At long last, the New Jersey-New York border was has returned the NHL Playoffs. It’s been 18 years since the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers faced off in the Eastern Conference Finals when Stephane Matthau scored the winner against Martin Brodeur in Game 7 to send the Rangers to the finals.

Now the teams return tonight at Madison Square Garden with another trip to the championship on the line. Bovada’s Game 1 Betting Lines are favoring the Rangers at home by 1 1/2 goals, with a -125 moneyline.

New York hasn’t been back to the Stanley Cup Finals since that thrilling series in 1994. It has only been to the conference finals one other time, a 1997 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. The Devils, in the meantime, rebounded nicely, winning the Cup in 1995 and 2003.

Brodeur is the only player from that original series that is still in the NHL today, and will suit up tonight for New Jersey. He is a career 46-29-15 against New York, with nine shutouts and a a paper thin 2.12 goals-against average in 95 meetings.

”I guess it’s kind of amazing when you look at the amount of years in between the two series,” he said Sunday. ”A lot of things have changed since ’94, as far as the media is concerned.

”I expect it to be just the same for the guys. They have to just enjoy the moment. This is a great time in everybody’s lives, and we need to really take it all in. You never know when you’re going to get back in the situation that you’re going to play for a chance to go to the Stanley Cup finals. Playing against our biggest rival, kind of puts a cherry on top.”

New York reaches the finals after winning a war of attrition against the Ottawa Senators and Washington Capitals. The Rangers needed Game 7 to win both of those series, while the Devils made quick work of the Flyers in just five games. No team has ever won the Stanley Cup after going to Game 7 in each of its first two series.

The teams split the season series, each getting a shutout.