Devils 3

Rangers 3

Maybe one of these times the Rangers will get big-time games from their big-time forwards when they face the Devils. Maybe one of these times Eric Lindros will be as ferocious against the defending Cup champions as he is against the Islanders; maybe one of these times Bobby Holik will be as effective against the Devils as he was when he wore their uniform. Maybe one of these days the Rangers will be as good against the wounded team from across the river as the Penguins and Lightning were last week.

Absent this, the Rangers will take the 3-3 draw they earned at the Garden last night against the Devils by coming from behind twice in the third period, once in the opening minute, once in the final two minutes. The Rangers will take the point as a measure of some progress, though the tie extended their winless streak to 11 against the Devils, left them with one win in the last 17 in the series at the Garden (1-6-10), two wins in the last 36 overall (2-21-13).

When it ended, when for the fifth time this season the Blueshirts failed to go three over NHL .500, Glen Sather at first pronounced the result a success, then backed off a bit when challenged.

“You think there wasn’t any success; you think they don’t want to come over here and beat us?” was Sather’s response when asked about the Rangers’ lack of same against New Jersey. But when asked flat-out whether the tie represented his version of nirvana, the coach said, “You don’t have success unless you win the game; sometimes you have to settle.”

Sather had a prescient night behind the bench. He moved freshman Chad Wiseman from the fourth line, where he skated against the Islanders on Tuesday, up to Lindros’ left wing. It was Wiseman, going to the net, jumping inside backcheckers Turner Stevenson and Jeff Friesen, who converted Matt Barnaby’s goalmouth feed at 0:42 of the third to get the Rangers even at 2-2, the first goal of his NHL career. Then, after the Devils grabbed the lead at 4:05 on Sergei Brylin’s rebound, Sather substituted Messier for Wiseman. It was the captain whose centering feed found Barnaby at the left doorstep for the tying goal at 18:11.

The Rangers went to the net all night long against a Devils’ team playing without Scott Stevens. It was the first game Stevens, sidelined indefinitely with what may be a neurological condition, missed against the Blueshirts since March 4, 1992, a span of 59 straight regular-season matches and 19 more in the playoffs.

“It’s kind of strange not seeing Scotty out there for almost half the game,” said Holik, a minus-two after his line was beaten on two rink-length rushes. “For sure, they’re not as physical, and they don’t create as many turnovers inside the blue line that they normally get because of players looking out for Scotty coming across for his hits.”

Safer, but not better, not through a funk in which the Devils are 2-5-2 in their last nine and 3-5-3-1 in their last 12. They scored 14 goals in the nine games preceding last night’s match, which is why yielding three – all on the rush – was no great Rangers feat.

“It’s a good thing we came back twice to tie, but we need wins,” Holik said.