3 Keys To Rangers-Devils playoff series
New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin makes a stop in the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres at Madison Square Garden on Monday, April 10, 2023. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
1. Protect the puck: The run-and-gun Devils thrive on turnovers, especially those in the neutral zone. That’s something the Rangers have had trouble with at times this season, and especially in their four games against the Devils. The East-West style Rangers will need to tighten up their play in the neutral zone, otherwise goaltender Igor Shesterkin could find himself looking at a lot of breakaways over the next two weeks.
2. Third and fourth lines: While most of the pre-series attention will naturally go to the big names, the Patrick Kanes and Vladimir Tarasenkos, and the Jack Hughes’ and Timo Meiers of the world, it’s often the case in the playoffs that when the top two lines from each team cancel each other out, it is left to the bottom six forwards — the third and fourth lines — to tip the balance and score the key goals. This is where bringing in Kane and Tarasenko at the trade deadline makes the Rangers most dangerous, because it allowed the Kid Line of Alexis Lafrenière, Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko to stay together. It also forced the likes of Jimmy Vesey and Barclay Goodrow down to the fourth line, giving the Blueshirts a potent bottom six.
3. Goaltending: Even strength? Goaltending is always the biggest factor of all in any playoff series, and the Rangers go into most games having the advantage with Shesterkin, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner. The Devils accrued 112 points in large part because of their goalie play. After struggling to find quality goaltending the last two seasons, they were able to find some stability with the addition of 27-year-old Vitek Vanecek. His numbers in the regular season were in the same ballpark as Shesterkin’s — a .911 save percentage (compared to .916) and a 2.45 goals-against average (compared to 2.48). So if the Rangers have an advantage in net, it figures to be only a slight one.
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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