Devils move closer to playoffs as Rangers offer no resistance

The last time, Martin Brodeur was in nets, Zach Parise wore the captain’s “C,” Patrik Elias and Petr Sykora were together again, and Adam Henrique scored an overtime goal of some significance in these parts.

In 2011-12, the last time the Devils qualified for the playoffs (on their way to the Stanley Cup finals after their conference final, six-game upset of the Eastern Conference’s first-seed, across the Hudson), the old guard still led the way.

But now, after a five-year gap that would have been unimaginable through the Era of Excellence in which the Devils won three Stanley Cups from 1995 through 2003 and then annexed four division titles in the five seasons after that, it is a new day with a new hero named Taylor Hall in New Jersey.

And with the Devils two points away from rejoining the playoffs.

Two points New Jersey earns over its final two games, two points the Puddy Tats lose over their final three matches, or a combination thereof. That’s what it will take following Tuesday’s 5-2 rout of the Rangers at Prudential Center in one of the least compelling and competitive matches in the 36 years of the Battle of the Hudson.

The Devils get their first chance to clinch Thursday, when the Maple Leafs and a general manager named Lou Lamoriello come to town, and what say for old time’s sake, Toronto sits Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Nazem Kadri and Morgan Rielly?

Didn’t think so.

Not that these Devils, reconstructed by GM Ray Shero and led masterfully behind the bench by John Hynes, are looking for any favors.

This is a team, albeit arriving at Playoff Junction at least a year, and probably two, ahead of schedule, that can take care of its own business, as evidenced by the Devils’ latest four-game winning streak and 10-3-1 spree.

A year or two ahead of time, but not a moment too soon for Hall, the splendid Hart Trophy candidate who spent the first seven seasons of his career wandering through the wilderness after having been selected first overall in 2010, and whose next playoff game will be his first.

“We’re motivated to get to the playoffs for him,” said Keith Kinkaid, 6-0-1 in seven straight starts since seamlessly replacing Cory Schneider as the club’s No. 1 in nets. “We’re motivated to get to the playoffs for us.”

Hall scored two goals and added a pair of assists to stretch his latest point-scoring streak to nine straight (8-9-17) while elevating his season totals to 39 goals and 54 assists for 93 points, three off the club record established by Elias in 2000-01.

The winger got his first on the power play, drilling one from the left circle past Henrik Lundqvist at 3:41 to pad the Devils’ lead to 2-0 after Travis Zajac had tucked one in at the 25-second mark. The game was over just that fast, even if Hall punctuated the evening by beating Lundqvist’s glove on a penalty shot at 15:45 of the second period for a 5-1 lead.

The crowd, perhaps confused into silence for much of the night by the sudden role-reversal of the teams, was roused. And the chant of “MVP … MVP … MVP” filled the arena, a wish that could well become a command to the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association voters for the Hart.

“The thing I’m proudest of is coming through in the games that matter,” Hall said. “It’s been a lot of fun.”

The Devils kept it low-key in the postgame room. It could just as well have been a night in November, the way they acted. This team may be arriving early, but it is not getting ahead of itself.

“We understand the big picture but we’re all focused at the task at hand,” said the Devils’ Brian Boyle, whose 106 playoff games since 2011 are second-most to one-time Rangers teammate Carl Hagelin’s 112. “It was encouraging to see the way we came out and were ready to go, but anything else would have been alarming but uncharacteristic.

“We know where we are. We still have work to do. We’re going to focus on what we can control.”

Let’s see the Maple Leafs control Hall.

Two points away.