Where's Mark Messier when you need him?

After the New York Rangers' 3-0 shutout loss to the New Jersey Devils Wednesday night -- which left the Rangers staring at a three-game deficit -- no one was guaranteeing anything against New Jersey in the Rangers' dressing room.

Injured shoulder, wounded pride and all, Jaromir Jagr held court in front of his locker after the game for 20 minutes, answering any and all questions fired at him about the combined up-hill battle he and his team face being down 3-0 in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series.

But while Jagr responded to each query, never did he utter the words: "We will win" like Messier did before Game 6 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals against the Devils.

In Jagr's defense, he doesn't even know whether or not he'll be in the lineup Saturday afternoon in Game 4 at Madison Square Garden. It's really all up to his ailing left shoulder. And judging by the way he played in Game 3, if the shoulder is still in the same shape come Saturday, the Rangers will need someone to step up and shoulder -- if you will -- the offensive burden.

Jagr's status is just one of the Rangers' problems. Minus a healthy Jagr, the Rangers' offense has sputtered, Henrik Lundqvist's goaltending hasn't been as sharp as earlier in the season and then there are the Devils, a team on a major roll that rarely seems to make a mistake.

"We didn't play any good the last 10 games of the season," Jagr said. "We were just lucky we had enough points to make it. I don't know why, (but) that's the way it was. But everybody knows in the playoffs it's a lot harder to play. The intensity of the game is a lot higher than the regular season. I felt like if we're not going to change the game we play -- the way we play -- we're going to have a problem and that's what happened to us."

So now the big question is not whether or not Jagr is going to be in the lineup for Game 4. It's where do the Rangers go from here and who's going to take them there?

"We can't look at the big picture," Jagr said. "We can't lose three-straight games and then say 'Hell, now let's win four.' It doesn't work that way. We have to somehow try to keep it close -- don't give up too many goals. Don't make any mistakes and try to get one. Then you never know."

An ailing Jaromir Jagr is just one of the problems the Rangers have had to deal with against New Jersey.

One thing that was known right after the opening draw Wednesday night was that Jagr was nowhere near 100 percent. Jagr only got off one shot in just over 17 minutes of playing time in Game 3. In the 3:42 he played on the power play, Jagr was just a shell of himself, netting one harmless wrister on goal during his time on ice with the extra attacker. Several times when he got the puck in a shooting lane he opted to pass rather than shoot. On a few of the chances he threw the puck back to the point to defenseman Michal Rozsival, who had three power-play goals on the year, as compared to Jagr's 24, which was tied for second in the entire NHL. A healthy Jagr doesn't pass up those golden chances. He usually buries them.

"I knew I was not going to be a big factor. I was hoping they were going to play the checking line against my line or maybe (I'd) play on a different line and let the other guys play against the offensive lines, but it still didn't work," Jagr said. "Once you get behind against a team like New Jersey that plays such good defense, plus they have Marty Brodeur behind them, it's tough to score."

In the three games against the Devils, the Rangers have only managed to score two goals, while New Jersey has netted 13.

"It's frustrating, but we have to refresh," former Devil Petr Sykora said. "There's no time to be frustrated. This is the time to check in and give it our all Saturday."

Rangers' forward Jed Ortmeyer agreed with Sykora. "We have to worry about Saturday. It only takes one and then we'll worry about Sunday after that."