Newark, NJ (Sports Network) - The New Jersey Devils are heading back to the
Stanley Cup Finals after finishing off the top-seeded New York Rangers with a
3-2 overtime victory Friday night at the Prudential Center. Adam Henrique
scored 63 seconds into overtime as the Devils claimed the 2012 Eastern
Conference championship on a significant anniversary in the history of both
franchises. Eighteen years ago to the day, a fresh-faced Martin Brodeur found
himself in a similar place, with his Devils holding a 3-2 lead over the
Rangers in the East finals, and a chance to advance to the Stanley Cup
Finals with a victory on home ice in Game 6. On May 25, 1994, captain Mark
Messier backed up his guarantee of a Rangers win by recording a third-period
hat trick as New York rallied from a 2-0 deficit to force a decisive seventh
game that ended when Stephane Matteau beat Brodeur on a wraparound in double-
overtime. Now 40, Brodeur, the lone player remaining from that memorable
series, is reveling in a different outcome as New Jersey clinched its fifth
trip to the Cup Finals. The Devils will meet Los Angeles, beginning Wednesday
in Newark.
The Sports Network