EAST RUTHEFORD, N.J., May 2 (UPI) -- Grant Marshall scored on a rebound 11:12 into the third overtime Friday night,
giving New Jersey a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning and putting the Devils into the Eastern Conference finals.
Acquired from Columbus before the trade deadline, Marshall got the rebound of defenseman Scott Niedermayer's shot just above the crease and backhanded it past goaltender John Grahame.
As he raced into the right corner to celebrate, Marshall was joined by his teammates. It was the third goal of the series for Marshall, who ended a 66-game postseason drought in Game 2.
New Jersey eliminated the Lightning in five games.
Niedermayer had the other goal for the Devils, who await the winner of the series between the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers in what will be their third conference finals appearance in four years.
The longest game in Lightning history also was the last of the most successful season in team history. They reached the second round for the first time ever but could not win at New Jersey, where the Devils remained the league's only unbeaten home team in the playoffs at 6-0.
For the first half of the first period, the Devils looked like the team facing elimination. They were tentative and sloppy, managing just one shot on their first power play.
Tampa Bay finally took advantage at 11:18, grabbing the lead less than three minutes after killing Ben Clymer's tripping penalty.
New Jersey defenseman Scott Niedermayer was trapped deep, enabling the Lightning to break out two on one. With defenseman Dan Boyle breaking down the right side, Nikita Alexeev fired a slap shot from the left faceoff circle past Brodeur's stick side.
It was the first point in 11 playoff games for Alexeev and it seemed to snap the Devils to attention.
They got another power play just 24 seconds later as Fredrik Modin was penalized for hooking and tied it with 15 seconds to go on the advantage.
Niedermayer atoned for his earlier play when he got a cross-ice pass from fellow defenseman Brian Rafalski low in the right circle. He crept toward the net, got a screen from Lightning defenseman Cory Sarich and wristed a shot inside the far goalpost for his second playoff goal.
The first half of the second period was played at a break-neck pace, with just one stoppage during a 7 1/2-minute stretch. Once the tempo slowed, Tampa Bay appeared to take the lead with 8:18 to go.
Off an odd-man rush, Modin had two chances stopped by Brodeur. Tied up by Rafalski at the top of the crease, Modin knocked in the puck on his third try, but replays showed he kicked it with his right skate.
Moments earlier, Rafalski broke up a two on one down low as Martin St. Louis could not connect with defenseman Janne Laukkanen.
With 2:40 to go in the period, Boyle did the same at the other end, blocking a pass from John Madden to Jay Pandolfo.
The third period settled nothing as the teams reverted to the cautious brand of hockey played in the opening stanza.
Patrik Elias, who ended a nine-game postseason scoring drought in Game 4, had the best chance to avoid overtime when he broke in alone on Grahame just under two minutes into the period. Trying to pick the top right corner, Elias missed the net.
