Devils Parlay Emotions Into Series-Tying Effort : NHL playoffs: Without Nicholls, Brodeur stops 20 shots in a 3-1 victory over Rangers.

If there’s an attitude that has characterized the New Jersey Devils under Coach Jacques Lemaire, it’s us against them.

They say they get no respect from anyone and definitely no breaks from the NHL.

Faced with a 2-1 deficit in the Eastern Conference finals against the New York Rangers and the league’s one-game suspension of center Bernie Nicholls, the Devils reached inside and came up big Saturday night.

Martin Brodeur stopped 20 shots and the fired-up Devils beat the Rangers, 3-1, Saturday night behind goals by Stephane Richer, Bill Guerin and Valeri Zelepukin.

The victory sent the best-of-seven series back to New York’s Madison Square Garden tied, 2-2. Game 5 will be Monday night.

“That’s been this team all year long,” Devil defenseman Ken Daneyko said. “We don’t have two or three guys who can carry us for a game. We count on everyone.”

And everyone came through for New Jersey in Game 4.

The performance was the Devils’ best in the series and it came in a game where they might have had a letdown. Losing Game 3 in double overtime was bad enough, but having the NHL suspend Nicholls for cross-checking Alexei Kovalev of the Rangers made it worse.

However, New Jersey dominated from the start, scoring two first-period goals to drive Ranger goalie Mike Richter from the game.

Nicholls didn’t know if the suspension sparked the team.

“I just know they knew how important this game was,” he said. “I think they showed it the first period. They came out and I can’t recall us playing as good a first period. We set the tempo of the game and we determined how the game would go. We’re a good team when we get the lead.”

The Devils played so well they had Ranger Coach Mike Keenan scrambling all night. He shuffled his lines and benched several players, including star defenseman Brian Leetch.

Keenan refused to explain why Leetch sat on the bench for stretches of seven and eight minutes in the first and second periods.

“I didn’t play very well my first three, four or five shifts,” Leetch said. “It was Mike’s reaction to my actions on the ice.”

Leetch wasn’t alone in sitting. Center Craig MacTavish and wing Brian Noonan didn’t play the second and third periods and defenseman Jeff Beukeboom sat when Leetch sat.

The Rangers did get within 2-1 midway through the second period on a power-play goal by Stephane Matteau.

But Brodeur kept the Rangers at bay afterward with his best stop coming on Steve Larmer early in the third period on a give-and-go with Adam Graves.

“I thought our play improved after the first period, but Brodeur was spectacular,” Keenan said. “He came across with the leg and stopped Larmer. That was a game-saver for them.”