The New York Rangers won a big victory tonight by exploding by six goals and defeating the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center. The game started off slow for the Rangers, as they were not able to generate much attack, but they took off in the last 40 minutes driven by Chris Kreider’s hat-trick. Even though everything went well for Rangers tonight, they received some bad news when Igor Shesterkin left the game with a non-contact injury.
1st period
Jack Hughes (5) – Sami Vatanen (1) – 7:12
Rangers had a very miserable opening period, considering all aspects, and it went from bad to worse when Devils jumped to a 1-0 lead. An ice call dismissed in New Jersey seemed to take Igor Shesterkin by surprise when he had a chance to clean the disc. However, Shesterkin left the disc untouched and he swerved in front of the net of the end plates. Jack Hughes was entering the zone with speed, picked up the loose puck and fired over Shesterkin’s shoulder to make the game 1-0 in favor of New Jersey.
2nd period
Chris Kreider (11) – Ryan Strome (8) and Pavel Buchnevich (10) PPG – 8:28
Just before the middle of the game, the Rangers finally had a chance at power play and made the most of the opportunity. A beautiful pass through the neutral zone gave the Rangers a clean break into the offensive zone and they started to work. Ryan Strome ended the play with a beautiful cross-disk pass in the middle of the traffic and straight on Chris Kreider’s tape. All in one move, Kreider was able to redirect the puck and place it under Mackenzie Blackwood’s arm for the 1-1 draw.
Chris Kreider (12) – Ryan Lindgren (9) and Ryan Strome (9) – 13:57
Almost four and a half minutes later, it would be Kreider attacking again at the 13:57 mark of the second period. The second of Kreider’s night came out of a broken play in the corner, and the puck went out to Ryan Lindgren on the blue line. Lindgren gave a quick kick with traffic adjusted in the front, and the puck hit Kreider’s club when he entered the goal. Mackenzie Blackwood never reacted to the change of direction, and New York grabbed its first lead of the night.
3rd period
Chris Kreider (13) – Filip Chytil (2) – 0:23
Despite a difficult start to the game, Rangers flew off to start the third period and were rewarded with a goal just 23 seconds into the period. Chris Kreider would take his second hat-trick of the season in an absolute snipe from just within the hash marks. Filip Chytil created the whole sequence with a great forecheck, forced the turnover and immediately fed a pass against his momentum.
Pavel Buchnevich (7) – Alexis Lafrenière (3) – 3:57
New York would continue to press in the third period and jumped to a 4-1 lead over Pavel Buchnevich seventh of the season. Both Buchnevich and Alexis Lafrenière exchanged in a ball exchange in the neutral zone, which separated the defenders. Lafrenière bet an absolute dime to Buchnevich on the other side of the ice and he fired a shot just below the post. The goal would take Mackenzie Blackwood out of the crease, and the Rangers were sitting early in the third period.
Brendan Smith (2) – Phil Di Giuseppe (6) and Kevin Rooney (3) – 15:25
With less than five minutes left to play, the Rangers played their second power play of the night. David Quinn rewarded his last six players for the effort and expelled them at the end of the game with an individual advantage. It ended up working out when Brendan Smith located a loose disk in the high crack and threw it into the empty net. Aaron Dell, who replaced Blackwood several minutes earlier, never had a chance after losing the record.
Alexis Lafrenière (4) – Mika Zibanejad (6) – 18:27
Still fresh from Igor Shesterkin’s injury, Alexis Lafrenière added some happy thoughts as he returned home for the fourth time of the season. Mika Zibanejad received primary assistance after forcing a turn on the blue line, and gently hitting a pass to Lafrenière in the transition. The 19-year-old ended the play with an unreal kick from inside the left circle of the direct confrontation and placed the puck under the crossbar.
If you only watched the opening period of this game, you would think that the Rangers would have a long night. However, despite the slow start, they found a way to gain momentum and completely turn the ship around. Chris Kreider continued his dominance with his second hat-trick of the season, and Alexis Lafrenière extended his point streak with a multi-point exit. Now, we are waiting for news from Igor Shesterkin, who fell apart and needed help at the end of the third period.
With everything that has gone wrong for Rangers so far, the last thing they need now is a long-term injury to the starting goalkeeper. After tonight’s thrilling victory over the New Jersey Devils, they will have a break tomorrow before returning to action on Saturday afternoon for a rematch.