Ottawa, Ontario (My Sportsbook) - The New Jersey Devils try to head home with a split tonight when they take on the Ottawa Senators in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals at Corel Centre.

Despite a valiant third-period comeback, the Devils were on the wrong end of a 3-2 overtime decision in Saturday's series opener and find themselves trailing for the first time this postseason. Ottawa checking forward Shaun Van Allen provided the heroics, tipping home a pass from Martin Havlat 3:08 into the extra frame.

Van Allen's goal came after the Devils had tied the game with a two-goal flurry in the second period. Joe Nieuwendyk and Jay Pandolfo tallied within a 2:32 span of the middle frame, Pandolfo bagging the equalizer with 3:09 remaining.

However, despite the roller coaster of emotions of the loss, don't expect to see a panicky bunch coming from the New Jersey dressing room this evening.

"I think we came here to split and we're in a situation that we need to win that game to accomplish what we came here for," said Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur. "But on the other side, if it doesn't happen for us, we just can't cry about it, we're going to have to regroup."

Brodeur finished with 28 saves on Saturday, allowing first-period goals to Chris Neil and Todd White in addition to the game-winner. He might have finally come close to meeting his match in the Senators' Patrick Lalime, who stopped 32 shots and etched his name in history. Lalime, who had never won a playoff game before last year, has surrendered two goals or less in an NHL- record 11 consecutive postseason contests.

And while solving Lalime might pose a problem for New Jersey, another is stopping what was again proven to be a deep Ottawa attack. Neil, White and Van Allen aren't exactly the Senators' marquee weapons, and they provided the three goals Saturday. All the while, Daniel Alfredsson and Marian Hossa were both held without a point.

"We knew that they just don't have one, two, or three guys that you have to be careful of," Devils forward Patrick Elias said. "And they proved it. Their big guys haven't scored, but they're playing well. They're dangerous."

Another worrisome fact for the Devils to ponder is that the Senators have won every game in which they've scored a goal this postseason. Their three losses in the playoffs -- Game 1 versus the NY Islanders and Games 2 and 4 to Philadelphia -- came via shutout.

Perhaps the biggest thing in Ottawa's corner, which it has lacked in the past, is the mental toughness the team has displayed this postseason, including in Saturday's near collapse. The Senators fell behind eighth-seeded New York one game to none in the first round and were forced to earn three comeback victories versus the Flyers. Situations where they may have caved before have seen them thrive.

"We had a great regular season where we had to deal with a lot of adversity," White said. "And we've been able to be very resilient and mentally tough."

On the flip side, the Devils have been showcasing their mettle for nearly a decade, and they hope to draw from that track record tonight. They are 11-3 all-time in Game 2s following a series-opening loss.

Ottawa, meanwhile, is 0-3 in Game 2 when leading a series 1-0.

Game 3 will be played Thursday night at the Meadowlands in New Jersey.