The Latest York Rangers could rebrand to the Latest York Roughhousers after Thursday night.
That may be appropriate after the best way the Blueshirts pushed and shoved the Devils around on the Prudential Center in a feisty 5-1 win, which featured two fights and a playoff-like intensity they didn’t even have in the course of the real first-round series between the 2 clubs 10 months ago.
This one got nasty quick. There was blood drawn. The hatred was palpable.
And the Rangers played their part in a headstrong, smart way that left the Devils unable to see past the red. It was the kind of performance that was fitting for a team riding a nine-game win streak.
Goalie Igor Shesterkin was near-perfect.
He was dominant on this one, displaying the kind of swagger in the web he briefly lost, but has now rediscovered tenfold this month.
With 39 saves and even an assist on the night, Shesterkin picked up his fifth straight victory
The Devils were on the ability play for a staggering 11:52 of the 60-minute clash across the Hudson.
And yet, their 2019 first-overall pick, Jack Hughes, couldn’t get on the board until the sport was well out of hand.
As an alternative, it was the Rangers’ 2020 first-overall pick, Alexis Lafreniere, who placed on the show with two goals.
They each got here off the flashy hands of a top pick, but in addition on plays that required positional awareness.
The Latest York Rangers could rebrand to the Latest York Roughhousers after Thursday night.
That may be appropriate after the best way the Blueshirts pushed and shoved the Devils around on the Prudential Center in a feisty 5-1 win, which featured two fights and a playoff-like intensity they didn’t even have in the course of the real first-round series between the 2 clubs 10 months ago.
This one got nasty quick. There was blood drawn. The hatred was palpable.
And the Rangers played their part in a headstrong, smart way that left the Devils unable to see past the red. It was the kind of performance that was fitting for a team riding a nine-game win streak.
Goalie Igor Shesterkin was near-perfect.
He was dominant on this one, displaying the kind of swagger in the web he briefly lost, but has now rediscovered tenfold this month.
With 39 saves and even an assist on the night, Shesterkin picked up his fifth straight victory
The Devils were on the ability play for a staggering 11:52 of the 60-minute clash across the Hudson.
And yet, their 2019 first-overall pick, Jack Hughes, couldn’t get on the board until the sport was well out of hand.
As an alternative, it was the Rangers’ 2020 first-overall pick, Alexis Lafreniere, who placed on the show with two goals.
They each got here off the flashy hands of a top pick, but in addition on plays that required positional awareness.
