Rangers Dominate Devils, Again

The Rangers defeated the Devils last night. Wow, does this sound familiar? After a good start, the Devils fell apart in the second period, allowing four goals. New York took the win by a final score of 5-2, giving the Devils their third straight regulation loss.

The first period looked promising for the Devils. Travis Zajac scored the first goal of the game to give the Devils a 1-0 lead. They out-shot the Rangers 13-5. This pressure on New York did not last long.

The second period reminded me a lot last years seasonal match-ups, during which the Rangers scored far more often than the Devils. Four different Ranger players scored within about eight minutes of each other in the second period. They did not look back.

Having a 4-1 lead going into the third period is not too shabby. The Devils tried to narrow the gap. Jamie Langenbrunner scored for the Devils, cutting the lead to just two goals. However, Nikolai Zherdev scored his second goal of the game a few minutes later. The score would end this way.

Again the Devils could not score on their powerplay and could not stop their opponents. New Jersey went 0-4, while the Rangers went 2-6.

It's starting to get old. The New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers are archrivals; though you would have a tough time telling the Rangers this. A rivalry entails teams being competitive with each other. Following a sweep of the Rangers in the first round of the playoffs a few years back, the Devils cannot find a way to defeat them. The Rangers have been completely dominate. It has continued into year. The Rangers have defeated the Devils in both games so far this season.

Injuries or not, the Devils cannot afford to fall too far behind in the standings if they plan on making the playoffs. With a record of 7-6-2, they are currently tied the Toronto Maple Leafs for the eighth and final playoff spot. Obviously, its along way to go before season’s end, but they need to find a way to win while they try to get healthier.

Notes:

Devils hold a 2-5-2 record since starting off 5-1.
Scott Clemmensen saw some action in the net, allowing only one goal on 17 shots.
The Devils look to rebound against the Capitals, with games on back-to-back nights. The Devils are 0-4 when playing on back-to-back nights