The Devils’ first preseason look at the Rangers this year was choppy, low-scoring, and a little strange in the way these exhibition games often are. New Jersey leaned on a roster that featured most of its NHL group getting back into game shape, while New York skated a lineup driven largely by younger players and AHL talent. That mismatch eventually showed up in the skill battle, even if the game spent long stretches looking like the Rangers’ depth group might drag it somewhere unexpected.
New Jersey controlled the first period without doing much with the puck. Jake Allen saw just three shots in his 20 minutes, and the only real headline from that opening frame was Adam Sykora leaving with a lower-body injury after Utica Comets defenseman Mikael Diotte caught him reaching for the puck along the boards. Sykora did not return, and the hit never really sparked the kind of retaliation one might have expected from a player such as Matt Rempe or another physical Ranger.
Once Nico Daws took over in the second period, the game opened up. Nico Hischier got the Devils on the board when he took the puck from Timo Meier and fired it toward the net, where it went in off a deflection near the crease. It was not a highlight-reel finish, but it fit the night: the Devils’ top names eventually forcing the issue and getting rewarded.
The Rangers answered quickly. Daws was beaten cleanly by Anton Blidh, who scored from well outside the faceoff circle on the glove side. It was the ninth shot Daws had faced, though none of the chances up to that point were especially dangerous.
New Jersey grabbed the lead back before the period ended, and this one was gift-wrapped by Dylan Garand. Luke Evangelista worked behind the net, the puck came loose to Meier, and Meier wrapped it in before Garand seemed ready for the play, sliding it through the five-hole for an easy finish.
The third period looked a lot like the rest of the night: the Devils had the puck, generated more chances, and kept pushing the Rangers back, but the finishing was just a little off. Some shots rang iron, others hit Garand in the pads and gear, and eventually New Jersey paid for not burying more chances. Drew Fortescue tied it with a shot through traffic after Siegenthaler drifted a little too far out to challenge and Carey Terrance was left alone in front of Daws.
The Rangers got a hooking call on Arseny Gritsyuk soon after, though the penalty probably should have been holding the stick. It didn’t change much.
New Jersey shut down the power play, and Jesper Boqvist nearly turned the other way with a shorthanded breakaway that hit the post. A few minutes later, the Devils’ top line of Evangelista, Hischier, and Meier pinned the Rangers in for a 1:18 shift that ended with an icing call and brought out the Jack Hughes line.
Hughes then took the puck from Bratt at the blue line, beat Glen Gawdin wide, curled at the goal line, and slipped the puck in off Gawdin’s stick for what was probably the cleanest Devils goal of the night.
The Devils finished with just under two thirds of the shots on goal and expected goals, and they spent most of the night keeping the Rangers to low-danger looks. Daws faced only two high-danger shots, while Allen faced none.
Still, Daws allowed two goals, which does not help his case as the Devils weigh him against David Rittich as a possible number two behind Jack Allen. Even so, it’s preseason, and he’ll get another chance.
Offensively, New Jersey was willing to shoot from just about anywhere, especially from the blue line, and it converted three of its ten high-danger chances. In a regular-season game, the Devils would likely push even harder to get to the net with that kind of possession time.
Jesper Boqvist stood out in a good way. He nearly scored on the breakaway that clanged off the post, and he looked like the fastest player on the ice for most of the night.
The fourth line as a whole did not always move the puck cleanly, but Marc McLaughlin seemed to be part of that limitation. Ondrej Palat played well enough, though he would probably be better suited in a setup where he can work more around the crease.
One possible look for another preseason game would be Boqvist and Palat with Evan Rodrigues or Cody Glass at center. The Mercer-Rodrigues-Gritsyuk line also did not look especially connected, which makes a return to Glass with Gritsyuk worth watching before camp wraps up.
The new forwards drew attention coming in, and both Anthony Mantha and Evangelista had mixed nights. Mantha didn’t record a shot attempt in 15:33 of ice time, though he did help on the defensive side and drew attention away from Jack by battling for position at the net. Evangelista at least got on the scoresheet and worked well along the boards, but he also missed a chance to keep pressure on the Rangers during the Devils’ strong third-period shift.
New Jersey now heads to Thursday’s third preseason game, which will be at Madison Square Garden. A more balanced mix of NHLers and AHLers seems likely, and it could give Daws a tougher test against what should be a more NHL-heavy Rangers lineup. For now, though, the Devils are still unbeaten in preseason after an uneven but successful night.
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Devils Fans Get An Early Look At A Much Different Lineup
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The night also brings several fresh faces to Prudential Center, including Luke Evangelista, Anthony Mantha and Evan Rodrigues. Keefe pointed to Evangelistas fit on the power play, noting the value of his right-handed shot and his ability to move the puck, and this game should give Devils fans a better sense of how those additions can change the teams feel early in the preseason. [Read more 🡒]