Madden’s hat trick helps Devils put Rangers in 0-2 hole
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — John Madden was on his feet in the penalty box, anxiously waiting to spring back onto the ice.
The New Jersey Devils were still shorthanded, and that is Madden’s favorite time to strike.
Madden tied an NHL playoff record with two man-down goals as part of his first postseason hat trick and led New Jersey to a 4-1 victory Monday night over the New York Rangers, who played without leading scorer Jaromir Jagr, defenseman Darius Kasparaitis and goalie Henrik Lundqvist.
“I was pretty much up for the last 40 seconds,” Madden said of the long two-man advantage the Rangers enjoyed late in the second period.
The Devils killed most of it off, and then Madden delivered a demoralizing blow by converting moments after New York’s Petr Sykora hit the post.
“I can’t say enough how good of a job they did whether we score a goal or not,” Madden said.
The Devils won the first two games of the first-round best-of-seven matchup on home ice and will carry a 2-0 advantage — one they’ve never squandered — into Game 3 at New York on Wednesday.
Jagr, the NHL’s second-leading scorer, was forced to miss his first game of the season because of a shoulder injury sustained in New York’s opening 6-1 loss on Saturday. The Rangers were also missing Kasparaitis, who aggravated a groin injury during the pregame skate.
“He’s one of the best players in the world,” forward Steve Rucchin said of Jagr. “I don’t care what team it is in the league — you lose a guy like that it’s going to be difficult.”
Scoring Summary
1ST PERIOD NYR NJD
7:47 John Madden (Shorthanded)
Assists: Brian Rafalski, Jay Pandolfo 0 1
14:13 Brian Gionta (Power Play)
Assists: Paul Martin, Jamie Langenbrunner 0 2
2ND PERIOD NYR NJD
19:54 John Madden (Shorthanded)
Assists: Jay Pandolfo, Paul Martin 0 3
3RD PERIOD NYR NJD
5:41 Blair Betts
Assists: Ryan Hollweg, Marek Malik 1 3
12:46 John Madden
Assists: Grant Marshall, Jay Pandolfo 1 4
Game Information
Arena: Continental Airlines Arena
Location: East Rutherford, New Jersey
Referees: Dennis LaRue, Dan Marouelli
Linesmen: Michel Cormier, Jean Morin
Attendance: 19,040 (100.0% full)
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