Tempers have risen in the Eastern Conference final along with an understanding that loss of composure isn't an effective strategy in the NHL playoffs.
By Kathy Willens, AP
Devils players go after New York's Mike Rupp after punched New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur in Game 4.
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That's the party line from the New Jersey Devils after Monday's Game 4 third-period fireworks, which includedNew York Rangers forward Mike Rupp shoving his gloved hand into New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur's facemask and both coaches exchanging words on the benches.
"I don't anticipate any more of that," Devils coach Peter DeBoer said. "I think the stakes are too high going forward here for any of that stuff to show up. But you never know."
DeBoer can't be sure what will happen in Game 5 (Wednesday, 8 p.m., ET NBC Sports Network) atMadison Square Garden because the Rangers-Devils rivalry has enough passion to be unpredictable. Separated by the Hudson River, the team's arenas are 10 miles apart. They are not friendly neighbors. The rivalry essentially dates to 1982 when the Colorado Rockies moved to New Jersey to become the Devils, but hostilities escalated in the mid-1990s when both franchises had quality rosters. The Rangers won the Stanley Cup in 1994 and the Devils won in 1995.
At every Devils game, fans make derogatory chants about the Rangers even if they're playing another team.
"I don't want to use words like hate," said DeBoer, who's in his first season as Devils coach. "The rivalry is what I expected it to be."
Devils goalie Martin Brodeur isn't expecting additional trouble in Game 5, especially with the best-of-seven series tied 2-2.
"It's all forgotten," he said. "It's the playoffs. I think you need to put everything in check and what happened in one game usually doesn't carry in the other ones."
Still, he knows MSG fans aren't going to be welcoming him with hugs and kisses.
"We know that it's going to be emotional," Brodeur said. "It's a hostile environment in the Garden. So they're going to try to be a little more physical the way they were late in the game there. And we have to do what we do and not worry about anything else, and just go in there and win the hockey game."
New Jersey players seemed to like the fact that DeBoer engaged with Rangers coachJohn Tortorella in an exchange of words after the Rupp-Brodeur incident.
"He's an emotional guy, he wants to win, just like us, and it rubs off," said New Jersey's Travis Zajac. "It rubs off on us. And to see how much he cares about the players and his team and about us having success, that makes us feel good."
Neither DeBoer nor Tortorella have said what was said between them.
"I think emotion takes over," DeBoer said. "I took offense at what happened on the ice, and that was my outlet, right or wrong."
Tortorella's approach on Tuesday was to concentrate more on practical concerns about his team, such as the reality that it isn't getting much offense from its forwards.
"We don't have the puck enough," Tortorella said. "Jersey has the puck a lot more minutes than we do. I think that's something we need to try to change."
The Rangers will get a boost from the return of role player Brandon Prust, who sat out Game 4 because of a league suspension handed down for his elbow to the head of New Jersey defenseman Anton Volchenkov.
"Prust does a lot for us, killing penalties, brings a lot of energy, harder on the forecheck," Rangers captain Ryan Callahan said. "(We) need to get our forecheck going. It's good to get him back."
The first goal of the game has been big in this series thus far.
"It seems that way with two big goaltenders and two great defensive teams," Callahan said. "But (we) just have to keep our composure. If they score first or we do, we just have to keep going and try to put a full 60 together."
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