Ryan Strome nets pair as Rangers rout Devils again for third straight win

The Rangers’ longest road trip of the season is off to a perfect start, as their 6-3 win over the Devils on Saturday afternoon in Newark completed a sweep of the two games to kick off the six-game sojourn. They will face the Penguins on Sunday night in the first of two games in Pittsburgh before finishing the trip with two games in Boston.

The victory was the third in a row and sixth in eight games for the Rangers (10-9-3), who pulled to within four points of the fourth and final playoff position in the East Division and for the first time this season have more wins than regulation losses.

"You win three in a row, you feel good about yourself,’’ coach David Quinn said. "If you’re going to have a chance [to make the playoffs], you’ve got to string together wins. You’ve got to go on some sort of streak and some sort of run. And we really hadn’t done that up to this point.’’

Adam Fox’s coast-to-coast power-play goal gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead at 2:06 of the first period and Ryan Strome scored at 7:15 of the period after Kaapo Kakko, returning to the lineup after missing six games while on the COVID-19 list, stole the puck in the Devils’ zone.

The Devils tied the score late in the period with goals 17 seconds apart by P.K. Subban at 14:54 and Mikhail Maltsev at 15:11, but former Devil Kevin Rooney finished a two-on-one pass from Filip Chytil at 17:06 to put the Rangers back in front to stay.

Libor Hajek’s first goal in two seasons, at 1:05 of the second period and Chytil’s goal at 8:38 of the third provided insurance.

Nathan Bastian scored to pull the Devils within 5-3 at 17:48 of the third period, but Strome got an empty-net goal at 18:47 to offset that.

With Igor Shesterkin unavailable because of a groin strain suffered in Thursday’s 6-1 win over the Devils, Alexandar Georgiev made 24 saves to earn his third straight win. He is 4-2-2 this season.

Playing their sixth game without their best offensive player, Artemi Panarin, the Rangers benefited from the return of Kakko, who played 17:56, the fifth-most of any forward behind Strome, Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider and Pavel Buchnevich.

"I thought Kaapo had a pretty good night for a guy that’s been out for a while, and playing as many minutes as he did,’’ Quinn said. "I thought he was pretty effective.’’

Chytil, playing his third game since returning from a hand injury that kept him out of the lineup for 14 games, also was a major contributor with a goal and an assist.

"It was five weeks when I didn’t play,’’ Chytil said. "I started the first game just skating, battling . . . The hand didn’t feel that good. But yeah, I feel every shift I’m [getting] better.’’

Of the Rangers’ five goal-scorers, only Strome and Rooney, both 27, were older than 23.

"You see the difference it makes in a game when we have everyone going,’’ Strome said. "It doesn’t really matter how old you are, but when we get contributions from all over the lineup like we did tonight at both ends of the ice . . . I think that’s a good sign moving forward.’’

"It’s the first time we’ve won three in a row,’’ Quinn said. "We’re creeping up on the halfway point of the season, so our guys realize what’s in front of us. They realize that with each passing day, you want to continue to gain momentum and continue to move forward.’’

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

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.