A Look Back; Game 4 of the '94 Eastern Conference Finals

The New York Rangers took a 2-1 series lead on the Devils Saturday afternoon with a 3-0 shutout. Henrik Lundqvist was stellar in net, and made many key saves including one on Ilya Kovalchuck's breakaway chance.

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The New Jersey Devils came out strong and fast in Game 4, and blitzed the Rangers in the first period. Midway through the first period Stephane Richer scored on the power play and gave the Devils a well deserved 1-0 lead. Later in the first period Bill Guerin beat Mike Richter on a breakaway, and the Devils held a 2-0 lead after the first period.

Head Coach Mike Keenan decided to pull Rangers goaltender Mike Richter, and replace him with Glenn Healy in what looked to be a move to motivate his team, and relay his frustration to his team.

The Rangers play improved in the second period, and Game 3 hero Stephane Matteau cut the Devils lead to 2-1.

In the third period, the Devils extended their lead to 3-1 with just under seven minutes to play, when Glenn Healy made a gaffe behind the Rangers goal, and allowed Valeri Zelepukin to put the puck into an empty net.  The Rangers could not recover and the Devils took Game 4 by a 3-1 score, and tied the series at two games apiece.

Mike Kennan made multiple controversial moves in Game 4 that over shadowed the game itself. Aside from pulling Richter in the first period, Keenan kept both Mark Messier and Brian Leetch on the bench for long periods during the game. Keenan tried to send a maessage to his team that he was not going to accept their intensity and play. The Rangers answered with a goal in the second period, but the Devils were too much.

The series moved back to Madison Square Garden for Game 5, and the series even at two.

A Look Back; Game 3 of the '94 Eastern Conference Finals

The 2012 Eastern Conference Finals between the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils is tied 1-1 as the series heads back to Jersey. The two teams were in the same position in the 1994 Conference Finals, and Game 3 was a game to remember.

With the series tied, Game 3 was another thriller that ended after multiple overtimes. Adam Graves opened the scoring early in the first period and gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead.  The Devils tied the game soon after the Rangers took the lead, and the first period ended a one apiece.

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The Rangers took the lead again in the second period when Steve Larmer scored on the power play. The lead was short lived and the Devils tied the game once again, and the game remained tied through regulation.

In the first overtime, it was all about the goalies. Both Mike Richter and Martin Brodeur made key saves, and kept the game tied.

In the second overtime, the Rangers Stephane Matteau found himself in front of the net in the middle of a scramble for the puck. Matteau took two swipes at the puck and on the second swipe he backhanded the puck by the left pad of Brodeur.

The Rangers won the game 3-2 in double overtime after blowing two one goal leads in the first and second periods. Matteau is famous for his Game 7 heroics, but his Game 3 winner put the Rangers back in control of the series.

The Rangers outplayed the Devils the whole game and managed to get 50 shots on Martin Brodeur, while Mike Richter faced only 31 shots for the game.

The Rangers took a 2-1 series lead, and took back home ice from the Devils.

A Look Back; Game 2 of the '94 Eastern Conference Finals

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Last night the Rangers blanked the Devils 3-0 to take a 1-0 series lead. Henrik Lundqvist outplayed his opponent at the other end and got his second shutout of the postseason.

Unlike 1994 the Rangers have grabbed the series lead.

The Rangers were coming off a disheartening double overtime loss to the Devils in Game 1, and they made sure that Game 2 would not be close, at all.

Who better than the Ranger captain to get the Rangers back on track, and less than two minutes into the game, Mark Messier put the Rangers up 1-0. The Rangers were dominating the Devils in every aspect of the game.The Rangers were hitting everything that was wearing a red and black sweater, including Messier's memorable hit in the first minute of the game that sent Scott Stevens to the ground.

In the second period, Bill Guerin almost tied the game for the Devils, but Mike Richter made one of his best saves of the playoffs. Guerin came in from the wide side and tried to wait for Richter to go down so he could lift the puck over the glove, but Richter stayed with Guerin and preserved the 1-0 lead.

After Richter's save, one of his 16 saves in the game, the game was never in question.

Sergei Nemchinov scored just 13 seconds into the third period to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead. Adam Graves and Glenn Anderson added goals later in the third, and the Rangers thumped the Devils 4-0 at the Garden.

The Rangers evened the series at one game apiece, and the series moved to New Jersey, the Rangers home away from home.