Rangers 3, Devils 0
RANGERS 3, DEVILS 0: Dan Girardi, Chris Kreider and Ryan Callahan had third-period goals and Henrik Lundqvist turned aside 36 shots as visiting New York seized a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.
Following a scoreless 40 minutes dominated by the Devils, a New York power play yielded the game's first goal 3:19 into the third. Brad Richards cleanly won the offensive draw to a waiting Girardi, who wristed a shot from the edge of the left circle that eluded Devils goalie Martin Brodeur on the blocker side.
That goal seemed to spark the Rangers, who kept up the pressure and were rewarded with the insurance goal just under two minutes later. A Ryan McDonagh shot from the right point was redirected by Kreider in front and past a sprawling Brodeur.
Lundqvist took care of the rest, denying Ilya Kovalchuk with a deft glove save on a New Jersey power play to preserve his third shutout of the postseason. He was also fortunate late in the period as Peter Harrold rang a shot off the left post during another Devils man advantage.
Callahan added an empty netter with 2:13 remaining.
Brodeur finished with 19 saves for New Jersey, which hosts Game 4 Monday night.
The Devils carried the play in the opening period but couldn't beat Lundqvist, whose best save came in the latter moments of the frame. With the Devils breaking in on a 2-on-1, Lundqvist got his shoulder on a Zach Parise shot to keep the game scoreless.
Lundqvist was even sharper in the second period. He made a sprawling stop to thwart a Kovalchuk breakaway, then denied Adam Henrique on a rebound chance from in close.
The Devils led 26-14 in shots after 40 minutes but had to settle for a scoreless tie.
Richards nearly broke the deadlock a minute into the third, but his quick snapshot from point-blank range ricocheted off the crossbar and out of harm's way.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Rangers finished 1 for 2 with the man advantage while killing off all five New Jersey power plays. ... Devils D Anton Volchenkov left the game briefly late in the second period after he was elbowed in the head by Rangers F Brandon Prust. No penalty was called on the play. ... Lundqvist's shutout was the sixth of his postseason career. ... Kreider, who joined New York in time for the start of the playoffs, earned a $175,000 bonus for playing in his 15th game of the postseason. His third-period goal gave him five in the playoffs, setting an NHL record for the most by a player who had yet to appear in a regular-season game.