Recap: Devils Befuddle Rangers, 2-1

The Rangers hopped across the Hudson to take on their probable first-round rivals, the New Jersey Devils.

Hopefully the Playoffs will go better than this did.

First Period:

The Rangers came out with a bit of pressure, but after a goal by Erik Haula, the Devils grabbed the momentum for most of the period.

Haula opened the scoring after winning an offensive zone face-off. Dougie Hamilton carried the puck rightward, while Haula delayed before crashing the net. Hamilton set him up for the deflection, and Haula did not miss.

Later, Timo Meier put the Devils up two on a powerplay goal. He played pitch-and-catch with Jack Hughes, and somehow the PK neither clogged the passing lane nor tied up Meier, which afforded him time and space to rip a good shot from a dangerous position.

Second Period:

The second period had a nice pace to it, including a stretch of seven minutes without a whistle.

The Rangers got on the board on the power play late in the second. The key play was by Adam Fox, who deftly poked the puck away from Yegor Sharangovich at the blue line to keep the puck in the Devil’s zone. Eventually, the puck trickled to Mika Zibanejad on a broken play. He scooped up the puck and passed it to Chris Kreider, who scored his 33^rd goal of the season.

On the whole, the Devils got the better of the chances, but they missed the net on some of their best looks.

Third Period:

The Devils continued to control the game in the third. Their speed and puck pressure left the Rangers with precious few chances, and the Blueshirts were unable to capitalize on them. Neither team found another goal, leading to a 2-1 final.

. . .

Despite the score, the Rangers were simply outclassed in this one. Igor Shesterkin was solid again, Vincent Trocheck looked good, but overall it was a rough go for the Rangers. The fourth line was the only combination with that created more expected goals than they let up, and the Kids Line got absolutely caved in the game’s first half. It’s hard to say what, if anything, this means for the playoffs. Will the tenacity and physicality of the post-season help to slow down the Devils? Will having Lindgren back be the difference? I don’t think this game definitively means anything for the Rangers’ chances in the eventual series, but I do think it gives the team a lot to think about.

The Rangers will take on the free-falling Buffalo Sabres Friday at 7:00.