Summary
It was another tough night for the New Jersey Devils Tuesday, as they lost to the New York Rangers, 3-1. Everything that could have gone wrong in the past week has. That continued last night, with injuries, penalties, and bad feelings abounding.
First Period
The Rangers dominated in the first period, but it was the Devils who struck first with a goal from Yegor Sharangovich. The Rangers controlled the rest of the period, however, with goals coming from Ryan Strome and Chris Kreider. Midway through the period, Braden Schneider laid down a big hit on Jesper Boqvist, which led Sharangovich to drop the gloves. In a play reminiscent of P.K. Subban’s fight against Oliver Wahlstrom on Sunday, Sharangovich was given 17 minutes of penalty time for instigation. It’s a controversial and relatively new rule that has severely punished the Devils for standing up for themselves. Sharangovich did not return after the fight, logging just 2:06 of ice time on the night. The period ended with the Rangers up 2-1.
Second Period
Neither team scored in the second frame, but the Devils controlled most of the possession, notching a Corsi-for percentage (CF%) of 65.00 and an expected-goal percentage (xG%) of 78.38. But this didn’t mean the Devils came out unscathed, as Jimmy Vesey went down with an injury while trying to lay down a hit. It doesn’t look good for him, as he couldn’t put any weight on the injured leg when he hobbled into the tunnel.
Third Period
The Devils dominated possession again in the third, posting a 71.43 CF% and an xG% of 71.28, but the Rangers held the Devils at bay. They also scored a goal of their own on a chance that Nico Daws probably should have saved making the score 3-1. That was how things ended as the Devils left the ice injured and dejected.
Results
With last night’s loss, the Devils now hold a record of 24-40-6 and are in eighth place in the Metropolitan Division. The Rangers, on the other hand, own a record of 45-20-6 and sit in second place in the Metro Division.
Game Notes
Injuries, Injuries, and More Injuries
New Jersey came into the night battered, and they ended it even more so. Nathan Bastian and Jack Hughes did not return last night after suffering injuries against the Islanders, and midway through the game, we learned that Jack Hughes had suffered an MCL sprain, a season-ending injury. On top of this, Sharangovich was seemingly injured in his fight and Jimmy Vesey is likely done for the season. It won’t be pretty for the Devils’ bench down the stretch.
Rangers Dominate Special Teams
They’ve been doing it all season, but it was especially prevalent last night. That was the Rangers’ sheer dominance on special teams. Both of their first period goals came on the power play and they completely shut the Devils’ PP down, holding them shotless on two attempts.
This has been a running theme for the blue shirts this season, and it’s propelled them into the race for the Stanley Cup. They have below-average even-strength numbers, with a 46.66 CF% and a 46.85 xG% in five-on-five action, but dominate on the powerplay, with a powerplay percentage (PP%) of 26.2, third in the NHL. If the Rangers want success in the playoffs, they’ll have to rely on their powerplay.
Up Next
The Devils will play the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday at 7:00 PM EDT.