New Jersey Devils looked tentative in the beginning of last night’s game against the New York Rangers and went down 2-0 early in the first period.
Then, New Jersey got to work and answered back.
Tomas Tatar and Yegor Sharangovich each scored in the first period to tie the game 2-2 by the end of the period. It hit the reset button after a slow start. In the second period, Jack Hughes and Michael McLeod each got one past Rangers net minder Igor Shesterkin to take a 4-2 lead.
Devils would take a series of penalties in the third period, which led to a Rangers power play goal by Vincent Trocheck to make the game 4-3. But, Sharangovich would seal the deal at the end of the game with an empty net goal after the Rangers tried to mount one last ditch comeback.
New Jersey has now won 10 road games in a row. They also set an NHL record by winning 13 games in November and almost swept the entire month. The game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on November 23rd, which had three Devils goals negated, was their only loss.
Musings & Thoughts
1. Devils looked tentative and had a slow start to the game by putting themselves in a 2-0 hole. This year’s team does not get down on themselves and finally got back on track in the middle of the first period.
2. You have to give credit to the New Jersey Devils fans that attended the game at Madison Square Garden last night. When the Devils high powered offense started scoring, each goal sounded like a Devils home game and chants of “Let’s Go Devils!” was loud and clear. Even better, “IGOR!!! IGOR!!!!” taunting chants was the icing on the cake as Rangers fans in attendance sat in disbelief.
3. The Devils have 16 regulation wins and sit on top of the NHL while leading with the most points after moving past the Boston Bruins. However, New Jersey has played two more games than Boston.
4. The Z-series version of the BMW line was unveiled last night with Fabian Zetterlund filling in for Nathan Bastian’s spot in the line up. They brought the energy, speed, and were aggressive. Bastian will be out for awhile according to Devils coach Lindy Ruff.
5. The Devils rolled four lines all night long with Alexander Holtz playing meaningful minutes down the stretch. They kept the relentless pressure on the Rangers, which led to the four unanswered goals. With four lines, three D pairings, and goalies coming together, this team is living up to its potential.
New Jersey Devils Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»