Rangers must rediscover perfection against rejuvenated Devils
The Rangers don’t have to look very far for the blueprint for closing out this now-tied first-round playoff series against the Devils.
In Games 1 and 2, in which they outscored the Devils 10-2, the Blueshirts looked more prolific than they have all season long. It was two of the most complete performances the Rangers have turned in all year, especially since all of the trade-deadline acquisitions arrived.
The Rangers team that showed up to start the series competed like a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.
There was drive to their game, disciplined control in all areas and an explosive offense that few teams can keep up with. They made smart decisions with the puck, while also taking the right amount of offensive risks.
If the Rangers are searching for the recipe for their foolproof game, that was it.
“They were perfect games,” head coach Gerard Gallant said of the start to the series after the Rangers’ series-tying 3-1 loss Monday night at the Garden. “We said that and we talked about that. We come home and big crowds. The overtime [loss in Game 3] was a good hockey game, could’ve gone either way. [Game 4] was a close hockey game, but we didn’t show up.”
That’s the thing about the Rangers’ two disappointing losses on home ice.
Of course, there’s another team at the other end of the ice to consider. The Devils were wide-eyed and gripping their sticks through the first two contests. They then made adjustments — most notably with a goalie change and tightening up their penalty kill — and settled down in Games 3 and 4.
Chris Kreider and the Rangers showed the could handle the Devils in Games 1 and 2. Paul J. Bereswill
But it’s not like the Devils came into Madison Square Garden and did to the Rangers what the Rangers did to them at Prudential Center.
Taking away Ondrej Palat’s empty-netter for the Devils on Monday, Games 3 and 4 were both one-goal affairs for a majority of the night and tied in the third period. Despite the fact that there was a significant drop-off in their play — especially in Game 4 — both games were still very much winnable for the Rangers.
While the first game at the Garden was a tossup in overtime, the Rangers were their own worst enemy as they missed an abundance of shots and failed to skate with any urgency. That extra-pass habit crept into their game and shackled them from producing the way they did in the first two contests.
The Devils, however, earned every bit of their victory in the second. They fully rediscovered their speed in the neutral zone and it led to odd-man rushes, as well as difficult breakouts for the Rangers.
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It was the Devils who could barely even enter the offensive zone at first, but by Game 4, the Rangers were the ones who struggled with clean entries.
The special teams playing field has also evened out. The Devils learned how to eliminate Chris Kreider in front and push the Rangers to the perimeter, which has resulted in a perfect 8-for-8 showing on the penalty kill in the last two games.
As a result, the Rangers have allowed their opponents to regain their confidence.
The Rangers need to get back to slowing down the Devils’ attack. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
The Devils certainly aren’t harping on the fact that the Rangers were well within reach of taking either of the past two games. All they see is how they reset this series. How they went from dead in the water to feeling like they righted the ship.
That will present a much loftier challenge for the Rangers, who could have a tougher time containing the Devils now even if they do get back to how they played at the start of the series.
“We don’t have to reinvent the wheel here,” Mika Zibanejad said. “We don’t have to come up with a big adjustment and do this and that. We know what we have to do. Execute and work for each other a little more. Trust each other and trust this team and trust that we’re a good team.”
The Rangers know what their best game looks like. They did it twice just last week.
It just might take even more than that to stifle a rejuvenated Devils team.
If even a fraction of the Rangers team that took the ice in Games 1 and 2 reemerge, however, they should get the same results.
Source: New York Post
