NHL

Devils worried about first win, not Rangers

It’s not the impressive Rangers the Devils will fret first tonight in Newark. They are more concerned about themselves than they are about their rivals.

Their first-ever season-opening loss (10-1-2) at home was just that foul Saturday, a 5-2 thumping by the Flyers that saw Martin Brodeur yield four dubious goals in his 1,000th NHL game.

“It’s just about us, how we play. The Rangers, for the fans, it’s a big deal, but for us, it’s getting a win and feeling better about ourselves,” said Brodeur, who set an NHL record by making his 15th straight opening night start.

Besides an excusable goal off a retrieved block, the Devils’ franchise goalie was beaten by three first-shot wristers and a wrap, and the fans registered their disappointment with derisive cheers.

Brodeur says he knows what went wrong and spent yesterday correcting it.

“I was concentrating in practice on challenging the shooters a little more instead of looking for [opponents’] plays all the time,” Brodeur told The Post. “I got caught, for whatever reason, I don’t know, I was looking for [Philly] to make an extra play all the time.

“I wasn’t really square to them and that’s not me. That’s not the way I play. Usually I don’t doubt anybody around me that I have to do this.”

While Brodeur had an off-night, so did the team’s offense, especially the 5-on-3 power play that failed to click in two tries.

“On the power play, you might not score, but even if you don’t, you have to get some momentum, some shots and chances, and we didn’t do any of that,” Dainius Zubrus said. “We need to want the puck and take charge, more than anything else.”

Jacques Lemaire spent much of yesterday’s practice working on the power play, which he said was too static, lacking player movement to open up the box or triangle.

“When you’re not moving, it’s hard to get a good shot because everybody’s a goalie today. All three guys want to block shots,” Lemaire said. “A goal on the 5-on-3, you’d get huge confidence, and the people would be behind you, the fans. It’s a different game.”

A vastly different game is what the Devils need tonight, starting in goal.

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The Devils opened 0-2 in 1983, 1988 and 2002, and stretched that to 0-4 in 2002, starting the end of Larry Robinson’s first stint as coach. . . . Lemaire said he benched Andrew Peters after Peters added an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to a minor in the third. He said players would receive such punishment for those mistakes, and for staying on-ice too long.

Ilkka Pikkarainen, still on IR from the flu, skated in practice yesterday with Rod Pelley and Matt Halischuk and pronounced himself ready. . . . The Devils and Rangers split six last season, although Brodeur was 0-2, losing the first and last meetings.

mark.everson@nypost.com