Okay…so how many of you figured that with the Devils ahead of the Rangers 2-0 after two periods that this game was over? As someone who attended last night’s game at MSG between the bitter Atlantic Division rivals, I too thought there was no way the Blueshirts could comeback against the stingy D of New Jersey along with the incomparable Martin Brodeur in goal. So what changed to enable Tom Renney’s club to pull off the unthinkable and score three straight times in only 90 seconds early in the third to turn the tide completely in front of an energized building which probably couldn’t believe what they saw. After Marcel Hossa setup captain Jaromir Jagr’s first tally, one of the flukiest goals Jagr has ever scored tied it up just 26 seconds later. One-timing a Hossa pass, Jagr’s shot deflected off a Devil stick and then sailed high in the air towards Brodeur who reached out to glove it but missed and then surprisingly watched it roll into the net to dramatically tie it. To say it was shocking would be an understatement. The play was reviewed to see if Jason Ward got a high stick on it but clearly this was one of those moments which felt like a Ranger destiny. Almost like the hockey Gods decided to give them a break. Considering how many tough defeats they’ve suffered at the hands of their archrivals over the past decade, it seemed like a little payback. The amazing thing as the fans stood in unison giving it to Marty was that New York wasn’t done. And when Brendan Shanahan powered past Colin White and converted a breakaway goal, the miraclous comeback was complete. The Rangers didn’t sit back and nearly went up two a couple of times. But as usual, it was far from over as the Devils pressed late for the equalizer but couldn’t convert a late power play and some sustained attack time and beat Henrik Lundqvist as they had earlier in the contest. And so ended one of the oddest games ever played between the two teams.

So what turned it around? Here were some pretty telling quotes from the Ranger coach afterward:

“Well, it wasn’t musical. This year, that was maybe as passionate as I’ve been.”

“There comes a time as a coach where you’ve got to conjure up the proper emotion to go out there and tackle the task at hand. We weren’t being proactive with respect to putting them on their heels. We proposed that they may want to do that.”

“I think it’s a turning point in our season.“

Sometimes, it takes a little extra to motivate players. The normally calm Renney probably realized how huge this game was. With his team not exhibiting the kind of pizzazz needed to beat such a quality opponent in a four-point swing game, he let his team know about it and got the desired response/result. Definitely it could be a turning point in their season but let’s see how they fare when they travel to Carolina tonight for a back-to-back before visiting Pittsburgh Friday and then returning home for Tampa Sunday. None of these games will be easy.

While the first two periods were hardly the best played hockey by either club no matter what Brodeur says despite such a low amount of shots for each team, the scrap between Cam Janssen and Colton Orr was one of the better ones this season. With it lasting about five minutes, each had their moments in this entertaining fight which got the fans enthused. And that’s exactly why fighting is around. Outside of that, there was little of the usual passion on display and some more baffling calls on both sides. Maybe one of these days, they’ll get it straightened out.

For the Devils, this loss was extemely frustrating. They played their tight defensive style to a tee the first two periods and took advantage of a couple of Ranger blunders to get the two-goal lead. First came Jamie Langenbrunner’s unscreened one-timer which went right through Lundqvist and then late in the second came one of those tough Brian Gionta tips of a Patrik Elias one-timer via a two-man advantage. How the Little Big Man is able to deflect those home, we’ll never know. It takes a lot of guts to get in front of the net and a world of skill which Gionta certainly possesses. With Brodeur stellar in the second including a groovy glove on Jagr and a couple of early stops in the third, it looked like it would be their night. But then a couple of blown coverages let their hungry opponent off the hook.

A frustrated captain Elias summed up the blown opportunity to go up by four in the division and win their fifth straight:

“Two shifts we messed it up and cost us the game. It looked like we got scared there. Too passive. We gave then too much room there. It’s disappointing. We’re ticked at each other, too.”

Spoken like a veteran who understands what was at stake here. We’d love to know what the Devils’ third D pair was doing out on the ice for Jagr’s first goal? That opened the door.

The Devils now get a few days off before returning home for Ottawa and then traveling to Toronto for a back-to-back before heading out West. Even though the Senators have struggled of late, the last time they met them, Ottawa pasted them 8-1. So there should be plenty of incentive.