Rangers Own The Rock, Take 2-0 Series Lead to MSG
In the final minutes of game two, the Prudential Center was void of Devils fans and full of Igor and Let’s Go Rangers chants, meaning it was a great night for the Blueshirts. The Rangers again, took care of business with a massive 5-1 win against the Devils to take a 2-0 series lead back to the Garden. A bit of a crazier game and slower start than we saw on Tuesday but the Rangers stuck to their game and found a way to come back and not only win, but dominate the game. Going into this one, it was crucial for them to get another pair of points as to not give the Devils an opportunity to show signs of life and that’s exactly what they did.
Despite the first being the period the Rangers had the most shots on goal in, they really didn’t get off to that great a start and went down 1-0 that would stick until the second period. While they were still generating some offense, there seemed to be a little bit of pep missing from their steps and for the life of them, could not win a faceoff. On top of that, we were running into the theme of icing the puck again as there was quite the stretch of constant icing calls that made for that period to be an exceptionally long first period. The Devils on the other hand, also played with a little more composure to start the game which would work in their favor when they got themselves on the board with a power play goal. However before we get to that, the Rangers had a chance with an early power play as former friend Brendan Smith was sent off for roughing Tyler Motte. The Rangers power play unit would take the ice but the Devils did a better job of defending them then they did in game one which kept the game scoreless.
Around the midway mark of the first, Niko Mikkola capped off a not great shift with a cross-checking penalty to give the Devils their first power play of the night. It was around this time that the Rangers were really struggling to maintain puck possession and that was directly relative to their inability to win a faceoff. It got a little better as the night went on but throughout the first period, the Rangers were atrocious in the draws. That being said, when the Devils went to the power play, they won the faceoff, got to work and found the back of the net. Quick side note about Erik Haula on the Devils; One of the wildest things that not enough people talk about is how he takes the faceoff as if he was a right handed shot despite being a lefty. To the best of my knowledge, he’s the first player I’ve noticed to do it and I find it fascinating. Although my awe quickly faded into anger as he scored to put the Devils up 1-0 not too long after.
With under a minute to go in the period, Nathan Bastian hit Lindgren from behind and was sent off for boarding. The Rangers got a couple good looks on the power play down the stretch but would run out of time in the period. A scrum ensued following the sound of the buzzer which somehow led to Adam Fox being penalized when all he did was grab a guy away from the fight. This would only be a taste of what was to come later but before we get to that, the Rangers had some waking up to do and they lived up to the challenge. That lingering power play would come and go but five minutes into the second, Vladimir Tarasenko once again got the party started with a shot through traffic that beat Vanacek to tie this thing up at one a piece.
The Rangers would get two more chances on the power play in the second and both times it was Chris Kreider scoring on tip-ins in front of the net to give the Rangers a three one lead. Listen I know he still has more than half that contract to go, but seriously, Kreider has been worth every penny of that extension and is coming up huge for the Rangers early on in this series. That second goal later in the period would give him his fourth of the playoffs in half the amount of games played but Patrick Kane was certainly making some noise in this one as he was the one who shot both those pucks in Kreider’s direction, giving him a pair of assists on the night.
To the third period we went and with all the momentum in their favor, the Rangers continued to press on the gas. It was that same pair of Kane and Kreider, this time on a two on one as Kreider was looking for the hat-trick. As much as we all would’ve loved to see him get it, Kane made the smart play and made a move with the puck to the net and snuck a backhander right past Vanacek to make it 4-1 just six minutes into the third. After the huge surge the Rangers brought into the second, the Devils needed to do something early on in the third if they wanted a chance at regaining any sort of momentum but the Patrick Kane goal pretty much put an end to that. Six more minutes later, it would be Kaapo Kakko snapping one home, twisting in the dagger and finalizing the score for the evening.
Then the not so crazy chaos began. As one would expect between these rivals, with game two becoming just as big of a landslide as game one, tensions rose especially from the Devils side. Michael McLeod and Braden Schneider would drop the gloves in an all around good tilt. There was a bit of a gathering as there tends to be when tensions rise that led to the officials kicking out all eight guys that were also on the ice during the fight. Which don’t get me wrong, I understand the logic behind but at the same time, there was still seven minutes to go. While the game was pretty much over, this is playoffs and anything can happen. Seven minutes is a long time to play down an entire line and it wouldn’t stop there. Adam Fox and Timo Meier showed a spark or two to which the officials gave both of them the gate as well. So all of a sudden, the Rangers are down to three defensemen and three lines with six minutes of hockey left.
I’ve been a hockey fanatic my entire life and can’t once recall a situation where guys were getting tossed so quickly and for so little. Again, I get why the officials were doing this but none of these guys were really even throwing punches, I’m not necessarily disagreeing with the decisions but it is kind of fascinating to see and makes you wonder if the game really is headed in a direction where fighting becomes completely extinct. Alas, that’s a discussion for another day as Rangers fans have nothing but reason to be happy and satisfied with the team's performance through the first two games. The final six minutes were spent just getting out of this one and as we neared that final buzzer, “the rock” was rocking but not with Devils fans. As they had all left per result of another disappointing evening, all the Rangers fans headed to the lower bowl to let their team know they’re here and with them.
This series will take a hop and a skip across the Hudson for an extended weekend on Broadway as the puck will drop on Game 3 Saturday Night. The Rangers have no reason to feel anything but confident but can not grow complacent as they know better than anyone it ain’t over until it’s over. You have to start having the mindset that you don’t want to go back to Newark. Take care of business at home, keep your feet on the gas and keep this train rolling!
Chris Feldman
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