Well, here we go again. The New Jersey Devils traveled across the George Washington Bridge to take on the same New York Rangers they defeated Monday night. However, the Rangers roster looked a lot different.
The Devils saw a Rangers lineup that had many regulars in their lineup, including goaltender Igor Shesterkin. With this, the Devils found themselves down, but put up a strong fight to storm a comeback. They fell short, losing 5-4.
Game Recap
First Period
The first period between the two teams saw each team score a goal. The Rangers drew first blood. After a failed clearing attempt by the Devils, defenseman Zac Jones fired a puck from the blueline that found its way past Isaac Poulter. However, the Devils went on to respond less than a minute later. Defenseman Jakub Zboril fired a shot on Igor Shesterkin that generated a favorable rebound. Zboril pounced on that rebound and fired the puck past Shesterkin to tie the game.
No scoring would come the rest of the way, but the game grew to be physical and even saw two fights. The score was 1-1 headed into the second period.
Second Period
Much like the first period, the Rangers drew first blood in the second frame. Off a beautiful passing sequence, Adam Edstrom skated past the Devils defense and roofed a backhand shot over Poulter. However, the Devils responded once again. After firing a shot from the slot, Kevin Lebanc pounced on the rebound in mid air and managed to tie the game. This was the second game in a row where he would find the back of the net. After the Devils tied it, it was all Rangers the rest of the way.
The Rangers went on to score two goals in 28 seconds. Victor Mancini went dancing around the zone and fired a shot past Poulter to make it 3-2. Seconds later, Brennan Othmann sent a pass to Connor Mackey who ripped a shot from the faceoff dot to make it 4-2 and that’s how the teams would enter the final period.
Third Period
To start the third period, both teams made a goalie change. And, like the first two periods, the Rangers grabbed the first goal of the frame. On the power play, Vincent Trocheck took a pass and skated right into the slot and fired a shot home. Moments later, it was the Devils’ turn to cash in on the man advantage. After some really strong puck movement, Lebanc roofed home his second of the game to cut the deficit to two goals.
In the final minute of the game, the Devils struck again. After winning the faceoff, Lebanc skated around the zone and fed a pass to Brian Halonen who cut the deficit to one goal. The Devils put forth a strong effort to end the game, but fell short, 5-4.
Game Notes
- This was the second game in a row where Kevin Lebanc had a strong showing. He had a three point game (two goals, one assist), and was impactful once again. He finished with the third-best Corsi-for percentage (CF%) of any Devils skater and the Devils held a shots on goal advantage when he was on the ice. He’s making a case to get a contract after the last two games.
- The Devils needed to tighten things up defensively. They allowed the Rangers to get to the high danger areas of the ice, generating 13 attempts in all situations. The Rangers scored two of their five goals from that area of the ice.
What’s Next?
The Devils road swing continues, as they take on the Philadelphia Flyers in Philadelphia on October 3. The last preseason game of their tune-up season.