Rangers are hoping history repeats in N.J.

Posted: May 26, 2012

Eighteen years ago, Mark Messier set the stage for one of sports' most dramatic moments.

On the eve of the New York Rangers' must-win Game 6 against the Devils in New Jersey in the 1994 Eastern Conference finals, Messier guaranteed his team would force a deciding contest back at Madison Square Garden.

The Rangers not only won, Messier backed up his promise with a hat trick.

Fast-forward to now. The teams once more head to a Game 6, in New Jersey on Saturday night, with the Rangers - again the East's top team - down three games to two, needing a win to stay alive.

That's where the similarity ends.

There is no Messier in the Rangers locker room to will his team to victory after predicting it. And this time, New York isn't the star-laden team that ended the franchise's 54-year Stanley Cup drought in 1994.

The Devils have shown repeatedly in this best-of-seven series they are just as good as their longtime, cross-river rivals. Their series lead is well- deserved. The only game the Rangers dominated was Game 5, and the Devils won, 5-3, to take the lead in the series based on a strong start and a stronger finish.

Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur is the only player remaining from 1994. Now 40, he was the difference on Wednesday night in New York.

"I don't see anything that is similar," Brodeur said Thursday. "I know if you guys look at it, it looks the same. But it's different teams and a different way of playing the game. That's 18 years ago. That's a long time. I know I'm feeling a lot different. I'm feeling a lot more appreciative of what's going on."

- Associated Press

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