Thursday, the New Jersey Devils beat the New York Rangers, 6-1, in a dominant home win. The Devils scored three goals in the first five minutes of the second period and didn’t look back.
Recap
Period One
The Devils started off slow, playing sloppy in every aspect, but the Rangers couldn’t take advantage. Part way through the period, the Devils had a prime opportunity to take the lead with a full two minute five-on-three, but they couldn’t capitalize missing passes and whiffing on shots.
Despite the poor play, it was New Jersey who took a 1-0 lead. Late in the period Evan Rodrigues found the puck with lots of time and fired a shot by Dylan Garand and in. That was the only score after the first period, New Jersey led 1-0.
Period Two
After struggling through the first, the Devils opened the flood gates in the second period.
Just 18 seconds into the period, Luke Hughes fired a shot that snuck in five-hole past Garand. A few minutes later, Nico Hischier found the puck in front of the net after a rebound and tapped it in to make it 3-0.
The Rangers called a timeout, but it didn’t help. Just 31 seconds later Arseny Gritsyuk found the back of the net for his second in three games. That was the end of the road for Garand, he was replaced by Spencer Martin.
New Jersey was firmly in the driver’s seat when Luke Hughes scored his second of the period off a fantastic move and shot. The Devils led 5-0 after two periods.
Period Three
The excitement wasn’t over in the third for the Devils. Amadeus Lombardi made a great play to get the puck to Stefan Noesen for his first of the season.
The Rangers finally got on the board on their third power play of the night. Pavel Dorofeyev perfectly redirected a point-shot from Adam Fox to break the shutout bid for Nico Daws.
New Jersey was able to regain the six-goal lead in the final minutes on another Rangers power play. The referees missed a potential tripping call against Dawson Mercer, which led to a clean break for Cody Glass who sniped the puck under the right pad of Martin. The Devils shock the Rangers at The Rock, and take their fourth win of the season 7-1.
Game Notes
Keefe’s Devils Crush the Rangers
There have been many complaints about Sheldon Keefe’s tenure as Devils head coach. So much so that many considered his leash to be very short to start this season. However, if there’s one thing nobody can complain about Keefe’s Devils is that they’ve dominated the Rangers.
In eight games of the Hudson River Rivalry since the start of the 2024-25 season, the Devils are 6-1-1 against the Rangers, scoring 36 goals and allowing just 15. It’s been even better at home where New Jersey is 4-0-0 scoring 22 goals to the Rangers four.
The third year Devils bench boss recorded his 300th win as an NHL head coach with the win Thursday night.
Lombardi’s Great Game
Amadeus Lombardi has established himself as a key piece on a spectacular fourth line for the Devils. Thursday night, he recorded two points in a game for the first time in his career, both being primary assists. In 10:28 of five-on-five ice time, Lombardi held a 78.26 corsi-for percentage (CF%) and 86.74 expected goals percentage (xG%).
When he touches the puck, it’s electric nearly every time. For just a fourth-round pick, Lombardi seems like the first in a line of great trades by new general manager Sunny Mehta.
What’s Next
The Devils head to Washington D.C. to take on the Capitals Saturday afternoon. Puck drop is set for 1:00 pm ET.