Tonight, the New Jersey Devils host the New York Rangers in Game 2 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Rangers took Game 1 convincingly, 5-1, at the Prudential Center on Tuesday in New Jersey’s first playoff game in five years.

Match Overview

Game 1 was a dominant effort by the Rangers who coasted past the Devils with ease. New York jumped out to an early 2-0 lead and did not look back. The Devils eventually found their game at five-on-five, but the Rangers clogged the slot area and made things difficult for a Devils team looking to play in transition.

The special teams battle clearly swung in New York’s favor as well. The Rangers went 2-for-3 on the man advantage with Chris Kreider connecting on a pair deflections from in front of the net. Meanwhile, the Devils went 0-for-4.

Entering Game 2, both teams appear relatively healthy. Both had an optional practice on Wednesday. The Devils’ was lightly populated with mostly healthy scratched players, per Amanda Stein. Meanwhile, almost every Ranger attended, with Mika Zibanejad and Tyler Motte being absent, per Dan Rosen. There isn’t much to read into here, with both teams finishing Game 1 at full strength and no other injury news announced at time of writing.

Vitek Vanecek figures to be back in net for New Jersey. He allowed four goals on 22 shots, allowing 1.83 goals above expected in the Game 1 loss. Igor Shesterkin will be between the pipes for New York. The 27-year-old stopped 27 of 28 shots, saving 1.68 goals above expected.

Projected Lines

New Jersey Devils

After a lightly attended optional practice following the Game One, stay tuned to our social channels for updated lines closer to puck drop.

New York Rangers

Forwards

Kreider – Zibanejad – Kane

Panarin – Trocheck – Tarasenko

Lafreniere – Chytil – Kakko

Vesey – Goodrow – Motte

Defensemen

Lindgren – Fox

Miller – Trouba

Mikkola – Schneider

Goaltenders

Shesterkin

Halak

What To Watch For

Start On Time

A slow start doomed New Jersey in Game 1, leading to an early deficit the Devils could not overcome. In the first period on Tuesday, the Rangers had 57.20 expected goals-for percentage (xGF%) and a 6-2 edge in high-danger chances at five-on-five. New York also connected on the power play in the first.

Despite leading the league in comeback wins this season, the Devils cannot afford to fall behind early yet again. After taking a 2-0 lead to the intermission, the Rangers were able to make life as difficult as possible for the Devils. In the second and third period, the Devils had a 74.05 Corsi-for percentage (CF%) and a 65.98% xGF%, respectively. The Devils also had a 10-4 advantage in high-danger chances in the final two periods at five-on-five. 

However, Shesterkin made a handful of timely saves, the Rangers were opportunistic with their chances (especially on special teams), and the game was not close in the third. The Devils cannot afford to be chasing the game again in Game 2, and a better first period is crucial in that regard.

Special Teams

For as much as a slow start cost the Devils, the special teams battle is just as critical to their success. The Ranger dominated the special teams battle in Game 1, but what was so jarring for the Devils is how dominant it was.

Across eight minutes of power play time, the Devils managed just 0.41 expected goals for and did not get a single shot through to Igor Shesterkin. That is about as woeful as a power play can look without giving up a shorthanded goal against.

Meanwhile, the Rangers struck twice on their own power plays, both times on Chris Kreider deflections in front. New York spent just 3:25 on the man advantage, but generated 0.49 expected goals for, more than NJ in less than half the time. Both teams had two high-danger looks on the man advantage, although the Rangers buried both of theirs.

Needless to say, that level of special teams ineptitude is not nearly good enough to win in the playoffs. First and foremost, the Devils need to test Shesterkin with shots, even just for potential rebounds or deflections. 

On the other end, allowing two goals on 0.49 expected is far from ideal. The Devils’ penalty kill unit has to do a much better job tying up Kreider, but they also may need their goalie to be their best penalty killer, as the saying goes.

If the Devils cannot clean up their special teams issues, this will be a short series with a disappointing outcome for the Black and Red.

Jack Hughes

Jack Hughes was the only Devil to score in Game 1, but his penalty shot goal was nothing more than a consolation on Tuesday. At five-on-five, Hughes had a decent night. The 21-year-old had a 76zpp CF%, but just a 57.19 xGF% and a 3-2 edge in high-danger chances.

The biggest thing to watch for Hughes is if he and the Devils can do a better job getting to the dangerous areas of the ice. Looking into his possession numbers, Hughes had a 10-4 edge in overall scoring chances at even strength, but just 3-2 in high-danger looks, as noted above. A similar story is seen in his shot attempts (CF%) compared to his lower expected goals share.

After taking an early lead, the Rangers did a solid job keeping the Devils to the outside. New Jersey had some good looks, but they were mostly spread out, and Shesterkin was equal to them. They did a good job keeping Hughes frustrated as well, forcing a game-high five giveaways out of number 86.

The hope for New Jersey is that the late penalty shot can get Hughes hot, almost like a basketball player seeing a free throw or layup go through the rim. At the same time, if the Devils can start quick and stop the Rangers from hunkering down to protect a lead, Hughes can use his speed to take over the game in transition. NJ will need him to do just that to tie up the series.

Where to Watch

Puck drop for Game 2 is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. Both TBS and MSGSN will have coverage.

Note: All statistics via Natural Stat Trick.