Rangers stifling defense in 3-1 win over Devils

It was obvious going into this game that the New York Rangers really needed to win.  They also needed to play a solid defensive game and not get into a track meet with a Devils team that may be missing the postseason, but has some skilled forwards.  The Blueshirts did exactly what they needed to do, stifling the Devils and winning 3-1.

The Rangers used the formula that has been so successful for them all season.  They fell behind early then used the power play to get the lead back.  Then they played shutdown defense and added a timely insurance goal in the third period.   Gerard Gallant called the game, especially the second period “tough to watch.”

The Rangers had only 17 shots on goal including only one in the second period and three in the third, but it was enough as they held the Devils to 21 shots and killed both New Jersey power plays.

While the prevent offense worked in this game, they will need to be more proactive offensively on Thursday against the Penguins.  Any team with Crosby, Malkin, Guentzel and Rust will break through if given enough opportunities.

Gallant addressed that after the game, “I wish we would have created more, the first period was pretty good,  but after that we slowed down, we didn’t forecheck as hard, again, I’m not going to complain about a win.”  He did say that he would be a lot more concerned if they had been dominated by the Devils, but they weren’t.

The power play came through big time and it may be no coincidence having Ryan Strome back in the lineup.  While Gallant was quick to compliment Andrew Copp who had replaced him, he pointed out that Strome is a righthanded shot and the unit is used to that.

Chris Kreider talked about Strome’s impact. “He brings so much to our team on the ice…we missed him like crazy, it was great to have him back.

The Rangers will be experimenting with the lineup as the season winds down.  Gallant teamed Justin Braun with Braden Schneider with Braun playing on the left side.  The veteran had a good game, playing almost 16 minutes including 49 seconds on the penalty kill.  The bonus was the seeing eye goal he scored in the third period, his first as a Ranger.

So, the recipe is set for Thursday night’s showdown with the Penguins.  The Rangers will need to play the same kind of shutdown defense, but improve their transition game just a bit.

The best news is the Penguins lost their second in a row to the Avalanche and dropped four points behind the Blueshirts.  No matter what the outcome on Thursday, the Rangers are going to be in second place.

Notes on the game

• With the win, the Rangers have a 45-20-6 record and 96 points. Carolina and Pittsburgh both lost so the Rangers are two points out of first place and four points ahead of the third place Penguins. The Hurricanes do have a game in hand.  Only three teams have more points than the Blueshirts.
• The Blueshirts improved their road record to 23-13-2.  That’s the most since they won 27 in 2016-17
• The Rangers ended winning the season series 3-1 over the Devils. They outscored the Devils 13-12 in the four games and won both games at home, splitting on the road.
• The Rangers improved to 12-7-1 against Metropolitan Division teams, gaining 25 of 40 points.
• This was the 25th come-from-behind win by the Rangers this season.  That is the most in the NHL, two more than runner up Florida.
• The Rangers are 17-6-3 in games after a loss.
• The penalty kill was perfect for the third straight game and have killed the last 10 penalties.  They are 10th overall in the NHL successful 81.3% of the time.
• The power play was 2-3, scoring two PP goals in one game for the first time in 13 games. They had dropped to fourth overall, but the two goals moved them back into second place with a 26.8% success rate.
• It was a record setting night for Chris Kreider.  He scored his 47th goal, third most in the NHL.  He set the franchise record with his 25 power play goal, five more than Leon Draisaitl.   He is one of 30 NHL players to register that many power play goals in a season since 1933.
• Kreider also became the first Ranger to ever register 10 game winning goals in one season.
• Ryan Strome made a nice return from injury. He broke up an odd man rush in the first period with a solid defensive play and got the Rangers on the board on the power play.  With him out of the lineup the power play went 2-10.
• Braden Schneider had the first fight of his career, a TKO over Yegor Sharangovich who challenged him after Schneider laid out Jesper Boqvist with a solid, legal body check.  The refs got the call right, giving Sharangovich the additional two minutes for instigating and a 10 minute misconduct.  After the game, Kreider said that they are calling Schneider “Baby Trouba.”
• This was the 17th multi-assist game of the year for Artemi Panarin.  He is one off the franchise record of 18 held by Brian Leetch, Mark Messier and Jean Ratelle.   The NHL record is 44 held by you know who (the Great One).
• Alexandar Georgiev won his fifth straight start and is now 12-9-2 on the season. He stopped 20 of 21 shots for the win.
• The Devils were shorthanded and played without Jack Hughes, out for the season with a knee injury.  Sharangovich never returned after his fight with Braden Schneider and Jimmy Vesey went down in the second with a leg injury.

My 3 Rangers stars

1. Ryan Strome made a great return from the injury list, scoring the crucial first power play goal and contributing a two-way game. He was effective on the penalty kill and made a key defensive play early, breaking up an odd man rush with a strong backcheck.
2. Chris Kreider scored the game winner on a fabulous deflection of a pass from Artemi Panarin. There is no one better than Kreider when it comes to deflections and he proved it again this game.
3. Alexandar Georgiev wasn’t challenged much, but he was there when he was needed, especially in the third period when the Devils pushed hard for a goal. The only goal he gave up was off a turnover and on a breakaway.  It was a fine game for Georgiev and he appears to be over the issues that he had earlier this season.
4. Honorable mentions are deserved by Braden Schneider, Artemi Panarin and Justin Braun. 

The official 3 stars

1. Chris Kreider
2. Ryan Strome
3. Artemi Panarin

What’s next

Thursday night should be a fabulous game as the Pittsburgh Penguins come to Madison Square Garden in a key game for second place in the Division.   The Penguins will be one determined team after losing two in a row to the Avalanche as well as their last two to the Blueshirts.

Start time for the game is 7pm and it will be televised on ESPN+/Hulu.   The MSG Network announced that they will be providing full pregame and postgame coverage.

Saturday the homestand continues with Ottawa coming to New York, then it’s two days off before back-to-back games against Carolina and the Islanders.