Quick East Division Update (Off Day) - February 17th

My apologies as to not posting this sooner, but I wanted to get one out there about the game between New Jersey and the New York Rangers last night. These teams are both in rebuild stages, and are trending in different directions right now. My short analysis of this game below.

(Credit: BlueShirt Banter)

DEVILS @ RANGERS

This game was an exciting one that drew a lot of attention because the Devils were coming off a stint on the covid postponed list. They were able to play for the first time since January 31st of this year, and they were cruising into MSG for a battle with the Rangers. The Rangers were in a slump, having lost their last 3, getting only a single point out of six available in those contests.

1st Period: No scoring, but the Devils controlled the pace, and looked like the faster team, despite having all the time off.

2nd Period: New Jersey gets a powerplay and gets on the board first thanks to forward Pavel Zacha. The Rangers would respond a few minutes later with a goal of their own from forward Colin Blackwell. The Devils got another one late in the period from forward Will Butcher, which gave them a 2-1 lead. This would not deter the Rangers however, as they evened the score with :30 seconds remaining in the frame, thanks to forward Pavel Buchnevich.

3rd Period: New Jersey took complete control of the game, and made the Rangers chase them all period long. The Devils got three goals in the 20 minutes, from Yegor Sharongovich, Nicholas Merkley (his first of the season), and Mikhail Maltsev (his first). Devils goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood stopped all the Rangers shots in this period, and 37 of their 39 on the night. Not bad for a goalie who hasn't played in over two weeks.

- This game was a frustrating loss for the Rangers, especially because it was even at the end of two periods. The Devils, however, continue to find ways to win, just as they were before they got struck with the covid bug. New Jersey now has a three game point streak going, while New York is on a four game skid, and at the bottom of the East division.