This time it’s the Devils who hope to benefit from a little rust – especially between the Anaheim pipes.

After waiting a week for their next opponent in each of the last two rounds, the Devils are the ones who arrive tardy, tired but thankful, at the Stanley Cup Finals.

By the time the last series of the season opens tomorrow at the Meadowlands, the Mighty Ducks will have had 10 complete days between games. Even if they doubt it, the Devils can hope that layoff dulls the edge of J-S Giguere, the Anaheim goalie who has been the sensation of these playoffs.

Corey Schwab knows the components of rust. The Devils’ backup didn’t play a game for New Jersey this season until Nov. 23, and played only 11 games throughout the campaign.

“It all depends how much you’ve played,” Schwab said of the layoff. “I found it a lot tougher when I went long stretches without any games or game action.

“But as long as you’ve been playing a considerable amount, I don’t think having a week off hurts. If anything, it helps.”

That’s an ominous opinion for the Devils. Giguere leads the playoffs with a 1.22 goals-against average and he shares the postseason lead with Martin Brodeur with four shutouts. He threatened to blank the Wild in all four games of the Western Conference finals, his three-game shutout streak ending in the triumphant Game 4 when he finally allowed his lone goal of the series.

The Devils aren’t exactly an overpowering offense and they’d be happy to see Giguere cool off. But Schwab doubts the layoff will affect the Ducks’ goalie.

“You can take care of your body and still work hard in practice to keep sharp,” Schwab said. “If you’ve played a lot, it’s not that tough.

“Once you get into warmups and get some adrenaline going, a few shots, your body and mind start to work for themselves and you feel right back in it.”

If rust doesn’t do it, they can always hope rawness does. Giguere will be playing in the spotlight of his first final in his first spring of playoff action.

“There will be a lot of pressure on him and a lot of pressure on me,” Brodeur said. “That’s part of what we do.”

Brodeur said Giguere is more like Patrick Lalime, the Senators’ goalie vanquished in Friday’s thrilling 3-2 Game 7 victory in the Eastern Conference finals.

“He’s a butterfly goalie, really technical,” Brodeur said. “He doesn’t play the puck as much as I do. That’s a big difference between me and him.

“He’s been playing awesome, and techically, he’s as good as anybody. But as a butterfly goalie, he’s more similar to Patrick Lalime or Patrick Roy than me.”

Giguere figues to be the Devils’ biggest obstacle to a third Stanley Cup in nine years. They wouldn’t mind him bringing a coat with him when he comes to the Meadowlands – a coat of rust.

* Joe Nieuwendyk is believed to have suffered a strained or possibly torn muscle in his lower back, in the hip area. Nieuwendyk tried to play Friday, but left the game after three shifts. Players said they were moved to move mountains to get him a chance to play again this season, in the Finals, and buddy Jamie Langenbrunner’s two quick goals erased the last Senators lead.

Jeff Friesen’s dramatic goal Friday was his third winner of the series . . . Langenbrunner snapped a nine-game goal drought and leads Devils with nine in postseason . . . Devils stand 11-6 in their three (2-1) previous trips to the Finals . . . Devils went 2-0 vs. the Ducks this season, Brodeur beating Giguere in only game either played vs. the other team, 3-2 in OT Nov. 12 at Meadowlands.