That's because the Devils have never beaten the Rangers in a Game 7 in two tries in their playoff history.
"Win or go home, that's it," Devils captain Nico Hischier said. "Game 7 is pretty much self-explaining, so it's all or nothing."
New York won 2-1 in the 1994 Eastern Conference Final and 8-4 in the 1992 Eastern semifinal round. Both were at Madison Square Garden.
New Jersey seeks this must-win for the first time against New York on home ice at Prudential Center. Home-ice advantage in the first round is something the Devils don't take for granted after they set franchise records for wins (52) and points (112).
"What a game to be in," New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff said. "Where would you rather be? Playing at home in front of your fans ... Game 7. It's something that if you're a little kid growing up, you're going to sit there and go, 'Man, I'd love to play in that game.'
"So, we worked hard all year to get this point. I know that team that's in that locker room is going to give me everything they got."
RELATED: [Complete Devils vs. Rangers series coverage]
The Devils are 3-2 at home in five Game 7s all time; the Rangers are 3-5 on the road in eight Game 7s.
"This is the fun part of the year so it's exciting and we're looking forward to it," Devils center Dawson Mercer said. "We're going to give it our all."
There could be some drama leading up to the big game after New York chased goalie Akira Schmid in favor of Vitek Vanecek at 12:28 of the third period after the 22-year-old rookie allowed his fifth goal in a
5-2 loss in Game 6
on Saturday.
Ruff refused to give any hint to his Game 7 starter.
"We'll have a discussion like we usually do with the coaches," he said. "We'll discuss with [general manager Tom Fitzgerald and executive vice president of hockey operations Martin Brodeur]. We've got a bank of information and guys that have been through a lot of different teams. And we got one of the best goalies (Hockey Hall of Famer Brodeur) in the history of hockey that we can rely on what he thinks too. All these guys have opinions and advice and it's something that we're going to sit down and talk about and then go forward."
Schmid had won Games 3, 4 and 5 in spectacular fashion after replacing Vanecek for Game 3 at New York, allowing two goals total and was coming off a 4-0 win in Game 5 on Thursday before Saturday's Game 6 loss.
"I think we played a good game but sometimes you just get unlucky bounces," Schmid said. "In a Game 7, you try and play your game and don't overcomplicate it. It's a Game 7, but you just try and treat it like any other game."
