Recap: Rangers Take First Preseason Game 5-3 Over Devils

Ladies and gentlemen, Rangers hockey is finally back!

Well, kind of.

Game 1 of 6 this preseason took place in Newark, N.J, as the Rangers paid the Devils a visit. However, given the rosters supplied from both teams, it was more of the Hartford Wolf Pack versus the Utica Comets. As mentioned in the game thread, there weren't a ton of NHL players in the lineup for the Rangers, but there were some that could be fighting for a roster spot. Here's what the lines looked like for the afternoon:

First Period

Right from puck drop, it was all Rangers to start the game as they were controlling play, keeping the puck in New Jersey’s end of the ice. Just over three minutes in, their efforts would pay off. A great pass from Gabe Perreault down low created a shot attempt for Derick Pouliot at the point. As the shift continued, Casey Fitzgerald pinched along the half-wall and ended up in the corner, finding Perreault wide open in the slot. A quick shot from Perreault snuck right past veteran netminder Jake Allen to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead early. 

That line continued to create strong offense for the Rangers who looked to be in control at 5-v-5 through the first half of the period. Just before the midway point of the first, the Devils were given the first man advantage of the night as Conor Sheary was called for tripping Angus Crookshank in the defensive zone. Worth noting Jusso Parssinen and Taylor Raddysh–who are expected to construct the third line this season took first reps on the penalty kill. It wouldn't surprise me if the coaching staff is looking to see what they can do in that role as they consider what the team's penalty kill could look like this season. 

Jonathan Quick had a really strong sequence on the kill with a pair of big saves but shortly after, the Rangers struggled to clear the puck and a one timer from Brian Halonen flew right past Quick to tie the game up at one. 

The Rangers would get a chance on the power play with just over six minutes to go as Ethan Edwards was called for slashing. PP1 would consist of Dylan Roobroeck, Jonny Brodzinski, Brennan Othmann, Gabe Perreault and Scott Morrow. Through the first minute, they moved the puck around well enough. Othmann had a bit of a rough go, fanning on a pair of shots with the latter resulting in a partial breakaway for the Devils. Thankfully, Quick was able to get a stick on it allowing for the Rangers to close out the man advantage with one solid scoring chance that was kept out by Allen. 

Shortly after the teams returned to even strength, the Rangers headed back to the power play as Halonen got a stick up high on Urho Vaakanainen while battling for a puck in the Rangers end of the ice. The second unit of Noah Laba, Justin Dowling, Taylor Raddysh, Derrick Pouliot and Conor Sheary got the first crack this time around but neither unit would generate much of anything, 

That Perrault line finished the period off with another really strong shift that kept Allen quite busy. Oftentimes, you expect these early preseason games to get off to slow, rocky starts but all things considered, both sides had some jump and played the opening twenty with a rather strong pace. Shots were 10-9 in the Rangers’ favor heading into intermission 

Second Period

Nico Daws took over goaltending duties for the Devils to start the second and while he wasn’t busy initially, it wasn’t long before the Rangers got to him. As the fourth line was battling for the puck in the neutral zone, Matt Rempe ended up with a partial breakaway and held off the defenders enough to get a light shot off the pad of Daws. Dylan Roobroeck was right there to cash in on the rebound, making it a 2-1 game for the Rangers. 

Following a whistle with about twelve minutes to go in the second, Dylan Garand came in to replace Jonathan Quick in net as planned. He too would be tested early and came up with a couple of quick saves to help the Rangers hold onto that 2-1 lead. 

With just over eight minutes to go, a Devils turnover resulted in Parssinen chipping the puck ahead to Conor Sheary for a proper breakaway. The veteran forward on a PTO with the Rangers and his former coach MIke Sullivan, let a quick wrist shot go that beat Daws upstairs to make it a 3-1 game. 

Just about a minute and a half later, a good effort from Anton Blidh got Scott Morrow the puck at the blueline. Morrow did a good job of walking towards the slot, letting a shot go through traffic that trickled in, extending their lead 4-1. 

With four minutes to go, the Devils took advantage of another puck that Othmann had some trouble with—although this time around, he may have broken his stick on the play. Nonetheless, Arseniy Gritsyuk, who looked really good for the Devils did a good job of moving the puck ahead to Paul Cotter who was able to beat Garand to bring his team a bit closer on the scoreboard, now 4-2. 

The Rangers on the other hand, did a great job of responding as Jonny Brodzinski capitalized on a redirected shot from Urho Vaakanainen at the point to make it a 5-2 game. 

On the following shift, Nathan Legare tried to light a spark under his team by challenging Nathan Aspinall to a fight. Although—not sure if you could really call it a fight on account of the fact that after a few mini-jabs, Legare ended up kind of tackling Aspinall as he went down to the ice.

The Devils finished the period with another power play attempt as Vaakanainen was called for holding. Garand had a couple of nice saves to help his team take that 5-2 lead into the second intermission. Shots were now 20-17 in the Devils favor but the Rangers were certainly the leaders on the scoreboard as well as the general pace of the game.  

Third Period

It was a tough afternoon for Othmann that appeared to get even tougher as it was reported that he went down the tunnel after that second Devils goal in the second period. Thankfully, he would return for the start of the third so whatever it was, hopefully nothing major. He would have a nice shot on goal early in the period but it was Anton Blidh with an even better chance as he blocked a shot in the defensive zone and ended up on a breakaway that was stopped by Daws.

Just after the midway point of the third, Connor Mackey ended up dropping the gloves with Legare who had challenged Aspinall in the back half of the second. The two had dropped the gloves in preseason last year as well and perhaps Mackey wanted to return the favor considering Legare went after a younger player in Aspinall. This time around, Mackey was the clear winner as the two went off for at least five minutes.

There was also a slash from Mackey called prior to the fight which gave the Devils a power play with Roobroeck serving the two minute minor. The Rangers did a good job killing the penalty and quickly headed to the power play themselves as Sheary was tripped up in the offensive zone as the teams returned to even strength.

Matt Rempe got a chance in the net front role on the power play this time around and attempted a between the legs shot while fighting for a rebound in front. That was the lone highlight as the Rangers continued to be held scoreless on special teams in this outing.

A tough day for Othmann got tougher as he bobbled another pass in the offensive zone and went on to catch Calen Addison up high somewhere between the shoulder and elbow. Despite the face that there was only three and a half minutes left, that would be the end of Othmann's night as he was given a major penalty on the hit. Not even a minute in to the penalty, Vaakanainen was called for cross-checking to give the Devils a 5-0n-3 with two and a half to go.

Less than a minute later, another one timer for the Devils would beat the Rangers on the penalty kill, this time the shot coming from Gritsyuk who now had a goal and an assist on the night. The Rangers would fight off the remaining time on the clock to hold onto that 5-3 lead, taking the first game of preseason. Final shots on goal tally would be 26-23 in the Devils favor.

All in all, a solid first showing from the Rangers. Sheary, Perreault, Parssinen, and Rempe were certainly some of the standouts. The Rangers will be back at it at the Garden Tuesday night as they'll host the Boston Bruins.