The New York Rangers bounced back with a huge Game 3 win on Saturday, but head coach John Tortorella wasn’t in a celebrating mood afterwards. Complaining about the New Jersey Devils’ acting jobs on several penalty calls, Tortorella was calling foul after the game.
The moment Devil’s coach Peter DeBoer complained that New York’s Brandon Pruest launched himself at Anton Volchenkov, Tortorella was quick to return fire and point out New Jersey’s blame for the same kind of hits.
“I look at (Dainius) Zubrus’ elbow to (Anton) Stralman, I look at (Zach) Parise launching himself into (Michael) Del Zotto,” Tortorella said, via Covers. “Maybe if our players stay down on the ice, we’ll get something.
”We tell our players, ‘Don’t stay down on the ice. Get up,” he added. “I’ll leave it at that. If we want to start discussing officials with the media, I have a long list here.”
An NHL playoffs that has been dominated by controversial penalties, it’s another catfight that could change the momentum of the series. Bovada is favoring New Jersey in early Rangers vs. Devils Betting Lines, but New York has been excellent in such a situation recently, going 11-5 in its last 16 games as a road dog.
The Rangers were able to keep their cool, though and score three goals late to take a 2-1 lead. A suffocating defense once again blanked the Devils and made an easy night for goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. It was the 19th time they’ve kept the game from hitting the OVER in their last 22 overall.
Lundqvist leads all playoff goaltenders with three shutouts
Another big advantage has been the Rangers’ ability to dominate the power play. They’ve scored four times against the league’s top penalty killing unit, while holding the Devils to just 1 of 12.
That said, New Jersey is clearly more comfortable at home, going 8-2 in its last 10 overall, and New York has only won back-to-back games once this 
postseason, and that came in the first round against Ottawa.
The Devils may also be getting Jacob Josefsen back in the lineup after breaking his left wrist on April 3.
”Coach told me I’m playing, and I’m very ready to go,” Josefson said. ”It feels great. My body feels great. It may be a little tough stepping in, but I’m a little more excited than anything. I’ve been getting better every day and I felt I could play in this series. It’s just a matter of when. I just hope I do well.”