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Summary The New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils advanced to next round of Stanley Cup playoffs.
The New York Rangers, roared on by a ferocious Madison Square Garden crowd, overcame the Ottawa Senators 2-1 in the seventh and decisive game of their National Hockey League first round playoff series on Thursday.The Rangers, seeded number one in the Eastern Conference but pushed all the way by the Senators, survived a furious onslaught from the visitors to advance to the Eastern Conference semi-finals for the first time in four seasons.Marc Staal and Dan Girardi scored New Yorks goals in the second period but it was Lundqvist who once again provided the steel for the Rangers backbone with a string of reflex stops. The Swede, one of three netminders nominated for this Ottawas goal came from Daniel Afredsson, who found a way past Lundqvist with a power-play goal that cut the margin to one but counted for nothing in the end.In, Sunrise, Florida, The New Jersey Devils beat the Florida Panthers in a double-overtime thriller. Peter Harrold bounced a shot to Stephen Gionta to give the Devils a 2-0 lead in the second period. In the third period Panthers goalie Martin Brodeur blocked a shot by Sean Bergenheim but Marcel knocked in the rebound to tie the game 2-2.The game remained deadlocked until the second sudden-death overtime when the Devils Adam Henrique grabbed a loose puck and scored the winning goal.
