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This may have provided more information about the Devils than the Rangers. And what it revealed is that the Devils are no more likely to be eliminated in the second half of the season than they were in the second half of Saturday’s Hudson River Derby in Newark.
When it was 3-1 for the Rangers at 13:15 of the second period, the Devils refused to concede a game in which Igor Shesterkin, who was celebrating the third anniversary of his NHL debut, had consistently thwarted them. Instead, they became more robust.
They originated and carried the play against a Rangers team that did not go into a shell but played more cautiously than was required. Two goals were scored within two minutes and four seconds of each other in the middle of the third period to level the game. The first was a power-play one-timer by Jesper Bratt, and the second was a right-wing rocket by Jack Hughes, which was his second of the day and 19th in his last 20 games.
At 2:47, Damon Severson finished the game on a two-on-one. It was 4-3 for New Jersey, a team that had gone 3-8-2 in its previous 13 contests and, with a regulation loss, would have fallen below the Rangers into third place in the Metropolitan Division.
The Rangers reach the midway point with a record of 22-12-7 after finishing 11-2-2 in their last 15 games. The Blueshirts are only five points behind the pace they established last season when everything looked to be going so easily after the first couple of weeks, despite all the difficulties they have encountered over the past two and a half months.
Damon Severson celebrates his game-winning goal against the Rangers in overtime.
Jacob Trouba stated, “We found our way out of our initial situation.” We are now more confident than we were after the first 20 games. We’re playing hockey better.”
All true. But the Rangers will also be in a playoff slot competition with the Devils, who finished 47 points behind the Blueshirts last season and missed the playoffs for the ninth time in 10 years.
One may say that the Devils appeared out of thin air. Jimmy Vesey, the New York winger who scored the game’s first goal after spending last season wearing the New Jersey crest, would disagree.
“I saw this coming,” said number 26 to The Post. “Last season, we got off to a blazing start [7-3-2], but injuries forced us to use nine goalies, I believe.
“However, I was aware of their skill. Their advancement does not surprise me. Jack, Nico [Hischier], and Bratt are three league-caliber players who can compete with anyone. Nico may not possess the same charm or flare, but he is a world-class 200-yard player.”
The Devils were credited by Natural Stat Trick with a 7-1 advantage in high-danger chances and a 19-9 advantage in shots in the first period. Throughout the first, the Devils sent pucks and players to the net. Shesterkin’s brilliance allowed his club to take a 1-0 lead, which was doubled by Julien Gauthier’s (what else?) goal early in the second period.
Hughes cut the score to 2-1 at 9:24 when he intercepted Barclay Goodrow’s odd throw back into the zone from across the red line, blew past Ben Harpur and Braden Schneider, and beat Shesterkin from close range.
At 13:15, Chris Kreider’s goal from around the crease restored a two-goal advantage, but not order, after a lengthy possession shift. The Blueshirts were unable of pounding the puck in and forechecking. Never managed to turn the game into a half-court contest. The resulting large open expanses were favorable for New Jersey.
Hughes, the 21-year-old, 2019 first-overall pick, has matched his previous season-high of 26 goals, which he set in 49 games last year despite a shoulder dislocation and a knee ailment.
The Devils prevented the Rangers from passing them in the standings and snapped their current losing streak of 10 games.
“If you’re on against him as his check, you have to try and match his speed,” Vesey said. “You have to be disciplined. You must keep up with him. But that is not simple.
“He’s like a video game. The NHL video game includes a turbo mode. This is who he is. He just turns it on. The instant he flips that switch, he’s on turbo.
“I sat next to him in the room, and he’s an exceptionally nice guy. “He had two fairly severe injuries, so it was difficult for him,” Vesey added. I am pleased for him.
The Rangers would be a happier bunch had they left this game in second place. They had it in their grasp for some time, but became a bit carefree as the Devils refused to leave.
This serves as a reminder. This should serve as a warning: There is no reason to anticipate anything different from the Devils for the remainder of the season.
The race begins.
»The Devils demonstrate to the Rangers that they are not going away«