Rangers, check in with Blueshirt Banter and SB Nation New York.

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