After the New Jersey Devils were down 2-0 to their crosstown rival New York Rangers, it started to sink in for Devils fans at the Rock that it may not be their night. The Devils started flat with poor puck management, costly turnovers, and leaving Rangers with space to operate in the middle of the ice. But suddenly, the Devils were a different team by the start of the second period and fortunes would change for the Devils faithful in attendance.
“They (Devils) got on a roll and we (Rangers) couldn’t stop it,” Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant said.
The Devils blitzed Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin with goals by Ryan Graves, P.K. Subban, Dawson Mercer, Tomas Tatar, and Yegor Sharangovich within an eleven minute span in the second period. The Devils even had a goal called back because of a coach’s challenge by Gallant. But it didn’t matter because the Rangers simply could not keep up with the Devils' speed and aggressive play. Shesterkin was eventually sent riding the pine with Alexander Georgiev taking over for the rest of the game.
Rangers forward Ryan Strome made it 5-3 in the start of the 3rd period, but it was Jack Hughes that scored two goals on the power play and with a sweet backhand past Georgiev to make it 7-3. Later, Chris Kreider put in a power play goal past Devils goalie Nico Daws but the Devils would prevail to beat their rival 7-4.
WOO THOUGHTS
1. Not sure what was said in the Devils locker room during the first intermission but it was obviously a different team that showed up in the beginning of the second period. What got the Devils out of their funk was their defensemen getting more aggressive offensively and getting involved with the offensive. It is not a surprise that Graves and Subban goals jumpstarted the entire team and got all the Devils to kick it up several notches.
2. The Devils got too fancy and held onto the puck too long in the first period along with too many missed opportunities to a put a good shot on net. But credit the Devils for making the adjustment in the second period and not hesitating to put the puck on net. How sweet was Subban’s one-timer from the point?
3. Nico Daws is starting to make a name for himself as the “Comeback Kid”. Down 2-0, the young goalie had poise and kept his team in it. He was not fantastic but played well enough to give his team an opportunity to win the game like he did against the Colorado Avalanche. What more can you ask for from a rookie goaltender in his second professional season in his career?
4. I am still surprised that Subban was not traded on the NHL trade deadline. I am glad he is still with the team and contributing. He is a true professional.
Shesterkin Exposed?
In my opinion, the Rangers did the right thing by not trading Georgiev before the trade deadline. Even though Shesterkin is having a Vezina and Hart trophy type year, you always need to have that insurance policy. Is Shesterkin now on a downward trend?
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Sam Woo is co-host and executive producer of the Let's Go Devils Podcast which can be heard live every Sunday at 9pm ET and Wednesday at 8:30pm ET. You can follow Sam on Twitter: @PrimetimeSamWoo 
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