Tony DeAngelo had a night for the ages as the New York Rangers powered their way to a 6-3 win over the New Jersey Devils at Madison Square Garden.
DeAngelo made history in more ways than one as he recorded a five-point night including a hat trick, while Igor Shesterkin continued his NHL introduction tour with 46 saves.
Looking for their second consecutive win after upsetting an elite Colorado Avalanche team on Tuesday, the Blueshirts kept faith with the same lines and also gave Shesterkin another chance to impress.
But it was the usual suspects who delivered early as Artemi Panarin hammered home a one-timer from DeAngelo’s first point of the night.
The Devils, who had actually adapted well to life after Taylor Hall, did hit back soon after with Kevin Rooney tallying a shorthanded goal.
These Rangers were in the mood, however, and DeAngelo lasered a slapshot past Mackenzie Blackwood following a quick pass from Mika Zibanejad.
DeAngelo then returned the favor by firing a superb indirect pass off the boards and into the path of Chris Kreider, who switched to his backhand to beat Blackwood on the power play.
There was still time for one more goal in a crazy opening period and it went the way of the Devils with Blake Coleman getting to the front of the net to redirect Damon Severson‘s shot past Shesterkin.
Severson wasn’t finished there, either, after making it a tied game in the middle frame to spark fears that the Rangers could lose their grip on this game.
However, and as he has shown all year, DeAngelo is capable of taking a game by the scruff of the neck and that was on full display in the second period.
It started when the blueliner took a pass, skated toward the top of the circle and then wired a shot straight into the net for his second goal.
And he completed his hat trick as the Blueshirts converted on the power play again, with DeAngelo using Kreider as a screen to beat Blackwood top shelf.
It was the Tony DeAngelo show and a breathtaking contest was complete when Jesper Fast fired a one-timer past Blackwood after Ryan Strome led a two-on-one rush.
Although it was far from a perfect game for the Rangers who allowed 49 shots on goal, their superior firepower, coupled with another strong outing from Igor Shesterkin, got the job done.
Let’s delve into some notes from the game…