Schedule and 2008 Results
Regular Season Records: New Jersey 46-29-7=99pts, N.Y. Rangers 42-27-13=97pts
Game 1 on Wednesday, 09 April: N.Y. Rangers win at New Jersey, 4-goals-1
Game 2 on Friday, 11 April: N.Y. Rangers win at New Jersey, 2-goals-1
Game 3 on Sunday, 13 April: New Jersey wins at N.Y. Rangers, 4-goals-3 (OT)
Game 4 on Wednesday, 16 April: New Jersey loses at N.Y. Rangers, 5-goals-3
Game 5 on Friday, 18 April: N.Y. Rangers win at New Jersey, 5-goals-3

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 5: The New York Rangers visited and defeated the New Jersey Devils 5-goals-3 to secure a 4-games-1 win of MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1026. This best-of-7 NHL playoff series victory improves the Rangers' best-of-7 series record to 24-32 overall and 8-4 in the Preliminary round; the loss drops the Devils to 22-15 overall and 9-9 in the Preliminary round. The win order in series 1026 for the victorious New York Rangers was WWLWW: Series 1026 thus becomes the 11th NHL Preliminary-round series, the 34th NHL series (all rounds), and the 88th MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow this win order.

After Game 4: The New York Rangers hosted and defeated the New Jersey Devils 5-goals-3 to take a 3-games-1 lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1026. When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the New York Rangers have a perfect series record of 11-0 and a Game 5 record of 7-4. When trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the New Jersey Devils have a 1-6 series record (with an active three-series losing streak) and a 2-5 Game 5 record. New Jersey rebounded from a 3-games-1 deficit in series 810, in which the Devils defeated the Philadelphia Flyers in seven games to win their 2000 NHL Semifinals series en route to the 2000 NHL championship.

After Game 3: With MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1026 in Madison Square Garden in New York for Games 3-4, the New Jersey Devils visited and bested the New York Rangers 4-goals-3 with a goal 6:01 into the first overtime period. New Jersey thus cuts the New York series 1026 lead to 2-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the New York Rangers have a 12-4 series record with an active five-series winning streak, and a 9-7 Game 4 record with an active four-Game 4 winning streak. When trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the New Jersey Devils have a 3-10 series record and an 8-5 Game 4 record.

After Game 2: The New York Rangers visited and once again laid to defeat the New Jersey Devils, 2-goals-1 on this latter occasion, to take a 2-games-nil lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1026. When leading a best-of-7 playoff series 2-games-nil, the New York Rangers have a 9-1 series record (with an active seven-series winning streak) and a 5-5 Game 3 record. When trailing a best-of-7 playoff series 2-games-nil, the New Jersey Devils have a 1-4 series record and a 3-2 Game 3 record. Leading series 1026 by a 2-games-nil margin with Games 1-2 on the road, the New York Rangers were also the last NHL team to win Games 1-2 on the road in the NHL Preliminary round (in 2007, when they went on to sweep the upstart Atlanta Thrashers in series 992).

After Game 1: The New York Rangers visited and defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-goals-1 to take a 1-game-nil lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1026. When leading a best-of-7 playoff series 1-game-nil, the New York Rangers have a 15-9 series record and a 10-14 Game 2 record. When trailing a best-of-7 playoff series 1-game-nil, the New Jersey Devils have an 8-10 series record with an active three-series losing streak, and a 13-5 Game 2 record. The New York Rangers have thus won a road Game 1 of a best-of-7 NHL playoff series by three goals for the NHL-leading sixth time (next are the old Minnesota North Stars at four); in such series, the Rangers have posted a 2-3 series record. In best-of-7 NHL playoff series from 1939 through 2007, inclusive, teams winning Game 1 by three goals on the road have a 17-16 series record.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2007-08 regular season, New Jersey finished two points ahead of New York. From 1939 through the 2007 NHL Finals, when NHL teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by two regular-season points, they have posted an 11-11 (.500) best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents. Best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1026 is the 56th best-of-7 playoff series for the New York Rangers, and the 37th for New Jersey. In best-of-7 playoff series, the Rangers have a 23-32 series record, a 7-4 Prelim-round series record, and a 24-31 Game 1 record, while New Jersey has a 22-14 series record, a 9-8 Prelim-round record, and an 18-18 Game 1 record. Series 1026 is the fifth best-of-7 meeting between the New York Rangers and New Jersey; New York has won three of the previous four such meetings.