NEWARK, N.J. – Martin Brodeur did not have to atone for 1994. The man won three Stanley Cups for the New Jersey Devils after that epic series against the New York Rangers. He won four Vezina Trophies as the NHL's best goaltender. He wrote his name all over the record books.

View photos

But what the hell. Brodeur did it anyway Friday night. Amid the echoes of 18 years ago – same date, same game, same score, similar situation – he stonewalled the Rangers and made sure there would not be another Mark Messier hat trick, another Game 7 at Madison Square Garden, another Stephane Matteau wraparound, another chance for all those bluebloods in the Blueshirts to look down their noses at New Jersey.

The 40-year-old future Hall of Famer made sure there would be another Adam Henrique overtime clincher instead. Henrique – a 22-year-old rookie, just like Brodeur was in '94 – was the hero in double OT of Game 7 in the first round against the Florida Panthers, and he was the hero in OT again here in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference final. He poked in the puck after a mad scramble around the New York net at the 1:03 mark, sending the Devils to the Stanley Cup Final against the Los Angeles Kings.

"I think [Brodeur] and Henrique maybe have something going on where they're trading years or something," said Devils center Ryan Carter. "Henrique's beyond his, and Marty's drinking from the fountain of youth."

[Recap: Devils eliminate Rangers with 3-2 win in Game 6 | Game photos]

Brodeur said at first he wasn't sure if the puck had gone in. He took a step, then a step back. He took another step, then another step back. Finally, he saw everybody celebrating, charged ahead and jumped on the pile. He called it "just a big relief." He can move forward now.

"We beat a big rival, especially for me," Brodeur said. "Eighteen years ago. Everybody's been talking about it. So now it's at least 1-1. I don't know if they're going to give us credit. But anyway, it's 1-1."

Eighteen years ago. That was the last time the Battle of the Hudson was fought in the conference final, and it seemed like yesterday if you read the New York papers this week and watched the first two periods play out.

Just like then, the Devils had won two straight and seized a 3-2 series lead. Just like then, Game 6 was on May 25 in New Jersey. Just like then, the Devils took a 2-0 lead and put the Rangers on the ropes.

Just like then, a player from the former Soviet bloc cut the Devils' lead to 2-1, only this time it was Ruslan Fedotenko, not Alexei Kovalev. And just like then, the captain of the Rangers tied the game, only this time it was Ryan Callahan, not Mark Messier.

[Video: New Jersey rookie Adam Henrique scores winner in overtime]

Only one player remained from that old series, old Martin Brodeur. How many times had he been in this kind of spot since then – tight game, 20 minutes left in regulation, so much on the line?

"In my head," he said, "the overtime started in the third period."

He could not, would not, let anything past him. He could not, would not, let the Rangers win the game and go back to MSG, where they could win the series like in '94. He could not, would not, let that piece of history repeat itself. Early in the third period, he made a sharp right pad save on Callahan, who would have really woken up the echoes with a second goal, needing only an empty-netter to pull a Messier (minus the pre-game guarantee).

Story continues