Stakes are raised in Game 3

Now the feeling out ends and the knocking out begins. Game 3 is historically pivotal, and this afternoon in Newark, it’s likely where the Battle of the Hudson between the Rangers and Devils turns deadly serious.

Matchups, grudges, payback and strategies already are gaining traction. Now this series starts to resemble what Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist called a “war” yesterday.

“The closer you get to your final destination, the tougher it’s going to get,” Lundqvist said. “We went into this series with the mindset it’s going to be a big battle, a big war out there.”

With stuck penalty box doors and a couple of benchings, this series has yet to grow fangs, tied 1-1 after the Devils won, 3-2, in Game 2 at the Garden Wednesday. If the Rangers are going to try to press a button and rattle all-time great Martin Brodeur, this would be the time and place.

If the Rangers do visit Brodeur in his office — and the Devils expect something from the team that brought Sean Avery to their last playoff meeting — Lundqvist can figure on turnabout, whether it’s fair play or foul.

“That’s part of the game of playoff hockey against a great goaltender,” Ryan Carter told The Post. “They’ll try to rattle him. That wouldn’t be a surprise.

“But it’s a slippery slope. They have a goaltender, too.”

The Devils can’t figure on scoring three goals on Lundqvist nightly without getting him off his game. Dainius Zubrus has made a nuisance of himself, standing at crease-edge, so that Lundqvist must look squarely into his NJ crest when a Rangers player has the puck behind the net. Lundqvist did tap him with his goalie stick at one point.

It’s Game 3 that usually foretells how a series ends. In Devils history, the winners of Game 3 after an opening split have won 19-of-25 series, though it’s just gone the Devils’ way 13 times.

In Rangers best-of-seven history since expansion, teams winning Game 3 after an opening split have taken 16-of-22 series. The Rangers have won 12 of those series.

The Devils are hoping to do something with their newly discovered home reputation. They are 4-1 in Newark, tied with the Kings for the best home record in these playoffs. They could win the Stanley Cup just by winning the rest of their home games.

“That’s exciting, but you have to be careful thinking like that,” Carter said. “You can’t get carried away dreaming. But one day at a time, one game at a time, and I like our chances.”

Zubrus said the Devils have developed a fortress mentality about their Newark home.

“Everybody who comes in is an invader. It’s our building now,” he said.

As for the Rangers?

“We don’t care how they come out,” Ilya Kovalchuk said. “We want to think about the way we’re going to come out and play on our home ice.”

The Devils made an effort to convince their fans not to sell tickets to Rangers fans in hopes of unifying what is usually a very split house.

“It’s a nice rink,” Lundqvist said. “During the regular season we have a lot of fans there, so that makes it very special to play every time. We’ll see how the building will be tomorrow.

“Hopefully we have a lot of fans.”

Brodeur said the onus is on the Devils to keep the locals on the home side.

“We’re going to be in our building for two games, so I think the first game we’ve just got to play well and get our fans on our side and keep their fans out of it,” Brodeur said. “That is the most important thing. We have to play a solid game.

“It’s the first time we’re going to be playing here this far in the playoffs. It’s hard for them to cheer on when your team’s not doing well, so we’re looking to do just that tomorrow. Get into the game by playing strong right from the get-go.”

The Devils know what’s at stake. The Rangers could take back home-ice advantage as quickly as they lost it in Game 2. The Devils could set themselves up in the driver’s seat, as they did in their last series against the Flyers. It starts getting late this early.

— Additional reporting by Brett Cyrgalis

mark.everson@nypost.com