Well how about that for a start to the postseason? The Rangers take the lead in the series after a huge 5-1, game one win in Newark. We knew going into this series that playoff experience could be a factor against this young Devils team and sure enough, that seemed to be the case in the series intro. Aside from a couple questionable, soft penalties and spurts of constant icing calls, you’d be hard pressed to find many faults with the Rangers start to the series. They played well in both ends of the ice, blocked a ton of shots, found great success on special teams and played an all around, strong game.
Couples points that really stood out for the blueshirts: For starters, they got off to a really good start and battled adversity in the process. The officials did not hesitate to set the tones themselves as they were calling anything and everything they could in that first period. I really don’t want to be that guy as there’s nothing I hate more than complaining about officiating but some of the calls throughout the night were very… generous? That first penalty to Trocheck for tripping Jonas Siegenthaler, didn’t love the call but a trip’s a trip, whatever. The second penalty to Fox for “holding” Jesper Bratt? Very soft. With both those penalties coming in the first six minutes of the game, the Rangers penalty killers were quickly put to the test and were a huge part of this team’s overall success in game one. If the Devils had a little more time to shake the nerves off or found a way to get that unit clicking, this game could have been a very different story.
Among your Zibanejads and Kreiders etc, Barclay Goodrow was one of the unsung heroes throughout the night, especially on the kill and in the faceoff circle. Say what you want about his contract, but these are the games where it’s kind of worth it. In between Rangers penalty kills, they found a way to get on the board with a beautiful pass from K’Andre Miller to Vladimir Tarasenko who quickly sent the puck past the far side of Vanacek. Had Tarasenko not scored, you would be screaming at Miller to take the shot instead of the pass but given the play, it was such a smart little move of the puck by Key to set Vlad up for a great goal. Killing that second penalty off was huge following the Rangers goal in the sense that New Jersey could have quickly regained some momentum if they were able to knot things up so soon after the goal.
Along with their success on the penalty kill, going 4-4 on the night, the Rangers power play was quite exceptional which was also a huge standing point for them in this one. This also helped them keep the momentum in their favor as Kreider got them on the board on their first power play attempt on a tip-in from an Adam Fox shot. Fox would go on to have himself a four assist night making him quite an x-factor for the Rangers along with Kreider who would have another goal later. Another huge point that stood out to the team’s overall success in game one was their ability to get in front of shots as they would collect 23 blocked shots on the night. One of the Rangers leaders in that domain is none other than their heart and soul, Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award winner, Ryan Lindgren who had a bigger night than just blocking shots.
Earlier in the game, Lindgren had a grade-A scoring chance that rung off the crossbar but his efforts would pay off late in the second when Adam Fox fed him with a pass that he took and let an absolute snipe go from in up-close to extend the Rangers lead to three. A lot of people tend to forget given how defensive heavy his game is, but he has a bit of an underrated offensive skill-set to him as well. Something to think about when considering his potential contract extension in a couple years but let’s not worry too much about that right now. The Rangers took a three goal lead to the final intermission and were very much in control of things. Despite a couple stretches in the second where they consistently iced the puck and failed to really generate any action, they kept New Jersey off the board which is pretty much all you can ask for.
Which brings us to another big standing point on the game, Igor Sheshterkin. While not a particularly busy night for him, especially in the beginning, Igor was stellar from start to finish. Stopping all but one shot on the night, he came up with some massive saves in key moments of the game with his only fault coming on yet another questionable call. Although before we get to that, Chris Kreider would again get things going for the Rangers power play unit as he had a second tip-in from an Adam Fox shot that put the Rangers up four as we neared the halfway point of the game. Getting traffic in front can definitely be your best friend when it comes playoff time and the Rangers certainly proved that to be true in this one. Except of course for Alexis Lafreniere who had a goal waved off as his deflection came from a stick that was above the crossbar.
Now back to the one puck that passed Igor. With just about three minutes to go in the game, Jack Hughes was awarded a penalty shot following a very soft whack from Jacob Trouba. In terms of how far from the net Hughes was, it’s fair to consider the penalty shot but it honestly looked like Hughes fumbled the puck on his own as Trouba’s stick didn’t even hit him anywhere near his hands or stick. Nevertheless, the Devils caught a break and Hughes managed to beat Shesterkin on the breakaway. Nothing to lose sleep over but sucks Shesterkin wouldn’t get the shutout he definitely deserved otherwise with a .964 save percentage. Again, I don’t want to rag on the officials and I hate doing it, especially after a win but look at Braden Schneider’s penalty back in the first. (Rangers third in that period) Definitely could have been embellishment on Timo Meier’s part.
Nevertheless, Lindy Ruff would pull Vanacek in desperate attempts of a comeback but it was far too little too late. Filip Chytil would call game with an empty netter and time to spare as the Blueshirts ran the clock out and took game one from this young Devils team. The Rangers played an overall good game but one thing that really stood out to me was their sticks. In transition as well as in either zone, there were many times especially early on where their sticks seemed to be in the right spots which resulted in many broken plays and turnovers for the Devils. This is going to be a key factor moving forward as it directly helps slow the game down which is how you’re going to beat a team as fast as the Devils are. On top of that, they brought some physicality into game one that as long as it doesn’t lead them to the penalty box or leave them out of position, never hurts momentum.
As a Rangers fan, you have to be pretty happy with how things went to open that series, but you can’t sit back and revel in it for too long. You don’t want to come back home with a series tied back up, stay the course and continue to take care of business. For the first time in quite a while, the Rangers have the upper hand in a playoff series. Make it easy on yourselves and keep it that way. The Blueshirts are back at it tomorrow night for a 7:30 puck drop in Newark. Expect a much tougher effort from the Devils as this will be a big test for both sides.
Chris Feldman
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