Beat Sid and the Penguins twice, Martin Brodeur says, and there still may be faint hope for the Devils to open the playoffs on home ice.
the Devils get their first chance Saturday afternoon in Newark, when the Penguins continue a road trip on which Sidney Crosby returned to action victoriously Thursday night at the Garden.
“The fact that we play them twice, once Saturday, well, we just have to win our games and beat them. That’s the way we have to look at it,” Brodeur said.
The Devils, who beat the Avalanche 1-0 in a shootout Thursday night, also visit Pittsburgh on March 25. The Penguins have won 10 straight and stand four points behind the Rangers. The Flyers are fifth in the East two behind Pitt, and the Devils sixth, two more back.
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BREAKING IT DOWN: Martin Brodeur says the Devils still have a shot at home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
“We’re not looking at moving much. It’s not a question of us being at a certain spot,” Brodeur said. “It’s just wanting to be playing well. We can’t worry about the three [Florida) and two [Boston] spots, teams ahead of us with fewer points.”
The late-season standings jockeying has the Penguins charging, the Senators challenging the Bruins and Washington closing on Florida.
“It’s one of those years when teams you thought were pretty comfortable, not just for a playoff berth, now are battling for division titles and home-ice,” Brodeur said.
The NHL’s record holder with 1,182 games, 651 victories and 118 shutouts made note of the Atlantic Division race.
“Our division is so strong, we may have four of the eight teams in it, and that’s a lot,” Brodeur said. “The Rangers still have their fate in their hands, but Pittsburgh is going to be a hard team to shake off, especially with their comeback [Crosby and Kris Letang] guys, and the excitement level that will bring.”
The Rangers could suffer a letdown if they drop out of the division lead.
“It’s also how you manage yourself going on to the playoffs,” Brodeur said. “Do you leave it all out there trying to make it? They’re in the position it could go one way or the other.”
The Senators’ closing of the gap on the Bruins is another race in the East.
“Boston’s in the same position. They have to try to pick it up somehow,” Brodeur said. “They’ve been struggling a little bit, still picking up points, but they’re such a good team that it won’t take much for them to get right back where they need to be.
“Still, that home-ice advantage could get lost because of our division.”
Brodeur said that going into the playoffs hot isn’t always a recipe for success, nor does a slump mean ouster.
“It’s gone both ways for us,” Brodeur said. “You want to come in with some momentum, as much as you can.
“You don’t want to get into the ‘Don’t remember how to win,’ situations because in hockey, confidence is really fragile.”
Brodeur essentially admitted the obvious, that the eight-point lead the Rangers have on the Devils is probably insurmountable.
“It’s going to get pretty hard,” Brodeur said. “We have three teams to go through, and that’s not easy to do. They’re going to get points and play each other.
“For us, it’s just to go out and get that momentum, win most of our games, and find things to do in the last 12 games to feel good about ourselves and get as many points as possible, because you want to secure that spot as soon as possible.”
mark.everson@nypost.com
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