The New Jersey Devils traveled to New York City to take on the New York Rangers for the third time in the 2023-24 season. This marked the first time that New Jersey played at Madison Square Garden as the previous two meetings were at Prudential Center. The Devils went into the matchup with a 0-2-0 record and a minus-6 goal differential against New York. This meeting marked the third out of four meetings this season for the bitter rivals. Their last meeting will take place on April 3 in New York.
Since New Jersey parted ways with head coach Lindy Ruff, they have earned one win against the St. Louis Blues (March 7). They held a record of 3-7-0 in their last ten games coming into the matchup against the Rangers. On the other side of the Hudson, New York came into the game with a record of 7-2-1 in their previous ten games.
Kaapo Khakonen made his debut for the Devils after being traded from the San Jose Sharks on March 8. He faced Jonathan Quick who has a record of 13-5-2 with a save percentage (SV%) of .916 and a goals-against average (GAA) of 2.45 this season. Rangers’ captain Jacob Trouba missed his second game due to a lower-body injury.
The Devils ended up losing to the Rangers for the third time this season, losing 3-1.
Kakko Kahkonen Devils’ Debut
With the Sharks, Kahkonen started 27 games and had a record of 6-20-3 with a SV% of .895 and a GAA of 3.81. He also has logged minus-1.8 goals saved above expected, which ranks 60th in the league. Despite his poor stats, he was playing behind the 31st-ranked team in the league. With an improved defense in front of him, there is belief he can be an average goalie for the Devils for the remainder of their season.
In Kahkonen’s debut, he was far and away the best player for New Jersey. However, with the Devils’ effort, that is not saying much. The Finnish netminder played well enough to keep his team in the game for the entire 60 minutes. Nevertheless, the offense generated nothing except a goal from Simon Nemec. He finished the game with 24 saves on 26 shots and a .61 saves above expected.
MacDermid’s Challenge Goes Unanswered
Devils’ Kurtis MacDermid attempted to drop the gloves with Matt Rempe, the 6-foot-7 forward who received a game misconduct for an illegal check to Nathan Bastian the last time the two teams met. MacDermid was out for revenge as Bastian sustained an injury from the Rempe hit. However, the 21-year-old chose to ignore the challenge and skate away from MacDermid.
After the Rangers took a 2-0 lead in the second period, Rempe threw an elbow straight into Jonas Siegenthaler’s head. 19:30 into the second, he received his second straight game misconduct against the Devils. In addition, MacDermid received a 10-minute misconduct for going after Rempe following the dirty hit.
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However, Rempe continued the antics by waving at MacDermid knowing that he was protected by the referees who were escorting him off of the ice. Despite not seeing a fight between the two, the rookie aggressor still managed to get kicked from the game. His dirty hit will likely be reviewed by the league and certainly should earn a suspension.
Devils’ Heartless Play Means One Game Closer to the Offseason
After Rempe’s hit on Siegenthaler that kept the defenseman out of the game, the Devils started the third period with a 4:30 powerplay. During that powerplay, New Jersey had two shots on the net. They fumbled passes, turned the puck over, and looked completely lifeless. You would expect the team to come out with energy and desperation to make the Rangers pay for a dirty hit on their teammate. Instead, they followed the pattern of the season and failed to meet any expectations. Every single player on the team looked like they did not want to play and it was a well-deserved loss.
The Devils ended their abysmal night with 21 shots on net and 0/4 on the powerplay. They generated one high-danger shot attempt throughout the entire game. Instead of responding to a dirty hit, the team folded again and made no effort to win. They have lost five out of their six games in March and have done everything in their power to not have a chance at the playoffs. Now, they will embark on a three-game Western Conference road trip with two straight divisional losses under their belt. The season cannot end soon enough for the Devils.
