NEW YORK — Henrik Lundqvist stopped all 21 shots by the New Jersey Devils that got through to him. The other 26 attempts blocked in front by his teammates were every bit as important in the New York Rangers’ Eastern Conference finals opening win.

“We know that’s happening,” Devils captain Zach Parise said after the Rangers’ 3-0 win on Monday night. “We know that’s coming. That’s the way they play. They block a lot of shots, and we expect that for the rest of the series.”

So did the Ottawa Senators and the Washington Capitals, the Rangers’ first two postseason opponents, who pushed the East’s top-seeded team to seven games, but couldn’t knock them out.

Lundqvist earned his fifth career playoff shutout across the ice from New Jersey’s Martin Brodeur, who owns the NHL postseason record with 24.

The game was in a scoreless deadlock until the third period when the Rangers broke it open.

“It felt like it was important for me to get a good start,” Lundqvist said. “It’s always tough to come from a Game 7. So emotional, and everything around it, and then start over. (Sunday) was all about regrouping, and move your focus to a new team and just a different type of game. I didn’t really know what to expect from this game, honestly.

“It pretty much turned out the way I hoped.”

Rookie Chris Kreider, defenseman Dan Girardi, and Artem Anisimov all had a goal and an assist for New York, which rebounded well two days after outlasting the pesky Capitals.