Devils 3, Rangers 2 (OT)

NEWARK, N.J. -- Adam Henrique snapped a 2-2 tie 63 seconds into overtime Friday, leading the New Jersey Devils to a 3-2 victory over the New York Rangers that finished the NHL Eastern Conference championship.

The Devils captured the best-of-seven series 4-2.

With the win, New Jersey advances to the Stanley Cup finals to play the Los Angeles Kings. It will be the Devils' first appearance in the finals since they won the Cup in 2003. Game 1 of the finals will be played Wednesday night at the Prudential Center in Newark.

Entering overtime with the score 2-2, the Devils made a mad scramble in front. Ilya Kovalchuk kept the puck alive with two pokes in front of Rangers goalkeeper Henrik Lundqvist, but Henrique stayed with the play and tucked it past Lundqvist for the game-winner.

Unsung hero Ryan Carter and Kovalchuk scored first-period goals for the Devils, with Kovalchuk's score coming on a picture-perfect power play on which all five Devils on the ice touched the puck.

Ruslan Fedotenko and captain Ryan Callahan scored for the Rangers in the second period to tie the game, and the teams played a scoreless third period.

The Rangers had the better of the play in the third period, with Artem Anisimov getting the best scoring chance with four minutes remaining in regulation, a shot that skipped across the ice before Devils goalie Martin Brodeur managed to smother it.

Patrik Elias had a good chance in the closing minutes of regulation, but Lundqvist cut down the angle and stopped the shot with his chest with 1:44 left.

Brodeur also made a save on Brad Richards with 9:15 remaining that he managed to get his pads on while already lying on his side.

Callahan just missed with a shot with 14:30 remaining in the period, a shot that Brodeur stopped his right skate.

Much earlier, the Devils wasted little time putting the pressure on Lundqvist. Just 40 seconds into game, Zach Parise had a great chance on a wrist shot that bounced off Lundqvist's shoulder, and just 90 seconds in, Alexei Ponikarovsky's slap shot was smothered by the Rangers goalie.

Bryce Salvador was sent off early for high-sticking, giving the Rangers the first power-play opportunity, but the Devils had the best chance short-handed, as Dainius Zubrus' shot clanked off the left post.

The Devils' relentless pursuit led to the first goal. Stephen Gionta, the smallest man on the ice, and a player who appeared in only one regular-season game this year, poked the puck ahead of Rangers defenseman Michael Del Zotto and brought the play toward Lundqvist, who stopped the original shot, but Carter scored yet another goal on a rebound with 9:55 remaining in the first period.

It marked the fourth goal of the series by the Devils' so-called fourth line, which certainly has not played that way at all. It also spelled trouble for the Rangers, because the team that scored first won all five previous games of the series.

Three minutes later, Kovalchuk scored on a power play to gave the Devils a 2-0 lead. The play saw all five Devils skaters on the ice touch the puck. It was a picture-perfect offensive set, with Zubrus patiently waiting for the right moment to pass across to David Clarkson, who fed Kovalchuk for the goal, his seventh of the playoffs and one that definitely sent the feeling of doom over to the Rangers' bench, turning the Prudential Center into pandemonium. Kovalchuk hurled himself into the glass in jubilation.

New Jersey led by two goals after one period, but the chasm between the teams was much wider. The shot totals were even at 14-14 after one, but you had to question that statistic.

The Rangers sliced the lead to 2-1 with 10:13 left in the second period, when Ryan McDonagh made a brilliant play, keeping the puck around the back of the Devils' goal, then feeding Fedotenko, who pushed it past Brodeur for his second goal of the playoffs. McDonagh's play gave the Rangers some life.

Four minutes later, the Rangers pulled even, as Dan Girardi flicked the puck toward the goal and Callahan seemed to deflect just enough to get it past Brodeur, tying the game at 2-2 at 13:41. McDonagh received an assist on Callahan's goal as well.

Incredibly, after the way the Rangers looked totally beaten and deflated after the first period, they went to the dressing room for the second intermission tied at 2-2.