Ryan Carter snapped a tie with 4:24 left, and the New Jersey Devils survived after blowing a three-goal lead, beating the host New York Rangers 5-3 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals Wednesday night.
The Devils, who led 3-0 before the first period was half over, have a 3-2 edge in the series and can advance to face the Los Angeles Kings in the Stanley Cup finals with a win at home on Friday night. If the Rangers can stay alive then, Game 7 would be back in Madison Square Garden on Sunday.
The Devils seemed primed for an easy win when Stephen Gionta and Patrik Elias scored within the first 4:13 of the game. Travis Zajac made it 3-0 before the Rangers began chipping away.
Brandon Prust brought New York within 3-1 before the first period was over, and Ryan Callahan made it a one-goal game in the first minute of the second. The Garden really rocked when Marian Gaborik tied it at 3 just 17 seconds into the third with his first goal of the series.
But the comeback was all for naught. Carter put the Devils back in front, and Zach Parise sealed it with an empty-net goal.
"You have to (keep it together) this time of year," Gionta said. "You have to have a short memory. Fortunately we did and came out with the victory."
Canucks: Vancouver signed coach Alain Vigneault to a contract extension, ending speculation that the team's playoff loss to Los Angeles might cost him the job. The Canucks didn't
disclose terms, but Vigneault said it was a two-year extension.Wild: Finnish star forward Mikael Granlund has signed his contract with Minnesota and will join the offensively challenged team for training camp. The Wild selected the flashy scorer with the ninth overall draft pick in 2010. Granlund, 20, signed a three-year deal after scoring 20 goals in 45 games for HIFK Helsinki in the Finnish elite league.
Blue Jackets: Columbus signed right wing Derek Dorsett to a three-year contract.
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