Devils Defeat Rangers 3-1 in Preseason Matchup

Game Recap
What’s Next?

On Thursday, Oct. 2, the New York Rangers hosted the New Jersey Devils for their second-to-last matchup of the preseason. The Devils struck first in the first period, but the Rangers tied it up in the second. With two goals in the third period, the Devils were victorious, 3-1.

Game Recap

For the majority of the first period, the two teams played clean, back-and-forth hockey. Late into the first, Arseni Gritsyuk gained control of the puck off a bad pass in the center of the ice. Paul Cotter caught up to Gritsyuk and skated up to the net with him. He passed to Cotter, who made a quick shot and scored the first goal of the game.

Paul Cotter New Jersey Devils — Paul Cotter, New Jersey Devils (Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images)

In the middle of the second period, Simon Nemec had the puck in the Rangers’ offensive zone. He tried to clear it, but instead, it bounced off of Adam Edstrom’s foot. He was in the right place at the right time and tied the game for the Rangers.

Unlike the first two periods, action kicked off early in the third. A minute and 12 seconds into the period, Braden Schneider took a seat for a high-stick. With 40 seconds left on the power play, the Devils sprang into action. Dougie Hamilton had the puck at the blue line and passed it up to Nemec. He sent it back down to Hamilton, who took a shot. The puck deflected off of Ondrej Palat’s stick to give the Devils the lead.

Just 20 seconds after the Rangers pulled Jonathan Quick from the crease, Dawson Mercer scored an empty net goal to make sure the Devils left New York City with a win.

What’s Next?

Both the Devils and the Rangers will play their final preseason games on Saturday, Oct. 4. The Devils will travel to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers at 12:30 P.M. EDT. The Rangers will play the Bruins in Boston at 2:00 P.M. EDT.