Rangers want to get Devils goalie caught in traffic
Devils goaltender Akira Schmid makes a save in front of Rangers center Tyler Motte during the first period of Game 3 of the team's NHL Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Saturday at Madison Square Garden. Credit: Adam Hunger
GREENBURGH, N.Y. — No one with the Rangers was alarmed Sunday or even all that concerned with the fact that they lost to the Devils in overtime in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series Saturday night.
“It was a tough game,’’ forward Filip Chytil said of the 2-1 loss at the Garden on Dougie Hamilton’s goal at 11:36 of overtime. “We couldn’t expect that we’re going to win every game 5-1, like the first two. They are a good team. They played a good game. I think for us, we played better in the first two games than [Saturday], but that was a tough game.’’
The way Chytil saw it, when the teams face each other again Monday night at the Garden in Game 4, the Rangers need to rededicate themselves to taking more shots and getting more traffic in front of Devils rookie goalie Akira Schmid.
Schmid, whom Devils coach Lindy Ruff started in Game 3 after using Vitek Vanecek in the first two games, played well and made 35 saves in his playoff debut, but Chytil thought the Rangers could have done more to make him uncomfortable.
“I’m not saying that their goalie didn’t have a good game yesterday,’’ Chytil said. “He played good. But we have to go in front of him, go into the tough areas, where we can score goals. And we have to do it tomorrow.’’
Overall, the Rangers were relatively satisfied with their effort Saturday, though they said they should have shot the puck more.
“Yeah, I think we definitely overpassed a little bit too much,’’ Vincent Trocheck said. “We passed up some good looks. I think a lot of times . . . you think maybe that last pass is more of an open look, if you’re able to get it to a guy. But I think like we’ve been saying, it’s on a rookie goalie, [and in] our first game at home. You’ve got to be looking to shoot the puck a little bit more.’’
One thing that didn’t work as well as it did in the first two games in New Jersey was the Rangers’ power play. After connecting four times in 10 attempts in the first two games, the extra-man unit went 0-for-5 Saturday. Chris Kreider, who scored all four power-play goals in the first two games, did score his fifth goal of the series, but he did so at even strength.
Coach Gerard Gallant said the Devils’ penalty-killing unit made some adjustments for Game 3.
“I think they jumped [at the Rangers’ players] a little harder,’’ he said. “They tried to take Kreider away a little more [Saturday] night, him being in front of the net. And I thought they got in the [passing] lanes pretty well.
“We had some good chances from our power play . . . Mika [Zibanejad] had three or four real Grade-A chances. But they took away the other option there, with Kreider in the front of the net. There weren’t many shots going through from the point.
“So they concentrated on that a little bit, but you make adjustments. Their penalty-killing did a real good job, but it’s not like we didn’t have good chances, because there was four or five.’’
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
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