The New Jersey Devils continued their domination of the Rangers last night, winning Game 2 of their Eastern Conference playoff series 4-1 to take a 2-0 series lead. The Devils’ win puts the Blueshirts in a serious hole, for it makes Wednesday night’s Game 3 at Madison Square Garden an unequivocal “must-win” event. New Jersey is indisputably the NHL’s hottest team, currently riding a 13-game winning streak, while the Rangers – on a seven-game slide – are ice cold.

The Blueshirts, who played without leading scorer Jaromir Jagr, defenseman Darius Kasparaitis, and goalie Henrik Lundqvist, went on the power play just over four minutes into the game (when the Devils’ Grant Marshall was called for interference), but they tried to be a bit too stylish with their playmaking. Sandis Ozolinsh delivered a great centering pass onto the stick of Martin Straka, but instead of firing the puck at Devils goalie Martin Brodeur, Straka missed on a pass to Michael Nylander and negated what turned out to be one of the Rangers’ best scoring chances of the night.

The Blueshirts went on another power play soon thereafter, when Cam Janssen was penalized for interference. This time, the results for the Rangers were even more unsettling. After the Rangers fumbled the puck in and around the offensive zone for about 20 seconds, Brian Rafalski stole the puck from Ozolinsh and broke into the Rangers’ zone on the right wing. Rafalski passed the puck across to an unchecked John Madden, who fired the puck past Kevin Weekes to give the Devils a 1-0 lead.

The game grew increasingly physical during the next few minutes, until a post-whistle scrum finally landed Rangers winger Chad Wiseman – in the lineup to replace the injured Jason Ward – in the penalty box. The white-hot Devils’ power play, which clicked for five goals in Game 1, quickly took control of the Rangers’ zone, and New Jersey took a 2-0 lead when Brian Gionta redirected a pass from defenseman Paul Martin past Weekes.

Undisciplined play was what sank the Rangers in Saturday’s series opener, and it was their undoing last night as well. When the Colton Orr was sent to the penalty box to give the Devils yet another power play, Janssen was leaning over the boards at the Devils’ bench, smiling and laughing at the Rangers’ foibles.

The second stanza was more physical and fast-paced than the first, and its final four minutes presented the Rangers with their best imaginable opportunity to get back into the game. First, Marshall went to the box for a four-minute double-minor penalty (high sticking and unsportsmanlike conduct).Madden joined him shortly thereafter when he was penalized for hooking.

But the anemic, disorganized Rangers power play failed again. And when Madden exited the box, he rushed into the Blueshirts’ zone on a breakaway and slid the puck past Weekes.

Or so it seemed. The puck trickled to the goal line, but didn’t go over, and Ozolinsh attempted to swipe it out of harm’s way. But as has been the case throughout what is turning out to a nomadic career, his result varied dramatically from his intent. So it came as little surprise when Ozolinsh pushed the puck over the line with just six seconds remaining in the period, giving the Devils an insurmountable 3-0 lead.

It took more than 45 minutes, but the Rangers finally got on the scoreboard when Ryan Hollweg and Blair Betts cycled the puck in the Devils’ zone, Betts finishing the play by one-timing a short-range pass from Hollweg past Brodeur to cut the Devils’ lead to 3-1. The goal energized the Rangers’ fans in attendance, and chants of “Lets Go Rangers!” began to echo throughout Continental Airlines Arena.

For the next seven minutes, the Blueshirts mounted a prolonged attack, but were unable to cut into the Devils’ lead. When Michal Rozsival lost his footing in the offensive zone, Madden completed a 3-on-1 rush by tallying his first-ever playoff hat trick (and a tie for the NHL playoff record with two man-down goals) and putting the game away for good.

The Rangers’ problems in this series are numerous, but perhaps the most prevalent issue is head coach Tom Renney’s inability thus far to make the most of Ozolinsh’s talents, so as to minimize the price paid for his deficiencies. Renney isn’t the first coach to be frustrated by Ozolinsh, and the concern is always the same: his high-risk, high-reward style often generates odd-man rushes for the opposition, and he doesn’t fit well into systems that emphasize proper positioning and cautious play.

At this stage in his career, Ozolinsh – a 33-year-old veteran of 13 NHL seasons – is not going to change his game. But because his style is so contrary to the strategies Renney has successfully employed all season long, the Rangers have suffered the risks without benefiting from the rewards. Renney must decide in advance of Game 3 whether he will bench Ozolinsh or give him the green light to take full advantage of his offensive skills. Neither choice is a great one to have to make when every game is so critical, but the alternative – enduring Ozolinsh’s miscues without any tangible counterweighing benefit – is far worse.

The more likely solution will be to sit Ozolinsh – especially if Kasparaitis is ready to return – but given the Rangers’ offensive woes, the smarter solution might be to set Ozolinsh free and give him an unimpeded opportunity to jumpstart the team’s impotent offense.

With Jagr out indefinitely (it’s not even known exactly how he injured his shoulder or the extent of the damage), the Rangers’ best chance for winning Game 3 is, without question, to make the most of the best possible lineup Renney can construct. For better – or, more likely, for worse – the Rangers’ best lineup on Wednesday should include Ozolinsh.

Mr. Greenstein is the editor in chief ofInsideHockey.com.