Devils' 5-0 Win vs. Rangers: A Very Special Christmas Gift
The New Jersey Devils picked the New York Rangers apart in a 5-0 smackdown ahead of the NHL's Christmas break.
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Breaking: the New Jersey Devils might be very good. The Devils and New York Rangers may be heading in opposite directions, but that doesn't take away from the Devils' Christmas demolition of their Hudson River Rivals at the Prudential Center this afternoon.
The Devils didn't just beat the Rangers. They dominated every facet of the game, and it only got worse for the Rangers as the game progressed. Let's recap the 5-0 shutout win ahead of the three-day NHL Christmas break.
Devils Dominated All Facets
The first matchup between these two teams did not look all different, at least by the score. The Devils defeated the Rangers 5-1 at Madison Square Garden three weeks ago, but this was arguably the more dominant game of the two.
It didn't take long for the Devils to get ahead on the scoreboard. Jack Hughes scored his 14th goal in 22 career games against the Rangers to give the Devils a 1-0 lead, but you could feel the goal coming. Timo Meier, Ondřej Palát, and Nathan Bastian all had quality chances before Hughes scored about five minutes into the first.
From there, it was a barrage from the Devils. They scored three power-play goals courtesy of Meier, Hughes and Dawson Mercer, and generated over four expected goals at all strengths for the game. At times, it seemed like the Devils were toying with a porous Rangers defense, as the tic-tac-toe passing showed on Stefan Noesen's goal that made it 4-0.
This wasn't just an offensive barrage, though. As the Devils have done to so many teams lately, they suffocated the Rangers defensively. After shutting out the Pittsburgh Penguins and holding them to 12 shots on goal on Thursday evening, the Devils did the same to the Rangers.
The Rangers had just six high-danger chances at five-on-five for the game, and their once-feared power play generated just three shots on goal on four man-advantages. Perhaps they had just given up at this point, but the Devils arguably had more puck possession on the Rangers' final power play of the game.
In net, Jacob Markström faced little work again, but he still saved 3.08 goals above expected. Everyone contributed something to the Devils' beatdown of the Rangers. From goaltending to special teams and the Devils' core players showing up big, there's no doubt who the better team was tonight.
Jack Hughes Owns the Rangers
Jack Hughes just loves playing against the Rangers, doesn't he? He had two goals and an assist the first time these two teams played on Dec. 2 and followed it up with the same score line today.
You could argue Jonathan Quick should have stopped Hughes' first goal, but Sheldon Keefe said something interesting about it after the game. When asked what makes Hughes get up for these games, he said there was much more going on with that goal than many of us may appreciate.
"In terms of how he [Hughes] releases that puck, how he fools the goalie a little bit, there's an art to that that few players have to score from that spot."
It's no wonder Quick didn't appear to get a good read on it because Hughes' deception seemed to fool the Rangers' netminder.
There was no doubt about Hughes' second goal, as he took a great feed from his brother Luke to give the Devils a 3-0 lead. But scoring goals is not the only area where he's contributing.
Jack and Jesper Bratt have become vital penalty killers and are now usually the second forward unit that comes on the ice when Nico Hischier and Mercer come off the ice for a change. Hughes and Bratt didn't score shorthanded, but they did threaten the Rangers with a couple of shorthanded chances off odd-man rushes.
You'll always get the offense from Hughes, but he's becoming a well-rounded player who contributes in all situations. His performance today was emblematic of that all-around effort. He was a thorn in the Rangers' side at five-on-five, the power play and the penalty kill. Keefe deserves plenty of credit for helping him become this type of player.
Mercer's Best of 2024-25
Mercer has been a hot topic on social media lately, but he silenced those critics (myself included) for the time being with one of his best performances of the 2024-25 season.
With the Rangers still in the game and only trailing 1-0 to start the second period, he made a great no-look, backhanded pass to set up Meier in a one-time position for the power-play goal to give the Devils a 2-0 lead.
Mercer capped off the game with a hard-nosed effort on the power play to give the Devils a 5-0 lead by knocking a loose puck out of mid-air in front of Quick, who gave up a rebound in a perfect spot to Mercer.
Though Mercer totaled two points, he could have had more. He finished with a team-high five shots on goal, five scoring chances, and four high-danger chances at all strengths; he also totaled a 59.62 expected goals share (xG%) at five-on-five.
Keefe may be moving Mercer around the lineup a bit, but perhaps he'll begin settling in since Keefe won't be breaking up the Meier, Hischier and Noesen line any time soon.
Quick Hits
The Devils' fourth line hasn't scored in a bit, but they're generating chances. Bastian had a couple of grade-A opportunities, but it wasn't just him. The Devils out-chanced the Rangers 6-0 with the Tomáš Tatar, Justin Dowling and Bastian line on the ice. Tatar again led Devils skaters in xG% at 93.36 percent, but everyone is contributing to this unit. They may not be scoring, but they're outplaying opponents' depth lines, which may be even more crucial than scoring, given the Devils' output from their top players.
It might be Timo Time again. Meier finished with a goal and an assist for the second consecutive game and now has seven points in his last four contests. His underlying metrics have been fantastic this season, and it finally looks like that's starting to translate to points.
By holding the Rangers to 12 shots on goal, the Devils set an NHL record by holding their opponents to fewer than 20 shots on goal in seven consecutive games. Keefe recently mentioned how improving their defense has been a focal point this season, and this recent run of defensive play shows how far the Devils' defense has come in just 37 games this season.
Game Score Chart
Advanced stats from Natural Stat Trick
Thanks for the article Alex and Merry Christmas!