On Saturday, April 5, the New Jersey Devils hosted the New York Rangers at the Prudential Center. For their fourth and final matchup of the season, the Devils shut out the Rangers 4-0. The Devils also won the season series, winning three of the four games.
Meier With Two Goals
While the first period ended with no score, Timo Meier changed that around halfway into the second period.
Sam Carrick took a seat for interference on Stefan Noesen, and the Devils got to work. Right off the faceoff on the man advantage, Nico Hischier won the draw. He dropped the puck down to Luke Hughes at the blue line. Hughes sent a quick pass to Meier, who immediately fired the shot. Three seconds into the power play, the Devils were on the board.
Late into the third period, Meier scored his second goal. Dawson Mercer skated the puck through the neutral zone, and when he got up to Igor Shesterkin, he sent a pass to the boards, where the puck found Meier. He took a shot, but it was at a weird angle, and Meier could not find the net. The rebound went to Seamus Casey at the blue line. Casey took the shot, which was also blocked by Shesterkin. Meier picked up the puck once more and took a shot. At first, it was unclear whether or not it crossed the goal line, but the goal horn sounded, and New Jersey celebrated their third goal of the night.
These two goals mark Meier’s only two points in his last five games. Meier has 24 goals total for the season and 25 assists so far; he is one point shy of a 50-point season. Although Meier hasn’t been performing entirely how he should these past few games, he is now picking up the pace. He plays right wing on the second line, with Mercer at center and Erik Haula at left wing. The trio has been picking up the slack with Jack Hughes out of the lineup; Mercer’s assist and Meier’s two goals are a testament to that.
Devils Had a Strong Penalty Kill
The Devils took three penalties during this game, all in the second period. Not only did the Devils deny the Rangers a goal on the man advantage, but they scored a short-handed goal.
Related: Devils Nearing Playoff Berth as They Blank Rival Rangers, 4-0
Eleven minutes into the second period, Meier and Mercer were both sent to the box: Meier for cross-checking and Mercer for tripping. Thirty seconds into the man advantage for the Rangers, Brenden Dillon gained control of the puck. He sent a pass to Hischier, who made a drive to the net with Jesper Bratt. On a two-on-one, Hischier passed to Bratt through the neutral zone. As the pair skated up to the net, Bratt took a shot and sent the puck past Shesterkin to give the Devils a 2-goal lead.
This short-handed goal marked the Devils’ seventh of the season. While New Jersey currently sits in 12th place on the short-handed goal leaderboard, the Rangers are in first place. Finding success against the team currently in first place in short-handed goals, while the Rangers couldn’t even score one at regular strength, is a huge accomplishment.
Markstrom Is Back in Action
Jacob Markstrom has been on a tear lately. While he had a slow start originally in his return from injury after the 4 Nations Face-Off, this game marked Markstrom’s fourth win in a row and his fourth shutout of the season. Ironically enough, Markstrom previously recorded a shutout against the Rangers at home on Dec. 23. As Markstrom slowly regains his confidence, a four-game win streak and two shutouts against the Devils’ rival should help do the trick.
With Markstrom’s shutout victory, the Devils gained two necessary points in the playoff race. New Jersey currently has 89 points overall and sits in third place in the Metropolitan Division. While the two teams above them, the Washington Capitals and the Carolina Hurricanes, have already clinched their playoff berth, the Devils are getting closer to theirs.
Devils Stay at Home
The Devils will host the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, April 8.
