The New Jersey Devils looked to build on the team’s success in their first preseason game during last night’s game against the New York Rangers. They certainly did that in a dismantling against a Rangers team, albeit without a lot of everyday players, emerging victorious 7-1.
Game Overview
P.K. Subban got the scoring going early. Roughy 4:30 minutes into period one, he slapped one home from the point. The puck deflected in off a Ranger in front of the net. The play was set up by some nice board work courtesy of Michael McLeod.
The Devils scored two more in the first period: one goal by Janne Kuokkanen and the other by Tyce Thompson. The Kuokkanen goal came on the power play when he snapped home a rebound. The rebound was created by a wicked slap shot by Alexander Holtz. Holtz picked up his third point in just two preseason games on the goal. The last goal of the period was a Thompson clean up job in front of the net. Dougie Hamilton did what he does so well, get the puck to the net. Thompson was able to corral it and beat Shesterkin to put the Devils up 3-0.
The Rangers did get a goal of their own before the first ended. Mika Zibanejad ripped a shot from the top of the left circle on the Rangers’ power play. Jonathan Bernier did not have much of a chance to get it, as he was partially screened as well. The Devils led 3-1 after one period.
The second period only featured one goal which was courtesy of another new Devil. Tomas Tatar scored a back-door wrist shot during a delayed penalty. Colton White, who had a solid game overall, found Tatar with a beautiful cross-ice pass in the offensive zone. Pavel Zacha picked up the secondary assist. New Jersey out-shot attempted New York 17-5 in the second at even strength.
The third period began with the Devils leading 4-1. After trading penalties, the Devils finally took advantage of one. Zacha sniped a power play goal below the bar. The play was set up when Nico Hischier won the face-off, Zacha shoveled a sweet pass to Tatar who found Hamilton who set up Zacha for the snipe. Boy, can Devils’ fans get used to that.
After that goal, Bernier made an absolutely ridiculous save to keep the game 5-1. Lauri Pajuniemi had a wide open net, and Bernier leaped on his stomach across the crease and snagged it with his glove. The Devils poured it on to end the game as Jimmy Vesey scored against his former team after a nice takeaway at center ice. Dawson Mercer topped it off with a beautiful breakaway goal to make it a 7-1 victory for the Devils.
Game Notes
- Jonathan Bernier did struggle a bit in game one of the preseason. He only stopped 13 of 17 Capital shots in two periods. He responded in a big way last night stopping 24 of 25 Rangers’ shots. One of his saves was one of the better a Devils’ goaltender has made in a long time, as referenced above. If he puts up numbers like he has throughout his career, it will do wonders for the Devils this season.
- We got a warm welcome to the Dougie Hamilton experience. He totaled two points, one of which was on the power play. The first was a very nice job of getting the puck to the net, and the second led to a Zacha power play goal. He also posted a Corsi-for % (CF%) of 55.17 and an expected goals-for (xGF%) of 62.91 while playing exclusively with an AHL-level defenseman. He did this all by playing nearly 24-minutes, 10-plus of which came in period one.
- The Vesey, Mercer, and Jesper Boqvist line led the team in five-on-five ice time and put up excellent numbers. As a trio, they contributed a 68.18 CF% and 58.77 xGF%. Vesey and Mercer also each had goals. Additionally, each player has made a strong case to be with the big club after cut downs. Head coach Lindy Ruff has some tough decision to make.
- Not exactly sure as to why, but NHL referees are calling everything so far in preseason. The Devils had four power plays and the Rangers had five. The Devils’ special teams, which were horrendous last year, were very steady last night. Zacha and Kuokkanen had power play goals, while the Devils only had one hiccup on the penalty kill. Overall, it was a great night for New Jersey at all strengths.
What’s Next
The Devils continue the team’s preseason slate tonight against the New York Islanders. The teams will play the game in Bridgeport while the finishing touches are being completed to the Islander’s new home. As it stands, it does not appear the game will be televised.
Throughout the rest of the day, be sure to stay tuned to our social media pages for the releasing of any team rosters. Per Head Coach Lindy Ruff yesterday, we may see Mackenzie Blackwood for the first time for some of the game.
As for how to keep tabs on the game, make sure to stay tuned to our socials as we will update the game the best we can.