Devils dominate in rivalry win | GAME STORY

NEW YORK, NY – The New Jersey Devils scored a minute and a half into their game against the New York Rangers and never looked back. Jack Hughes led the team with two goals, while Dawson Mercer, Dougie Hamilton and Jesper Bratt also contributed one. Jacob Markstrom shined in his first meeting between the Devils and Rangers, stopping 39 of the 40 shots he faced.

Jesper Bratt scored the first goal for the Devils after 1:27 minutes. The game started at the Devils’ end when Johnathan Kovacevic played the puck off Filip Chytil and Ondrej Palat picked it up. Palat quickly passed the puck to Bratt, who used his speed to climb the ice and make a tackle on Jack Hughes. From then on, Bratt took advantage of his chance and scored. The goal ended a streak of seven straight games in which New Jersey conceded the first goal and initiated the fast start the Devils were looking for last month.

Seven minutes later the Devils made it 2-0, this time with Dawson Mercer scoring. Mercer caught the rebound of a blocked shot, drove into space and shot quickly. This allowed the winger to shoot and double New Jersey’s lead. It was the second goal after the Devils’ fourth shot.

With just over two minutes left in the first frame, Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller hit the post with a shot through a screen. Brett Pesce was instrumental in boxing out Adam Edstrom at the front of the net, preventing him from gaining possession and taking a shot on goal at the front of the net. The Rangers then continued to push, but the Devils maintained a 2-0 lead until the first intermission.

The Rangers pushed hard and ensured the Devils defended their zone early in the second period. However, the middle frame was full of special teams action and New Jersey capitalized on the opportunity. Seven minutes later, the Devils took their first power play of the game, and with 21 seconds left with the team advantage gone, the Rangers converted another penalty, giving the visitors a 5-on-3 lead. With just two seconds left in the first power play, Dougie Hamilton scored his fifth goal of the season to make it 3-0. Hamilton’s goal was his fourth power play goal of the season.

Seven and a half minutes into the second half, Jack Hughes’ shot on the turn made it 4-0 for the Devils. Hughes was on top and was able to take advantage of his brother Luke’s shot, which was deflected into the goal. Jesper Bratt also received an assist. However, New York responded less than a minute later with their first goal of the game. Chris Kreider cleared a puck from deep on the power play, making the Devils’ final score 4-1.

In the final two minutes of the middle frame, the Rangers took two penalties, giving the Devils a 4-on-3 lead with 1:21 to play. Once again, New Jersey took advantage. Jack Hughes extended New Jersey’s lead to 5-1 from the slot and scored the team’s second power play goal of the night. Captain Nico Hischier shielded Shesterkin and provided a lot of net pressure at the front. Each team recorded 18 shots in the second period, while the Devils scored three goals and the Rangers just one.

The Devils had to defend well against the Rangers, who continued to press; However, New Jersey continued to hold back New York. When the Devils needed it, Markstrom continued to make timely saves. New Jersey held New York to a goal 26:31 in the final and secured its first win of the season.