Despite notching only 12 shots on goal, the New Jersey Devils took down the New York Rangers 3-1 in a preseason matchup at Madison Square Garden Thursday night. The Devils ran a lineup almost identical to the one they will likely use on opening night, minus Luke Hughes. The Rangers ran many of their regulars, but J.T. Miller and Artemi Panarin remained out of the lineup.
First Period
The Devils got off to a strong start, controlling time of possession in the offensive zone for much of the period. They buzzed dangerously, but struggled to get shots on goal as the Rangers’ defense did a good job of blocking shots and maintaining a tight box in the high-danger areas.
The Devils missed a big opportunity in front of the net as New York left Nico Hischier all alone in front of the crease with the puck. Fortunately for the Rangers, Johnathan Quick came out to challenge Hischier before he could move the puck to his forehand. The game continued with no whistles for some time as the Devils cycled in and out of the Rangers’ zone.
The Rangers pushed back in the next few minutes, struggling to clear their zone, but playing well in New Jersey’s zone when they got the opportunities. That was until the teams’ bottom lines got mired in a wall battle in the Devils’ zone. Matt Rempe, in an attempt to free the puck, misplayed it and sent it on a backhand to the middle of the neutral zone. Devils rookie Arseny Gritsyuk was there to pick it up and create a two-on-one with Paul Cotter. Gritsyuk capitalized on the opportunity, sending a clean pass to Cotter, who buried it past Quick to give the Devils a 1-0 lead.
The Devils continued to control play in the offensive zone as the period wound down and left the ice for the first intermission with a one-goal lead. They earned a 67.74 Corsi-for percentage (CF%) and an 82.1 expected goal percentage (xG%) at five-on-five.
Second Period
The Devils picked up where they left off to start the second period, moving the puck in the offensive zone but failing to find clean shooting lanes. Will Borgen and Adam Edstrom played particularly well in the Rangers’ zone, stepping in front of shots and breaking up multiple good plays. Cody Glass had one of the best opportunities of the period for the Devils, beating the defense but unable to beat Quick’s kick save.
The Rangers’ strong defensive zone play eventually paid off later in the period as they got good breakouts and more offensive zone time as a result. They gave the Devils some of their own medicine, hemming them into their defensive zone while making clears incredibly difficult.
One of these clearing attempts resulted in disaster for the Devils. In an innocent-looking play, Simon Nemec attempted to clear the puck as a forechecking Edstrom bore down on him. Nemec mistakenly played the puck right off Edstrom, and it somehow ended up in the back of the Devils’ net to put the Rangers on the board.
The Rangers continued to pose a problem on the forecheck and below the goal in the Devils’ zone. Jonas Siegenthaler got nabbed for a holding penalty late in the period, handing New York the first power play of the night. The Devils had a great penalty kill, clearing the zone often and not letting the Rangers set up their first unit. Jack Hughes even got a nice short-handed scoring opportunity, slicing through the Ranger defense but failing to beat Quick.
New Jersey held the Rangers to just the one goal and entered the second intermission tied 1-1. They posted a 42.86 CF% at five-on-five in the second period.
Third Period
Brett Pesce did not come out of the tunnel for the final period for unknown reasons, so the Devils ran five defensemen to finish the game.
The Rangers continued to run the Devils’ zone in the third period. They got plenty of scoring opportunities, but Jacob Markstrom made a few timely stops to hold the Rangers to one goal. He also got the rebound issue that had plagued him earlier in the game under control in the third period, which was a huge help for the struggling New Jersey defense.
The Devils retook the lead early in the period on a simple yet effective play. Dougie Hamilton received the puck high near the blue line from Simon Nemec and sent a saucer pass to a waiting Ondrej Palat in the slot, who redirected it past a fooled Johnathan Quick to give the Devils a 2-1 lead.
The Rangers pulled Quick late in the period in an attempt to get the tying goal. They put strong pressure on the Devils in the offensive zone before Jonas Siegenthaler and Trocheck got into a scuffle behind the play. This led to a four-on-four with Quick still pulled. Dawson Mercer ended the drama with an empty-net goal to make it 3-1.
The Devils played a slightly better third period, scoring a goal but still giving up plenty of opportunities to New York. They scored a 52.63 CF% and a 62.84 xG% at five-on-five in the third.
Results
It wasn’t the prettiest win for the Devils’ regulars, but it’s always good to beat the Rangers (even if it’s in the preseason). New Jersey finished with just 12 shots on goal, but still managed to outchance the Rangers. To their credit, New York played great in their own end, getting in lanes and breaking up the Devils’ play designs. More broadly, the Devils’ regulars had some highs and some lows last night. Now that the final roster is looking clearer, last night was an important tune-up for the season opener next week.
Game Notes
- The Devils struggled to get much going in the latter two periods, but also didn’t make too many blunders or mental errors (the Edstrom goal was mostly down to luck). This is a good sign in a game that featured most of the opening night lineup. There are still some things to iron out, but the group looks good.
- Noah Laba, Adam Edstrom, and Will Borgen were the Rangers’ standouts last night. Noah Laba is an interesting case. He’s making a strong case to break camp with the NHL squad, but still faces an uphill battle if he wants to surprise the organization by grabbing a roster spot.
- Brett Pesce sustained an injury sometime in the second period, though it is not known what exactly caused it. Head coach Sheldon Keefe did not specify anything after the game and said that he will be evaluated.
Up Next
A group of mostly minor leagues will take on the Philadelphia Flyers Saturday at 12:30 pm ET in Philadelphia.