Devils vow not to be frustrated by Henrik Lundqvist

NEWARK -- After another long day spent banging their heads -- and pucks -- against the brick wall that is Henrik Lundqvist, the Devils vowed Saturday not to give in to the frustration.

"Start fresh,'' Patrik Elias said when asked about the team's mindset. "What are you going to do? We're trying.''

Trying is good. Succeeding is better. In both Games 1 and 3, the Devils have had the better of the play through two scoreless periods. Both times the Rangers answered with three goals in the third to win.

If this goes on much longer, the Rangers will be in the Stanley Cup finals and the Devils will be left with the cold comfort of having played capably but stymied by the goaltender many consider the best in the world.

"Obviously, he's a great goaltender,'' Elias said. "We know he's going to make some big saves, and he did . . . He was great.''

Among other missed opportunities, the Devils missed on a couple of breakaways and a two-on-one on which Zach Parise's shot appeared to glance off Lundqvist's left shoulder.

What did Parise think of the play? He declined to discuss that or anything else with reporters after the game, a decision that shocked reporters who cover the Devils regularly.

Parise normally is extraordinarily accommodating, and the "C" on his jersey makes him the players' official spokesman.

Coach Peter DeBoer said he was not aware Parise had done that, but he said he did not take it as a sign his captain is frustrated.

He had cause to be. The Devils outshot the Rangers, 36-22, and the Rangers blocked another 19 of their shots.

The Devils also were 0-for-6 on power plays, including some on which they mustered good scoring chances, some on which they did not and one on which they passed the puck around nicely to one another on the perimeter but mostly declined to shoot.

"I thought we moved the puck well and won a lot of battles,'' Travis Zajac said. "We had our chances. We didn't bury them.''

The Rangers' first goal came on a power play after the Devils had gotten uncharacteristically sloppy, including a pair of unnecessary icings, one by Parise.

Soon Bryce Salvador was being called for a hooking penalty, Brad Richards was winning a faceoff and Dan Girardi was firing the puck past Martin Brodeur, who said Girardi "beat me clean.''

But the Devil who took primary responsibility was Dainius Zubrus. He said he cheated toward the boards, where he thought Richards would send the puck if he won the faceoff. Instead it went to Girardi, who was alone in the middle.

"I overplayed it; I make a mistake jumping it too aggressively,'' Zubrus said. "I was way out of position on that.''

Mostly, though, the Devils kept insisting they played well, with the exception of accomplishing the most important task in the sport.

"It's not a big deal, like we got outplayed our something,'' Elias said. "We didn't find a way to put the puck in.''

Said DeBoer: "We played a real good hockey game. We lost. We have to find a way to score a goal.''