STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS : Rangers Back in Form, Dominate Devils, 4-0

This time, the New York Rangers made sure they wouldn’t lose a third-period lead.

After allowing New Jersey to come back and beat them Sunday night in Game 1, the Rangers closed out the Devils with a strong finish for a 4-0 victory in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference final series Tuesday night at New York.

“We knew we didn’t play our best game (in Sunday’s 4-3 double-overtime loss to the Devils) but still were 42 seconds away from winning,” Ranger center Mark Messier said. “We knew we had to play harder.”

Sunday night, the Rangers led, 3-2, when Claude Lemieux tied it for New Jersey with 42.7 seconds left in regulation.

Then, Stephane Richer won it for the Devils in the second overtime.

It was the Rangers’ first loss in 45 games this season when they led after the second period.

Tuesday night, they reverted to form.

They led, 1-0, after two periods on a first-period goal by Mark Messier, then added three goals in the third period by Sergei Nemchinov, Glenn Anderson and Adam Graves.

Mike Richter finished his fourth shutout to tie a playoff record held by six other goaltenders.

The best-of-seven series now shifts to New Jersey for Games 3 and 4 Thursday and Saturday.

The Rangers played desperate hockey from start to finish, overwhelming New Jersey with a 41-16 shot advantage.

The Rangers looked more like the team that dominated the Devils during a 6-0 run in the regular season.

Ranger Coach Mike Keenan was unhappy with his team’s play in the opener of this series and hoped it would come out with more fire Tuesday night.

The Rangers did, as Messier scored in the first two minutes. Richter did the job the rest of the way as he recorded his fourth shutout of this year’s playoffs, tying a record held by six other goaltenders.

The last to do it was Montreal’s Ken Dryden in 1977.

The loss was the first for the Devils after a club-record five straight. The Rangers improved their playoff record to 9-2.

The Rangers, who had the third-best penalty-killing unit in the NHL during the regular season, held the Devils to only one shot on a two-man advantage for 1:25.

“We made a couple of bad choices, bad passes (on the two-man advantage), but still it was a one-goal game (after two periods),” New Jersey defenseman Bruce Driver said.