New York Rangers blow early lead in spectacular fashion in loss to Devils
The New York Rangers need to do some soul searching as the New Jersey Devils sucked it right out their bodies on Monday night.
There’s no excuse for what took place at Madison Square Garden as the Blueshirts jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first three minutes of the game. Even with a raucous home crowd behind them, they folded like chair once the Devils scored their first goal and added three more soon after.
“Too many big mistakes,” Jacob Trouba said on the MSG postgame. “Those are the things that are biting us right now. We turn the puck over and it ends up in the back of the net.”
Recap: Devils 5 vs Rangers 3
1st Period
The Rangers came out raring to go and it took just 80 seconds for Artemi Panarin to get the team on the board and end a 12 game goal scoring drought. On the play, Filip Chytil patiently played the odd man rush to hit the Breadman for the tally, K’Andre Miller notched the other assist.
Mika Zibanejad would make it 2-0 just a 1:41 later as he crashed the net locating a rebound off a Jacob Trouba shot that Vitek Vanecek couldn’t handle. Chris Kreider was credited with an assist on the play as well.
Stop me if you’ve heard this before but the Rangers could not hold on to the lead.
Tomas Tatar scored off a bad angle that Igor Shesterkin fanned on at the 7:33 mark. Then the Rangers defense went into comedy-mode to allow Yegor Sharangovich to tie it up with 6:35 remaining.
2nd Period
Things were looking good for the Rangers to start the middle frame as Chytil almost broke the tie but Vanecek’s pad had a different idea.
Unfortunately, the Devils speed burned the Blueshirts as Jack Hughes took an alley-oop pass for a breakaway goal at 5:44 for a 3-2 lead.
That goal may have been a backbreaker as New Jersey would add another off a wild sequence that included a crossbar by Miles Wood and a poor clear attempt by Zac Jones that was batted in by Michael McLeod.
3rd Period
The Rangers started the second period with a carry over power play with the Devils called for Too many men on the ice.
New York didn’t score on that one but finally broke through on their third power play of the period when Vincent Trocheck found a loose puck to make it 4-3.
In the end, despite outshooting the Devils 17-5 in the final frame an empty net goal by Sharangovich sealed the victory for the visitors.
“We had some chances, we had some opportunities but it’s not good enough,” Gallant said. “The team’s a problem. The whole team, the coaches, we’ve got to turn it around.”
Notable Rangers
- Igor Shesterkin stopped 34 of 38 shots
- NYR went 1 for 5 on the PP
- NYR PK went 3-3
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