The Devils have done a great job of staying focused, not letting anything distract them in winning their first two rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Halfway to their goal, in the final four, that could be a lot harder to do now, especially if they end up playing the rival Rangers.
The Rangers and Capitals will play their Game 7 Saturday night at the Garden, with the winner facing the Devils on Monday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Game 2 is set for Wednesday.
The potential matchup with the Rangers — who have played the Devils five previous times in the playoffs — wasn’t lost on Martin Brodeur.
“I think a lot of people are looking at that to be a great matchup,’’ said Brodeur after Thursday’s intense practice. “If it happens to be the Rangers, I think people will be very happy in this area. One way or the other, the press doesn’t matter, it’s just what we do.’’
“That’s the playoffs. You get [distractions] eventually. But definitely playing the Rangers is a bigger feeling in this area. A lot of people come out from the woodworks to really look at this series and try to be a part of it somehow.’’
Brodeur has played in all five playoff meetings between the two clubs dating back to 20 years ago when he made his first playoff appearance against the Rangers in 1992. The Devils have won only one of those five series, a sweep in the first round in 2006. But as his teammates were quick to point out, don’t dismiss the Capitals just yet. They already have won a Game 7 on the road this postseason, in the first round against the Bruins.
“Washington is playing great right now, so it is going to be a tough Game 7,’’ Petr Sykora said. “Whoever is going to win is going to play in the next round and to me, personally, it doesn’t matter.”
The 35-year old Sykora has played in five Stanley Cup Finals, having won two (2000, New Jersey; 2009, Pittsburgh). He also has been on both sides of the Devils-Rangers rivalry, having played on the Rangers in 2006, losing to the Devils in the playoffs.
“When you start choosing your opponents, you are digging your own grave,’’ he said. “Be ready for whoever you play. Get excited the same way.’’ ‘We are playing for the Stanley Cup Finals, so don’t really try to choose who you are going to play.”
While the Devils may not care whom they face in the next round, some players said they would watch Game 7 tomorrow, like David Clarkson
“I’ll watch, for sure,’’ he said. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t going to be at home with the game on or watching parts of it, anyway. I probably won’t watch the whole game, but I will definitely watch parts of it.”
“At this time of the season, I like playing anywhere. But we obviously have that rivalry with New York. It is always there, but for us, for me, who do I want to play? It doesn’t really matter,” Clarkson said.
Others Devils, such as Zach Parise, said they weren’t sure if they would watch tomorrow.
“I don’t care either way,’’ he said. “I don’t know if I will be watching or not. I will probably pay attention to the score, but I don’t know if I’ll watch it.”
Patrik Elias said he will be watching soccer instead.
“If that’ll happen, us playing the Rangers, then there’s going to be different kind of distractions, and we will just have to do the same thing, and stay focused,” he said.
Devils coach Peter DeBoer, who has had his squabbles with Rangers coach John Tortorella this season, wouldn’t elaborate on the possibility of facing them in the conference finals.
“Whoever comes through, you are into the last four teams in the best league in the world. They all deserve to be there and they are all going to be very tough. We can’t get picky here. We are just happy we are one of them,” he said.
david.satriano@nypost.com
The Devils, Rangers, Rangers, Stanley Cup playoffs, Stanley Cup Finals, Capitals
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