Anze Kopitar skated around Martin Brodeur and flipped on past the Devils goalie to give the Los Angeles Kings a 2-1 overtime victory, and Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
The top seeded New York Rangers staved off elimination with back-to-back wins in the first round, included the first of two Game 7 victories, but John Torteralla's blue shirts didn't have enough to get through the New Jersey Devils.
On Monday night, the New Jersey Devils got the better end of it, scoring three goals on Henrik Lundqvist then adding an empty netter in a 4-1 home victory to tie the series 2-2.
Henrik Lunqvist made 36 saves for his second shutout of the series, and sixth of his career in the playoffs, as the Rangers used another three goal third period in a 3-0 win over the Devils in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals in New Jersey.
David Clarkson beat Henrik Lundqvist on a deflected goal early in the third period to send the New Jersey Devils past the New York Rangers 3-2 to tie their best-of-seven series at 1-1.
With a trip to the conference finals at stake, the Rangers were able to knock out the team that had eliminated them in their last two playoff appearances.